BIZ002 - JX in SIM-RMIT Bachelor of Business Management and Marketing

Today, we have a contribution from JX, recent graduate from SIM-RMIT Bachelor of Business Management and Marketing Programme.

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself

Hi y’all, I am a business degree graduate whom has been thrown into the crazy working life for close to a year.

2) What course, school and year are you from?

I am a graduate from the SIM-RMIT Bachelor of Business Management and Marketing programme of year 2012.

3) What subjects did you enjoy the most back in JC?

The subject I enjoyed most back in JC was project work. The one subject that many abhor but to me, it was actually the highlight of my JC days.

4) What inspired you to study Business management and marketing?

My interest stemmed from a nationwide entrepreneurship competition back in my secondary school days. I fell in love with the entire process, from the generation of an idea to the nurturing of the idea into a concrete and sellable one and finally the proud presentation of the final concept. That was my first exposure to business and projects in general and it was a very exciting and fulfilling process. Then came project work in JC and that experience pretty much sealed the deal for me.

5) Tell us a little bit of your character traits that you feel align you with your course of study?

I am more observant and analytical in nature. I love analysing new information and then moulding them into applicable and beneficial knowledge. Business especially marketing is a very dynamic subject. There is so much data out there but data will only remain as data unless one can make use of it and convert it into knowledge that you can use to your advantage. 

6) What are the challenges in pursuing a degree in SIM-RMIT Business management and marketing? Despite all these challenges, why did you choose to study it anyway?

One of the greatest challenge was the uncertainty. There were times when I was uncertain if my choice was the right one and whether it suits me, uncertain about the future career prospects especially when the graduation date looms all the more closer and with so many more seemingly more qualified people out there. And there is also that stigma about students from private universities. I have passion and interest in marketing, but those can only push you so far throughout the course and in the real working life. Now, I am a stubborn person. I want to do something I love and have passion in. Life would be too sad otherwise. The thought of being stuck in a course that suits me or have better career prospects but which I have no interest in simply horrifies me. Luckily, I am pretty short-sighted person as well. I would just take things one step at a time and try to gain as much out of each step. I have never regretted taking up the course. From it, I have gained life-long friends, greater belief and confidence in myself as well as even more interest and passion in marketing. 

7) What is a typical day in SIM-RMIT Business management and marketing like and what is the nature of the course work (Content-heavy? Practical skills? Group work? Self-reading?)

There are typically four mods per semester and a three hour lecture is held once weekly for each mod. Thereafter, its up to you on how you would use the remaining time to juggle the individual and group projects as well as studying for assessments. For RMIT, the nature of the course work is more project-centric, with individual projects for the management mods and group projects for the marketing mods. There would be a final exam at the end of the semester for all mods as well. 
Projects take up a lot of time and energy as especially when one is dealing with more than four at once. Typical days are usually spend researching, editing, discussion and all of that is repeated until all projects are submitted. For students who are planning to enter the course because ‘it is an easy degree’, I would advice you to reconsider that. And the onus is on you to maximise your learning and benefits that you would gain in the process of attaining the degree and not just the degree itself which is pretty much as useless as a blank piece of paper if you do not have the skills to substantiate it.

8) Is this your first choice? If not, what were your other choices and why?

This was my first choice. I really do love marketing even if it may not have been the most suitable choice for me.

9) What do you plan to do with your degree? What are the career prospects with the degree?

Haha, I am already in the working world. Well..career prospects..the cold hard truth is that the job market is saturated with such degree holders. Unless you have a very substantial advantage above the rest of the jobseekers, my advice is that don't reject the idea of starting small. The key is gaining knowledge and experience. I have learnt through that hard way that even with a marketing degree, you may not get to do marketing right away. Several of my friends have met with such experiences as well. It is through much toiling and perhaps a dash of luck that you may finally get to do what you love. Hence, do not lose hope if you experience such a phase in the future, many out there have or are experiencing the same problem as you. Just try to keep the end in mind, and gain as much as you can out of whatever you are doing, be it part-time jobs, internships, or contractual jobs etc. 

Thank you very much JX!

Hope that the contribution from JX will help you in deciding your university courses! 

BIZ001 - SR in Business, SMU

Here we have a sharing from a SR, a recent graduate from SMU Business. Hope you'll find it useful! :)

Which course did you pursue?

Business (Majored in Marketing and Corporate Communications), SMU class of 2016. 

Tell us a little bit of your character traits that you feel align you with your course of study?

I don't like rote learning and enjoy projects, I was also interested in the creativity and strategic thinking needed for marketing. These all contributed to my decision to take Business in SMU.

What subjects did you enjoy the most back in JC?

Wow, good question. As a business student, you'd expect me to enjoy Econs and Math, but those were my two worst and most dreaded subjects. On the other hand, I really enjoyed History and to a certain extent Literature. 

What inspired you to study <Business/Marketing/Corp Comms> ?

I was interested in Business along the lines of Marketing since Secondary School when I took part in an entrepreneurship competition hosted by Singapore Poly. From there, I continued to grow my interest by taking up a short module on Entrepreneurial Marketing offered during my Junior College Days.
Before entering Uni, I was set on the idea of studying Marketing because it required a level of psychology that was also practical in the sense of day to day decisions that I saw as potential for a career. I guess it also seemed like a field that might send me overseas to work, and I really wanted that.

What are the challenges in pursuing a degree in <Business/Marketing/Corp Comms>? 

The biggest challenge to me would be not so much the curriculum, but the rat race. So many people end up doing Business because they don't know what else to take, and then add on to the typical Singaporean mentality of exam smart but not learning for passion, it can get very disillusioning and tiring. People are also constantly seeking the most beneficial or profiting path, and sometimes it's easy to doubt yourself and your interests.
For Marketing specifically though, would be the outsider's mindset that it's all fluff and no stuff. It tends to be a field where people who don't take it feel like it doesn't take much to do. 
For Marketing and Comms in general, it would be that Singapore is not a very creative country. This means not everyone will understand or support you if you try to think differently. Which is really sad for the subject matter and industry you're studying. The practical reflection of this comes down to assignments where you end up trying to bend to your Profs' interests rather than push yourself to learn.

Even though all these hurdles stand in your way, why did you choose to study it anyway?

I think most of the challenges are more on culture, and if I don't let that get to me and stay true to my own interests and passions, the learning experience in the lessons and the 4 years of interacting with others is worth it. 
Also, for the record, I really don't think marketing is a fluff course because there's so much research and strategy that backs whatever nice-sounding fluff is in front, and the magic happens when both the "fluff" and "stuff" come together. I guess that's why I love Marketing.

What is a typical day in SMU Business like?

Lots of project meetings (more than class), getting irritated by irresponsible group mates and second-guessing yourself as you class part. 
But also bonding over exciting events, studying with friends in school and finding time to chill in town.
What is the nature of module/course/work? Content-heavy? Practical skills? Group work? Self-reading?
Definitely group work heavy. Practical skills-wise, at the end of your 4 years you should be an expert at presentations and speaking in front of others. The compulsory internships also help prepare you for the working world and understand better what field you want to enter.
Depending on the modules, there will be readings to prepare beforehand. Some modules have no exams (yay!) but others have quite a bit of content to cover.
One thing I really appreciated in SMU classes were the external speakers. Quite a few Profs are well-connected to the industry and bring in many industry-relevant speakers over the course of the module. There have even been visits to relevant offices. All these really gave me a great insight into various companies and industries.

What are the career prospects with the degree?

I think most would know about the graduate employment survey that SMU publishes. It's relatively accurate.
Specific to Marketing/Communications or the Advertising/Marketing industry - the industry is always hiring, but the pay is terrible. Although the work can be fulfilling, hours are likely to be long. I think it's a largely passion-filled industry where you learn as much as you can in the first 2 years.
Unless of course you are driven and apply for Management Trainee Programmes with huge reputable companies (SMU is good that it trains you for interviews and Assessment Centres, the resources are all there for your picking). 

What you should know before embarking on a degree in <Business/Marketing/Corp Comms>?

It's okay to not know your direction in general, because you have 4 years to figure out. The only thing is to know where your own interests lie and not sell yourself out to what others may be saying or advising

IND001 - HZ in Interior Design in SIT

Let's start by getting to know you a little. Tell us a bit about yourself!

I'm a graduate from Temasek Polytechnic's Interior Architecture & Design course, currently pursuing a degree in Interior Design at SIT. This is a two year degree that is affiliated to the Glasgow School of Art. 

Why did you choose to pursue further studies in Interior Design?

I decided to pursue further studies in Interior Design because design in general is a platform that allows for individual expression. You get to consider and appreciate different perspectives because there is no clear cut right or wrong answer. You are judged on creative application of your ideas rather than textbook knowledge. 

Were there any particular moments in your life you would attribute to your eventual decision to study Interior Design?

I disliked the education system at secondary school level which forces everyone to go through the same educational path regardless of individual interests. You are forced to struggle through subjects you dislike rather than have the option of choosing to learn about something else that you are genuinely interested in. Rather than become a well-rounded individual that these schools claim to strive for, you just become another generic product off the educational production line. After that phase of my life, I wanted to study something that I was fascinated by and which would also allow me to break free of the shackles imposed by the education system in Singapore. 

What were your favourite subjects back in school before you started university?

History.

What were your considerations before you decided to study Interior Design?

The most important consideration was the type of work I would be doing: projects one after another with little to no turnaround time. It is a different type of pressure compared to the tests and exams that dominate many other education paths. Would I be able to handle this sort of pressure?

What a day would be like in the life of a Interior Design student?

A typical day is spent in the studio, which is our classroom where we spend the majority of our time in, working on our projects. Sometimes this involves hands-on work such as model making or sketching, other times we would be on our laptops doing research on topics related to our current work. During this time we can have casual conversations with our lecturers about our work and our progress, and we can also walk around to look at and comment on our classmates' works. Peer-to-peer feedback and the open sharing of ideas is an important part of the studio culture embedded in design students. 

Looking back, what are some of the challenges you've experienced studying Interior Design so far?

The biggest challenge is the mental block you sometimes get where you find yourselves completely out of ideas on how to continue developing a particular project. You struggle on and complete the required deliverables for submission, but there is dissatisfaction because you are unconvinced with whatever you have produced. If you cannot convince yourself that your ideas and schemes will work, it will be even harder to convince the lecturers who will be grading your project. 

Despite all that, what drives you?

The completely opposite scenario, where you have a great idea for a project and manage to work out the problems and successfully translate it into a design that is an eye-opener and has a 'wow' factor for both peers and lecturers alike. These types of projects don't always happen but always gives great satisfaction as a designer, knowing that all the effort you put into the project has paid off.

What is the nature of your classes? Are there a lot of didactic lecture?

We spend most of our time in the studio, but there are also lectures aimed at broadening our design thinking and perspectives. The lectures encourage us to think beyond just interior design: we also consider the theories and trends that have shaped other aspects of design, such as graphic design. These lectures help to prepare us for a dissertation that we are expected to write and submit in our senior year. 

Was this your first choice? What were your other courses? Why did you end up choosing Interior Design as your first choice?

Not sure how to answer, didn't really have other choices that I was interested in

What are the career prospects for a Interior Design graduate? What are your own plans?

You could join or start a firm that does interior design, exhibition design or architecture. You could choose to focus on one particular practice, such as a firm that primarily works on residential design projects. Or you could also choose to be a consultant for a particular specialization in interior design, for example being a lighting designer, where clients would approach you to discuss the best way of achieving an intended lighting effect for their project. 

I intend to gain experience in the industry and hopefully be able to start my own practice one day. 

Are there any words of advice or caution you may have for someone who is considering studying Interior Design?

There is never a finished or finalised design, you are constantly updating and refining your work even one day before submission. You don't finish a project, you just stop working on it as dictated by submission deadlines. Otherwise you would still be working on the same project for years!

If you have any questions regarding HZ's sharing, feel free to ask your questions at the Contact Us tab and we'll contact HZ to answer those questions for you! :)  

LSC001 - Ken T in Life Science, NUS

Let's start by getting to know you a little. Tell us a bit about yourself!

Hi! I’m Ken T, a second year Life Sciences Major (as of AY 2014/2015). I graduated from Meridian Junior College and I did ‘A’ Level Biology back in my JC days. I live in Tembusu College in UTown and I enjoy teaching and coaching others. I am a Teaching Scholarship holder (but lets not discuss stuff related to that. I’d be happy to do so privately, though) which means my future career path is already set for me.

Why did you choose to pursue further studies in Life Sciences?

I enjoyed biology in Secondary School and in JC as well (though the memorizing was quite a pain). It is also because I had already wanted to be a bio teacher from secondary school so everything sort of fell into place actually.

Also, a less legit reason would be because maths was a bummer for me in JC. I also didn’t take physics at A levels so these two factors sort of ruled out engineering courses. I loved sciences but Chemistry at University level involved a lot of Maths as well so I went for Life Sciences which had the least amount of math-related stuff.

Were there any particular moments in your life you would attribute to your eventual decision to study Life Sciences?

Hmmm, inspirational bio teacher in sec 3 and 4?

What were your favourite subjects back in school before you started university?

Obviously Biology and Chemistry hehe.

Describe what a day would be like in the life of a Life Science student.

Content, memorizing even the minutest details, lab reports are all part of the day’s work. Labs are 4 hours long though most end slightly earlier. Tutorials are usually conducted en masse in the LT. Each week, there would be 2 hours of lecture, 4 hours of lab, 1 hour of tutorial for modules with lab sessions. For those without, there would be 4-5 hours of lecture, 1 hour tutorial per week.

Looking back, what are some of the challenges you've experienced studying Life Sciences so far? Despite all that, what keeps you going?

The memorizing is insane as well as the competition. Everyone just seems so smart and hardworking that it puts unnecessary pressure on you. 

I do my very best to enjoy learning. It is more than just grades that determine the quality of your university life. It is pointless to push yourself for a first-class honours if you know that you’re only capable of a second upper-honours. There is more to life than just getting As. It is important to enjoy what you study because studying what you like gives you motivation. Furthermore, I try to imagine that I’m not studying for the sake of studying, but rather, because I want to study and I really enjoy and appreciate the beauty of the things that I study such that it is not merely life sciences, but live sciences. Make your studies come alive, it helps! 

Living in a residential college also helps in that I get opportunities to interact with students from other faculties and it is comforting to know that I am not alone in this mad rat race. 

Was this your first choice? What were your other courses? Why did you end up choosing Life Sciences as your first choice?

Life Sciences was my first choice as I already knew what I wanted to do for my future. I never considered medicine although many people said that I was the ‘medicine’ kind although I didn’t know what that meant. I did not choose medicine because I felt that it was something one must feel called to, not just because it is well respected or because it will lead to a well paying job. I was not called to do medicine so here I am in Life Sciences. 

The only other course I remembered putting was Arts-Geography because I liked geography back in school. I am glad that I did not enroll in FASS to do geography, I would probably have died under the tottering pile of readings and essays.

What are the career prospects for a Life Science graduate? What are your own plans?

Many people think that Life Science graduates have nowhere to go. It is partially true and you should believe people when they say graduates wash test tubes. On the other hand, if you wish to just get a degree and then work in a job that requires a general degree, then you have many career prospects such as banking etc. If you wish to become a researcher in Life Sciences, a Bachelor’s degree is insufficient. You will need to go for a PhD at least. 

Or you could always become a teacher (:P). That is if you have the passion and calling to teach and nurture.

Are there any words of advice or caution you may have for someone who is considering studying Life Science?

Live the science that you study and make it come alive. Live a well-balanced life that is not driven solely by grades. Grades are important but they are not everything. If you can, apply for residency in University Town and you would be amazed at how residential life changes you.

Be prepared to work your brains to memorise minute details, but again, try to find joy in what you study. Love your subject, love your life and you’ll go far.

Best wishes!

If you have any questions regarding Ken T's sharing, feel free to ask your questions at the Contact Us tab and we'll contact Ken T to answer those questions for you! :) 

CHM001 - Hanna in Chemistry, NUS

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Hi all lovely juniors! I’m Hanna, currently a Year 2 Chemistry in NUS.
I would like to start off with reiterating something you would probably have heard of countless times; please do choose to pursue a degree in the course that you’re most passionate about! Studying in university isn’t easy as some JC teachers paint it out to be, especially if you’re staying in hall, as it requires a lot of work done on YOUR part and you’ll need to have the passion and interest to research on concepts and ideas that are sometimes out of the syllabus to supplement your understanding on any topic. For me, biology and chemistry has always been the two subjects that I had the most interest in, and in the end I chose chemistry as my major.

Tell us a little bit about what it is like to pursue a degree on Chemistry

A brief introduction to Chemistry in NUS; it’s a 3+1 year course, meaning 3 years if you choose to graduate without honours and 4 years with honours. In Years 1 and 2, core modules would be pre-allocated to you and these include physical, analytical, organic, inorganic and experimental modules. The syllabus is slightly different from JC or secondary so make sure you do more research! For me, I personally found it a struggle to cope with physical chemistry as it deals mainly with understanding formula and their derivations, quite different from in the past where you’re given the formula and just need to use it to calculate! Organic and inorganic would be like JC but with a lot more reactions to study. Experimental modules are modules that are purely lab sessions with each lab session lasting 4-6hours. These are tiring but fun!

From Year 3 onwards, you would be able to choose the modules you want to take. There is also an option to specialise in 3 areas, namely medicinal chemistry, material chemistry and energy and environment. If you want to specialise, make sure you take the required modules! You can also choose not to specialise at all, no problem! Year 4 would be honours year where you do the Final Year Project (FYP). Consider if you want to take this cause it would mean one entire year in the lab (which may be a bore to some). You could try out internships in Year 3 so you could have an experience of how it is like to work in a laboratory first before you devote yourself to lab for FYP.

What are the some of the career prospects for a Chemistry graduate?

One of the most important concerns you would have is what you could do with a degree in Science(Chemistry). There are various career paths you could choose and most chemistry graduates would probably work in Tuas. There are also other options such as HSA or venturing into forensics. Most employers nowadays are looking out for more analytical chemists though, as it is more applicable to practical situations, so make sure you do well in your analytical chemistry!

If you have any questions regarding the sharing by Hanna, feel free to ask your questions at the Contact Us tab and we'll contact Hanna to answer those questions for you! :)

MED001 - Asclepius in Medicine, NUS

Describe a little about yourself, are there any character traits that you feel align you with your course of study?

I graduated from Meridian Junior College (MJC) in 2012 and I’m currently pursuing a course in Medicine. I was a Physics student in MJC with only O level knowledge in Biology. My personality profile has always shown me to be an introvert, but I enjoy moderate interaction especially with close friends and relatives. I have a rather casual personality when it comes to playtime but I treat work with utmost seriousness. I wouldn’t say that I have infinite patience but a good level of tolerance and perseverance does help in this course of study.

Why Medicine?

I believe that choosing your field of study depends on your interest. It was from my secondary school days in St. John Ambulance Brigade that exposed me to the joys of helping people. While helping people can sometimes go unappreciated, a little change to someone’s life could have meant a huge difference for others. Being in Medicine allows me to make small changes that together mean a huge difference in peoples’ lives. This would be why I considered Medicine as a career in the first place.

I do have inspirational figures as well who helped me decide to pursue this path. Friends whose parents are nurses, relatives in the healthcare industry and my mother, an allied healthcare worker, willingly share interesting stories about their journey through the years with me. Not all of these are happy stories; many include the period of SARS and the dangers and challenges of medicine as well. Nonetheless, some of them were inspirational and encouraging which have helped me decide to study medicine.

What kind of challenges have you encountered pursuing a course in Medicine? Even with all these obstacles, why drives you?

Medicine can become tiring as the years go by and some people lose passion over time. Some become desensitized with time and practice and also fatigue from studying the same thing and cramming knowledge does prove to be difficult at times. Personally the workload becomes worse with each year that pass and this proves challenging after a while. I think what keeps me going is managing my time well, prioritizing my commitments (I’m first a medical student!) and really putting small periods of breaks and relaxing in between the endless studying throughout each academic year. Above all else, I have a goal in mind of becoming a good doctor in the future and I work towards it :)

How is an average day in Medicine like?

This really changes with the years. In the first year, contrary to popular belief, I found that it was really manageable with classes ending around noon or earlier on most days (classes always start at 8.30a.m unless otherwise stated) with the exception of days with tutorials (Fridays) and lab work. In the second year, life becomes slightly busier not due to classes ending later but due to the greater amount of information learnt. Subsequent academic years (year 3 and onwards) are postings in hospitals whereby days can end really late, varying greatly with individuals. In this course, a lot of emphasis is placed on self-directed learning above the usual spoon-feeding in lectures so it could get really busy with each year that passes.

 How are your classes like?

Medicine gets increasingly content heavy with each year that pass with more practical involvement as well. Lectures and tutorials are the standard in the lower medical undergraduate years while these opportunities become lesser with higher undergraduate years. Overtime, a lot depends on our initiative to ask for help and self-reading to survive and excel in this course.

Is Medicine your first choice? What were your other choices?

Yes, Medicine is my first choice. I did apply for Law and Business in NUS as my “backup” but I already knew that I was not cut out to be a lawyer given my personality while business was something that I was not really interested in studying. If I had not received a Medicine offer from NUS, I would have rejected law or business as substitutes anyway simply because I cannot envision myself having a career which I do not have any interest in.

What kind of career prospects does a medical graduate have? What do you wish to do with your degree?

Medicine graduates have to serve a 6 year bond with the MOH unless you wish to break the bond and pay for the damages (it’s about $500,000 FYI). So within the 6 years, most of us have a fixed career path of working up from a junior doctor. You do have a choice to apply for a specialty, in other words, which field you wish to be a doctor in after you graduate though. After the 5 years, you may wish to stay on with the public health service, go private, work part-time as a doctor, become a politician, run a business, become a researcher, professor, performer, Dad, Mum or even assume the role of all of the above if you’re capable enough. I can’t say for sure what I plan to do with my degree at this stage of my life 5 years after the bond, but at least I do know I won’t burn it or throw it away within 5 years after I graduate.

What do you think are things that someone should be aware of before embarking on a degree in Medicine?

Firstly, seriously consider if you want to pursue it. I personally view that money and a stable career are not wrong reasons for starting a degree in Medicine but they should not be your primary or your only reason for doing so. Ask yourself if you are really interested in it or are there other reasons why you would want to start going for this degree. Also consider about why you do not wish to go for a degree in nursing and allied health instead when these career paths can make significant changes to the life of patients as well (sometimes even more than doctors can do so). Convince yourself that this is really what you want to pursue so that you can convince others. Learn more about it by talking to those with experience and exposure to the field of healthcare. Lastly, ask and answer yourself this question that was asked to me during my interview, “If you were to make an oath to your patients upon entering this course, a binding oath to them and to yourself. What would your pledge be?”

If you have any questions regarding the sharing by Asclepius, feel free to ask your questions at the Contact Us tab and we'll contact Asclepius to answer those questions for you! :) 

ACC001 - Mag in Double Degree in Business and Accountancy, NTU

Describe a little a bit about yourself.

I would say that I am an outgoing person who likes interacting with and meeting new people, perhaps that is why I chose to take a Double Degree in Business and Accountancy.

Why did you decide to take up a Double Degree in Business and Accountancy?

Personally, the main thing is that I did not want to take up science or engineering so after striking those away, I am left with the arts which are not a good fit for me. So I went with a route of elimination.However I have a silent confession to make: My passion is actually design. However, I think that I should at least get a degree first before pursuing my interest. I must also admit there my parents’ influence had a little to do with my decision. My parents wanted me to take up a Professional degree.All the reasons mentioned above culminated in my decision to take up a Double Degree in Business and Accountancy.

Why a Double Degree?

I took a double degree at first because I was unsure of which path I wanted to take, so since I was eligible for a double degree back then, I decided to take it up and see how it goes first. It was after a year in school so far that I realised that business is not really my cup of tea. So I decided to drop Business and focus on Accountancy. Personally I feel that having a double degree might not be as useful as it seems because when I progress into the workforce, it usually requires the knowledge or either but you normally will not need the knowledge of the other.

How would anyone know if they are a good fit for Accountancy?

I love interacting with numbers but take note here that that does not mean that I love Mathematics. Numerous people have the idea that if someone is good in Mathematics, then Accountancy may be a good career option. However, that is not the case because Accountancy is not simply about Mathematics. Although Accountancy involves a lot of numbers, the concepts that we learn are very different.  The concepts that we learn in Accountancy are all new and are completely unrelated to the stuff we learn in Junior College so it may be a little bit tough to cope at the start. 

For people who love Mathematics and are considering Business and Accountancy, I would recommend them to perhaps consider Finance as well because that really requires a solid Mathematics background to excel.

Why Accountancy over Business in the end?

My opinion is that Accountancy suits me better because there is a set of concepts to understand, apply, follow and practice. Business, on the other hand, is very open ended and flexible requiring a lot of creativity without a standard model answer and that intimidates me a little. I prefer to have a consistency and a certain level of control over things in that I rather be given a collection of things to master and learn then well with results or grades that reflect or are proportional to the amount of effort I put in. This makes Accountancy really different from some Business specialisations.

Talking about Business specialisations, what are they?

Okay, specialisation only applies to business students. In the first year, all business and accountancy students will take the same modules but business students must decide on which aspect of business that they want to major in. There are 6 specialisations – Actuarial Science, Banking & Finance, Human Resource Consulting, Information Technology, Marketing and Tourism & Hospitality Management – because Business itself is very generic, hence the need for these specialisations. The different specialisations will have their own set of modules to take, kind of like the different majors in the Sciences.

Are there any things that you disliked while pursuing a degree in Business and Accountancy?

The competitive environment here in business school is quite appalling. For example, class participation constitutes around 10 -15% of the final grade which causes some people to talk solely for the sake of talking to court favour with the teachers. This is annoying at times and some of the comments do not even make any sense. 

However, I think that such competition is inevitable and you will find them rampant in any business school. But to put it into perspective, this competition extends beyond school and also exists in the working world so everyone has to learn to get used to it. 

Despite all the negativity, I must add that most of the people here in the school are nice and I have made quite a number of good friends here who are very helpful.

Are there any coping mechanisms for all these problems?

You will have to learn to work with different types of people because the business school is rather project heavy so we interested with quite a lot of people for projects. Different people have different working styles and different methods – some stubborn and want things done their way – and it may be quite a hassle and a waste of time to reason out with the person until he/she finally gives way but I say this provides good training for working conditions in the workplace.

What do you learn in business school so far after completing your first year?

In my first year so far, nine out of my ten modules are Business modules and the remaining one is an Accountancy modules. Some examples of the things that we learn include the basics of Human Resource, Leadership, and Conflicts & how to handle them. For statistics, it delves deeper into statistics than what we learn in H2 Mathematics in Junior College. Some other things that we also learn includes Basics of Marketing – how to target consumers effectively, Valued Base Pricing, Financial Management – we learn about the time value of money concepts, how to calculate percentage yield of a particular investment to determine its feasibility.

That’s good to hear. You mentioned that business school is quite project-heavy earlier. Do you want to elaborate a little about how classes are like?

It is quite interesting because we predominantly have our lessons in the form of seminars – a mash-up of lecture and tutorial – with only 50 students in a seminar room to a tutor that allows for better interaction. The better tutor to student ratio as compared to a conventional lecture offers less barriers for students to ask questions freely to clarify concepts. 

So we have lessons in seminar rooms which may be followed by tutorials and we also usually have presentations by a group every week.As expected of a university education, the Professors will upload additional readings and we have to do quite a bit of self study on our own.

What is a typical school week like in business school?

We have a moderately demanding timetable that can be fitted into a 3-day work week. It is usually very flexible because the timetable can be arranged by us. We spend roughly 15 hours a week in school but we had to spend quite a bit of time outside of school preparing for tutorials and doing self-study.

Is the workload very heavy in school? Is it easy to juggle school with other commitments?

I do not feel that the workload is very heavy because I know people who excel and can have many other commitments with good time management. For myself, I am quite involved in Hall activities and I still find the workload manageable with proper discipline.

How are students graded in your business school?

Our grading scheme places less emphasis on the final examinations compared to the other courses of study. For a typical module, the breakdown of the component for the overall grade is something like 10% Class Participation, 20% CAs/Quizzes, 20% Project and 50% Finals.

Was Business & Accountancy your first choice? What were the other choices that you have considered?

Yup, Business and Accountancy was my first choice. I considered Dentistry before but later decided that it did not really suit me. Back in Junior College, I also considered studying Pharmacy but when I got to know more about what Pharmacy is about, I came to the realisation that it might not be the best fit for me as I cannot stand working with drugs for my life. I see myself better as a people person and that Business and Accountancy would be more aligned with my personality.

What do you plan to do with your Accountancy degree? What are the career prospects with the degree?

Most accountancy graduates advance into careers as accountants, auditors although some venture into the Finance sector as well.I am not exactly sure about the specifics of what an accountant does but I would say that accountants generally gauge a company’s performance using several factors to determine the financial situation of the company.  Of course most people will try to go into the Big 4.

What is the Big 4?

According to Wikipedia, The Big 4 is “a prestigious group of the four largest international professional services networks in accountancy and professional services offering audit, assurance, tax, consulting, advisory, actuarial, corporate finance and legal services. They handle the vast majority of audits for publicly traded companies as well as many private companies, creating an oligopoly in auditing large companies.” So accountancy graduates have good career prospects if they managed to land themselves in the Big 4.

What do you think are things that someone should know before starting a degree in Business/Accountancy?

Most people can do Business and/or Accountancy because it is quite generic and not too difficult. It is fun to study and quite broad to begin with. 

However, if you are someone who does not like to do presentation, then business and accountancy probably does not really suit you because we do plenty of presentation in business schools. It was a culture shock as it was a big change from Junior College where students just sit down and listen passively in class. In business school, students are expected to do many presentations, participate actively and voice your opinions so it may be difficult for students who do not really like to talk. 

I think that people who are more outgoing can better fit into Business/Accountancy but that is not saying that people who are less outgoing cannot take up Business/Accountancy 

There is a need to be examination-smart because there may not be time to cover all the content and the rest will have to be learned via self-study, so you will have to known what are tested. 

Self-control is important in that one must avoid the temptation of ignoring work in the midst of having fun throughout university life. So you must the discipline to set aside time for studying. 

Last but not least, do not neglect your friends. 

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