A talented and humble person, Jamie Lim has been through the IB journey in at Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and will share her valuable insights and advice for you to navigate your way in AC.
Get to know Jamie Lim
What would be one word your friend would use to describe you?
Probably hardworking? I like to put in a lot of effort into my work.
What’s your go-to food at ACSI’s canteen?
I am not really a foodie but I do quite like the food here!
Rate the ACSI uniform out of 10?
A lot of girls would not quite enjoy our PE uniform but if I was to grade just our school uniform, then it would honestly be an 8! It is quite fashionable although the pocket on the skirt wasn’t helping us too much.
Academics
What was your subject combination? What motivated you to pick that combination?
I believe I am the only one who took the combination of Higher Level (HL) Literature, Geography, Business and Standard Level (SL) Biology, Math and Chinese!
Going to JC, I knew my strength and interest did not lie in Math and Science, particularly Physics and Chemistry. As Math was compulsory, I couldn’t run away from it so I took it at SL. I also had to take a Science subject so Biology was a no brainer here - plus I did enjoy it in secondary school.
Geography seemed like a natural progression to me as it was one of my stronger subjects that I had taken before. For Literature, my experience in secondary school shaped my decision as I loved to do textual analysis. I am glad I chose Literature over LangLit (Language & Literature) as I enjoyed Literature books a lot. .
Geography seemed like a natural progression to me as it was one of my stronger subjects that I had taken before. For Literature, my experience in secondary school shaped my decision as I loved to do textual analysis. I am glad I chose Literature over LangLit (Language & Literature) as I enjoyed Literature books a lot.
EETOKIA can be tough, but just keep it at and eventually, there would be a flip of the switch.c among ACSI students. I was advised by seniors that if I'm not confident in Math and don’t think I would pursue an Economics related major in University, then it would be better to take Business. Little did I know, I would end up pursuing PLE (Political, Law, Economics) at the Singapore Management University now!
With IB, there’s always talk about how EETOKIA (Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge and Internal Assessments) is a major struggle in a students’ life. What was something you struggled with or felt was difficult to do?
With EETOKIA, the most stressful and difficult part was to start and come up with a feasible topic. I found it difficult to deal with the Math IA (Math Exploration or ME) as I genuinely couldn’t comprehend Math in itself, let alone having to come up with a topic to dive deep into and write a comprehensive paper. It is normal to find yourself receiving feedback from your teachers yet not being able to comprehend how to implement it into your research. This is where you have to be independent and keep calm to figure things out.
What would you consider to be a turning moment which allowed you to start believing in yourself and that you could complete all of these challenging research papers and projects?
In terms of gratifying moments, it would definitely be when the moment of realisation dawned upon me that the end is almost here!
I definitely had an epiphany when it came to piecing the puzzles together. It was when my Geography teacher showed me exactly what a statistical test is for my Geography IA. I was so much clearer about the direction I was supposed to head in, and it helped me so much when I did my Biology IA as well. Alongside that, my Biology teacher also gave me tips on how to structure the report. The synergy of these two subjects when I carried out both IAs together simultaneously was really great and the skills I acquired here was translatable to the other subjects.
You mentioned your teachers at ACSI, what traits did your teachers possess that stood out and made you appreciate them more?
Funny story here as I had three teachers for Geography! Two of them took turns due to their maternity leaves and the third was a substitute teacher who only took the class for a really short time. My two main Geography teachers really put their heart and soul into the subject which influenced me positively. They went out of their way to care for some of my classmates who faced some issues and offered their listening ears. Such gestures really warmed my heart and pushed me to do well - not just for me but to also repay their handwork.
CCA
For that, I believe hard work was the key. Due to my lack of experience, I was called out at almost every practice. It was rewarding though when people around me explained that I was called out because the instructors appreciated the effort I put in and that they were not ready to give up on me.
I have always loved dancing but never really had any formal training before JC. I decided to join DV for fun at first as I thought “why not?” as some of my orientation friends were encouraging me to join with them. It was difficult at the start to follow in terms of choreography and technique training. I remember there was a freestyle session and while the rest were breaking out into breathtaking ballet moves or contemporary styles, I was frozen like an ice-cream cone - slowly melting away in confusion. Luckily, I was selected as my dedication to the CCA was evident. Soon, I realised that dedication is one of the traits teachers-in-charge look out for during the selection process, alongside teamwork and humility. This emphasis on teamwork was what made the CCA special as I learned a lot alongside people who are serious in their craft and super supportive of one another. We spent so much time practising and becoming good friends away from the dance studio.
How did you overcome your lack of experience in Dance Venia?
For that, I believe hard work was the key. Due to my lack of experience, I was called out at almost every practice. It was rewarding though when people around me explained that I was called out because the instructors appreciated the effort I put in and that they were not ready to give up on me.
Being through so many ups and downs together, what was your most memorable performance or production in Dance Venia?
It was hands down the Festival of Arts (FOA) in year 5 (J1)! The entire production was something I would never forget: there were so many props, costumes, and so many dance genres. The team dynamics to put up such an extensive production was amazing. Having said that, the backstage was a nightmare. We barely had 30 seconds to change our costumes for the next performance. Many alumni came back to help and none of us knew who they were yet they were happy to help backstage. It’s difficult to explain in words but the amount of effort and the complexity of the production for our FOA ultimately is the reason why it is my favourite experience in DV.
What did you learn through your experience in Dance Venia?
Certainly, I learnt a lot, but it really boils down to being humble, willing to accept criticism and teamwork. Humility because no matter where you think you are, there will always be people with more experience and talent than you. Accepting criticism is the only way you learn your craft and teamwork because without it, we wouldn’t have been able to pull off any of our performances.
Some advice for juniors looking to join ACSI
How would someone thrive in the ACSI culture?
Just be chill and don't take things personally. There are countless opinions made in the school, and being relatively small compared to other junior colleges, word tends to pass around quickly. While they may or may not be nice to hear, being able to filter out the non-constructive comments is key to enjoy the time one has in ACSI.
The most important thing when it comes to finding your feet in AC is to not put emphasis on trying to get into a particular group. Rather, it’s much more important to find friends who you can relate to and grow together in the short amount of time you have.
For that, I believe hard work was the key. Due to my lack of experience, I was called out at almost every practice. It was rewarding though when people around me explained that I was called out because the instructors appreciated the effort I put in and that they were not ready to give up on me. ll. Alongside that, my Biology teacher also gave me tips on how to structure the report. The synergy of these two subjects when I carried out both IAs together simultaneously was really great and the skills I acquired here was translatable to the other subjects.
EETOKIA can be tough, but just keep it at and eventually there would be a flip of the switch.
Putting a lot of effort in whatever commitment you have would tend to reward you accordingly at the end.
Just chill and not to take comments too seriously!