A levels have ended. The holidays are here. And I got over my procrastination. Now it’s time to sweep the dust off my blog.
With 2019 drawing to a close, I’ll like to write something more personal. I want to relook at, not just this year itself, but also last year from the beginning of JC life. I admit I could just easily and blatantly forget and escape from everything during the holiday period. Come on, writing an essay is like the last thing that I want to do right now. But, to think the two years have amounted to nothing significant, I feel, is plainly being simplistic and pessimistic. Through a thorough retrospection, I hope it’ll give JC and these short years a proper closure.
Honestly, it’s such a pain to review the entire process. Looking back, everything seems so confused and unbelievable. To sum it with a few adjectives, JC is fleeting, routine and hectic. Even now, I’m still wrapping my head around how abrupt I’ve graduated from JC. Time flies, but in JC, time flies even faster. But the not-so-positive impression of JC compels me to really reflect and walk down the memory lane once more.
Perhaps I had failed to appreciate all that had happened and missed something to be grateful about when I was so caught up studying. Perhaps I could also come to realise that JC isn’t all that bad after all. Maybe, along the way, I shall find some pearls of wisdom and gems to treasure that are worth sharing to you readers, especially to those who plan to go to JC or are still studying in JC.
Anyways, I don’t often write something so personal (and I still cringe whilst writing this), but I really appreciate if you’ve read to this point. Let me give you a toast first for being interested to hear my life story 🙂 .
All right, here goes…
So choosing JC all began with me being so clueless about life despite having done well for O levels. JC seems like the perfect place for me – directionless but academically driven. With no close relatives who have ventured into the territories of JC, I was more convinced to take the risk to try JC out. I mean hey you could boast about how you’re an intelligent JC kid (but you’re actually not ahaha).
Although I was intially kind of led into the rosy idea that JC was all fun and games during orientation, there were in fact many bumps further down the road that gave me a reality check…
Information overload
First being the sheer load of information to absorb that is just so overwhelming. Coupled with so little time to master the content, I honestly feel I just scraped through everything, even up till A levels.
Not to mention the pile of homework you’ll be bombarded with every week. That would mean most of the weekends will be occupied clearing your homework to-do list, leaving little time to pause and take a breather.
‘Jugglenaut’ everyday
Besides worrying about schoolwork, imagine having to juggle that along with other interests, CCAs and leadership roles.
For me I was really into running. From the start of 2019, I was bitten by the marathon bug. I’m quite grateful that being part of the school’s cross-country team has helped me to work towards that dream. This leads me to a survival tip below I’ll discuss later!
And of course this blog itself. With drafts of unfinished ideas sitting around begging for an end, I feel sorry for them because I’m more likely writing my GP essay instead or busy with some other schoolwork. Frankly, I’ll be doubly sorry too because they’ll end up in the trash bin pretty soon.
I was also keen to explore social issues and got into volunteering regularly. I took up a weekly volunteering project along with few other ad-hoc ones that took a significant time out of my weekends. In fact, I’ve written about one of them on migrant workers. Check it out if you’ve not read it!
It’s quite insane thinking now how I managed (barely) to balance these commitments with my academics, albeit with some compromises here and there.
Staying healthy
Health is another problem. I still remember sleeping only 1 hour — breaking my record for the least numbers of hours slept — just to finish the Written Report for Project Work. Throughout JC, I had really messed up sleep schedules, especially during exam periods. I would forgo sleep to cope with the stressful, tremendous workload of JC, and that did not turn out well in the long run when I began to doze off in lectures…
Raging hormones
Not to mention during the late teen years, our hormones are raging like mad. It’s undeniable some of us or our friends enter into relationships. This emotional baggage of feelings to carry along is something I’m no stranger to. I confess it’s hard to endure feelings and the allure of relationships but I think it’s a matter of doing what’s best for yourself first. And that would be prioritising studies first, then again it’s no easy feat.
But looking further, there were bigger hills that lie ahead.
Troubling dilemmas…
Till today, there are some persistent, nagging anxieties that I’m still thinking through, mainly the value of a JC education. Adrift in life, I always wondered: Is JC a journey to self-discovery or merely a dumping ground for lost souls?
After all, on the surface, JC seems futile. All I had learnt was to mug, regurgitate, repeat followed by clearing my internal storage after A levels. So it feels meaningless knowing I’m learning something I’m going to dispose off eventually.
Moreover, it’s hard to see any relevance of a JC education. Almost everything appears to be hogwash because of how general and abstract most subjects are taught. We hardly apply what we learn and see them being applied in the real-world.
Additionally, A levels isn’t that attractive and pales in comparison to a Diploma — it’s less valued in the working world, you don’t really learn any hard skills and have a proper internship. At times, dropping out seems better than the rubbish I’ve to put up with.
As I rant and lament on and on, JC indeed sounds like trash.
But maybe I’m wrong
To posit JC as worthless for it’s lack of practicality is just superficial.
Probing deeper, I think JC is more than a means to an end. While most people would do away with the idea that coming to JC would mean you plan to enter into a university, get a degree and then a solid job. However, it shouldn’t have to be tied to pragmatic outcomes. And this too applies to education in general.
A successful 25-year-old artist, Yeo Tze Yang, views that we could perhaps see education ‘not only as a tool to secure employment, but also, in that unSingaporean romantic notion of nourishment for the mind and soul.’ If we see education as a means of personal development rather than merely being a way to establish one’s career, then I believe, JC would be a feast for that ahaha.
JC education is not perfect. And it could definitely be improved to suit the needs of the future rather than just being a ticket to university. But it undoubtedly brings along a wealth of opportunities, be it tangible or intangible. While we may not see the direct impact, sometimes we only realise it later down the road.
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”
Steve Jobs
Equally important, I believe there are good things to remember that made JC all worth it. The friends I laughed, struggled and goofed around with. It’s actually these friendships and memories forged that I’ll take away and cherish most fondly when I take a glimpse back at my JC days.
With that said, I shall remain optimistic JC is worth surviving for, and it’s also possible to survive it. Some pieces of advice that have carried me through the rigour of JC life, which I find worth sharing with you all:
1. Drop the ego
All of us progress at a different pace, so it’s pointless to benchmark our grades to someone else’s, because again, the circumstances are different.
Personally, I know people who have to take three years in JC. They are really great people to talk to, and they are in a way better position than those who barely made the cut the two years they were in JC.
At the end of the day, leave your pride behind. Don’t let something or somebody else rush your timeline. Others may fare better, but that doesn’t invalidate our own success.
2. Consistency beats intensity
Although some tout the strategy of ditching your work and flunking your tests all the way until A levels. In my opinion, that will not work out well. Being disciplined enough to set aside time at your own pace early will cause less anxiety and serve you better in the long run. Here’s an analogy: when you eat a burger, you take one bite at a time instead of forcing the whole thing down, right?
3. Get comfortable with failure
Failure is inevitable, more so in JC. Unlike in secondary school, JC wouldn’t be a clean sheet of straight As for most (at least it wasn’t for me).
I failed English Literature for the entire two years I was in JC. During A levels, I recalled having a really bad nervous breakdown. But I didn’t gave up studying at any one time. Instead, I studied even harder and felt I did the best I could for A levels.
So don’t let one failure create another failure, but treat it rather as a sign for improvement!
4. Study smart, not just hard
Don’t be the person hoping to score As by only flipping through lecture notes. It’s important to maximise your study time so your efforts won’t go in vain!
Make notes, flashcards, teach to your plush toys, whatever. Personally, I found making my own summary notes very helpful.
However, this is subjective and something that you have to continually review, change and find what works best for you.
5. Make time to do what you love
JC to most is already a bore and a chore. The last thing you want is a burn-out. So practise self-care and do things that you love.
Best if you could kill two birds in one stone by making your interests part of your JC life. For me, I was in Health & Fitness, something I’m really passionate about. So I didn’t find it a hassle at all when I served as an EXCO member. Being in cross-country was also a great stress-reliever and has helped me to concurrently train for a marathon.
So find something that gets you dreaming, your heart beating and all excited. I swear it’ll keep you sane no matter how insane JC gets.
6. Find proper company
JC can be even more bearable, if and only if, you hang around with the right people who would help one another and enjoy together.
If you can’t find any, don’t worry I’ve been there countless times! Being a good company on your own can help you focus better sometimes.
7. Sacrifice and prioritise
Unfortunately, you would want to have enough time for what’s really important to you. That would mean cutting down go of certain things that are unnecessarily eating up too much time.
Binge-watching Netflix series, excessive gaming, obsessive Instagramming, forever chilling with friends. I’m sure you can name more on your own 😉 . While they are not to be eradicated entirely (cause I do some of that too hehe), the danger is letting them spiral out of control, leaving insufficient time to focus on crucial responsibilities.
In the end, it’s a matter of knowing what’s important. Studies, sleep, your sanity are precious. And ultimately it is also a matter of choice to do what’s best for you.
I hope I didn’t sound overly didactic hahaha.
Closing words
To date, I would say these two years have been the loneliest, darkest periods of my life, but it has made me see and appreciate the brightest days in all its glory. I hope my review has given to you readers a good glimpse of what JC is like, from my perspective, especially to those wanting to enrol or are currently studying in JC.
That’s all guys! It’ll be great to hear from you if you have any feedback or interesting, relatable and meaningful stories to share. Just leave a comment below, and I’ll gladly reply!
Happy new year and all the best for 2020!