There are two undergraduate medical schools in Singapore: NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS YLL) and NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (NTU LKC).
So you’ve received offers from both medical schools. Congrats! That’s a phenomenal achievement. Now to the tough part: which school is right for you?
Important Words of Advice
You can study medicine anywhere
First of all, it’s important to realise that you can study medicine anywhere. In fact, as long as you have the will, I believe you can study medicine without attending any medical school (however, we are compelled to because we need that degree for accreditation).
So considering the bigger picture—your aspiration to become a good physician and practise medicine well—the school itself really doesn’t matter tremendously.
Both schools offer a world-class medical education
Moreover, both NUS YLL and NTU LKC offer quality teaching and training to hone future doctors of the highest calibre. Whichever school you choose, you’ll be in “safe hands”. There’s no cause for worry on that front.
Don’t worry, you will be able to get a job
If you’re concerned about job prospects, this is misconstrued thinking. All students from both medical schools, upon graduation, will successfully enter the workforce in public healthcare. We all have to serve a bond for at least 5 years, so not to worry, you won’t be jobless. The school you’re from won’t be of great consequence (nor its international ranking, nor affiliation with a top-ranked UK medical school).
Furthermore, according to seniors’ accounts, “the teaching doctors in hospitals are not partial to any medical school”. This is heartening to hear. Essentially there’s no reason to suggest that your path will somehow be “jeopardised” depending on which school you’re from.
No one has been to both schools
Of course, no one has fully experienced both NUS YLL and NTU LKC. Therefore, what anyone shares will be based on their personal experience, mixed with a healthy dose of hearsay and/or their friends’ anecdotes.
Just keep that in mind. Keep in mind that we all would have only truly experienced one of the two medical schools for ourselves. Keep in mind that everyone will experience and perceive things differently. Ultimately, your experience also depends a lot on yourself, and how you choose to live and embrace it.
You don’t have to overthink it
NUS or NTU Medicine—this may seem like the biggest existential question at the moment. But believe me, you will have the most amazing years of your life whichever school you choose to go. Why? Because both are amazing schools. And because you can create amazing experiences and memories.
Sometimes, overthinking can be counterproductive. At the end of the day, it’s okay to just trust your gut and go with whatever feels right to you. (Your gut instinct always leads you in the best direction anyway.)
All that being said, this is no doubt an important life decision. There are some practical things you can do to make a more informed decision and settle on the medical school that’s best for you.
Practical Ways to Help in Your Decision
Make objective comparisons
While you won’t be able to experience both schools for yourself before choosing, it’s good to know some key facts. This detailed comparison is a good reference.
From these “hard facts”, you’ll gain useful perspective into what each of the schools have to offer. The key differences (as highlighted in the article) can aid in your decision.
Chat with seniors
While the objective facts are good to know, it’s equally important to get a sense of what the actual experience is like. The best people to turn to, of course, are those who have experienced it for themselves.
As mentioned previously, no one has been to both schools. Therefore, it’s probably wise to speak to seniors from both NUS YLL and NTU LKC to get both perspectives.
This might be a bit hard if you have no connections or seniors you know well enough to “disturb” (like me back then). My contact is always open, or you could simply leave a comment below. I spend way too long on this, but always read and reply to every message. (P.S. You can choose to remain anonymous—just make sure you add a legitimate email address or some way for my reply to get to you! I’m from LKC and I can also help to ask friends from YLL.)
Browse forums and social media
Barring a few questionable comments, most views expressed on forums like Reddit can be quite relevant and valid. The greatest value in such platforms is that you get candid perspectives from actual students at NUS YLL and NTU LKC.
(Note: I don’t use Reddit myself. But I felt that it might be a practical way for prospective students to glean more information about NUS and NTU Medicine. So I looked through some threads on this topic, and found most of the comments to be accurate—though some may of course express personal views.)
It goes without saying that you should probably take whatever you read with a pinch of salt. Everyone will have their own opinions, and two people attending the same school in the same year can come away with vastly different impressions and experiences.
Besides online forums, you can also leverage your social network or whatever you can find on social media. Similarly, this gives you a “real” look into life as a med student in that particular school.
Find out what you value most
After all those external inputs, it’s time for some introspection. What do you value most in the school you’ll be attending for the next five years? What is most important to you in your medical education? Your uni life?
At the same time, I would caution against overgeneralising. Some would say, “If you like to be spoon-fed, YLL is for you. If you’re more of an independent learner, go to LKC.” This is utterly fallacious thinking.
Beware of these sweeping statements. Find out more for yourself how teaching and learning actually happen at these two schools. Find out about the other aspects of student life too. Then you’d be better able to see where they align with your own priorities.
Which do you “vibe” with more?
While this may be dismissed as dubious by some, I would argue that it’s a very practical and important way to determine your future school.
Sometimes we’ve gathered all the information possible, but are still caught in a dilemma (or have become even more conflicted). But along the way, you would definitely have picked up a certain “vibe” of each school. Sometimes it’s very straightforward. You don’t have to know everything down to the tiniest detail. As you develop a feel for the schools, whichever one you “vibe” with more, that might just be the one for you.
Useful Resources
Have a question? Feel free to contact me or leave a comment below. I read and respond to every message.