[LunaStella]

<3 jessica. wrote:

In which ever path you choose, only you know yourself the best and what are your priorities/limitations/strengths/weakness and so on and so forth. Thus, only you yourself are in a much suitable position to assess on which path you should undertake eventually.

Now, just some food for thought.

Speaking about starting your career later than your peers and counter-parts. Unless, you are from a "weaker" background than an average Singaporean and you have a mountain of debt to clear or maybe family commitments then I believe that there is a need for you to enter the workforce as soon as possible.

To be honest, as long as you graduate from a reputable university(NUS/NTU/SMU). Even at an age of 27-29 and subsequently start your career at 27-29. Is there really any serious implications? I mean well, you are certainly lacking behind(an obvious example is 1-2 years of income) but the point here is to what extent are you lacking behind and does it lead to serious consequences or implications?

Maybe it is easier to get a job when you graduate from the local trinity.

But a company will also survey the resume? You have to explain the missing time and it will reveal that you had gone on to A level, Poly, then Uni. And there is no gurantee that you will get a scholarship. It depends on how discipline you are in school.

A fresh grad at 27 or 28 might have a bit of disadvantage. Sometimes, work experience is quite important as well.

[S2Raven]

LunaStella wrote:

Seriously read your own writing. You do look down on private degree grads.

Moxlotus and maybe Jessica will remember how we argue about time in the other thread. It has always been my stand. I didn't flip my stand.

I'm not looking down on your degree. I'm saying that if you want one from a more reputable university, you can consider the poly route. If you're arguing that your SIM-UOL degree is just as good as NUS/NTU/SMU/Direct Overseas degrees, then i'm afraid you're mistaken. Hence the lower-than-average comment earlier.

And I was arguing your overcrowding issue. You went back and started talking about the time thing again, which i already said i have no problem with.

EDIT: Actually, it wouldn't matter if i was against private degrees or not. It doesn't change my point.

[maisatomai]

platee wrote:

From my experience, the latter is not true.

Which poly jc are u from? It true to some extend i can tell u. I seen a lot of students who failed no matter how hard they try

[LunaStella]

S2Raven wrote:

I'm not looking down on your degree. I'm saying that if you want one from a more reputable university, you can consider the poly route. If you're arguing that your SIM-UOL degree is just as good as NUS/NTU/SMU/Direct Overseas degrees, then i'm afraid you're mistaken. Hence the lower-than-average comment earlier.

And I was arguing your overcrowding issue. You went back and started talking about the time thing again, which i already said i have no problem with.

UOL is a reputable degree course. It is a good alternative other than NUS/NTU/SMU.

And I still say that Poly should give priority to O level grads and ITE grads. It is what they are primarily set up for.

Stop shoving words into my mouth.

[<3 jessica.]

LunaStella wrote:

Maybe it is easier to get a job when you graduate from the local trinity.

But a company will also survey the resume? You have to explain the missing time and it will reveal that you had gone on to A level, Poly, then Uni. And there is no gurantee that you will get a scholarship. It depends on how discipline you are in school.

A fresh grad at 27 or 28 might have a bit of disadvantage. Sometimes, work experience is quite important as well.

Not an issue here, explain that you have change for the better already and the current results speaks for everything.

The cost of education at our local varsities are affordable thus I do not see why you need a scholarship even though it will do you good if you manage to secure one.

Erm......lastly you mentioned "disadvantage and work experience."

Mind elaborating more on it to further enhance your stance about entering the work-force asap?

[LunaStella]

maisatomai wrote:

Which poly jc are u from? It true to some extend i can tell u. I seen a lot of students who failed no matter how hard they try

I don't think it is ok to say people are not intelligent just because they fail A level.

A level don't measure intelligence. A or even O level measure how well you know about the prescripted subjects.

It could be environment or it could be that they have no interest in the subject.

There could be a lot of factors.

[xhlee87]

Different ppl have different views. some people feel that to get a good paying jobs, better get into local U. Some other think otherwise. There is no right or wrong, all depends on you.

A degree is just a stepping stone. After the first few years in work, your work achievements will override all your academic achievements.

The feeling of being a fresh graduate at 28 year old is not sweet.
Most Singaporean guys will be 3 years faster than u and other countries guys will be 7 years ahead than u.

[<3 jessica.]

LunaStella wrote:

UOL is a reputable degree course. It is a good alternative other than NUS/NTU/SMU.

And I still say that Poly should give priority to O level grads and ITE grads. It is what they are primarily set up for.

Stop shoving words into my mouth.

Ermmm...... yes what you mentioned about Polytechnics is true but A-levels students choosing poly after failing to gain entrance into NUS/NTU/SMU and as such resulting in lesser vacancies for O Level/ITE students?

That is a very noble cause that you are considering. Leave it to the government to solve it if it really reaches to the conclusion which you have foreseen which I doubt it would,to be honest. Also opening up more slots in the polytechnics is not a major issue as well.

[S2Raven]

LunaStella wrote:

UOL is a reputable degree course. It is a good alternative other than NUS/NTU/SMU.

Your opinion. As MoxLotus said, it has it's merit and accreditation to which i agree. But as i said before, if you're looking for BETTER, you can consider poly.

LunaStella wrote:

And I still say that Poly should give priority to O level grads and ITE grads. It is what they are primarily set up for.

Stop shoving words into my mouth.

Yes, and MoxLotus told you that. But your argument was *(AND I QUOTE), "It will have serious repercussions if Polytechnic is being deemed as a second route for A level grads and then flooded with these grads. What is going to happen to the O'level and ITE grads?" You created an exaggerated scenario to back your point.

Not everyone is gonna go for the Poly route, and not everyone should. But as i said, it's worth at least considering. And as i mentioned before, you can't prove that the polys wouldn't be able to handle it. It's hypothetical. Which is why your post was so amusing

[<3 jessica.]

xhlee87 wrote:

Different ppl have different views. some people feel that to get a good paying jobs, better get into local U. Some other think otherwise. There is no right or wrong, all depends on you.

A degree is just a stepping stone. After the first few years in work, your work achievements will override all your academic achievements.

The feeling of being a fresh graduate at 28 year old is not sweet.
Most Singaporean guys will be 3 years faster than u and other countries guys will be 7 years ahead than u.

If you are looking only from this very perspective, then apparently there is not alot of positives from it.

Try looking at this matter from another angle/perspective.

[S2Raven]

<3 jessica. wrote:

If you are looking only from this very perspective, then apparently there is not alot of positives from it.

Try looking at this matter from another angle/perspective.

That's the spirit!

[xhlee87]

<3 jessica. wrote:

If you are looking only from this very perspective, then apparently there is not alot of positives from it.

Try looking at this matter from another angle/perspective.

Sorry, this is the fact in the working world. I only felt it when i started working.
We are not competing with Singaporean only, we are competing with people from all over the world with no compulsory NS.
U will be surprise there are so many foreigners working in SG.

3 years audit exp in big 4, will net u an accountant position and possibly asst.FM if lucky
5 years for maybe FM position

U will get it when u start working.

[PrataKosong]

S2Raven wrote:

I didn't say MoxLotus did it, i said his friend in his example of the guy who dropped out of JC1 to go to Poly and got the scholarship. (Yes, he saved one year. Big deal.) So how about you don't misquote me.

I've tried my hardest not to put down your SIM-UOL degree (funny how you just won't mention SIM) in this topic. And i honestly don't need to put it down when you got people in this topic doing it already. Bad grades, go to SIM from the TS. Suck it up and go to SIM from agenda. Honestly, that's not the point. The point is that Poly is still a viable option for A level grads who want a degree from a more reputable institution.

You wanna switch back to the "time" argument, go ahead. Like i said, that's perfectly fine. I already mentioned all the benefits and you didn't refute them. So whatever. I'll ignore all your other personal attacks. Just take it as a sign of me trying to "grow up".

To be fair to the University of London Graduates enrolled for the preparatory course in SIM and other private institutions, the Bachelor of Science degree is awarded by the University of London is with academic direction provided by one of its constituent colleges (which in the case of most UOL Accounting, Biz and Econs courses in Singapore would refer to the London School of Economics).

Note also that the LSE is a constituent college of the University of London which is a Federal University and has 31 schools and colleges under its wing. Much like how Berkeley is a constituent colledge of the University of California. It is funny that some in this forum will refer to the University of London as a shell university when the term "Federal University" should be much more appropriate.

So it would be quite demeaning and derogatory to insist that the term UOL degree should be affixed with a suffix "SIM" because such a proposition is rather ludicrous given that the degree itself is awarded and accredited by the University of London while SIM simply provides a prepatory course leading up the the exams (rather like how the secondary schools and JCs prepare Singaporean students for the "O" and "A" levels). It would be quite laughable for me to place "Raffles Institution-Cambridge 'O' Level" for my 'O' Level certificate in my resume would it not? And yes I am old enough to be of the Pre-IP batch.

Overall, the University of London Degree (International Programme) is accredited by the relevant UK academic bodies and has a very strong standing and reputation amongst universities and organizations worldwide. I have read of graduates from the UOL International Programme studying for their masters or PHDs in NTU and NUS (not counting those who furthered their studies in the UK and USA) so the debate on whether local universities accept the academic rigor of the UOL International Programme would be a moot point.

And while i understand that there are those who go for the UOL International Programme Degrees because of poor 'A' Level Grades, it would be simplistic to label all UOL International Programme students as such. In any case, even if though those with poor grades are able to gain entry into the programme, whether they have the academic ability, perseverance and willingness to study hard and finish the course is another matter altogether as it is well known that the UOL programme is quite unforgiving in the academic standards expected in the exams and i would think the drop out rate is quite high. That is a good way to maintain the academic rigour and reputation of the degree I have to say.

Now, for those who scored good to decent grades for the 'A' Levels (good enough for local universities) and still opt for the UOL International Programmes, they will be doing so for a myraid of reasons such as :

(i) Having to work full time to support their families and the local universities do not offer part-time degree courses.
(ii) Gained entry into courses in local universities not to their liking and the UOL offers them something that suits their passion.
(iii) Have gained a degree from the Local Universities and are on the lookout for a 2nd degree to widen their knowledge and enhance their marketability.
(iv) Have gained a degree from the Local Universities but did not achieve a 2:1 and above and are trying to get at least a 2:1 in a UOL Internation Programme Degree so that they can apply for a good masters programme.

I am sure there are a lot more reasons for those who want to choose the UOL as we all have different perspective and demands of our lives. There is no need to put down others to provide oneself with an ego boost because it is always good to remember that there will always be mountains higher than oneself.

Just a bit of trivia, the University of London International Programmes alone have produced 7 Nobel Prize Winners in areas ranging from Physics and Economics to Literature and the Peace Prize. That is quite an achievement for a Distance Learning course i would say. I was quite surprised to learn of such a fact, all the more so given that our local universities (and their previous incarnations i.e the University of Singapore and Nantah) have yet to produce even a single Nobel prize winner.

[<3 jessica.]

PrataKosong wrote:

To be fair to the University of London Graduates enrolled for the preparatory course in SIM and other private institutions, the Bachelor of Science degree is awarded by the University of London is with academic direction provided by one of its constituent colleges (which in the case of most UOL Accounting, Biz and Econs courses in Singapore would refer to the London School of Economics).

Note also that the LSE is a constituent college of the University of London which is a Federal University and has 31 schools and colleges under its wing. Much like how Berkeley is a constituent colledge of the University of California. It is funny that some in this forum will refer to the University of London as a shell university when the term "Federal University" should be much more appropriate.

So it would be quite demeaning and derogatory to insist that the term UOL degree should be affixed with a suffix "SIM" because such a proposition is rather ludicrous given that the degree itself is awarded and accredited by the University of London while SIM simply provides a prepatory course leading up the the exams (rather like how the secondary schools and JCs prepare Singaporean students for the "O" and "A" levels). It would be quite laughable for me to place "Raffles Institution-Cambridge 'O' Level" for my 'O' Level certificate in my resume would it not? And yes I am old enough to be of the Pre-IP batch.

Overall, the University of London Degree (International Programme) is accredited by the relevant UK academic bodies and has a very strong standing and reputation amongst universities and organizations worldwide. I have read of graduates from the UOL International Programme studying for their masters or PHDs in NTU and NUS (not counting those who furthered their studies in the UK and USA) so the debate on whether local universities accept the academic rigor of the UOL International Programme would be a moot point.

And while i understand that there are those who go for the UOL International Programme Degrees because of poor 'A' Level Grades, it would be simplistic to label all UOL International Programme students as such. In any case, even if though those with poor grades are able to gain entry into the programme, whether they have the academic ability, perseverance and willingness to study hard and finish the course is another matter altogether as it is well known that the UOL programme is quite unforgiving in the academic standards expected in the exams and i would think the drop out rate is quite high. That is a good way to maintain the academic rigour and reputation of the degree I have to say.

Now, for those who scored good to decent grades for the 'A' Levels (good enough for local universities) and still opt for the UOL International Programmes, they will be doing so for a myraid of reasons such as :

(i) Having to work full time to support their families and the local universities do not offer part-time degree courses.
(ii) Gained entry into courses in local universities not to their liking and the UOL offers them something that suits their passion.
(iii) Have gained a degree from the Local Universities and are on the lookout for a 2nd degree to widen their knowledge and enhance their marketability.
(iv) Have gained a degree from the Local Universities but did not achieve a 2:1 and above and are trying to get at least a 2:1 in a UOL Internation Programme Degree so that they can apply for a good masters programme.

I am sure there are a lot more reasons for those who want to choose the UOL as we all have different perspective and demands of our lives. There is no need to put down others to provide oneself with an ego boost because it is always good to remember that there will always be mountains higher than oneself.

Just a bit of trivia, the University of London International Programmes alone have produced 7 Nobel Prize Winners in areas ranging from Physics and Economics to Literature and the Peace Prize. That is quite an achievement for a Distance Learning course i would say. I was quite surprised to learn of such a fact, all the more so given that our local universities (and their previous incarnations i.e the University of Singapore and Nantah) have yet to produce even a single Nobel prize winner.

A very comprehensive and informative post with regards to what the UOL degree is all about.

Another thing to add with respect to the Nobel prize winners from the University of London International Programme. Majority of these Nobel prize winners were already university graduates from esteem colleges and they pursue the UOL degree when they are already armed with a degree. To a certain extent, it was not the education from the UOL International Programme that turn majority of these people into Nobel prize winners.

[MoxLotus]

LunaStella wrote:

I don't think it is ok to say people are not intelligent just because they fail A level.

A level don't measure intelligence. A or even O level measure how well you know about the prescripted subjects.

It could be environment or it could be that they have no interest in the subject.

There could be a lot of factors.

I think u misunderstood that sentence. we are saying that all JC students are smart. Just that some are smarter. And becuz A lvl is a national exam, therefore, the result is being bell-curved. So someone definitely have to get the lousy grade becuz of the moderation.

And if it is becuz they have no interest, environment/family factors are all just an excuse for being lazy. I can say that when we took our O/A lvl, most ppl forced themselves to study for all the subjects. And I have yet to see any that is interested in all subjects. So its all up to one's level of self-discipline.