Note: This article was written in December 2003. It is NOT suitable for the faint-hearted.
It isn’t easy living with a grade like a C6 (or below). Believe me I should know, I got one for my General Paper (GP) during the ‘A’ Levels. I was totally distraught, and it didn’t help that I could not find any self-help guide books that pertained to this. As such, I have compiled here some ways to deal with the stress, anger and depression one might feel upon scoring a C6 (or below) got GP.
Method One
Tear up your results slip. This will definitely appease your anger and shame for quite a while. But don’t just stop at this step, being a pragmatic Singaporean, you must consider the long term consequences of your actions. Thus, I recommend that you prepare a list of excuses to give your potential employer, or the university of your choice, should they request for your slip. Do your research so you won’t use one that is too cliché, or use one too unbelievable. Yes. Always be prepared.
Method Two
Find a TALL building to jump off. Remember what they told you about being considerate to the feelings of your friends and loved one? Well forget that. Keep in mind that to survive in this dog-eat-dog world, we have to be ruthless sometimes. So now that the chance is here, don’t let it slip by. Always watch out for good opportunities; you don’t get them all the time.
Also note the emphasis I placed on the word “tall”. Being committed to a cause and seeing things to the end are some of the qualities many organisations look for in an individual; see to it that you display them. Jumping off a building of substantial height will ensure certain death and relief; it will also probably lead to a blame being put on some unfortunate person (this act of “saving your ass” is derived from modern day office politics). This method is highly recommended for those who bear a grudge against their parents, society or the education system.
Method Three
Sue the school or examination authorities. Gather evidence from your tutorials and assignments that show you are not impaired in your ability to argue coherently and to make substantial, meaningful points. If possible, rope in friends in the same predicament as you are. It always helps to blow up the issue. Not only will you gain more media coverage, it will also help you win sympathy votes from the public. Schools and major boards cannot withstand too much public pressure so as Sun Zi says “use your enemy’s weaknesses to your advantage”.
WARNING: This method involves a lot of time and money. For those looking for a quick and easy solution to their grade problem, I would still suggest Method 2.
I would go on but I suddenly realised that I have very little ability to make organised and coherent points. As such, I have decided to leave out some of my thoughts on this whole C6 issue. I shall not tell you how ironic it is that while society encourages character strengthening and abhors superficiality, it also discriminates according to an individual’s one-time performance in a major examination. I might say that the objectives of receiving an education seem somewhat blurred, that one-time grades rather than long-term learning performance are playing so major a role today in society. But being incapable of clear analysis, I will not in case I end up rambling.
Now excuse me, I have a TALL building to scout for.
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