A Filipino student graduated magna cum laude from the Yale-NUS College in Singapore. 

At Yale-NUS College, Adam Christopher Yamson Chan finished his degree of Bachelor of Science with Honors major in Mathematical, Computational and Statistical Sciences, and minor in Literature.

Chan graduated with a grade point average (GPA) of 4.9 (out of the perfect grade of 5.0), equivalent to the Highest Distinction, which is a commensurate National University of Singapore honors.

Adam Christopher Chan (right) receiving his diploma from Prof. Joanne Roberts, president of Yale-NUS College in Singapore, during the graduation ceremony (Photo from Chan family)

Adam Christopher Chan graduated magna cum laude at Yale-NUS College in Singapore (Photos from Chan family)

Adam Christopher Chan (right) with Prof. Joanne Roberts, president of Yale-NUS College in Singapore, during the graduation ceremony (Screenshot from Yale-NUS video on YouTube)

He started studying in 2021 and belonged to the final batch of Yale-NUS College, a collaboration between Yale University in the US and the National University of Singapore established in 2011.  

In 2021, it was announced that the Yale-NUS College would stop operations in 2025. The Yale-NUS College would be merged with the NUS’ University Scholars Programme to form a “New College.” 

In an interview with the Manila Bulletin, Chan said receiving the magna cum laude honors was "a bit unexpected for sure."

“I don't think my scores were really that high. I think, I focused more on my practical skills over my years in college, so I do think of this as more of a bonus. I'm very happy obviously. But I'm more so surprised at how high I got because I really wasn't expecting any title,” he said.

Chan said studying at Yale-NUS was a totally different experience. 

“Definitely the kind of critical thinking that Yale-NUS really requires students to have. I think you can't just be book smart because teachers will grade you on things like how productive were your discussions in class and how kind of nuance your essays are when you write them on certain topics. That kind of stuff. It's not ‘a study for the exam and forget it the next day.’ It’s more of a process of learning how to think,” he said. 

In high school, he studied at Grace Christian College in the country and flew to Singapore and finished his secondary and the two-year International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at St. Joseph’s Institution. All in all, he spent eight years studying in Singapore. 

In April, before his graduation, Chan received the Yale-NUS College Book Prize for his summer research which he presented to professors and students of Yale-NUS and NUS last year. 

He is currently working as a software engineer for a start-up company in Singapore. This is part of a provision of his college scholarship that requires him to work in a company in Singapore for the next three years. 

After three years, he will decide what to do next, but his long-term plan is to get a PhD and teach.  

“It depends where I’ll be kind of both–tenure wise, financially. Because, I think, long-term, I do want to go back into studying, I want to get a PhD, hopefully. My end goal for that is to become like a professor somewhere. I like teaching,” he said.  

For those who want to study in Singapore, Chan said they need to adapt to different kinds of environments. 

“I think keeping yourself up-to-date and just learning how to learn are the two most important things. I don't say by keeping yourself up-to-date, I don't necessarily mean that you need to, like, know all of the, like, current events or whatever, though that does help for sure,” he said. 

He added, “What I mean is that you need to be able to adapt to different kinds of environments because it really is very different studying in Singapore. I think they have a reputation in Singapore of being very competitive. I think the kind of stress that that entails is something that is kind of, it takes getting used to.” 

“Aside from that, it really is just making sure that you learn what you learn. It's less about knowing everything for an exam. I think that if you want to go to Singapore, you need to be able to both manage learning by yourself and be smart about your study tactics,” he advised.  

Prof. Joanne Roberts, president of Yale-NUS College in Singapore, during the graduation ceremony (Screenshot from Yale-NUS video on YouTube)

Adam Christopher Chan's Yale-NUS College Book Prize (Photo from Chan family)

Adam Christopher Chan with his family (Photos from Chan family)