Hi, I’m Aida, and I did the full IB continuum at Neev Academy Bangalore—PYP, MYP, and then the IB Diploma Programme—and I’ve pretty much known since grade 9 or 10 that I wanted to study biology in some form.
I was always interested in biology and chemistry, and while medicine did cross my mind, I knew pretty early on that if I wanted to fully commit to the traditional medical route in India, I probably wouldn’t have chosen IB in the first place and prepared for the competitive NEET exam instead. So I started thinking more broadly about healthcare, research, and biology as a field instead, because I still knew I wanted to contribute to it.
For the IB, I took:
- Higher Level: Biology, Chemistry, and Math Applications and Interpretations
- Standard Level: English Literature, French B, and Psychology
I first applied to universities with a score of 41/45 and a 1520 SAT score. I had a predicted 7 in Math, Psychology, and Literature, and a 6 in the rest, along with 2 core points.
When I reapplied to NTU, I applied with a final score of 42/45.
Applying to Ashoka and Singapore at the Same Time
I first applied to Ashoka University in Round 2 admissions during 12th grade. The process included the Ashoka Aptitude Assessment, essays, and an interview alongside academics. I never actually got my aptitude test score back, so I still have no clue how I did on that part.
At the same time, I was also applying to Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.
One thing people don’t realize about Singapore applications is how late the timeline is. Applications close around March, but a lot of students only get decisions after IB final scores come out in July. That becomes stressful really quickly because most other universities expect commitments much earlier.
Ashoka started in mid-August, but my NTU result only came on July 31st. Waiting without committing anywhere would have been too risky, so I accepted my Ashoka offer while waiting for Singapore decisions.
After my initial results in July, I applied for an IB remark, and my Psychology grade eventually increased to a 7. But IB doesn’t automatically send remarked grades to universities—you have to update them yourself. I emailed NTU after the remark came through, but by then, admissions decisions had already been finalized.
I spoke to the admissions office, and they basically told me there wasn’t anything they could do for that cycle, but they encouraged me to reapply the next year.
So that’s what I did.
I also applied to universities in the UK through UCAS in 12th grade and received offers from:
- University College London
- Imperial College London
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Manchester
- University of Glasgow
The UK applications were much more subject-focused than holistic. My personal statement was almost entirely centered around biology and scientific interest.
One strategy that helped was taking every extracurricular—even non-science ones—and connecting it back to transferable skills relevant to biology.
I applied to the UK with a 41/45 IB predicted, with a 667 HL combination, 6s in Biology and Chemistry, and 7 in Math. I also had a 48/56 10th-grade IB MYP E-assessment score.
Spending a Year at Ashoka
I spent one year at Ashoka studying biology before reapplying to NTU.
At first, I honestly struggled with the academic structure there. The first semester is heavily focused on foundational courses, and because I didn’t yet have many biology or chemistry-specific classes, I found it hard to stay engaged. I’m very much the kind of person who, if I’m not interested in the subject, it immediately becomes difficult to focus.
That said, my perspective changed a lot by the second semester once I started taking more specialized science courses. I actually began enjoying the program much more once I settled in academically. I also was not sure if NTU would work out, so I felt the need to utilize the opportunities provided to me at Ashoka.
Looking back, I also think I could have used my free time more intentionally during that first semester. Compared to IB, I suddenly had a lot more time on my hands, and eventually I started using that for additional coursework and independent exploration outside class.
My GPA ended up being:
- 3.75/4.0 in the first semester
- 3.88/4.0 in the second semester
When I reapplied to NTU, I submitted both my updated IB grades (42/45) and my Ashoka transcript.
Why I Chose NTU
A major reason I chose NTU was the course structure itself.
At Ashoka, I was studying general biology with the option to specialize later through minors or concentrations. But at NTU, I got into a Biology program with a second major in Structural Biology, which immediately interested me because of its applications in pharmacology, proteins, and drug discovery.
I also wanted the experience of studying abroad, and Singapore felt like a practical option academically and financially. NTU is extremely strong for STEM subjects, and compared to many other international options, Singapore is relatively close to India and easier to navigate culturally.
What I Put on My Application
A lot of people ask whether extracurriculars matter for Singapore universities, and honestly, from my experience, academics matter much more.
Singapore applications felt very score-driven compared to places like the US. Extracurriculars only seem to carry major weight if they’re at a very high level—national, international, or something equivalent.
Still, I included biology-related experiences that showed sustained interest in the field.
My main extracurriculars included:
- A shadowing internship at the National Centre for Biological Sciences
- A lab exposure program at the Centre for Brain Research
- Literature-related extracurricular activities (like leading my schools literature festival)
- Basketball school team and club
- Editorial leadership roles for my school’s newspaper from grades 9-12
For the science-related experiences, I focused less on listing the activity itself and more on what I gained from it—wet lab techniques, data analysis, literature review, and scientific research skills.
I also spoke quite a bit about my IB Biology Extended Essay across applications. Even though every IB student has to do one, it still gave me a real research experience to discuss in essays and interviews.
That was probably the biggest thing I learned from applying to biology programs: universities want to see how your experiences connect back to your academic interests.
Cost of Studying in Singapore
One of the biggest advantages of Singapore is the Tuition Grant Scheme.
If international students sign the agreement once they are accepted, tuition gets reduced significantly—for me, it brought costs down to roughly 16,000 SGD per year, which was surprisingly comparable to what I was already paying at Ashoka as a private Indian university.
The condition is that you work in Singapore for a few years (2-3) after graduation, but I personally didn’t see that as a drawback, because it provides post graduation job security.
Singapore universities also have a large number of scholarships, both university-funded and external. One thing I wish I had known earlier is that many scholarships need to be applied for alongside your university application itself.
For living costs, residence housing seemed to average around 600 SGD per month, depending on room type, and food is relatively affordable through subsidized campus options.
What I’d Tell Students Applying to Singapore
The biggest thing I’d say is: Singapore universities are genuinely very grade-focused.
If you’re aiming for highly competitive programs at NTU or NUS, scores matter a lot. From what I’ve seen:
- 44–45 puts you in a very strong position of basically guaranteed admission
- 41–43 becomes much less predictable, but still attainable
A lot also depends on whether they’re evaluating predicted grades or final grades. Reapplying with finalized IB scores definitely helped me the second time around.
At the same time, once you meet the academic threshold, your application still needs to show a clear interest in your subject. The strongest applications I saw weren’t necessarily the ones with the longest activity lists— they were the ones where everything connected back to a clear academic direction.
For me, that direction was biology, and over time, the application process became less about trying to build the “perfect profile” and more about figuring out what parts of science I actually wanted to pursue long term.
