Private University Culture | ZULA ChickChats | EP 98
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- Опубликовано: 25 июл 2024
- In this episode of ZULA ChickChats, we discussed how it is like studying in a private university in Singapore. Is the curriculum for private university easier? Do private university graduates have fewer career opportunities?
Here are the timestamps of the topics covered during the episode:
0:00 - Intro
0:45 - Choosing your university
1:50 - Culture in private uni
4:20 - Curriculum in private uni
6:22 - Career prospects after uni
8:46 - Advice
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Featuring:
Amanda Feng - / amandalpaca
Bryan Christopher Yeong - / brychrstphr
Eva Etika - / electraheartzs
Leah Shannon - / mizchiefmagik
Filmed By:
Sheryl Chua - / sherellebobbyjohnson
Lu Jielin - / adreamtolove17
Edited By:
Cheryl Phua - / oompalooompaaaaa
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If you have your own experiences do share with us in the comments too!
What are their courses that they enrolled?
This is so good! Should invite those new local uni like SIT (me) , SUSS and SUTD and talk about the differences too. I think there is still a big gap between the three new unis and the big three (NUS NTU SMU). Stigma is vividly present in the working world even though we are from a local uni but just not from the big three.
YESSSSSSSS ^ i would love to hear about this :-)
Yes pls this!! I really need some advice regarding local unis...
True! Many fail to realise that each Uni cater to different demographic and have the niche of their own. Majority of us grew being told that we should aim for NUS/NTU for its brand name. At the end of the day it's all about how you can contribute in the working world and not much of where you attained your certs.
Actually ppl dont realise that SUTD is the MIT of SG, its curriculum is almost the same as MIT as the uni itself is co-developed by MIT. SIT is just underrated due to marketing, it has the most specialised & hands-on curriculum, while ppl keep mistaking SUSS for SIM when it wasnt even SIM before this but UniSIM. To begin with, UniSIM & SIM were 2 completely different schools. One was a govt funded uni while the other is a distance learning uni.
SIT have TUM (ranked 1 in Germany in engineering, ranked one of top 5 tech unis in Europe), Digipen (aka harvard of the IT world, these fkers beat MIT in programming related courses), Newcastle n Glasgow (part of Russel group aka Ivy leagues of UK), etc. Yeah these uni names alone already topped off the likes of the big 3. Yet most Singaporeans have no idea that these unis are right in front of their doorsteps, funded by the government somemore. SUTD is created by MIT and had already beat NTU and NUS in tech related fields. I still dunno why someone would choose NTU and NUS over Digipen or STUD in computer programming.
I went to a private university because the duration was shorter. That is because we only need to take our core modules unlike in local universities where you need to take electives.
There is no “life” in private university because majority of the people are either working full time or studying full time. You don’t get to hang around in school that much as compared to local university.
It depends on what you are looking for.
(1) experience and certificate - local university if your grades permit
(2) certificate and shorter time - private university and if you have the funds because private university is more expensive
All in all, I didn’t regret my choice because I got the cert I needed and the knowledge I wanted. All the best if you are getting into a university!
PS: Getting internship during your university is an important stepping stone for you to secure a job. It does give you a sense of the industry you are planning to venture into. Do treat your internship seriously as you may land yourself a job even before you graduate! :)
Hi i want to ask you is it true that private uni have lot of international student?
I really enjoy this series!! I grew up in Singapore from kindergarten to Sec 1 and watching this series made me think about how different my life and career would be if I had stayed in Singapore rather than migrating to Toronto. Getting a glimpse from everyone's experience from secondary school to Poly/JC/Uni is really enjoyable & somewhat relatable!
And with forming of project groups being shifted online, I don't even know how my group members look like lol
overseas uni exp pls!!
great video! it’s so well edited ❤️
nice video! maybe you can do one on nafa/lasalle? would wanna hear the differences and also with the other local unis like sit sutd suss bc they arent as ‘prominent’ in a way as the big three and if there’s some kind of stigma for ppl who grad frm there instead of the big three? i wanna hear more!
My experience at Taylor's Uni was in stark contrast to this. We bonded and formed a clique in the first few weeks and we did almost everything together. And the Club's and Societies scene was much more vibrant and exciting too and tbh we didn't put that much focus into studies in the first year atleast
love the video!!
Late to the party
Attended RMIT (Under SIM GE) as I got rejected by all 3 local unis (SMU, NUS and NTU). Went for RMIT freshmen camp. First year was boring as there was no culture. Everyone just attended class and went home. Personal observation: about 80% of ladies were attached, compared to 20% of men. I took the initiative to find clubs to join/attend (SIM Flim & Performance Arts & Toastmasters). Glad I made international friends (Malaysia, China and Vietnam [yes they were all attached, hence the 80% above]) as I did visit my friends in Hanoi for my graduation trip.
Career wise: yes it was initially tough to find jobs but mainly due to lack to experience. However I noticed that US and German MNCs were quite willing to hire!
Personal advice: For those considering private unis, go for it IF you can afford it. Yes friends can be few and far but taking the initiative to join clubs can open your mind and circle of friends. Openhouse is a good time to find clubs to join. For those who are introverts, I would suggest joining study groups or clubs that really suit your interest.
im in private uni and i swear is really rushed af. compared to poly :( u have to be fine with the pace of everything
I was studying in private uni but it was really difficult for me - I was unhappy and I couldn't see myself thriving in this field.
Quoting Amanda, "WhAt CuLtUrE?" sameee, it was so boring and demotivating to just go to school and go home. Plus it was pretty difficult for me to make friends in school since my course and modules were 100% lecture based.
So I dropped out of private uni (wished I was bold enough to do this earlier) and got accepted into a local uni this year! Was actually looking forward to make the most out of local uni life..... but thanks rona for ruining it already :/
haha sorry for being random. i am curious about how u managed to transfer from private to local uni. I am gng SIM buffalo biz this year and i rlly want to go local uni (NTU) :(( can i have some advice haha
@@kohxinhui5620 hi! I didn't transfer school, but I completely dropped out of private uni and enrolled in a local uni so I started from year 1 all over again (I enrolled for a degree that is completely different from what I studied at private uni, I doubt I can "transfer credit" or "get exempted"). When local uni applications open, I apply using my A level grades and hope for the best! Like if that particular year lower demand/lower intake then there's a higher chance to get in! Like my case LOL I applied for the same course but they didn't accept me during my year, only accepted me last year.
But ya, basically I wasn't able to transfer schools because 1) I didn't bother trying 2) what I'm studying in private and local is not related at all; so I enter local uni as a year 1 student - yes, my private uni years were a waste :')
But I think if you are planning to study something related to what you study in SIM, then I /think/ you might be able to transfer school - need to read up more about it first though!
@@joeyysong if you dont mind me asking which course were u taking at sim and what course u took at local uni? did you have any particular thing u did that you think allowed you to enter local u (like maybe internship or leadership at SIM)
@@kohxinhui5620 i took accounting in SIM and im currently in a humanities course in ntu (not comfy with revealing, sorry!)
nope, i have no CCA or leadership opportunities whatsoever in SIM, i only go to school for lects then go home. also because i applied for ntu based on a new admission (not transfering), so its based on solely my JC and sec school activities.
If you are thinking of transfering, I think having an active portfolio in SIM would benefit you!
@@joeyysong oh i see. haiz is private uni really so boring. 😪 this makes me dread uni. but anyways thx for your detailed replies!
this video is really nice!
I’m from MDIS and it’s very true when Amanda said ‘what culture’ because there’s totally no culture at all! We just go to school, and then go home most of the time. The timetable would be like some days there’s only a 3 hour lecture so we just attend and go home. Kinda waste of time. There’re CCAs as well but they don’t bother advertising like fairs and there’s just no hype about it so no one bothers to join as well. I always feel a bit ashamed to say that I’m from private uni when ppl ask where I’m from but this videos gives me more insight and I feel better now actually. In fact at my current workplace I also have colleagues in the same position as me but from local uni. It’s just that I took a longer path to get to where I am now because I struggled so hard to get a job after graduating I just went ahead to do something unrelated to my field. But now I’m on the right track so yay! I’m still thankful for private uni because it’s a place for people who really wanna study their course of interest but unable to because of how hard it is to get into local uni.
i think another thing about private uni is that you really need to have proper time management and be responsible about your own work, cause in private uni the teachers won’t follow up so closely with you so at the end of the day you’re the only one pushing yourself.
I think for career prospects. Internships help for BOTH local and private unis. You can be a local grad with zero relevant internship exp and struggle like mad to find a job. So in short, the brand name of the school isn’t an auto magic bullet. However, I would agree that certain more traditional industries in Singapore would still prefer to hire local uni grads if everything else between candidates were on par. So the key is just to be aware of what limitations you’ll face and work around them.
Personal Opinion: I feel that zula’s voice recording system is really hindering me from wanting to watch your videos. Some parts are too loud and some so soft I can barely make out what he/she was conveying. In all honesty, this problem has been feedback way way back and I stopped watching because it is no longer enjoyable with the audio like this. Even then, till today it is still as such. :(
agreed, the audio is super wonky
Agreed!!!!
There are captions! It makes it better to understand
they should give everyone a lapel mic
Laurel yeap! turned on my caption to make out what the guy was sharing 😂
Tip for anyone looking to study under private uni (especially for part time students), learn to do scheduling and how to manage time. More often than not, the staff managing the curriculum are not suggesting schedules where the modules are at a comfortable pace and you may find yourself overloading final year mods in your final sem. So consider your goals going into it and schedule mods based on that (e.g. to finish fast, to get a high GPA, etc.)
tbh I think the culture has changed a lot and it would've been nice to hear the perspective of other people who are currently in the respective schools
im currently in murdoch uni under kaplan, and TBH the culture is really as they described it haha :P people really just come for lessons and go when its done. but i will say, the unis differ in how they handle student affairs and their vision of education. e.g. some unis are very research-focused, others approach education from a more hollistic POV.
Christian Lin ooooh that’s interesting to hear HAHAHA I’m at SIM under University at Buffalo, which was mentioned in the vid! I would say the culture has changed a lot and quite a lot of people engage in CCAs and activities like Student Council which I myself am in, not just UB students but across the many different unis there
I had switched from local to private uni. I felt pressured into taking a local uni degree and was pretty much pigeon-holed into taking a course that was somewhat relevant to my poly diploma. I hated it and, in the end, I quit after a year and went to take a private uni degree instead. My current course is completely unrelated to what I had studied in poly, but it was what I wanted and it would've been nearly impossible to enter a local uni in this field, since I had no prior foundation in it and would be competing with other poly graduates who would already have studied something similar for their diploma.
The upside to private is that it really is a lot shorter than local. My previous degree course was 4 years long, while my current one is 2 years. I had taken bank loans for both. Bad idea btw! I now have loan to two different banks, since a bank won't give you two loans at once for tertiary education. Can't wait for that student debt to hit me once I graduate lol. I don't regret taking my current course, though; what I do regret was letting myself get pressured into studying "something related to my poly course" like everyone advised me to. Smh. Know what you want before getting into uni!
Hello Zula!! I would love to have a video talking about internship especially the ones that they found their own!! Like how the process and did they enjoy them or regret finding an internship place themselves?
i was hoping that topics such as finances and how did you pay for school fees (scholarships, grants etc) was discussed in this video because i'm kinda clueless about it.....but nevertheless thanks for this informative video! i'm torn between applying for local unis (SIT, SUSS) or private unis or just basically go out to work for a few years with my poly diploma! is it possible to make a video about part-time degrees???? i'd like to know in depth about the application process and requirements from a person who has done it before :))
Nice sharing cause I feel that some local uni grads also lack the necessary experience which can hinder job search
I think it also heavily depends on which degree/industry they were studying or aiming for!
just a feedback comment coming through~
really love the videos! but i always have a hard time hearing them and have to turn on subtitles. i was wondering if you guys will be using clip-on mics soon? so that the audio quality is better!
It is Murdoch University not university of Murdoch. It makes a lot of differences. And study bachelor degree might be a terminal degree for most students but other students still consider the possibility of doing postgraduates studies.
Do hope you guys can interview those who study in arts school / private diploma too :) Thank you :)
Maybe it would have been better if yall included whether gpa is important in private uni
Exactly
May i know what are their courses that they enrolled?
If you can could you do one on overseas uni pls!! :)
that fact that im not even in uni but im watching this lol HAHAH
Bc jobs are competitive, so many applicants applying for a job, so companies filter by GPA, past internship, not just private or local uni. I don’t think going to NUS but getting 2nd lower only, was helpful for my career at all lol, except that it’s a 4-year degree so I can apply for masters in the US.
Zula filmed this using iPhone?? Audio quality is super duper bad
Hi
I'm a fan from American and i was wondering if there was anyway way you could do a video about international students because I am interested in moving to Singapore but I also wanna continue my education.BTW i love your videos I binge-watch them all day.
its a very Late comment but one of the things missing on Private Uni Culture in this video is the lack of having dorms for private unis. All local unis have dorms and i think it helps in forming good friendships and vibes for your student experience. Private unis suffering even more now due to Online classes due to covid yikes
there are 6 local univerisities in Singapore. NUS, NTU, SUSS, SUTD, SIT and SMU. afaik out of them only NUS, NTU AND SUTD have halls the rest dont rlly have halls. i cld be wrong.
Public sector jobs vs private sector jobs?
My POV: If u have the money to burn, might as well go overseas. But if u die die still considering private, ill say only look at SIM or JCU. It also boils down to ur industry. Please u dont need a degree if u wanna take up creative writing or mass comms. Also, do ur research by looking at the salary survey. To me, no use burning all that money. Ppl in public uni are earning median of arnd $4K while the survey showed $2.5K for private which u can get after a few years working with a diploma, just be patient. Pls dont be enticed by the fancy uni partner names. You can be from UOL SIM but rest assured the quality is nowhere the same as the real London School of Economics. Employers also know u from the SG campus. I almost fell for it and tried to enter Newcastle at PSB due to Newcastle's ranking. Lucky i see the salary survey and the curriculum.
I'm starting on my private uni journey in 2 weeks time and I'm still feeling uncertain :( hope everything goes well
all the best! I'm in the middle of mine and i know how it feels haha! just keep focused on your goals and enjoy what you're learning!
@@pinkfluffeeunicorns thank you!
how's life after private uni?
what about private diploma to local uni
lol hands up local uni. diploma and degree. of course degree.
A private diploma cannot get you to a local university fyi
@@Elizabeth-xi5xn Unless you have some prior job exp but that also require interview so it is also a long shot. Point is not impossible but very unlikely
Did Amanda apply for internships while she was a student? An internship per academic year? What was the application process like? Through the school or directly liaising with the company?
In poly I was assigned an internship, and in uni i self-sourced two internships!
basically in uni you get to apply interns yourself as long as you have the free day or time to do so tbh.
please try design courses in poly vs art sch like nafa!!!
lasalle also.
Year 1 of poly affects your overall final graduating GPA?!!! Enlighten me pls
Worst case if you have a 2.4 in Y1, it's tough to even get 3 or even higher unless you get straight As
Because poly is accumulative, every semester is important if you want to score well.
Skira K this is a TLDR version of the explanation, which sums everything up basically 👌🏻
haha u never have gpa before isit
i got a 2.6 in my first sem. currently a 3.4 from my 2.2 sem. hoping to pull up more the next two send. lol. definitely gonna be impossible to reach a 3.8 but hoping for a 3.6 at best
It's quite sad to see priv uni students lie to themselves. They perceive lesser coverage as fast track.
How did my innocent comment with the most likes get deleted 🤨
Wah the Eva girl so pretty can get no. Or not
Local uni > private uni