1. How does the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine conduct its admissions process? In selecting students who will become the next generation of doctors for Singapore, it is necessary to look beyond academic measures. Some other attributes of a good doctor are pro-social behaviour, communication skills, insight, integrity, teamwork, meticulous work habits and responsibility. Our careful examination of this issue has involved discussion with many segments of the medical community and research into best practices from top medical schools around the world. Admission to Medicine is extremely competitive. Each year, we make difficult decisions when selecting from among the many talented and accomplished students who apply for admission. 2. How will admission to Medicine work this year? Admission to Medicine will be based on two scores: the University Score and the Faculty Score. University Score - computed by the Office of Admissions University Score – computed by the Office of Admissions: For applicants presenting Singapore–Cambridge 'A' levels: The best four content subjects (ie. 3 H2 and 1 H1 content subjects, with at least 1 content subject to be from a contrasting discipline) either GP or KI grade taken in the same sitting, as well as H1 Project Work, will be considered. The University Score for applicants presenting the IB diploma or the NUS High School Diploma will also be computed by the NUS Office of Admissions. Faculty Score - computed by the School of Medicine Focused Skills Assessment(FSA), Situational Judgement Test(SJT) and portfolio review
50%
50%
Please refer to the Office of Admissions website for the detailed admission requirements and application procedures. Please note that different application deadlines apply to different applicant category and high school qualifications. 3. What subject prerequisites must I have? The subject prerequisites are as follows: • 'A' Level Prerequisites: A good H2 pass in Chemistry and a good H2 pass in either Biology or Physics of the best four content subjects (i.e. 3 H2 and 1 H1 content subjects) used in the computation of the University Admission Score, at least one content subject (either H2 or H1) must be from a contrasting discipline • International Baccalaureate Prerequisites: A good Pass in HL Chemistry and either HL Biology or Physics • National University of Singapore High School Diploma
Prerequisites: Major CAP of at least 2.0 in Chemistry and either Biology or Physics, and CAP of at least 1.0 in one other major and in English Programme and Research Project
• Polytechnic:
An approved diploma from a polytechnic in Singapore Please click here to see the list of acceptable diplomas for admission to Medicine. Other qualification Prerequisites: A good Pass in Chemistry and either Biology or Physics in high school 4. Given my academic results, what are my chances of being shortlisted for Medicine? The cut-off point depends on the competition of the pool of applicants each year. You may review last year's indicative grade profile for Medicine. 5. What is the Focused Skills Assessment (FSA)? FSA is a series of stations, each examining a specific characteristic of the candidate. The station can be a mini-interview or performance of a focused task. Each station is standardized. Examiners of each station are faculty members, doctors, allied health professionals, and medical alumni. All examiners are carefully selected and trained before the selection exercise. The assessment will be conducted over 90 minutes.
6. What is the Situational Judgement Test (SJT)? SJT is a 45 minute pen-and-paper MCQ test designed to assess judgement in medicine-relevant situations. All students who have been shortlisted for Medicine must sit for the SJT. 7. What if I can't appear for either or both the Focused Skills Assessment (FSA) and the Situational Judgement Test (SJT)? Candidates must sit for the FSA and SJT in order to be considered for Medicine. If you have a legitimate conflict or are ill, contact the Dean's Office immediately. Male candidates currently serving National Service will be released by MINDEF to sit for the FSA and SJT. Contact details will be provided on the shortlist letter/email sent to you. 8. What is the portfolio review? All shortlisted candidates must submit a portfolio to the Dean's Office. The portfolio must include • • • •
an official testimonial from your junior college or high school two letters of recommendation (to be uploaded by referee) a personal statement (one page) resume or list of extracurricular activities (one page)
This portfolio will be read and evaluated by the Selection Committee. 9. Is there any special format for the personal statement, resume or list of extracurricular activities and recommendation letters? There is no special format for the portfolio except for the personal statement whereby a recent passport-sized photograph is required at the top right-hand corner. For all documents, please indicate your name and candidate index number and use reader–friendly font (e.g. 12–point Arial). 10. Will my portfolio be returned to me after the admissions process? No. 11. Who can write the letters of recommendation?
Letters of recommendation must be written by someone, not related to you, who knows you well. The person who wrote your school testimonial can be nominated as your referee; however the referee should provide additional information on top of the testimonial. For NSmen, a letter written by your Commanding Officer or any other officer is acceptable. Secondary school testimonials are also acceptable, although they may not be as effective as those written by people who have known you at a more mature stage of your life. Letters do not need to be addressed to anyone in particular. "To whom it may concern" or "Dear Admissions Committee" will do. Letters should be dated and signed, and using reader-friendly font size (e.g. 12–point Arial). 12. What should I write about in my personal statement? We are interested in the experiences that have shaped your desire to study medicine. Please focus on telling your particular story. You can think of your personal statement as a letter of introduction to your interviewers, as they will read it before meeting you in person. 13. Why must I re-type my CCA list into one page? Presenting your CCA accomplishments on one page will enable you to highlight those activities that have been most important to you. It will also allow you to include activities that were not captured by your school documentation. Also, our examiners will need to read your portfolio quickly and will need the information presented in one page with readerfriendly font (e.g. 12-point Arial). 14. Can my referees mail their letters directly to the Dean’s Office? No. If you are shortlisted, your nominated referee’s will need to upload their letters via the link provided to them. 15. What is the Exceptional Individual Scheme (EIS)? The EIS was developed as a way of exercising discretionary criteria in admitting a small number of students to the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. Applications submitted through this route will be evaluated by the Selection Committee on the basis of exceptional talent and achievement in addition to academic results. Please click here for more information 16. Are there any health requirements for admission into Medicine?
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Admission to Medicine is subject to the condition that the candidate must be HBsAg negative in accordance with the Singapore Ministry of Health requirements. All prospective medical students must undergo screening for Hepatitis B ("HBV"). Those who are HBsAg positive (regardless of HBeAg status) will not be admitted to the course in Medicine. All candidates must undergo screening in the year of enrolment even if they have been screened and immunized at the point of offer earlier. Prospective medical students who are tested negative for HBsAg but are not immune (anti-HBs negative or < 10 mIU/mL) are required to be immunized so as to protect themselves and to prevent HBV transmission in the healthcare workplace. All immunizations must begin within one month from the date of screening. Post vaccination Hepatitis B antibody blood test to be done one month after immunisation. Candidates who fail or decline to undergo HBV screening, furnish evidence of HBV immunization, and/or refuse to be immunized, if so required by the University, will be excluded from the Medical course. The University reserves the right to require any or all of its new medical students to undergo further tests for any or all markers of the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and exclude any candidates who test positive for HBV from the Medical course. Students interested in Medicine are encouraged to ascertain their HBV status early. Varicella Zoster Virus (Chickenpox) In addition, prospective medical students must furnish documentary evidence of immunity to, or immunization for, Chickenpox. Students with a negative or equivocal titre as defined by the reference range of the testing laboratory will require immunisation. Certification of past infection/previous immunisation of chickenpox is not acceptable. Students may begin classes without documentary evidence of immunization for Chickenpox if: 1) He/she has a letter from a physician stating that there is a reason why he/she cannot receive the vaccine; 2) He/she concerned has documented evidence of two administrations of the varicella vaccine (non-responders). Rubella Virus All candidates must undergo screening for immunity to Rubella (regardless of previous screening or immunization). Those who are tested negative for Rubella immunity will be required to be immunised within one month from the date of screening.
17. I came for the interview last year but was not offered a place in Medicine. Can I re-apply? If you enrolled in NUS/NTU/SMU in 2012, you can consider applying in February 2013 under Category E. Your application will be considered on the basis of your university results in addition to your 'A' level/high school results. If you are enrolled in a local university, please note that your eligibility for the MOE Tuition Grant is equal to the number of years in your new course, minus the number of years you have already spent in a local university. Thus, if you enrol in Medicine after one year at NUS/NTU/SMU, you would be liable for full (non-subsidized) tuition fees for your last year in Medicine. This is a new policy, effective in 2008-09. For more information on fees and the MOE Tuition Grant. If you are currently serving your National Service, we recommend that you re-apply next year under the appropriate qualification category. Please note that as you have already attended the medical school interviews, in addition to your online application through the NUS Office of Admissions, you must also submit an application to the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine under the Exceptional Individual Scheme (EIS)– otherwise, you will not be granted an interview. This is because under the normal admission criteria, a candidate is not granted repeat interviews for Medicine. You will compete with that year’s cohort. 18. Can I appeal if I am not offered a place after attending the interviews? In 2012, nearly 2,000 students applied for Medicine. About 850 were shortlisted for interviews, but Medicine only had 300 places. We regret that we must turn away many deserving candidates. Please understand that your candidacy has already been carefully considered, and the decisions of the Admissions Committee are final. If you decide to appeal, you should remain realistic about your chances. At this time, all places have been filled. Should any students withdraw from the class before the beginning of term, we may be able to make a small number of offers to shortlisted students on our reserve list. In the meantime, if you were offered another place at NUS or another university, or a scholarship, we would encourage you to accept it. Accepting another place or a scholarship will not harm your chances of being offered a place in Medicine from the reserve list. 19. I am not offered a place in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine but will like to study medicine in Singapore. What other options do I have?
You may wish to consider the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (GMS), a partnership between NUS and the Duke University School of Medicine in the U.S. This four-year programme, culminating in the Medical Doctor (M.D.) degree, accepts students with bachelor's degrees and will enable graduates to practice medicine in Singapore. Alternatively, you may consider applying to Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCSoM), NTU. The admissions processes of YLLSoM and LKCSoM are independent of each other. An applicant, who has previously applied for Medicine at NUS, does not face any disadvantage when applying for admissions to LKCSoM. 20. Can I study medicine overseas for a few years and then transfer back to NUS? Singaporeans and SPRs attending medical school overseas may apply to transfer to NUS. In the event that a vacancy is available in that particular year (which is not always the case), candidates will be considered based on the merits of their 'A' level/high school results and their medical school results. Please note that NUS has a residency requirement of 50%, so transfer students must spend at least three years in the medical school at NUS, no matter how many years they have already completed. For more information, please click here 21. Can I study medicine overseas and return to Singapore for my house officer or residency training? International medical graduates from any of the medical schools listed on the Singapore Medical Council (SMC)'s Schedule of schools will be eligible to apply for medical registration with SMC to do housemanship or residency in Singapore upon their return. If you are keen on returning to practise medicine in Singapore upon graduating from an overseas medical school, you are strongly encouraged to enrol in and complete your medical training at one of the schools on SMC's Schedule. Otherwise, you are advised to attain a postgraduate medical qualification recognised by SMC in order to be considered for medical registration. It will also be beneficial for you to familiarise yourself with the requirements and criteria for medical registration in Singapore. More information regarding SMC’s list of registrable basic and postgraduate medical qualifications as well as criteria for medical registration can be found on its website at www.smc.gov.sg. 22. Bonds for Medical students Candidates admitted to the Medical course at the National University of Singapore, who are not in receipt of PSC scholarships, are required to
serve the Government of Singapore upon successful completion of the course according to the scheme in the following table: Course
Singaporeans
Medicine
5 years
Singapore PR & International Students 6 years
(excluding housemanship / first year residency training)
(excluding housemanship / first year residency training)
PSC scholarship recipients who are concurrently awarded the President's Scholarship to read Medicine will be required to sign an agreement with the Government and be bonded according to the terms of the scholarship. For more information about PSC scholarships, please visit: http://www.pscscholarships.gov.sg. 23. Where can I get more information? The Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Website: http://medicine.nus.edu.sg/ Email:
[email protected] Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Students-Today-DocsTomorrow/407282935961615 NUS Office of Admissions (OAM) Website: http://www.nus.edu.sg/oam/ Email: http://www.askadmissions.nus.edu.sg/
