I Chose Psychology at 15 – Twenty-Five Years On, It Still Feels Like Home

earworm: [S Club 7 – Bring It All Back]

Last week, the GCE A-Level results were released.

It reminded me of my own results day in 2005 — although I had chosen my path four years

earlier.

In 2001, when I was 15, I chose Psychology — when it was far less popular than it is today.

This photo was taken in 2001.

At 15, I helped design this mural with my school Art Club team, which we later painted at

the Christalite Methodist Home.

The following year, I became president of the Art Club.

I didn’t have the language for it yet, but understanding how people think, decide and

behave felt instinctively right to me.

When I attended the NUS Open House in 2004, I went straight to the Psychology booth.

Alone. My classmates weren’t interested. I was.

At the booth, student leaders mentioned that Psychology majors would need to take two

compulsory statistics modules.

The following week, when our A-Level Math syllabus covered statistics, I paid attention

differently.

At the National University of Singapore (NUS), I eventually majored in Psychology and chose

to minor in English Studies — an uncommon pairing then.

I found myself drawn to research design, survey methodology, and the discipline of

measurement. I read the Methods and Analysis sections of every journal article carefully,

often during the 1.5-hour train and bus rides to and from campus.

I didn’t know then where it would lead — into research, teaching, assessment design and

conversations about behaviour. I only knew it felt right.

Twenty-five years later, I’m still doing the work I chose at 15 — and it still feels like home.

Some decisions feel small at 15.

The ones that fit quietly shape the years that follow.

That curiosity has stayed with me ever since — and continues to shape the work I do today.