Top Singapore AI Researcher Recounts Failing School Before PhD Turnaround
agihippo · x · 2026-09-12
A self-described top AI researcher in Singapore shared his academic turnaround story, pushing back on the cope that bad students only succeed outside academia.
- Nearly held back in secondary school; form teacher twice predicted he'd end up in ITE
- Crammed weeks before O-levels, going from 50 points in prelims to 15; A-levels were BCC after failing all prelim subjects
- Entered NTU EEE, switched to CS, drifted until year three, then bounced back in GPA and somehow landed a PhD
His takeaway: don't judge people by school results.
Related event: Singapore AI Researcher's Comeback: From Nearly Failing School to PhD(2 posts)→
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