A-Level Results 2010: Interview with Hairul Hakkim
By Vanessa
It was the big day for the many people who reported to the ACJC auditorium at 2 pm.The atmosphere was tense with everyone there anticipating, arguably, the results of one of the most important exams in their many years of education. The class of 2009 graduated with a new benchmark for us juniors to beat. The high flyers went up to the stage to receive their spectacular results from our principal, Mrs Chan. Of the 190 people who went up to the stage, we got to interview Hairul Hakkim from 2SB1, class of 2009, who was amongst the top scorers with 6 distinctions including a merit for his H3 subject.
Hairul, who just entered National Service (evident from his new haircut), agreed readily to our interview. When asked what his first thought was when he was called up the stage to collect his results, Hairul’s reply was that it was okay but he expected better results and he was relatively disappointed with getting a B for GP, but was overall it was still okay. We asked him for his formula for success, how he maintained and coped well with his work; his reply was that time management was crucial. For him personally, he had fun in school before going home to study. Juniors, bear that in mind! Certainly, his hard work has paid off!
His future plans are to first finish NS before heading off to NUS to study law. The things he misses most about college are his friends, the school atmosphere and being a member of the Students’ Council – he answered ’COUNCIL!’ with no hesitation. A piece of advice for us from this consistent worker and high achiever is, again, to have good time management, be consistent, be confident and not to leave everything to the last minute.
The new, tough, army lifestyle had drained all his energy, which enabled him to get a good night’s rest before the collection of his results, instead of staying up all night worrying about it like many of his peers had done. Something some of his male juniors may like to look forward to in the years to come.
Hairul also shared that he had most dreaded receiving his GP grade, and now plans on celebrating his achievements by “clubbing with some friends”. After two years of preparation for this major exam and worrying about the results, it must now really be time to let his hair down, chill and enjoy the moment.
The two years of life in AC ultimately boil down to this one A Levels graduation certificate. I am sure we all aspire to be like Hairul on our results day, to be called up on stage and just know that we have done well. But let us not neglect those who receive their result slips with tears – give them a hug and tell them you are proud of them because they have gone through undoubtedly one of the hardest and most stressful examinations ever, and for that they are worthy of applause.