Keefe Strikes In Sport And Studies

Athlete-Friendly Academic Programme: Diploma in Business Studies

It is every Singapore Sports School student-athlete’s aspiration to perfect their sport and represent Singapore one day. It is no different for bowler, Keefe Tan Cher Chin who chose to pursue the Diploma in Business Studies (DBS), an athlete-friendly post-secondary programme offered by the Sports School in collaboration with Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

“I was actually set to take the GCE O-Level route and aimed to get into a business-related course. I was lucky that this programme was introduced a few months prior to the O-Level examinations. Since it was a business programme and I would get the opportunity to improve in sport, I decided to take the plunge,” shared Keefe.

As a sportsman, Keefe has always found it challenging to balance sports and studies especially when competitions were held on the same week as examinations. However, the athlete-friendly programme has definitely helped him to focus on sport and studies more effectively.

“The main difference in the programme is that classes are held from 12 pm to 4 pm from Monday to Thursday. It allows sport training to be done in the morning before class, in the evening after class as well as on Fridays when there are no lessons. Training and lessons were both conducted at the Sports School campus which saved my travelling time. On top of that, when I travel overseas for competitions, I am able to catch up with lessons as online materials are readily available on the mobile e-learning portal. I am also fortunate to have supportive lecturers who go the extra mile to arrange make-up lessons either before or after classes and even on weekends.”

As a result, Keefe was able to push his potential in sport to achieve good results in competitions, such as the National Age Group U21, POLITE and IVP Games, while achieving excellent grades in the DBS course which earned him a spot in the Director’s List in 2017 and 2018. He just graduated among the Class of 2020 with a near-perfect GPA.

For Keefe, Sports School is more than just a place for sport and academic excellence. It is also the place that groomed him as an individual and prepared him for obstacles in life. One of the biggest lessons gained from his Sports School journey was good discipline and time management.

“There were times where competitions were on the same week as our exams which meant that I still had to prepare for my exams even after bowling for the whole day. Thus, I had to practise discipline and good time management so that I can make full use of all the time I had,” said Keefe. The skills also came in useful when he did his 6-month internship at The Fun Empire, an events and team building company, where he had to juggle his time to prepare for events. His good time management won him praise during his internship as he observed punctuality and professionalism in his work. “Sports School played a major role in shaping who I am today. The qualities of discipline and good time management instilled in me has helped me greatly,” shared Keefe.

Keefe will be advancing his business skills in a Business Management programme at the Singapore Management University, while continuing to play competitively in his sport.