However, the application process was not without its hurdles. Tang candidly discusses the self-reflection required to craft personalised essays and the rigorous research needed to tailor applications to each institution’s ethos.

“It just required a lot of self-reflection and introspection. It makes you really think deeply about yourself and how your experiences shaped you into the person you are today. You have to research each of the schools and get to know them inside and out. Trying to do all that and translate it into essays was really hard. It took a lot of time and effort. I essentially spent my whole December holidays just researching and writing essays,” he admits.

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Tang’s scholastic interests extend beyond just academic achievements. His engagement in sports and extracurricular activities illustrates a well-rounded profile despite a hectic schedule.

“I’ve always been a high achiever and kind of an all-rounder, I guess. I remember in year three or year four, I started to develop my love for sports. During my time in GIS, the first thing I took up was swimming, progressing from the school team to a club team to the state team, but I also picked up other sports like football and basketball, and I represented the school’s cross-country athletics. Towards secondary school, around year seven or year eight, I found a passion for coding, and I represented the school in coding competitions as well as maths competitions,” he says. 

These interests and activities came with a hectic schedule, to which he reminisces about the difficulty of juggling it all: “I’ve obviously sacrificed a lot of perhaps my social life and time with my friends. But it all worked out in the end.”

Ultimately, Tang emphasised that despite the hardship, he found a way to enjoy it all. “I’m quite a driven person. What motivates me is the sense of accomplishment and achieving my goals. When it comes to training and competing, sometimes I tend to take it quite seriously, but I remember my swim coach saying to me, ‘Just make sure you smell the roses along the way and trust the process’, essentially, there’s a lot going on, but you have to make sure you’re actually enjoying it,” he says.

Having selected chemistry as the choice of study, Tang talks about his deep interest in chemistry, which was sparked by a transformative first lesson on atomic structure. “I remember learning about the structure of the atom. The protons, neutrons, electrons and how they make up the atom and all. I thought that was extremely fascinating, and as my journey into chemistry progressed, my interest in chemistry grew. I find it fascinating how chemistry provides us with a lens to view the world at its most fundamental level and how it provides us with a comprehensive understanding of the molecular world,” he says with enthusiasm. 

But it wasn’t until his time in Charterhouse Malaysia for Year 12 that he truly decided. “I didn’t know what I really wanted to do in university. I was torn between doing chemistry and computer science because I also did coding. Initially I thought I was going to do computer science, but then my chemistry teacher, Mr Donaldson, really helped me solidify my interest in chemistry. He helped me see things I probably wouldn’t have seen,” he says. He adds that this interest expanded into the field of environmental chemistry, which he finds fascinating, as well as chemistry’s crucial role in combating climate change by developing sustainable solutions.

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Behind his achievements stands a supportive family. His mother, Datin Yvette Kang, emphasises the balanced upbringing they aimed to provide: “I’ve always emphasised the importance of having a close-knit family. We (as parents) do everything possible for the child and growing up; I put Matthew through a lot of activities because I try to give him the best out there. I think we’ve always tried to emphasise the need to not just strive for excellence, but the character of a person is also very important. As parents, my husband and I have always tried to instil the values of humility and kindness in Matthew.” 

“My mom has always been very supportive of me and everything I do. I have so many sports competitions, whether it’s athletics, basketball, football, or swimming, I don’t think she’s missed any. I really appreciate it. Whenever I feel quite down or sad, she’s always there to support me and motivate me,” Tang adds. 

Despite the incredible achievement of being accepted into numerous Ivy League institutions, for Tang, success is multidimensional. “For me, success comes in so many different forms. I would say one form of success is achieving the very goals you set out to accomplish and obviously, one of my goals was to just to get into at least one Ivy League university and to receive four acceptances was beyond my wildest dreams. And yeah, I’m just eternally thankful for all my teachers, friends, family, coaches, teammates, and everyone I’ve worked with.” he reflects. 

To students aspiring to follow in his footsteps, Tang advises deep reflection on personal motivations and goals: “Try to ask yourself these questions: Who do you want to be? What do you want to achieve? And what impact do you want to make in the world? The journey to getting into these top universities requires a lot of deep self-reflection and introspection. These questions really compel you to look beyond superficial motivations and really connect with your genuine passions, interests, and purpose.”

“The whole application process is very stressful, daunting and unforgiving. You will face failure or rejection, but as I’ve learned along the way, I would say rejection is just redirection, and even though you may not realise it now, you’ll end up where you’re meant to be, you just don’t know it yet,” he adds, suggesting that resilience and a clear sense of purpose are crucial for Ivy League applications.

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