Dorothy Poon Hui Xin
Bachelor of Business Management & Bachelor of Social Science
Jardine Cycle & Carriage Scholar
Temasek Polytechnic, Class of 2003

Flexible degree combinations meant that I could embark on a double degree programme

I came to SMU because of its positioning as a university that has a culture that was “different” and an eclectic student body.

Having completed a diploma in Interactive Media Design from Temasek Polytechnic and worked for a few years, SMU allowed me to combine the hands-on practical emphasis of the polytechnics with additional theoretical grounding and networking opportunities. An emphasis on classroom interaction and presentations meant that my design skills came in handy when preparing for any visual collateral needed in course modules. Flexible degree combinations meant that I could embark on a double degree programme in Business Management and Social Science, contributing to a diversified learning environment in both of these areas.

Come summer, there are normally a slew of internship possibilities for SMU students to gain industrial experience. While most polytechnic students receive partial or full exemptions for their internship attachment, I spent the summer of 2007 as a research intern with MTV Networks Asia.

There are just so many opportunities to enrich your learning experience in SMU.

Wil Ng
Bachelor of Business Management & Bachelor of Science (Information Systems Management)
Lee Kong Chian Scholar
Temasek Polytechnic, Class of 2003

SMU provides students with real and practical skills, because real-world problems require realistic solutions

The great thing about this university is that SMU provides students with real and practical skills, because real-world problems require realistic solutions.

However, at SMU, the onus is on you to make things happen.

From fund-raising campaigns to finding companies to support your projects, it all depends on your effort. To top it all off, you have the rest of the university competing against you! This means that you can not get by simply by acting on the first idea that hits you.

In reality, you could be a super-programmer, design the best product or build the best microchip, and still not find the success you are seeking. Success can only be found when you are able to find the right people who need your product, the right resources to fund the project, the motivation, skills and opportunity to carry out your plan.

Temasek Polytechnic gave me the skills to get the job done, but SMU has given me the confidence and ability to seek the resources and opportunities needed to make a job happen in the first place. Being an SMU student really does dare you to be different and stand out from the rest of the competition.

Goh Liangfeng Phelicia Glenda
Bachelor of Science (Information Systems Management)
SMU-SIS Scholar
Temasek Polytechnic, Class of 2003

Lessons in SMU are subtly planned in such a way that a student is taught something to strengthen one’s corporate skill for the corporate world.

Lessons in SMU are subtly planned in such a way that a student is taught something to strengthen one’s corporate skill for the corporate world. Plainly put it, you learn a skill that would be essential when you’re working full time without you knowing.

I credit this to student independence and free will. Students are pretty much empowered to do what he/she chooses to do or express what he/she chooses to express as long as it does not cross the moral line.

For example, I roped a friend to work with me on setting up a magazine for SMU Information Systems Management called PRISM. No one of authority told us what we should or should not do to set up the magazine. We came out with our own mission and vision for PRISM, set up the committee of editors, writers and designers and posted the first issue of PRISM online.

I was also the Vice-President for SMU School of Information Systems Society, a committee set up to deal with the welfare of fellow ISM students. Given a budget, the society is able to plan events and activities to better the welfare of ISM students.