I admire people who have balls and the just-do-it attitude. And here’s one: a 21-year old Singaporean, Alvin Wang, who set up HelpAlvinGetIntoSchool.com. Alvin recently got rejected by the National University of Singapore (NUS) for his college education. Most students wouldn’t do much after that. But not Alvin. He really wanted in so he created this website in the hope that the public can amplify his voice and perhaps prompt NUS to reconsider his application. On his website, Alvin describes himself thusly:
I graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a diploma (with merit) in Information Technology two years ago. During the course of my studies, I truly enjoyed developing applications using Java, C#, Visual Basic, Javascript. Apart from school, I have also taught myself how to design interfaces in PhotoShop, craft websites using web standards in HTML, CSS, PHP, and have been at it since I was 13. I am currently delving into iOS development with Objective-C.
And this is his impressive final year project, an educational game created for Microsoft Surface:
So far his campaign has gotten more than 6,000 shares on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. His campaign is starting to flood my Facebook news feed. So it’s really hard to ignore his appeal. Despite the buzz, nothing has been heard from NUS. Yet.
His gutsy attitude is admirable. I don’t know him personally but it is apparent that he possesses the get-it-done attitude. People like this are likely to be future leaders who actually DO move things forward. So Alvin, if NUS doesn’t want you, go to other schools. There isn’t a need to stick to just one option. I mean, there are so many more colleges out there in the world to pick. And if no one wants you, worry not. I’m sure you deserve better. Go create a world of your own. I have a hunch that many startup founders have already approached you for a position in their big-vision companies.