They enrolled early through EAE and went on to excel
It never occurred to him that a video game would play a part in securing him a place in an institute of higher learning.
During Joshua Chow's Early Admissions Exercise (EAE) interview, he impressed the panel by sharing what he learnt about economics and the rules of supply and demand through trading in the video game RuneScape.
He had applied to enrol in Nanyang Polytechnic's (NYP) Diploma in Fund Management & Administration through EAE after his Higher Nitec in Banking Services at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).
"EAE gives applicants the opportunity to show their talents, be it through aptitude tests or an interview," he said.
"If the person reviewing your application has only your results and CCA to judge you by, and you don't fare so well in these criteria, then EAE gives you a chance to showcase yourself through a different angle."
Due to Covid-19, this year's EAE selection for ITE and polytechnics will largely be conducted virtually, the Ministry f Education said.
Interviews and portfolio submissions will take place online, except for some courses where the selection process cannot meaningfully be replicated remotely.
Final-year ITE students can apply for EAE into polys from June 11 to 17, while O-Level students can apply from June 25 to July 1.
EAE gave Mr Chow a boost, but he faced more challenges."My main challenge during poly was a lack of in-depth knowledge in my first year, but I overcame it by learning on my own free time, and (then) teaching others," he said.
His hard work paid off and the 22-year-old went on to win the Tay Eng Soon Award for ITE Upgrader this year.
Another graduate, Ms Evelyn Eng, 20, enrolled in NYP's Spatial Design course through EAE.
"Instead of competing based on results, we're competing based on aptitude," she said.
Ms Eng excelled in NYP, winning the HP Innovation Award in her third year and graduating with a 4.0 GPA. But she admitted that finding time for herself, family and friends outside of school was a challenge.
Both graduates said they recommend the EAE path, especially for students who have passion for the courses they are interested in.
NYP is conducting an online EAE sharing session, Come Chat & Ask Us Anything, on Saturday.
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