Nicole
Nicole came to ICON very close to her NUS Medicine submission deadline and was unsure about how to approach her application. Despite the extremely short runway, it was critical that she spent time on her application strategy to define her personal brand clearly and evaluate her academic portfolio. She recognised that skipping that step would mean struggling to decide what to write in her personal statement and compromising her interview responses.
01 Background
Nicole was an all-rounder. She was academically strong in the sciences and humanities, and an accomplished athlete. Other than excelling in several Olympiads and essay competitions, she participated actively in Model United Nations. Experience in such super-curricular activities allowed her to hone her analytical and critical thinking skills, learn about society and the world, and build her confidence. Her demanding team sports training conditioned her physically and mentally. As team captain, she also had ample opportunity to hone her communication and leadership skills.
02 Portfolio
Through her volunteer work and part-time work at a polyclinic, Nicole was exposed to people from very different backgrounds. She was moved by very personal interactions with elderly patients and determined to see them as individuals concerned about their health and not illnesses or diseases to be treated.
03 Approach
With the help of her coach, Nicole was able to accurately capture, because of her varied experiences, her desire to pursue Medicine, demonstrate her passion for people, express what she had learnt and explain how she could apply these valuable lessons to her future as a medical student and later on as a doctor. Interview preparation also came quite easily to Nicole and she readily applied her coach’s advice. She was able to structure her responses succinctly and incorporated her personal brand and broad understanding of medical related issues.
04 Results
After the intensive coaching process, Nicole received and accepted the offer from NUS.