Hi Pusillanimous, I understand your concerns of "academic inferiority", you must be feeling disadvantaged compared to other applicants with perfect cGPAs but take heart that there are Second Upper students who manages to enter the wonderful career of medicine.
I am not part of the adcom, but personally I feel more than just grades, Duke-NUS looks at your other life experiences such as research, volunteerism, leadership among a whole lot of other spectrum in assessing your application. Also, if you've read more about Duke-NUS, we welcome diversity. A lot of emphasis is based on cooperative learning more than just competitiveness. So ability to work in team is a plus.
I know there is a tendency for students to compare with each other on the number of As they have, or the MCAT score they've got on their "first" attempt. But, really, instead of feeling inferior relative to other people, you should ask yourself do you want to contribute to healthcare as a doctor, and be clear on the reason why and if you are willing to go through the entire process of a life of continuous education, assessment and sacrifices. If the answer is yes, I would very much say you've cleared the first of many hurdles to becoming a doctor. =)
Remember, it is only when you are convinced you're suited for this path that you can convince others that you are.
I am not part of the adcom, but personally I feel more than just grades, Duke-NUS looks at your other life experiences such as research, volunteerism, leadership among a whole lot of other spectrum in assessing your application. Also, if you've read more about Duke-NUS, we welcome diversity. A lot of emphasis is based on cooperative learning more than just competitiveness. So ability to work in team is a plus.
I know there is a tendency for students to compare with each other on the number of As they have, or the MCAT score they've got on their "first" attempt. But, really, instead of feeling inferior relative to other people, you should ask yourself do you want to contribute to healthcare as a doctor, and be clear on the reason why and if you are willing to go through the entire process of a life of continuous education, assessment and sacrifices. If the answer is yes, I would very much say you've cleared the first of many hurdles to becoming a doctor. =)
Remember, it is only when you are convinced you're suited for this path that you can convince others that you are.