Last Updated on 2016-05-19 , 1:37 pm
We never truly understand life the way we understand it right after stepping out of the exam hall. When your brain is fully drained and dried from over-usage due to the exams, you see reality in a blur – before succumbing to the fact that exams are over.
Nonetheless, it’s bad news here on out (ok, maybe one or two good news lie ahead, but that’s all you get, bub). The light at the end of the exam tunnel isn’t really your saviour in disguise, it’s the light to help you observe how death and failure are shadowing you at every bend. But whether you’ve just concluded your ‘O’ levels, ‘N’ levels, ‘A’ levels, Diploma or Degree, know this:
You’re not alone.
Now, with that supposedly dramatic opening, here are 10 (exaggerated) things only students understand when they’ve finished exams.
1. The feeling of actual freedom
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Unlike school holidays and summer holidays, the actual feeling of freedom is one that’s bittersweet. Once Singapore’s education system has ended its course, one is left with a cool-looking certificate, some extra knowledge, a few thousands of dollars of debt, and a big question to answer – What’s next? That’s the actual feeling of freedom. Just a bunch of big questions you need to answer, based on your beliefs and experiences. Most importantly, training weights have been lifted, only to be replaced by a heavier load.
2. The looming feeling of National Service
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For the guys who have just finished tertiary education, the feeling of freedom remains to be seen as something that’s unobtainable. It’s like a running joke with ‘NS’ as the punchline. Perhaps for one or two days, guys will get a slight taste of Nirvana (the taste of freedom), before getting stripped of this calmness.
The dread of National Service is as real as it can get. With every passing day, a pre-enlistee will walk pass the mailbox with increasing anxiousness, wondering when he will be struck by the letter. The feeling is just menacing and haunting.
3. The inability to think about the next exams
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To those who are expecting another paper to sit for or have semesters to go, you can be sure that exams are the last thing on your mind. Nobody has the time to think about sitting on the same seat for hours, regurgitating words on command. There’s just not enough time in a single day to let your mind venture on things that leave you uninspired.
4. The feeling of I-can-be-whoever-I-want-to-be…
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It’s true that post-exams are great times when one feels at his/her prime. The climax of his life. So much to do, so much to see! The possibilities of who you could be are simply boundless! An astronaut? The President? The Prime Minister? An inventor? An adventurer? Only the future will have heard of the kind of awe that you’ve brought to the world!
I mean, your teachers, principals, parents, and friends have all claimed that whatever you want to be is really within your grasp, right? Nope.
5. …and how that feeling doesn’t last very long.
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Not at all. The future is bleak. The world is headed to a depression and there’s a possibility that Singapore might be too overpopulated that you’ll have no home to stay in. Cheers!
6. That you could have aced the exams if you prepared much earlier
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How many times have you left your revisions untouched till the night before your exams, and regretted it? If you were anything like me… perhaps loads.
7. That school never made sense other than to build character
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Many have stated their case on how the idea of school is archaic and programmes need to be updated in order to encompass an education that’s wholesome and relevant to the real world. But really, this narrative is almost clichè. A lot has been said and a lot has been done. However, not until you’re done with exams and lived yourself outside of school will you realise how true that whatever was taught in school is inconsequential.
Main lesson here: Don’t think lowly on how CCAs affect you more than subjects like Maths, Science, and English.
8. That the corporate world isn’t for everyone
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Most will head out to the working world, in hopes of getting an employment at huge corporations and MNCs, battling the bureaucracy. Some will crash and burn, others will join the administration. However, for those that opted to walk a route unpaved by the majority, they’ll decide to scale their own business. Or join a startup!
Once you’ve had the taste of the dynamism offered by startups, you’ll never go back.
9. That you’re at the crossroads where “I’m too young” and “I’m old” intersects.
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Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. You know that you’re incredibly young from your work inexperience as a fresh graduate. But on the flipside, you no longer fit in with the young’uns. You are nobody. Such a sad, sad soul.
10. That the certificate you’re fighting for is both useful and useless
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You know how we spoke about how ultimately, school wasn’t really very relevant to our reality right? Well, that’s really at primary and secondary level. Fast forward to tertiary, whichever course you’re enrolled in, chances are, that’ll be your career in the future. In a sense, the certificate you’ll be awarded at the end of your course is useful.
However, let it be known that others with a certificate that’s way different from yours can also join you – or replace you. Also, whatever grades you’ve gotten, they are inconsequential. Got a High Distinction for ‘Crisis Management’ and ‘Research Fundamentals’? WOW. *APPLAUSE*.
Knock, knock
Who’s there?
No one.
Because no one cares about your certificate.
Hello, life after exams.
Top Image: Kanjanee Chaisin / Shutterstock.com
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