LOCAL VS OVERSEAS Universities: The Brutal Truth
Well it was not easy to come up with the next topic as there are too many things to talk about...the impending GST hike to HELP the Poor, the sudden dearth of bad news in the Straits Times, the sudden Nation Bashing Campaign by said news paper so on...
But anyway since i am going to enter one of our esteemed local institutions i guess i might as well have my 2 per cent worth on it...
Many of us dream of going overseas, i would remember the good old days in jc where those who wanted to apply for UK unis would hound the teacher in charge such that he went into hiding. Then there are those who apply to practically every scholarship awarding body for that overseas scholarship. Despite attempts to do so, i cannot truely recall a situation where students were enthusiastically trying to apply for local scholarships or local institutions.
So what makes an overseas education the preferred choice of students? Despite the constant reminders (through the Straits Times) that NUS is one of the top universities, I personally believe that there are a lot of things one can gain studying out of Singapore.
Firstly, the fact that a person would be in an environment that is not "uniquely Singapore" will help to expand his horizons. Exposure to a new culture is always helpful even if one doesnt feel too comfortable; at least one will not be ignorant of what goes on outside Singapore. A Culture Shock is what most of my frens say when asked of their experiences overseas.
Secondly, it appears that overseas university students are not the usual run of the mill Singaporean students. Instead of spending time mugging and clubbing, this folks are actually actively participating in the running of their university. Remember Warwick university? They were supposed to set up some kind of branch in Singapore, though they did not, citing the restrictions on freedom of expression. It appears that their students there are not the apathetic bunch of folks in this country. Though studying overseas does not mean u have to come back and get jailed for trying to start a protest, perhaps there one can start to take more interest in issues that are not so mundane and become less apathetic and more active in society.
Also, an overseas education works differently. There is more leeway for students to develop other areas rather than just focus purely on the academic, and not just for the sake of getting points for the purpose of remaining in a hall. Furthermore, independent learning for the sake of learning is encouraged, rather than learning for the sake of the elusive A. As a professor from LSE once told her audience," In LSE we give u a list of ten books and its up to u to see which book is suitable for u."
Thats about it for Overseas Education. Now its time to look at the flip side of the coin.
Though not a part of any local university as of this point of time, being in contact with students of the said universities have allowed me to have an idea of what local universities are like. However most of the comments are related to NTU and NUS, since i am not very familiar with how SMU works.
It appears to me that local universities are merely a more...for lack of a better word...advanced Junior College. From observation, i must say that some of my fellow female compatriots are studying a lot harder for their common tests than they did for the A levels or promotional examinations. In fact, someone has likened NUS to a pressure cooker, this is symbolic as Singapore's education has always been likened to a pressure cooker. Thus, as the saying goes, it would be the "same old shit" again once u enter university. Too much emphasis on academics, too much time in classroom make the Singaporean a dull person; able to pass tests, but with little else. This has serious ramifications for the person's future; if he is merely able to pass tests and do little else, then he will definitely lose out to those foreign talent and those who graduated overseas.
Furthermore, despite the various ECAs around, the fact that there is competition for hostel places will make people sign up for the ECAs for the sake of staying in a hostel and not for interest of the sport. This will futher foster the wrong mentality in people, whereby i do something not because i like it, but because i have to do it so that i can get this thing (remember remember community service?)
That brings us to another point, the point on apathy. Singaporean "post 65ers" have often received flak for being unconcerned with what happens around them. I believe that the way the university is run plays a part in this apathy. However, this post is getting rather too large and thus i shall continue another time...
to be continued
Well it was not easy to come up with the next topic as there are too many things to talk about...the impending GST hike to HELP the Poor, the sudden dearth of bad news in the Straits Times, the sudden Nation Bashing Campaign by said news paper so on...
But anyway since i am going to enter one of our esteemed local institutions i guess i might as well have my 2 per cent worth on it...
Many of us dream of going overseas, i would remember the good old days in jc where those who wanted to apply for UK unis would hound the teacher in charge such that he went into hiding. Then there are those who apply to practically every scholarship awarding body for that overseas scholarship. Despite attempts to do so, i cannot truely recall a situation where students were enthusiastically trying to apply for local scholarships or local institutions.
So what makes an overseas education the preferred choice of students? Despite the constant reminders (through the Straits Times) that NUS is one of the top universities, I personally believe that there are a lot of things one can gain studying out of Singapore.
Firstly, the fact that a person would be in an environment that is not "uniquely Singapore" will help to expand his horizons. Exposure to a new culture is always helpful even if one doesnt feel too comfortable; at least one will not be ignorant of what goes on outside Singapore. A Culture Shock is what most of my frens say when asked of their experiences overseas.
Secondly, it appears that overseas university students are not the usual run of the mill Singaporean students. Instead of spending time mugging and clubbing, this folks are actually actively participating in the running of their university. Remember Warwick university? They were supposed to set up some kind of branch in Singapore, though they did not, citing the restrictions on freedom of expression. It appears that their students there are not the apathetic bunch of folks in this country. Though studying overseas does not mean u have to come back and get jailed for trying to start a protest, perhaps there one can start to take more interest in issues that are not so mundane and become less apathetic and more active in society.
Also, an overseas education works differently. There is more leeway for students to develop other areas rather than just focus purely on the academic, and not just for the sake of getting points for the purpose of remaining in a hall. Furthermore, independent learning for the sake of learning is encouraged, rather than learning for the sake of the elusive A. As a professor from LSE once told her audience," In LSE we give u a list of ten books and its up to u to see which book is suitable for u."
Thats about it for Overseas Education. Now its time to look at the flip side of the coin.
Though not a part of any local university as of this point of time, being in contact with students of the said universities have allowed me to have an idea of what local universities are like. However most of the comments are related to NTU and NUS, since i am not very familiar with how SMU works.
It appears to me that local universities are merely a more...for lack of a better word...advanced Junior College. From observation, i must say that some of my fellow female compatriots are studying a lot harder for their common tests than they did for the A levels or promotional examinations. In fact, someone has likened NUS to a pressure cooker, this is symbolic as Singapore's education has always been likened to a pressure cooker. Thus, as the saying goes, it would be the "same old shit" again once u enter university. Too much emphasis on academics, too much time in classroom make the Singaporean a dull person; able to pass tests, but with little else. This has serious ramifications for the person's future; if he is merely able to pass tests and do little else, then he will definitely lose out to those foreign talent and those who graduated overseas.
Furthermore, despite the various ECAs around, the fact that there is competition for hostel places will make people sign up for the ECAs for the sake of staying in a hostel and not for interest of the sport. This will futher foster the wrong mentality in people, whereby i do something not because i like it, but because i have to do it so that i can get this thing (remember remember community service?)
That brings us to another point, the point on apathy. Singaporean "post 65ers" have often received flak for being unconcerned with what happens around them. I believe that the way the university is run plays a part in this apathy. However, this post is getting rather too large and thus i shall continue another time...
to be continued
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