Post Graduation thoughts on NUS

Sometimes I feel nostalgic about NUS, but it really is a kind of hindsight bias...
Here's some invaluable advice for those going into NUS or any university for that fact.


1. The bell-curve can only cast a shadow over ur Uni experience if you let it

I remember entering university much like how a concubine enters the dark walls of the forbidden city. The bell curve was looming over my head, and perhaps more unpredictable than a capricious emperor. Like all the other students, I didn't quite know where I would stand and what it would take to get me to the 'finishing line' and all. And I Guess in hindsight that’s kinda why I didn’t enjoy the first three years of Nus. It was not that there was something really wrong with the way lessons were taught and truthfully the professors are very helpful and nice most of the time. Rather, I went in feeling like there was a battle to be fought and I didn’t really try to make any friends in class.

By year four, I realised that I would never be a straight A student and really that’s alright too because only 2 per module get an A. That’s kinda when I started to see my classmates as people I could potentially hang out with rather than people that I need to compete with. It was in year 4 that I met my bf and I Guess that’s a sign that my newfound openness was the right attitude to have. I also started sharing my notes more with my classmates and helping them out with work... and Guess what I didn’t do worse -Nor better sadly thanks to the bell curve!

2. Choose a hall that suits your personality

In the first year, I opted to join the University Scholar’s Programme and by the second year I was half-way out of it. To be honest, back in my school days, I had a shit ton to whine and complain about Usp; but because I also have really good friends there, this is not really the right place to air them. Instead, I’ll give a more nuanced view here.

The modules I took at USP were really interesting and they were not really the reason I quit by year two. The hall experience was what really got to me. I Guess I too am at fault here for having well egotistic reasons for choosing Usp in the first place. If you guys have read my previous posts about how I really wanted to go overseas and how I couldn’t stand the thought that I would have to go to NUS (ok I know it sounds stupid and entitled now), basically I wanted to go to USP coz I wanted to retain my ivory tower identity. And i was not the only one, just look at how many people wear Raffles polo tees while in nus or hall. Hey, at least I threw them away once I graduated!

Ok that’s beside the point... where was I... I wanted to go to USP because I wanted to tell people that hey I’m in USP and I’m not just some fass arts student. And well I got exactly what I asked for. Everyone there takes studying seriously, which is not wrong or anything, but I realised I was never like that on the inside. I like thrashy shows and reading edmw and I don’t get the whole intellectual culture that was going on in Usp. The people are nice and all but I couldn’t see myself ever hanging out with them. In my hall apartment, hanging out literally meant studying in the living room from 9pm to 3am Everyday and there was a sense of achievement in having less sleep than everyone else. The only people I could talk to were my Vietnamese Friend and my Canadian Friend who was on exchange to Singapore. We were, I Guess the ne’er do wells of USP!

3. No one's gonna bother judging you (or so I choose to believe) so just do what makes you happy :P 

I'm well known amongst my friends for being a little nutty... I'm not sure that that's a good thing to be proud of :P Anyhow, in the first year, I was always conscious of whether I was overdressing, or underdressing for classes; whether anyone was judging me for watching my Empress in the Palace dramas while eating alone at Koufu; and whether anyone could actually hear me singing in the apartment showers. But after a while, I realise that hey people aren't half as judgmental of others as I was... okay, again not something to be parading around like a medal or sth. 

By the end of year 4, I discovered the art of being (more) shameless and really it brings so much more joy and less anxiety! 

I didn't mind the stares as I ate breakfast while talking to Mr Meow on the Utown steps or when I would tickle Mr Garbage Cat behind the Utown carpark. Heck, I don't even care if my knickers were in full view when I was sitting cross-legged on the steps or squatting down to touch Mr Meow (to be honest, I rarely remember that people could see what I couldn't see from my pov, but NOW I know.). 

And people are gonna judge your singing no matter what so just let it go and sing while you're walking alone at night or something. I do that for a more practical reason sometimes which is to ward off stalkers or ghosts with my angsty performances. 

Perhaps the pinnacle of my I-don't-give-a-fuck philosophy was when I decided to go to Sciences Po for my exchange programme as a psychology student. I went in there knowing that they have no psychology courses and I couldn't transfer a single credit and I ended up overloading 41MCs in my final semester. Well, regardless of how pragmatically stupid this decision is (even I find myself incredible sometimes), I still feel like it's worth it coz I could finally fulfill my lifelong bimbotic dream of planting roses and eating lemon meringue pies in the afternoon.

4. Do nothing and keep calm and you will be just fine >.< 

One more thing that I realised only after three years in NUS is that I spend waaaayy more time worrying about not doing something when I can spend that time resting and doing nothing. In years one -three, I was always busy typing notes on my macbook, notes that I will eventually not bother using for the finals anyways. 

My bf calls this the Illusion that hardwork pays off... and despite my initial unwillingness to accept my entrenched idiocy, I eventually started to slack like him and well my grades didn't slip at all! 

When I mean slack, I don't really mean slack-slack which I think I am no longer physically capable off after so many years of Raffles conditioning. However, I am proud to say that I am no longer in a hurry to take down every single thing in my lecture and just be OKAY with getting one or two main points and being calm about that. Eventually, you can always read the slides before finals and consolidate later on. And when you are calm and zen in class, you tend to form more insightful thoughts and links that are actually gonna be useful in beating the bell curve at the end of the semester :P Or you could help your friends out with your improved cognition too. Hey everybody wins when you are calm and doing nothing!