Need advice, local degree vs private.

[cyberdapian]

Hi guys, I am still serving NS currently. I will be 23 years old when I finish my NS. I have a placing in SMU. My concern is the duration of the course, which is 4 years. Haha, this means that I will only step in to the working society when i am 27. My course of study in SMU is Information System Management. I am interested in BA, Business Analytics and the course in SMU open doors to it. So my question is, should I go for a private degree instead? I want to settle down early. Please advise.

 

[patryn33]

How early? Your love one asking u to settle down soon?
How long have u guys been dating?
Doors which smu opens will be diff from private, u don't mind the kinda opportunities private gives u? Is the 2 yrs saved be worth it?

On this forum no one will advise u to read private given a choice.

 

[newstranger]

where you gonna work?

if ts got family biz and degree is just for hang on wall. then go private loh.

if public sector or any other reason confirm is local uni all the way.

wasted 2 years in army what's 1 more productive year in SMU.....

 

[chiwawa23]

Local degree would definitely be better. Better job prospects and pay too.

 

[Casio2010]

Haha i also have the same thinking as you TS. However, frankly speaking local employeers still prefer local graduate than private graduate for certain jobs. Im a local graduate here but not to stir anything down here. Is normal for a guy to graduate at age of 26-27 due to the fact of ns commitmment. My advice to TS is enrol for the SMU degree dont think too much.

 

[cyberdapian]

Alright, thank you so much. Pretty much appreciated it. I was thinking if local degree that necessary as I do not know how the working society works.

 

[photobuff]

newstranger hits the bullseye!
It is true lah. If you want to work in public sector, please go and do a local university degree. If you have a private degree and you still want to work in public sector, sure no problem but don't complain that you can't get promotion as fast as your peers with local university degree.

where you gonna work?

if ts got family biz and degree is just for hang on wall. then go private loh.

if public sector or any other reason confirm is local uni all the way.

wasted 2 years in army what's 1 more productive year in SMU.....

 

[photobuff]

hello TS. Actually you should not be too concerned about when you finish a course. Rather, go and absorb what local universities can offer you as a student. Do you think you can benefit more from local university than private schools with university affiliated degrees? At a local university, you get to enjoy not just facilities but the good professors. You can also go to exchange programmes, internships, and other goodies and privilege that only local universities can offer. Can private schools offer that? Moreover, do you know how hard it is to get into local universities? The percentage as of now is approximately 20% of each cohort... meaning those born in the same year as you. So you are very lucky to get a place.

Hi guys, I am still serving NS currently. I will be 23 years old when I finish my NS. I have a placing in SMU. My concern is the duration of the course, which is 4 years. Haha, this means that I will only step in to the working society when i am 27. My course of study in SMU is Information System Management. I am interested in BA, Business Analytics and the course in SMU open doors to it. So my question is, should I go for a private degree instead? I want to settle down early. Please advise.

 

[cyberdapian]

newstranger hits the bullseye!
It is true lah. If you want to work in public sector, please go and do a local university degree. If you have a private degree and you still want to work in public sector, sure no problem but don't complain that you can't get promotion as fast as your peers with local university degree.

So does that mean that if I don't plan to work in the public sector, private degree is ok?

 

[cyberdapian]

hello TS. Actually you should not be too concerned about when you finish a course. Rather, go and absorb what local universities can offer you as a student. Do you think you can benefit more from local university than private schools with university affiliated degrees? At a local university, you get to enjoy not just facilities but the good professors. You can also go to exchange programmes, internships, and other goodies and privilege that only local universities can offer. Can private schools offer that? Moreover, do you know how hard it is to get into local universities? The percentage as of now is approximately 20% of each cohort... meaning those born in the same year as you. So you are very lucky to get a place.

Hi, I understood what you were saying. But don't you think stepping in to the working society at the age of 27 is a little late? I was in the normal academic stream when I was in my sec school and I went to poly, so other people already have a 1 or 2 year head start. Haha. I really don't know what do. And I really hope I can settle down before the age of 30. Haha.

 

[iCubes]

My opinion differs from majority of the people in this thread. I think private degree is worth considering given the shorter time frame. A good local degree has a higher chance of securing your first job but thats usually where the main advantages stop (in the private sector). Your success after your first job pretty much depends on your capability and work experience there after.

 

[bubblegumcartel]

i think local degree>private degree... Opens much more oppoturnities

 

[cyberdapian]

Ok. But what are you guys doing now? Local grad or private grad? How's work?

 

[duhduhduh]

hello TS. Actually you should not be too concerned about when you finish a course. Rather, go and absorb what local universities can offer you as a student. Do you think you can benefit more from local university than private schools with university affiliated degrees? At a local university, you get to enjoy not just facilities but the good professors. You can also go to exchange programmes, internships, and other goodies and privilege that only local universities can offer. Can private schools offer that? Moreover, do you know how hard it is to get into local universities? The percentage as of now is approximately 20% of each cohort... meaning those born in the same year as you. So you are very lucky to get a place.

I dont think this is true.

I believe SIM provides overseas exchange opportunities too.

Good professors? It is highly subjective.

Internships whether local uni or private uni are sourced by yourselves. Sure enough that local uni gives you chances to network more, but ultimately you still have to source for internship yourself.

Other than the 'prestige' of local uni student and probably 'uni life', i dont see much that private schools cant offer?

 

[bubblegumcartel]

I dont think this is true.

I believe SIM provides overseas exchange opportunities too.

Good professors? It is highly subjective.

Internships whether local uni or private uni are sourced by yourselves. Sure enough that local uni gives you chances to network more, but ultimately you still have to source for internship yourself.

Other than the 'prestige' of local uni student and probably 'uni life', i dont see much that private schools cant offer?

private schools just dont offer the same job opportunities as a local degree. Sure, local degree doesnt guarantee you a good job, but at least they give you the chance to take a shot at most good jobs.

Private degree grads don't even have a chance to have a shot at those good jobs. Your CV just get automatically sieve out by the HR systems. Sure you will save years of your life, but is it worth it? You path is going to be much more difficult and tedious than your average local uni grad.

Definition of good jobs are graduate schemes, management trainees and govt sector.

Cons of going private

1) More popular statboard like MAS,EDB, etc... do not consider private uni grads.

2) Top investment banking jobs (think grad scheme) do not consider private grads. Even top accounting firms take in few if any private degree grads

3) Top MNCs graduate schemes in SG do not consider private grads

4) When you graduate from your private degree, you will lose out to overseas and local grads

Although SMU is gonna take you more time, you will be better off in SMU. Sure people will tell you that you can do part time studies and work full time gaining experience. With 2 years experience your salary definitely better than a freshie from local and overseas.. This might be true but I haven't seen many people around me achieving it. End of the day, uni is to help you open more doors, and you want to open as many as possible.

Go to local, you wont regret it. Even if you dont get into any of the grad schemes, you still have a better chance to join govt sector or top MNCs than private grads.

Good luck bro

 

[bugmenot45]

3) Top MNCs graduate schemes in SG do not consider private grads

Not always true. From my observation, European MNCs (excluding those in finance industry) wouldn't cross you out immediately if you have good internships/part-time work.

 

[photobuff]

Not always true. From my observation, European MNCs (excluding those in finance industry) wouldn't cross you out immediately if you have good internships/part-time work.

Naturally. It is up to the hiring organisation to set the rules.

Extract from CPE (Council for Private Education > For Students > Common Misconceptions)

Qualifications obtained from private schools registered with the CPE are recognised by the Singapore Government.

Singapore does not have a central authority that officially recognises educational qualifications. The decision to accept your qualifications depends on the hiring policy of the organisation.

 

[photobuff]

Having said that, let's not discourage anyone with the ability to pursue private education. When I say "ability", I mean you meet their academic requirements and you have money to sustain. But it is good to hear from those who discourage you because it helps you form a better opinion. After all, we don't say for the sake of saying. We say because we care and know a little more.

Naturally. It is up to the hiring organisation to set the rules.

Extract from CPE (Council for Private Education > For Students > Common Misconceptions)

Qualifications obtained from private schools registered with the CPE are recognised by the Singapore Government.

Singapore does not have a central authority that officially recognises educational qualifications. The decision to accept your qualifications depends on the hiring policy of the organisation.

 

[photobuff]

Of course. UniSim also provides such opportunities. In fact, they are increasing this.

Please be aware that "the Government has accepted the recommendations of the Committee on University Education Pathways Beyond 2015 (CUEP) to expand university places, by developing a new applied degree pathway that will provide more opportunities and choices in a diverse university landscape."

The increase would be implemented through Full-time degree places in SIM University (UniSIM) and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), which will become Singapore’s fifth autonomous university.


Extracted from MOE's press release titled: "Greater Diversity, More Opportunities in Singapore's University Sector"

Publicly-funded Full-time Degree Places in UniSIM

The Government will also tap on the private education sector by introducing publicly-funded full-time degree programmes in UniSIM as the second institution to spearhead our expansion via an applied degree pathway.

This arrangement rides on the strength of UniSIM’s track record in providing part-time degree programmes that have close linkages with industry, and which value and integrate the work experiences of its students and the industry-current faculty, to provide a good balance of theoretical and real-world education. This is aligned with the key features of an applied degree education.

UniSIM’s full-time programmes will admit fresh school leavers and working adults, and will take into account work experience and talents in its admission policy, beyond academic grades.

The funding of full-time places in UniSIM is an extension of the strong partnership between MOE and UniSIM. As the only private university in Singapore since 2005, UniSIM has a good track record and its students studying in part-time degree programmes have benefited from government subsidies since 2008.

I dont think this is true.

I believe SIM provides overseas exchange opportunities too.

Good professors? It is highly subjective.

Internships whether local uni or private uni are sourced by yourselves. Sure enough that local uni gives you chances to network more, but ultimately you still have to source for internship yourself.

Other than the 'prestige' of local uni student and probably 'uni life', i dont see much that private schools cant offer?

 

[photobuff]

As for searching for internships, of course you have to do so yourself. However, universities have career centres where job placements are online. You will still have to do the usual stuff like write resume, go for interview, sign contract, etc. Some internships are given, e.g. for niche industries where the faculty has MOU (memorandum of understanding) between them and other organisations to feed students to their departments without the need for interviews etc.

You forgot about the payment part too. Not everyone can afford a private education.

I dont think this is true.

I believe SIM provides overseas exchange opportunities too.

Good professors? It is highly subjective.

Internships whether local uni or private uni are sourced by yourselves. Sure enough that local uni gives you chances to network more, but ultimately you still have to source for internship yourself.

Other than the 'prestige' of local uni student and probably 'uni life', i dont see much that private schools cant offer?