Kaplan vs SMF

[Kyoji83]

I am not from SMA but I have friends from there.

Like most of the school, once you miss the lesson you can only look for your classmates for help.

The Lecturer in most school can chose not to help you because you volunteer miss the lesson with or without value reason.

For SMa/SMF if we miss the lesson, can we get any recording or sort from the school? Ex-students pls advice.

If we miss any lesson, what do we do to get the stuffs back?

 

[buaians]

sianz.. SIM one got video recording of the lectures..

 

[Kyoji83]

MDIS & some school also got video recording lecture but at this are pre-prepare & not on active day you miss out the lesson.

sianz.. SIM one got video recording of the lectures..

 

[the11am_guy]

MDIS & some school also got video recording lecture but at this are pre-prepare & not on active day you miss out the lesson.

Some modules for Murdoch Uni will give u vid recording lectures called Lectopia from the Perth campus. Not all modules unfortunately.

 

[mimosa_w]

Hi all,

Has anyone experience the lectures in Kaplan for Murdoch bank and finance? Are the lecturers good in delivering the lectures?

Am still thinking whether I should take up the course in Kaplan or SMF..

 

[the11am_guy]

Hi all,

Has anyone experience the lectures in Kaplan for Murdoch bank and finance? Are the lecturers good in delivering the lectures?

Am still thinking whether I should take up the course in Kaplan or SMF..

Someone close(to me) just signed up with SMF.. if you willing to put up w the constant admin issues go kaplan..if you're willing to put up with the obscure campus @ bukit merah/tiong bahru..go SMF.. These issues between the 2 campus/sch has been debated till the death. Go to kaplan singapore FB if you need opinions thats unbiased.

 

[mimosa_w]

Someone close(to me) just signed up with SMF.. if you willing to put up w the constant admin issues go kaplan..if you're willing to put up with the obscure campus @ bukit merah/tiong bahru..go SMF.. These issues between the 2 campus/sch has been debated till the death. Go to kaplan singapore FB if you need opinions thats unbiased.

Hi the11am_guy,

Did your friend encounter any problem with the admin or lecturer? Which course is your friend taking?

SMF location is rather near to me compared to kaplan, but Kaplan seems to be more prestige.. i am struggling between the 2 choices..

 

[Laguna123]

Hi the11am_guy,

Did your friend encounter any problem with the admin or lecturer? Which course is your friend taking?

SMF location is rather near to me compared to kaplan, but Kaplan seems to be more prestige.. i am struggling between the 2 choices..

u don't choose the insitute but choose the partnering school.

 

[samuelxchan]

I'm also thinking of applying to Kaplan over SMF, probably to Murdoch for a BA in psych and marketing. I saw that jobscentral ranks Kaplan #1 preferred private education institution for a BA... feeling more confident about going there after I saw this. I also hear there are good lecturers...anyone else applying?

 

[dongdong88]

Hi all,

Has anyone experience the lectures in Kaplan for Murdoch bank and finance? Are the lecturers good in delivering the lectures?

Am still thinking whether I should take up the course in Kaplan or SMF..

I don't know about Murdoch's Bank and Finance courses and how well they are delivered here, but for IT courses, it's still not too bad.

Kaplan is receiving much more students than their administration can handle now. Their administrative handling is worse now as compared to the past in terms of wait.

 

[the11am_guy]

Hi the11am_guy,

Did your friend encounter any problem with the admin or lecturer? Which course is your friend taking?

SMF location is rather near to me compared to kaplan, but Kaplan seems to be more prestige.. i am struggling between the 2 choices..

Hey mimosa,
It's the problem with the admin. I just learnt that this isnt something new,things got worst cause no one really fixed anything.Recently my friend who's in Kaplan taking Communications had to reschedule 3 of his classes. I believe the lecturers from Kaplan and SMf have the same capabilities(both exp professionals in their field). Thing to worry about is you and the school, my friend did'nt get his exam results from Murdoch and KAplan didnt do anything to help him (for 2 semesters) and lately the sch have been asking him for next semester fees which doesnt make sense cause he's a graduating student this sem. This caused my S/O to enrol in SMf after hearing these stories. Sorry to say but there's not much prestige in kaplan, they just have alot of money for marketing thats why u see Murdoch-Kaplan everywhere but not SMf. Honestly the first school that was exclusively holding Murdoch programs was with SMf till 2010, i know cause SMf introduced me to Murdoch back in 2009. They were so called the only Murdoch agent/office in Sg until Kaplan bought the programs in 2010. If you look at google maps streetview u can see that SMf City Campus was once MurdochSG. Things changed when Murdoch expanded enrolments to Kaplan. IF you want a safe choice id recommend u SMf, at the end of the day you trust these ppl cause they have been partners with Murdoch for so long. And yeah the Pro-vice Chancellor (transnational dept) Professor Arnold Depickere
of Murdoch sits in SMf's Academic board since it began.

Sorry long post, just making sure i dont miss any critical info. To be honest even my S/O wanted to go kaplan over SMf due to their wonderful marketing, but honestly we all know how to evaluate things la hor.I pity my friend who is in Kaplan hahaha everytime sure got tweets about how unhappy he is with the school.

 

[SecretsICan'tTell]

Hi, just to check with you guys if u happen to know a lecturer by the name of Anil? He teaches law module in Kaplan singapore..anyone know his full name or have his contact number??thank you very much in advance..

 

[triple Js 858689]

i agree w 'the11am_guy'. I just started my degree with SMF last may. nmm.. so far still ok, well i do agree that their student service a little bit slow in response but when i talk to my consultant, they will to try to settle the issue for me. i hv some friends currently studying at kaplan and they told me tat they faced a lot of problems with their enrolment recently. the enrolment was so screwed up tat their class got mixed up.. i went to read their posts fr fb and then realised tat not only my friends were affected, there are also a lot of ppl facing the same pro.

 

[Kvicez]

I thought SMF administration very bad, very dulan. Looks like Kaplan is worse...

 

[seesiang]

I am current student for SMF.

Each trimster (or term / semster) is break up into 12-15 weeks. There will be 2 survey forms given per trimster. Good / Bad, you make the call without listing your name.

Location wise: West, near to tiong bahru,

Pro: free feeder bus per 15 mins interval.

Con: You tend to lose out to kaisu students cutting the queue without bothering to wait.

School feedback: Indeed administrative screw up when I first join. Textbooks have to pay using own pocket. Different schemes for textbooks were given such as, refurbish $100 per module register (max 3), to pay your own text book (or no book), to free textbooks (current). Now it improved. First level will be payment / course enquiry. Second level will be student service center. Classroom level is 2nd level and 3rd level.

Special remarks: School has its own carpark if you are driving. Free feeder bus for 15 min interval, or 10 min walking distance from MRT. Next to Esso which has Cheers for quick refresh. Canteen, within the campus, is in the midst of building.

 

[triple Js 858689]

when i start my degree, textbook already included.. hee hee.. so other than my course fees, lucky tat i no need to pay additional fees.. even though the outer look of the new campus look a bit old la but still not that bad loh.. at least it looks like a school.. last time when i first step in the campus at bugis, the first impression was 'huh, tuition centre leh'. I am looking forward to the caferia...

oh btw hor, now SMF is having promotion for the referral leh..

Certificate course: instead of $100, now $200
Diploma course: instead of $200, now $300
Bachelor course: instead of $300, now $500

 

[the11am_guy]

Well good to hear things are better now at SMf. It's up to the individual to go Kaplan or SMf. I'd understand that people go Kaplan coz of the branding. Doesn't mean anything right now cause they're not getting their sh*t together. It's always the popular choice due to branding and Kaplan is one of them. You can see what their targets are by their aggressive marketing. They're selling education programs like its a commodity. One worrying facts is that Kaplan allows N'level students into their diploma program vs all other pte sch including SMf which states that 4-5 O'level passes is the minimum for foundation cert and A'levels/Nitec for diploma. Like that might as well those who have N'levels leave sec sch and just do diploma @ Kaplan. Market the course and dumbing down the requirement is just LOW of them.

 

[x3fang]

I am in kaplan murdoch (2nd last sem)
So far so good no issues at all. Counter ppl v frenly, any taiji got so many programme management team ppl to settle for u..they even do all the enrollment ting nicely for us we juz need to choose our timetable.. N we cn even change it within first 3weeks of class commence.
I didnt choose SMF becux i am in the Accounting major and SmF sot sot one, they compress 1 module in 2 weeks!!! Whereby in kaplan, 1 topic per week.. So much less intensive. Smf staff J(cant rem her full name) very pushy, keep text me negative stuff abt kaplan. Also, when i ask her if there is any textbook, she say no and lecture notes sufficient(so not true can!? Tutorials all mostly frm textbook)
In terms of lecturer i tink both are the same as my lecturers mostly taught SMF too.

 

[Ciscoboiboi]

After graduating from Murdoch Programme in SMF(Previously called SMa), they are now sending me a letter to pay outstanding amount of abt $1500 thru a registered mail within 10 days else do legal recourse. But i'm 100% i don't owe them any money at all. They always will check that u made your payment nicely before allowing u to get your certificate allowing u to grad, and now after 3 years, they say they fail their finance audit when i called them, doesn't mean find ex student for money we do not owe.... Still threaten to do legal recourse and when i leave them a message, no reply, call a department, i get push from one place to the other, called student service side, they say they currently can't check. Finance side say "Ya, u owe money" which i'm 100% i didn't, while they use threatening style and registered mail to ask me made payment in 10+days.

I remember they always like to collect money in class room last time and issue manual receipt. At that time if i did not make payment, i wont be able to take the module at all.

Letter still sign off my CEO somemore... This had caused be unable to work with my mind at ease.

then how? are you going to make payment to them then? at the same time do you still keep a receipt of your degree course? i think is better to have that as a back up. And if u still think you have made the payment i think is better to consult private council education and CASE for it.

 

[RoyTanWeiliang]

I was educated at SMF for my Bachelor's Degree and my Master of Business Administration Degree and I have tons of comments about that institution which I believe should stay under the carpet.

Ultimately, students need to understand that private educational institutions are are still profit driven, even though a certain school might say that they are "not-for-profit", it is still a fact that they need money to sustain (for example, pay lecturers, maintenance of building and et cetera) - failure to sustain their operations properly would cause a drop in standard.

The MBA class I was in tried to "complain", we even had a class meeting with the CEO, but believe me, promises were not met and things did not change - soon, we gave up.

My advice would be, bite the bullet, make some friends, get your certification and get the hell out of there

All the best!


- Roy