Hey there, if you are reading this then you would have received your A level results and have some sort of inclination towards law. First of all, congratulations! You’ve made it through some of your most challenging years and whatever the result, I hope you have come to terms with it.
I was from the class of 2019 and applied to SMU Law. After a few days of nervously checking my email, I received a shortlisting email on 24th March 2020 for an interview on 7th April 2020! I would assume a similar timeline for your year too. However, do take note that 2020 Uni applications were disrupted by COVID-19 hence the written test was cancelled.
The interview was 2 students to 2 professors. Here’s what you can expect for the interview:
- If we were to reject you, what would the reason be?
Honestly, both of us were stunned by this question and went silent for awhile. The other interviewee mentioned that he might be rejected because he was not sure if he wanted to become a practicing lawyer. The interviewers assured him that rejection would not be because of that.
2. Suppose you want to deliver N95 masks to Italy and even signed a contract, suddenly the Singapore government sets a decree saying we need to halt export of masks to other countries, what would you do?
I mentioned that I would appeal for a different outcome because the public health system is evidently weaker in Italy judging by the number of infected people and death toll. Shipping the masks to Italy also allows for the maintenance of bilateral relationships which will benefit us even after the crisis tides over. Ultimately I will still abide by the law if the appeal fails.
Note: For more information on the case details, try googling “3M Trump”
a. Okay, then let’s say that this is a retaliatory move by the Singapore government because Italy dosen’t want to sign a trade deal, would your stand still remain?
Yes, I believe that the government would prioritise national interests maybe to secure a future trade deal. Then I assumed spoke from the stand of a Singaporean whereby not abiding by the law would have serious repercussions especially since our government is known for strict penalties. I wasn’t thinking straight and suddenly brought in lack of freedom in Singapore…the quieter prof caught onto that and asked the next question.
3. Do you agree that Singapore is an authoritarian country? Is there freedom of speech or none? Please be concise (I think we were running out of time)
I asserted that Freedom of speech and criticism of the government is limited to some extent. We have POFMA that is being used against The Online Citizen which is known to be anti-government. Realising this was not a very good example, I then talked about our government’s history of politically-motivated libel and defamation suits in order to stifle criticism and retain their sphere of influence.
End of interview (interview lasted around 20 minutes)
I hope this has been somewhat useful for you, and that your interview goes well :”) My answers are in no way “correct” or “ideal” so please voice your own opinions and back them up. All these are just what I roughly remember saying haha. Some tips: Keep calm and speak slowly, think before speaking, and try not to always speak first because then you can buy some time.
Overall, I am not sure how to feel about the whole interview. Now it’s time to play the waiting game.
Update: Offered by SMU law on the 18th of April 2020! Was a pleasant surprise since I felt that my interview could have been better.
Til next time!
CAMPFIREANDCOFFEE 