When a perfect score is not enough

It’s a story that turns many assumptions upside-down: an outstanding student, who achieved a near-perfect CGPA in the STPM (Malaysia’s pre-university exam), yet found themselves rejected by local universities — while winning scholarships at two of Singapore’s top institutions, the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

This scenario raises important lessons for ASEAN students and families — especially those considering higher education in Asia rather than automatically defaulting to their home country or the West.