Hi, I have graduated from SMU for almost three years. To be honest, I don’t have any sentimental or nostalgic feelings for the school.
Rather, I feel detached.
Truthfully, the school has enriched me for four years, broadening my horizon with loads of academic knowledge. However, it has also left me with a lot of negative feelings. Let me elaborate further.
The school culture is known to be muggerish and overcompetitive – it’s actually no different from NUS and NTU.
Libraries and group study rooms tend to be perpetually flooded during school terms for examinations and projects on school holidays and Sundays. Some people even went to the extent of staying overnight to mug for their examinations!
Project groups also tend to be competitive. Students put in a lot of effort on the “decorative” front to outsmart each other. In the end, grades got overinflated and it’s hard to get an A unless you are one of the elitist bookworm or a very illustrious worker.
To be honest, I have no competitive advantage over those worms, so a lot of my seniors advised me to get active in CCAs. Nevertheless, I am poor and can’t afford to dig out my pockets for activities like dragonboating or exchange trips to Europe.
Its way too expensive!
So basically I am a gone case.
The culture at SMU is known to be cold because there are too many “overachievers” fighting among themselves and the greeting tagline usually begins with “What’s your GPA?” or “Are you planning to go for any exchange trips?”
Even some of the foreign students claimed that our local mainstream students have a lack of emotional intelligence and positive volition because of the inability to connect deeply with people from different background.
At the same time, our local students would also shun foreign students because of the fact that they are foreign. So segregation and eventually cliques will occur. Over time, a line is drawn and you have to take your stand.
You either belong to the elite crop of ACJC (lots of them out there), foreign scholars or polytechnic upgraders.
Either you are a fan of the SMU culture or you are not. For those who are fans of SMU culture, they are the ones who benefit from this type of seminar-style culture and get to represent the school on business competitions.
Nevertheless, I realised that SMU has very good marketing strategy.
They tend to advertise on those elite graduates who get the best out of the school. The fact is though our school does produce high wage earners, they are also others who don’t get the best out of the school and draw ordinary or sub-par wages.
This marketing strategy does help to increase enrolment but they don’t represent the whole truth.
A lot of people is blinded by statistics and tend to overrate our school. After that, when they work with us, they understood that we are in fact “bluffers”. That some of us talk a lot, but have no substance.
On the high side, SMU has a good image .However; it’s not a school for everyone. I have learnt my lesson and moved on. After graduation, I have learnt much more, that life itself is generally more challenging than my time in school.
The real lessons are always out there…
Graduate of SMU
I agree with what he/she said, i have a cousin who is study in SMU. He told me the students in the university are only interested to achieve good results and earning big bucks after graduation. Nothing else interests them at all..and alot of sabotaging among the classmates. NO TRUE FRIENDSHIP at all..
Is only a school where he wants to get a degree and get out.
But many of these types will be praised n recruited by papies. Many will become future mps, ministers n rulers of spore.
There is a strong sense of a victim-mindset when you were writing this. Ultimately, it depends on what you do, and not what the other students do, that matters most.
For example, do you go all out to connect deeply with the foreign students when you realised that not many of your peers were doing so?
1) If you were really not happy with the environment you were in, there were 4 years worth of time for you to quit, and get to an environment more suitable for you. Why didn’t you, after 4 long years, ample time for you to decide?
2) There were several grammer errors in your article. It reduces the credibility of the writer, so you might want to review it.
It takes alot of effort to be a “mugger”. It takes much effort and commitment to excel in such an environment. So for a moment, let’s reward the commitment and determination.
Yet again, if academic pursuits weren’t your interest – there were many others who excelled in non-academic pursuits as well, and you could be one of them. These are called alternative achievers.
Regardless, I’m most glad that you have made progress in your life, and sincerely wish you continued success in all that you are out to achieve.
I think u meant “grammatical” instead of grammer.
Thank you
James – It was rather funny to read your comment and to think that you could have thought your language skills were superior. You are a typical chauvinistic Chinese and your language skills are atypical of a Singapore Chinese person trying to master the English language. Some nerve you must have to shamelessly take it upon yourself to ridicule the author and slight him on grammar, when your comment was all strewn with errors. As a native English speaker, I take it upon myself to correct some of your errors:
“There is a strong sense of a victim-mindset when you were writing this.”
You meant to say “there was”.
“For example, do you go all out to connect deeply with the foreign students when you realised that not many of your peers were doing so?”
You meant “did you”
“1) If you were really not happy with the environment you were in, there were 4 years worth of time for you to quit, and get to an environment more suitable for you. Why didn’t you, after 4 long years, ample time for you to decide?”
You have done an excellent job of describing poorly, whatever in your Chinese mind you were trying to translate into English.
“2) There were several grammer errors in your article. It reduces the credibility of the writer, so you might want to review it.”
hahaha .. This is hilarious.
“It takes alot of effort to be a “mugger”. It takes much effort and commitment to excel in such an environment. So for a moment, let’s reward the commitment and determination.”
It is “a lot”. Two words.
Cite: “In the end, grades got overinflated and it’s hard to get an A, unless..”
I thought grades are overinflated when it is hard to get an A….
I agree with the above comment, the writer is full of victim mentality. His inability to get an A is because of “elitist bookworms (later shortened to worms, ha, ha) or very illustrious workers”? So what should they do, work and study less so our writer can get his A more easily?
And yet the writer acknowledges the world out there is more challenging. How would it help you if school becomes easier (by having others somehow underperform for your sake)? Friendship is also something you can strive for instead of blaming the environment. I’m not familiar with SMU’s marketing strategy and image, but honestly, you’re not saying anything new or noteworthy. I’m not endorsing what’s happening (or not happening) in SMU, but it just seems like you need to check your expectations.
How can SMU be elitist? It is probably the easiest uni to get in in Singapore. SMU always advertise various indviduals who are paid well but there are top earners in EVERY university. The difference is that while NUS and NTU is more focused on imparting knowledge, SMU is more focused on earning money and finding jobs. That’s why if u ask around, many employers feel SMU graduates have “no substance” and weak fundamentals. If the MAJORITY of SG students in SMU are from either ACJC or poly grads, you are already can tell the cream of the crop is NOT there. Where are the RJC, HCI, NJC, VJC, TJC? Also, a uni is more fun if people can stay in a hall like NUS or NTU and learn to be independent.
i cringed at the association of “ACJC”, “SMU”, and “elite”.
HAHAHA TOTALLY.
How the fuck is ACJC or even SMU elite???!!!
Wow. SMU weak fundamentals? We must be working in a different environment then. a lot of employers have been saying that SMU students stand out from the likes of those from NUS and NTU. of course the employers are generalizing; there are also a lot of bright students from NUS and NTU. but you get the point.
the point being, you are wrong. and no, SMU is not the easiest to get in. My friend ends up in NTU becoz she cannot get into SMU. smack that in ur face.
Usual whine & moan post: I’m the victim of unfair system. I’m so good it is beyond doubt but crooked system values me unfairly, these others are a lot worse than me but because they lack integrity, crooks, etc they thrive in that system and discriminate me, the exceptional talent, unappreciated by the system
That’s a typical scenario of whinging posts here. Then these whiners get here in the circle and sing kumbaya, validating each other that there is nothing they need to work on, it’s just the system is wrong to ignore such copious talent.
lol epholder, i m gonna quote u on my fb.
Well said!
Dear EP Holder – I bet you are fat, short and ugly -just saying, cause you sound a whole lotta shit like someone I know who fits that bill, and kumbaya to you that u managed to get outta that self-hate stage to pass judgment on others.
If that fantasy makes you feel good, by all means keep at it.
Hey! thats not nice
What’s wrong with being short, fat and ugly?
Honestly, this is prevalent in all Singapore schools. all of them, from primary to uni, and everything in between. its this weird singaporean culture that’s seemed to have grown. I’ve never did exceptionally well in school, but then i went on exchange, and suddenly found myself in the creme de la creme of the students in the uni i was in. and i wasnt studying harder. in fact, id say i was studying less and partying more.
now, i dont know why you’d call smu elitist. nothing in your article suggests elitism. they’re just overcompetitive muggers. like most sg students.
I think this post is critically one-sided and bears the mark of someone with a victimized mentality.
I can understand where the writer is coming from but I think it is unbearably one-sided.
I am similar to this writer, having come from a humbler background, having to spend my extra time giving tuition to support myself and being unable to afford the expensive CCAs, lavish trips etc.
However, I do not bear such grudges against my alma mater. I believe that it is very important for one to make good use of the cards that are dealt to them. The great thing about SMU, is that it provides many ample opportunities, especially for students from weaker financial backgrounds and it is up to the student to grab hold of those opportunities, During my time in SMU, I was afforded to opportunity to go on a Community Project in South Africa, Business Study Missions to the Middle East twice and and an exchange to Canada and for the first 3, I didn’t have to fork out a single cent.
I can rattle on about my experiences but the main point I have here is that this article is rather biased. The same kinds of students appear at each of the 3 Universities and there will always be people who complain about how they were marginalized or discriminated. My question to the writer is a question of whether he has made use of the opportunities afforded to him.
From my experience at SMU, the staff are incredibly friendly and helpful while the professors are extremely approachable. For example, the Office of Career Services goes out of their way to help students get places for internships and jobs and probably more so than the other 2 Universities. Because of the seminar style classes, students have to opportunities to interact more with the professors, they gain invaluable lessons from the experience of adjunct professors with many years in their respective industries.
However, the writer may not be able to experience this if he didn’t make use of time after classes to talk to his professor, make friends or to get to know the staff from the Office of Career Services better.
I fully understand that SMU students are very competitive and that it can seem like a cut throat environment but instead of lamenting on the disadvantages why not make use of the resources available. After all a university education is not just about a paper qualification but an avenue to develop soft skills that are invaluable to one’s development.
ACJC belongs to an ‘elite crop’? Standards in SMU must be really low then.
To the author,
I pity you a lot, really. You were too blinded with blaming the world for what you had become.
4 years passed and you seemed to have done nothing out of it. Hope you’re already prepared for the working world because from the looks of it, I think you aren’t and may not even like working in your industry. So what now?
As an undergrad from a humble financial background as well, I must say you’re a disappointment for failing to look out for opportunities laid in front of your face.
actually i do not agree with the writer. i think alot of opportunities are given to undergrads who excel in their studies. They can be from top elite JCs so you say, but any individual who get grades that are good will be known to the university as someone who knows their stuff & worth the investment (scholarships etc).
im from a way humbler background, total heartland kid, ave singaporean. I spend many days a week with tuition kids, to fund my other activities. reason is I dont wanna ask from my parents anymore since im already so grown up & as a man with a sprouting pride & they are already paying my university fees out of their pockets & my little bro is going to university too in august so we are definitely broke. we can’t afford exchange trips to europe too. may be sad but that’s not all there is haha.
i got to mix with some international students here at school, gotta say their EQ is very high and i always find them really charming. they do have substance when they talk. it’s like a verbal essay haha…
i digress. what i wanna say here is that i dont think being in a weak financial background puts you in a totally disadvantageous position. well it will be nice to announce that you want to exchange to europe and that wish, granted by your parents. but i have done ample research, you can go if you are a student in need, provided it is worth to invest in you. which i think is a fairly reasonable thing to ask for from the university.
on a side note, i used to have romanticised ideas of what i will be doing after graduation, and those ideas are now crushed what with the FTs and all.
its nice to see undergrads like me who are also not fazed by the humble position we are in. well good luck to all in the future.
dear graduate of smu,
if you think that smu is elitist, muggerish and over competitive all i can say to you is welcome to the world, life will definitely be a long and painful journey before your time is up. there are definitely bigger and greater challenges awaiting you.
you are a perfect example of a stereotypical Singaporean. complaining about everything there is not perfect in your eyes, complaining about everything that is not served to you in on a silver platter.
i admit that i was once like you, constantly griping about how competitive, elitist and definitely muggerish my secondary school and jc was. it was indeed a terrible experience somewhat. i constantly felt that no matter how hard i studied or how much i strived to achieve in my CCA, there was always so many “worms” (as you define them) in my school better than me. i did decently well (of course in no way better than those “worms”) and was fortunate to qualify in a course to my liking.
i was also very fortunate to be given the opportunity to decide between pursuing my degree overseas or in singapore. basically in short it was a choice between leaving the safe harbour (where many ‘worms’ resided at) or facing the unknowns and uncertainties of what lay beyond the shores of home.
“choose the latter they said, it will be fun they said.”
oh yes they were so right and but then they were so wrong. my overseas education thus far is an extremely eye-opening experience but essentially, the competition i now faced was on a whole different level. it used to be the typical “worms” of singapore, but currently what i face are the “worms” from all over the world. and i daresay that singaporean “worms” pale in comparison. add to the mix highly connected or racist or rich beyond your imagination or a combination of all 3 “worms”. now life back then or i daresay if i had chose to remain in singapore will be a walk in the park.
lets put things into perspective, the degree i was offered to take up in singapore had a 100% employment rate post graduation with an average salary of mid 5k salary. where i am now, the employment rate is 20% post graduation with an average salary of (post taxes and AFTER converting to S$) around the same as well. (i guess you could figure out what degree i am pursuing by now)
well i guess what would be on everyone’s mind now would be why did i not pick the easier option then? simply put an overseas education had taught me what staying in singapore would have only exposed me to a minimal amount of. life.
if anything my dear graduate of smu, smu may or may not the best place of imparting academic knowledge to you but i aver that smu from the way you depicted it has taught you many valuable lessons in life. smu is perhaps a school which hits you with the harsher realities of life at an earlier stage as compared to your peers in other local Us and prepares you to face the world and one should be thankful for that.
on a final note, i empathise with how you feel and i am glad that you have come to realise that there are indeed many more challenging things out there. i wish you all the best in your future endeavours
cheers
Really glad to see all the comments reflecting similar sentiments, that the author seriously should start looking at himself before whining or complaining.
Competition is everywhere, life is tough, accept the fact. But acceptance doesn’t mean settling for something below your desired levels. It means to fight, to fight damn hard for your own goals and dreams.
Only the weak complain at injustice. Wake up.
One piece of advice for the writer, if he is even reading. If you aren’t good academically, fine. Do something you are good at. It’s much easier to build up your strengths and become outstanding than it is to focus your efforts on your weaknesses and become mediocre.
Most importantly, have a goal in life, the more specific and measurable the better, and fight for it. Stand up, and be counted.
This may seem entirely irrelevant but I feel indignant regarding our society’s obsession with elitism (particularly with its definition).
Elitism was never coined to refer to your academic background. I’ve heard that RJC students actually make up the bulk of SMU’s population (personally I know a lot of people from RJC who went to SMU with straight As). Are these kids no longer elite because they went to what society considers, and I quote from above, “the easiest university to get into”?
Conversely, I have acquaintances in overseas universities which are considered “more elite” such as UCL and King’s College but the reason they got a place in those universities was because they foresaw that local competition was going to be stiff and hence they made other arrangements overseas (such as foundation programmes), bypassing the A levels altogether. Would you then consider these people who barely made their O levels elite then?
This is irrelevant to the author’s discussion but I just don’t think anyone else should be arguing how “un-elite” SMU is or the author’s association of elitism with ACJC (I feel a need to defend myself already – I was from RJ and am currently studying overseas so I have no association with any schools mentioned above).
There just isn’t a universal definition qualifying what is elite.
you know you should just be a farmer. serene and peaceful, no competition. perfect for you.
Its really funny to see how the “elites” are banding together, up in arms against the association of ACJC and SMU being branded as ‘elite’ by our dear writer here.
I think this is really just his opinion, nitpicking on small details like what’s actually elite and what’s not really reeks superficiality and short-sightness. Being an elite or otherwise does not shortchange you the opportunity to pursue a career that would reward you based on individual merits and not qualification.
If you guys really wanna nitpick- eat this. SMU is not even ranked in QS World University rankings, and there are many overseas university courses being offered in SIM ranked higher. Does this mean SMU is less ‘elitist’ by any means?
Get real folks. Elitism and rankings don’t mean shit…it’s the correct mindset and attitude which determines how successful one becomes in his/her career!
I’m not a bookworm, not from the elitist group but still i completely disagree with the writer’s point of view. Competition is present everywhere in society, mugging is what is expected of students whether or not it is SMU, NTU or NUS. I feel sad for the writer actually. It appears to me that you need a life. A lot of things is dependent on our attitude and mindset. Yes, SMU may be competitive, but it all depends on how you make the best out of your own experience there. Blaming the university, the elites, the overachiever is not a good excuse for your own lack of achievement or failure to grant yourself a meaningful school life.
I’ve been in SMU for about a year.
I’ve found that despite the competetiveness, I’ve had the opportunity to form deep friendships through my four cca’s. Membership cost me…about $5 each for four years? Some don’t even charge membership fees. What nonsense. It’s about the cca you choose to join. If you wanna go dragonboating…well you choose a cca that costs money and complain that you don’t have the cash? Join something else!
Yes, school and cca’s left me no time to breathe. I work part time too, by the way. I didn’t do any studying besides the weekly readings and I usually didn’t complete my homework, cos I felt that a few marks weren’t worth the number of hours spend doing it.
But then, GPA is just a number. If you go all out and mug and mug and mug…you’re the one letting GPA control your life. Don’t say it’s the culture. I have friends who manage to go on overseas trips during term time, have a social life, do things outside school. Their GPA is nearer 3 than 4.0, and they don’t mind. It’s about choice.
I felt that my first year was (despite being fluffy) deeply fulfilling. I stayed out of the muggerish-ness because I didn’t believe in it. Why don’t you stand for what you believe in instead of going with the flow?
It appears that this article has been edited and bears less of the original article’s victimized mentality. As such, I too would like to retract my statement regarding the how the article is one-sided and bears marks of a victim mentality.
Singaporeans are not worth hiring at all. Lack of substance. Locals go to the uni to memorize theories. When it comes to application, they will just say ‘I don’t know’. Easiest way to avoid problem-solving and learning. The best part of singaporeans is the false pretence to multi-tasking. Another way of screwing up the workflow to impress bosses. So all these eltist mentality is just sheer stupidity among sheeps. Sheep comparing with another sheep is a joke.
Right and you have come across every singaporean?You my friend sound like another whiny collateral damage of competition, only its at the workforce..tsk tsk tsk
You are another loser damaged by your own first world education system.
Singapore is not a first world country. lol. You can dress a sheep and call it a cow, it is still a sheep my friend.
I feel sad for the writer I really do, that despite 4 years of his university education he didnt get the entire picture of it and just went into a whine-fest of what he couldnt get.. I am a graduate of SMU and I am proud to be one. I agree things are competitive, but there are many opportunities which were given to us to grow if you chose to grow. I came from a neighborhood school background and from a neighborhood JC but despite all that i have forged deep friendships in SMU with those you term elitist.. (ie.. my friends are from RJ, NJ mostly.. why is ACJC even elitist again?). Sure its hard to get an A but that should strive you to even work harder to get it, and yes I have quite a few As on my GPA despite my humble background as mentioned above because I worked for it.. instead of sounding like a whiny collateral damage of competition as the writer above. And I fail to see how CCAs are expensive, as I was in multiple executive committees of numerous CCAs and I didnt pay any extra..Writer pls grow up and give some dues to the university who gave u an education and for which you even have a form of employment now.. or are u even employed?
[...] The above was first published on Transitioning.org on 8 May 2012. We thank Mr Gilbert Goh for his kind permission to reproduce the article. Share [...]
Truer words have never been written – I graduated with the pioneer batch from SMU and they were generally fun loving all rounded individuals who may not have been all that academically inclined but were people who could succeed every where they ended up in , not just in banks and investment firms ; its the batches after mine that really justified the term muggers and over competitive – when project work groups pushed through the night even in the beginning of term, when just about everyone was aiming to keep their 3.7 GPA (Dean’s List), the truth become apparent that some of the ideals when the pioneer batch was enrolled had become lost to better grades – most of the pioneer batch would never have made it into any of the subsequent cohorts especially after the move to Victoria Street , the difference in their attitude and aptitude is that drastic – and the part about ACJC rings a tone of truth – ACJC has always been cliquish , especially if you are talking about a true blue ACS boy all the way from ACS Primary or Junior ; to call them elitist only in SMU because of that is to overlook a much longer and more basic background
SMU started out to emulate the typical US-style university — more based on tutorial presentations, speaking up, small group projects — rather than the typical exam-oriented style of NUS or NTU. Back in 1990s and earlier, you can actually get 2nd Upper Honours from NUS even if you fail or don’t hand in any of your day-to-day projects and assessments, as long as you ace the end-of-year exams. Becoz 80% of the weightage depends on the end-of-year exams. However along the way, SMU has evolved to become another typical Sinkie university.
SMU didn’t and doesn’t have the strength of ethos and culture, and hence allowed itself to be gamed and become what it is. People are not stupid — if they see that they can get Deans List and 1st Class Honours by just studying 1 hour longer, they will do it. The next person will then study 2 hours longer, and so on. It takes tremendous courage and strong overarching principles to prevent such things and not to reward such things.
It means giving 1st Class Honours to a student who gets mainly Bs but could contribute 50% of her time to voluntary work and running a social enterprise to empower the less fortunate, instead of giving to a student who gets straight As but is always mugging. This doesn’t happen and so the students game the system to outbid each other. Why?? Coz they also know the game system in the working world will reward highest salaries to those who get 1st-Class Honours.
This same gaming mentality carries into the working world and it causes bankers, lawyers, doctors etc etc to manipulate the systems (both legal and industry) and extract huge fees for often sub-par work performance and/or outcomes for customers(schmucks).
I’m a fellow student of SMU. I do agree with certain points regarding the overcompetitiveness of students which eradicates what being a fellow human is. The amount of backstabbing, sabotaging, not contributing to project works to study for finals are frighteningly high in SMU, and yet these are the elements which are present in the workforce. Hence, they do equip you for your career, just not in such a good way.
I do not agree, however, to how he says SMU does not provide you opportunities to grow as a person. SMU is not all about study study and he is right to say that when you cannot compete in grades, go expand your skillset in other areas.
CCAs are affordable. You only pay about $10+ to be a member, and no one told him to join dragonboat where of course you have to pay for your personal equipment. I am sure that the 100+ CCAs the school offer will definitely have one that is not expensive. Overseas opportunities are endless, not only from overseas exchange. Overseas community service projects are only in the range of 300+, many of which subsidies can be provided by the school.
I do not score well too and hence I try to expand myself in these areas. Opportunities are out there to be grabbed. If you don’t utilitise them, it does not mean they are not there. SMU culture is much more than studying, exchanges and getting 5k/month jobs with foreign banks.
Sorry, super long post alert:
Hi Graduate of SMU,
I am a student of both schools that you have mentioned and it saddens me to read what your perceptions are. I came from ACJC and have been in ACS throughout my life, yet contrary to popular belief, my family does not own a bank or print money. We live in humble yet comfortable conditions, and close family ties are of paramount importance to us as opposed to money. Many of my AC friends feel similarly, and yes although the general standard of living is higher than in other institutions, we are not arrogant, nor do we think we are better than the rest of society. Granted there are some who feel differently, but I can guarantee you that these are not the sentiments of your usual AC students. We are genuinely grateful to have spent our years of education in a school that provided us a good education and moral grounding, and allowed us to be rather playful at times, but what is depicted as confidence can sometimes be construed as arrogance, hence the mistaken perceptions many hold about AC. I thank you for your backhanded compliment about us being elite, but in truth by academic standards alone there are more deserving schools.
I am also a current student of SMU, and I would like to share my feelings on some of the issues you have brought up.
1. The Competitive School Culture
Any university degree taken in Singapore means you work immensely hard, be it in SMU, SIM, NTU or NUS. The nature of education in Singapore is such, so to condemn SMU as “muggerish and over competitive” is to damn SMU with faint praise. We are like the other two universities after all, and that in itself is not a bad thing. An education in Singapore is rigorous in nature, and I am sure that you will find students in the other institutions who study as hard if not more.
On your comments on the “decorative” aspect of SMU presentations, I am sure as a former student you would appreciate the work that goes into doing well here. There is much more than the more aesthetic aspects, especially if you are presenting to actual clients who will tear you apart if a presentation or business reports lack important in-depth analysis. I appreciate the fact that at the end of my time in SMU I will have written and researched at least 40 plus reports and done almost as many presentations. Such rigor is at odds with your claim that SMU students have no substance. Also, the fact that you consider people who excel in SMU “illustrious workers” is already a compliment in itself, as for the “elitist bookworms”, I am sure you will agree that every school has some. Employers now have stringent procedures and interviews and some SMU students are getting through and succeeding, so there must be a modicum of substance somewhere.
As for the cliques in SMU, well this happens when like-minded individuals come together and is a feature of society. I am sure that in your place of employment there are cliques. I am also sure that you were in some of these supposed ‘cliques’, ironically this seems to go against your perception that SMU is a place with no soul and no friends to be made.
2. CCAs and Exchanges
This is a feature of all universities in Singapore, and I have as many friends heading off to exchanges from the other local universities. There are universities overseas that are not heavily expensive, such as the reputable Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, and every university in Singapore provides loans and bursaries for those who wish to have an overseas experience. Furthermore, not going on an exchange should not mean a terrible university experience. I personally am not going on an exchange, but it has not left me bitter and wallowing in self-pity.
CCAs are again a part of every university in Singapore, and to suggest that SMU’s CCAs are more expensive than other institutions is quite ludicrous.
3. Problems with Foreign Students
This is not only an issue with SMU students. Foreign students on exchange are mostly graded on a pass/fail basis and thus come to Singapore on exchange mainly to view our wonderful tourist attractions (like the awesome MBS Infinity Pool) and travel around South-East Asia. Similarly, Singaporean students who go on exchanges study less (albeit still quite a bit as we are a studious Asian nation) and travel extensively. Inevitably this leads to problems during the school term, and is in no way representative of a lack of emotional intelligence or an inability to connect deeply. I have personally become close friends with several exchange students (even while cursing them during school term for their laissez-faire attitude). This happens at all universities, and I am sure you will find similar anecdotes about students on exchange in NTU and NUS.
4. SMU’s Marketing
Every university has different idiosyncrasies that makes it unique, and it is only right that this is encouraged and used to communicate its value to potential students. Granted, we sometimes cringe at the use of our best students in preppy suits with catchy tag lines like “the World is your oyster”, but it reflects SMU’s dynamism. So while NUS highlights their history and heritage, NTU depicts their specialized courses such as their successful MBA program and SIM positions itself as a good alternative to the others, SMU has to use its strengths, and unfortunately if that requires focusing the spotlight on our high achievers, then I say play to our strengths. Every university has graduates that end up not in their ideal job or unemployed in this immensely difficult economic climate, but this cannot detract from the purpose of trying to attract students of good calibre as potential students. (I mean you wouldn’t expect SMU’s marketing to highlight how many people are out of work right?).
Every university has its inherent problems, and I am sure that SMU and its administrators will be the first to admit some teething problems, such as the long hours you have mentioned, and the fact that sometimes we cannot study what we like in-depth due to the rushed nature of an academic term, but these are problems symptomatic of Singapore’s education system by and large as opposed to just SMU itself.
Lastly it is really sad how bitter you are about your university life, and the fact that you have to lambast your school so recently after you have graduated from it. When I graduate next year I will acknowledge that my university experience was a bittersweet one. I will remember the pain of failed friendships, of CCAs left, of the long hours in Lee Kong Chian School of Business, and that sinking feeling when you log on to OASIS and click on My Grades. Yet I will also remember the times of great camaraderie, of projects and presentations well crafted, of suppers to Rochor Road Tau Huay and Waterloo Chicken Rice, nights at Zouk celebrating the end of exams or break week, using the SMU gym with friends, planning short trips overseas to places like Phuket, bidding for modules together and a wonderful overseas community service experience to a neighboring South-East Asian nation.
As you mentioned at the end, post-university life is one of challenges and drudgery, so the best moments in University should be the ones that remain as an inedible mark, and the friends you make are the ones that will most likely be the ones who will be there throughout your career. SMU is in no way perfect, but I do not regret my university experience in any way.
Finally, if your friends greet you with “What’s your GPA?” and they are not saying it in jest, then you need new friends.
*slow clap*
I’m a graduate of SMU.
My first year was when the school first moved to city centre. Sure the culture has gotten pretty muggerish over the years, and sometimes people with less substance but a big mouth gets the credit, but this in itself is a lesson.
gpa is what you make of it. If it’s important to you, then study harder, but it sounds more like you want better employment prospects. If so, there are many other ways to buff your resume. Work is not like school system. It does not depend just on gpa and cca.
Being poor is no excuse. I was poor too. Hell, some of the things you can do actually pay you to do them. How great is that? I still have fond memories of the time I worked on a marketing study as a student consultant. Met so many industry pros and got a nice allowance out of it. How sweet is that?
I’m a graduate from SMU and I would like to say that the response of both my SMU peers as well as peers from the other universities echo my thoughts.
At the end of the day, you alone are responsible for your decisions and actions. I strongly urge you to get some help, either by talking to more people outside your current social circle, or to get some professional help.
If you were to go on this way, you will be caught in a downward spiral and will not grow as a person. Each person will have his/her share of “bad luck” where you encounter situations you are not comfortable with. However, you will need to deal with these situations and how you deal with it will mould you as a person.
Try not to complain and make smart decisions that you are comfortable with – there are no right or wrong decisions, having a lousier GPA is a choice. Being able to complete university is by no means a small feat. According to SingStat, only 12% of Singaporeans & PRs have at least a Bachelor’s degree. While the job market is competitive, you can differentiate yourself on skills other than shown on your GPA. So stay confident about your own abilities and know that you are special and unique.
My recommendation is that you locals should continue to feel all important and glorious in this local SMU. Don’t you all dare think you can be internationals or think you all village-folk can come to the US and all pretend to be international. You at SMU are all pathetic and insular. And SMU is a great culprit for misleading foreign students to enroll at SMU. My warning to US and foreign students – you’d be better off going somewhere else. The people here are cutthroat and incapable of associating with the internationals, and meant only to survive in this local setting. A bunch of uncouth, uncultured,idiots.
Thank you Ian for showing us how a uncouth, uncultured idiot will behaves.
Of course jj@39. It is very easy to spot one at SMU. I have no qualms spotting one, such as yourself. BTW “an” uncouth. Not “a”. But you wouldn’t care, would you?
“Will behave” not “will behaves” .. jeez, and you would swear English is your native language.
English is not my native language. I have been out of school for quite some time. I also didn’t use MS Words to do spelling checking.
Ian, you like to condemn others & correct their misspelling or language mistakes to show others how gd you are right? You remind me of those type of people i met in work, who choose to survive by questioning & condemning others coz that’s the easy way.
No jj I want to show what a bunch of idiots you all are at SMU to think you are better than everyone else. U people make me sick. I just hope you all get treated the same way in the US or in Europe or any other true first world country, as you treat others. What is your beef anyway?
I was rejected by local Uni, asked to take an entry exam which I didn’t go and still fulfilled the dream of getting a degree in 10 years of hardwork and 2 university. But I can say to myself that my dream come true.. =)Don’t give up all, Keep trying as long as you want it in your heart..
I have talked to some SMU students, be it locals or foreign students. I don’t think SMU students feel that they are better than everyone else. There are many other uni that ranked higher than SMU. And we knew that.
Dear Ian, i think you have already make many feel sick. What’s wrong with you? What happened to you? Do you need to see a physiatrist?
Doesn’t mean you have A’s and #1, you’re a good workers. Its just shows you can study….but in Spore education systems, is how to pass the exam. In real world, its whether you can do the job or apply what you study in the job…without proper training and guidance i doubt you can do the job with your paper qualification.