UNI SURVIVAL TIPS

Hey everyone,

I'm not gonna start off the title with an "it's been a long time" blah cause god knows how much I've procrastinated HAHA. Alright, but as requested, I will write a blog post about my Uni life. WARNING, LONG ASS POST AHEAD... Finally 1 year down and ISTG I have never felt like quitting school so badly before haha. But no, never give up. My pride does not allow it HAHA. Okay, jokes aside I felt like dropping out because the pressure was too much for me but I realised I wasn't alone... 

[DISCLAIMER: Please understand that I came from polytechnic and managed to enter NTU by luck. So whatever thing you read here is based on my POV and perspective of things from a polytechnic student's perspective or at least someone who has a similar GPA as me. I won't reveal what my exact GPA is but let's just say it is below 3.7 and to enter NTU usually it's 3.8++ Also, I stay in North Hill Hall of Residence, Binjai. So if you would like to specifically know about other halls' culture, it's best to ask someone who stays there. I only heard of some things so yeap. I will write what I know. Lastly, I am a business student so I can only tell you about my life as an NBS student.]

Alright so let's split this post to 3 different parts. If you're lazy to read everything, just scroll to part 3 below. 

Part 1 - University Life

Part 2 - Hall Life

Part 3 - Uni Survival Tips

PART 1 - UNIVERSITY LIFE

First, you need to know that NBS consists of both Accountancy and Business students. There are also a group of students who take both as a double degree - known as ACBS. If you are smart enough to take 2 degrees, go for it but my advice is just to take 1. I mean we all know technically you do not need a business degree to do business. If you ask many of the ACBS students, they usually say the same thing la. Of course, there are exceptions of those who think it is a good choice to take both but I feel like Nah, it really isn't necessary. 

Anyways, during the first year, all business students take the same modules and all accountancy students take the same modules. Most of the modules overlap meaning that both accountancy and business students take common modules. Students are split into 2 different groups, A and B. 

Group A business students will take Financial Accounting, Business Law, Communications Management Fundamentals, Financial Management, Tech Innovation and Development, and Foundational Excel. 

Group B business students will take Marketing, Organisational Behavioural, Statistics, Business Operations, Economics, Ethics and Morals, and Career Foundations. 

Yes as you can see, Group B is a lot more crazy.

If you studied Banking and Finance in Poly, you can be exempted from Financial Management like I did. Just write an email to the school: adm_local@ntu.edu.sg (I hope they didn't change the email address)

If you studied H2 Economics in JC, you may also be exempted from Economics if I am not wrong. I'm not too sure whether you need to obtain at least a specific grade in order to be exempted or not but you can just check with your seniors or the school about this.

Alright, let's get to the real deal. Honestly, coming from poly, if you think "consistency is key" is kind of bullshit in poly, in uni it really is not. Do you remember how our poly lecturers keep telling us to do tutorials timely etc but usually we always last minute chiong study the day before or like chiong projects 2 weeks before submission and still managed to obtain an A grade? Well, in Uni it really isn't like that. Not trying to scare you but whatever we learned is way more in-depth than poly (duh) but it is absolutely way more. What's worse is that the professors teach as though you ought to know everything already and they don't spoonfeed you as much as in polytechnic. Project consultations are not like in poly where the lecturers really help you out. You're pretty much on your own in uni. And uni is really a lot more fast-paced than poly even though it's a similar concept like 7 weeks/term. Let me give you a comparison...

For my batch, our micro-economics syllabus in poly is equivalent to the first 2 lectures of Uni economics + additional things. Crazy right? Okay but some things remain the same as poly i.e. self-study. Most lectures are quite... useless haha. But you have to really manage your time well, don't be like me. I understand that sleeping in every lecture and skipping class in poly still gets you decent grades, it does not apply here in uni. HAHA, I KNOW BECAUSE I AM THAT STUDENT THAT CANNNOT STAY AWAKE IN CLASS FOR NUTS BRO.

[SIDE TRACK A LITTLE: I remember sitting at the front row of my investment lecture in poly days and sleeping during almost every lecture. I was so bold lol, the lecturer just openly shines the laser light at me without me knowing. Gosh, embarrassing...]

Okay, but other than the intense workload, if you are highly involved in activities (be it hall or CCA), you are really going to suffer if you don't manage your time well. I'm not saying you shouldn't join any activities la cause if you don't then where is the fun and life man? Also, this is your last time being students before stepping into the working force, please have some joy while studying and not be a complete nerd can annot? HAHAHA.

Students wise, I feel like NTU has a lot of JC students and because they mainly comprise of the really smart ones and also the super smart poly kids like GPA 3.8 and above kind, it's quite competitive and stressful in that sense? Coming from poly, I have to work a lot harder to understand what most JC kids already understand also the fact that obviously with a lower GPA, it shows how little I know about my poly things already and now I'm relearning them but at a higher level? Yeah, you can imagine the amount of pressure la hor. Okay but there are some modules that JC students never take before so okay it's fair that they feel the same too and that for those modules, poly kids have an advantage. So yeah, it works both ways la. But other than "competitiveness", everyone here is very studious which really scares me a lot. You know how poly we are super chill and can go club the day before and don't sleep then go, class, next day those kinds? (I don't do this but my friends do) It's almost like GPA don't matter to us? But in uni, everyone is studying. I don't see anyone NOT STUDY. Get what I mean? It's scary to the point that on the first day of school, you see people studying. Then again, of course, their hard work must have paid off la, Their GPA probably would be like 5.0 or something. But the environment is just so tense la I feel. School felt very depressing. I don't know how else to describe it but yes it just felt really depressing to be in. I'm not the only one that feels this way la TBH. Which is why I preferred to study at home during exam periods because it's less stressful. I don't like seeing others study because I get extremely stressed out. I prefer to study at my own pace. But ok, I understand that everyone has different study methods, some can't study at home so you do you okay. I'm just stating how I feel here. 

Otherwise, I made really great friends here too. So far, I haven't really encountered many 'snakes' so all is well for me. Poly was worse soooooooooo... My friends help me with my work and they teach me all the time... I'm super duper grateful and if y'all are reading this, you guys are my MVPs. I owe it to y'all but sorry if my grades don't show it haha can only blame myself for not studying harder.

Moving on, because of the immense pressure and workload, many of us broke down in uni several times. I'm not kidding ah, I am not the only one and many of my friends know I cannot take intense pressure one because I overthink a lot and I get mini panic attacks and start hyperventilating. But let me just tell you that it is normal to break down okay? I'm serious. Both guys and girls, it's normal. Many uni students broke down before. It is nothing to be ashamed of. Whatever you do, just don't commit suicide la. Seriously over studies? Not worth it. Just take the day off and go do whatever makes you happy. In uni, you will soon realise that not all of you are cut out for this. There are bound to be people who are smarter than you or worse than you. Just do your best really. I know you will get disappointed and upset about your grades but life goes on. Don't dwell over it la, at the end of the day, the GPA is really just a number. You already managed to get into a good uni with a well-established name as well as a degree certificate. When you step out into the workforce, the GPA doesn't matter at all. Yes, some of you may say it matters for your first job but I guess this applies more for the JC kids as they do not have much working experience. But for the poly kids, if your portfolio is fine and you can ace your interview, then you're pretty much safe. The world we live in is very different from the past where GPA really matters la so yeah. Also, sometimes ace-ing an interview does not mean you will do well in the workforce. Organisation culture and PE fit play a role. When you study organisation behaviour and when you go out there and work then you will understand. Many of my JC friends who took time off to get an internship or part-time job, ended up quitting within the first week because they realise that the work style, as well as culture, isn't something suitable for them.

Alright, I guess this concludes part 1 cause I'm not sure what else am I supposed to talk about. I really don't like to force myself to study so I cannot deal with school. Don't get me wrong though, I love learning new things cause I am a curious monkey and I like studying but at my own pace. MY OWN SNAIL PACE. I AM VERY VERY SLOW AT LEARNING HAHA. Can I just say, my IQ level is considered LOW in NTU LOL. You can tell la, in uni u can really distinguish who are the smart people man. AND THEIR IQ LEVEL IS LIKE 160 AND ABOVE LOL. I thought I was high since the test said I was above average but LMAO 130/140++ is considered quite low here. HAHA OK BUT THIS IS BESIDES THE POINT, I'M JUST SAYING HERE HAHAAHHAA DON'T JUDGE OR LAUGH AT MY NONSENSE EH. I THINK THIS IS A FACT LEH. LIKE QUITE TRUE. 

OKAY BYE DON'T LAUGH AT ME. LET'S MOVE ON TO PART 2. ANYTHING ABOUT PART 1 JUST LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW OR DM ME ON INSTAGRAM @IEATHELIME I TRY MY BEST TO HELP ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.

PART 2 - HALL LIFE

Okay, I don't really know much about the halls but you can actually google the prices and stuff like that on NTU la so you don't need me to feed you with that information. I only know that Halls 3, 6 and 16 are sports hall so they are really good at their sports. Halls 3 and 16 have undergone renovation so they look pretty nice and are fully air-conditioned, unlike the newer halls. Hall 6 is fully non-air conditioned but they are pretty bonded. They carry drums and some shakers thingy to cheer their hall during inter-hall games. Cute right? Halls 4 & 5 also underwent renovation so they look really nice too. However, they are extremely hard to get in so if you do manage to land a room there, you are one lucky soul. Their rooms are hearsay bigger than most halls and their pieces of furniture are very different too. Most old halls look the same for the interior but these 2 halls do not. Halls 4 & 5 are difficult to get in because they're usually in high demand (that's what I heard) because they are located near South Spine which is the home for business, humanities and social science and media and communications students. Hall 7 is non-air conditioned and it is a hall on its own with no nearby halls clustering around it. Because of that, they are quite bonded haha. I mean... they only have themselves to entertain and mingle around with right...? haha kidding but yeah, they're quite close with one another like both guys and girls. Hall 8 is a dance all and they really practice damn hard like hearsay from 9pm to 6am sia... Other than that, I don't know much but I know they're very bonded. It's almost like everyone knows everyone hahaha! Hall 9 I'm not too sure except that the girls are good at volleyball hehe. Oh and that the hall is at the top of the hill which means you need to climb a lot of stairs ah. HAHAHA. Okay, lastly my hall well erm... we are new and very quiet. The rooms are freaking small and mostly non-air conditioned. The only good thing is that it looks good from the outside and the facilities are really good. We have very nice instagrammable places and the gym is super duper nice. The reading room (study room) is the biggest and also the nicest to study compared to all other reading rooms. TBH, it is nicer to study than ARC IMO. Other than that,  erm the hall is like meh... We don't have much culture since we're new and we are not very bonded because people just go back to our own rooms and just Nua. Nobody interacts with one another, we don't even say hi to our neighbors... I don't even know my neighbours LOL... But of course, if you joined hall activities then you get to make friends which I did. Man, I am going to miss them a lot. They are super duper nice people like one of the nicest bunch of people I've met and I'm not even lying about this.

Okay but moving on, typically commitment level for hall activities is obviously lower as compared to CCA but if you join a hall that is highly competitive and good at a certain activity, be prepared for tough training and to be highly committed. For instances hall 8 and their dance practices. As they are well-known to be a dance hall, naturally you know they work very hard for it mah, cannot be like oh luck then every year win. No what. So yeah. COMMON SENSE. 

Alright, I'm also not sure what else to add so I shall end this part here. Anything just leave a comment below this post or  DM me on Instagram @ieathelime

PART 3 - UNI SURVIVAL TIPS

If you think time flies in poly, let me tell you, it flies even faster in Uni. If you were struggling with 6 projects and 5 papers in poly, let me tell you that with the same amount of workload, uni is way worse. So when people tell you to be consistent in poly, it really applies to uni as well. Anyways, here are 5 tips and I hope it helps. Of course, there are other tips out there and things like that but just do whatever that works for you. Do not be constricted to these tips okay? You may disagree but like I said, these are things I feel are important and things that I should have done. I've seen the results but sadly, I never get past 3 weeks. Many issues came up and I lost my momentum... 

Tip 1: Always be consistent
You should always do your tutorials timely and always read up before lectures or tutorials. I know it is difficult and many of us don't do this but trust me it works. I for one only managed to keep up this habit for the first 2 or 3 weeks of the semester. Subsequently, procrastination starts to take place among with other commitments and ya know things didn't go according to plan. So yes, please be consistent because trust me, you will thank me for this.

Tip 2: Do not burn out
Yes, you should aim to study ideally every day because the workload in uni is crazy but at the same time, do take some time off to relax. Watch drama or do some sports. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. If you keep studying every day, you are bound to lose motivation one day. It's some psychology shit but I ain't googling or doing my research cause I am lazy and I am rushing to write this post out because I PROCRASTINATED I AM SORRY. (I am very busy... okay excuses bye)

Tip 3: Fix your body clock
I know your that parents nag at us about this all the time and in uni, it's almost like impossible to sleep before 2am but do try to sleep latest by 12am every day. It helps with memory and also you don't want to risk your health just for your studies la. Also, trust me but sleep is important. No point staying up till 4am to study for a test the next day. Nothing much is going to enter and even so, you probably cannot focus in the exam hall. Try to get your body adjusted to a certain timing. This is hard because I don't have a fixed body clock either. 

Tip 4: Attempt past-year papers
This is extremely important because 90% of the time, the tutorial questions are not like your exam questions. It is totally out of the world. If you can, do attempt the past-year papers earlier and not like days before the exams. I did that and honestly no-go. Of course, you may argue that you need to study and understand the concepts before attempting the papers. To a certain extent, yes. However, you can also take your time and slowly refer and recap your work while doing the past-year papers. It is better to attempt them earlier so that you can redo them too when it is nearer to the exams. It is wise to redo tutorials and exam papers if you have the time. I did that for my Financial Accounting paper, it worked out ok. 

Tip 5:  When in doubt, always ask
I am someone who rarely reaches out to people when I need help. I tend to rely on my own abilities first unless I really do not get a certain concept. Perhaps I was too consumed by my pride or I was just being stubborn. Regardless, when in doubt always ask. Do not be scared that you are burdening your friends or what. True friends will always help a friend out and as much as there are many snakes out there in NBS, there are many good people as well. I have many friends who helped me out and I greatly appreciate. I really do. I hope you find such friends too. Do not be afraid to ask questions in class and be participative as well. Be proactive and have an active learning attitude. This can also help increase your class participation and boost confidence too. Of course, it is accompanied with self-revision la. So please read up before class because if you don't know what the class is going to talk about, how are you going to answer or ask questions?

Alright folks, that is all. I hope this helps okay? I know it may seem like something you've heard so many times before but it really works. Now I wish all of you all the best and I look forward to seeing you here. Do wish me all the best for my results too thanks. <3

HAHAH

signing off,
Ivy Lim