Everyone wants to have a smooth-sailing life. I mean, who doesn’t? We are always bombarded by “success” stories from the media, our family, and our friends, which distort the way we view our lives.
The sad truth is, life will not always be smooth-sailing like how we envision it to be. Even though everybody’s journey would be different, I believe most of us will still want to live our lives to the fullest!
At the last session of the Poly Preparation Programme in March, I got to hear from Brandon, Xing Qing and Marcus about their Poly life and what made it fulfilling.
Brandon Lim’s Story: MAN-aging Life
Not gonna lie, when I first heard Brandon Lim’s story, I could immediately picture someone in my class who was like him. Brandon was an “insider” or how the Koreans call them “inssa”, aka someone who is the life of the party. His easy going personality was likable and allowed him to broaden his social circle.
While he was a Poly student back in the early 2010s, the civil engineering graduate earned himself some allowance by working at a bicycle repair shop after school hours. As a part-timer, he would pick up technical skills and communication skills which later helped him to start a home-based bicycle service in his later years in Poly.
Bike Running Late GIF By Rawrmos
Furthermore, his love for bicycles also led him to join the cycling club in Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP). While he was there, he was able to make an impact as the vice-president by changing the way cycling clubs in Poly were managed. His story so far sounds pretty fulfilling, but even so, he had his own set of regrets.
Having extra income meant that he had higher spending power. Brandon recounted that he used to spend his money on things that wouldn’t be as valuable to his life now such as an overpriced bicycle, games and cigarettes. Another thing he wanted to do differently as a Poly student was to have a change in the way he portrayed himself in Poly.
Brandon described his image in Poly as ‘immature’ and also shared how that image affected how people relate to him. Even though Brandon considered himself a good problem solver, it was difficult for him to play that role as the people around him found it hard to see him as dependable or approachable for help.
Now, Brandon is a financial advisor that helps young people to plan out their finances for the future. His experience in Poly has shaped him to be who he is today! Though bad decisions were made, he was still able to learn and grow from it. To end Brandon's story, here are a few tips he shared about Poly life!
- About working while studying: Studies should be the top priority as a student. Do not let the desire to earn money take over your top priority. Finding a beneficial part time job also helps, so that you don’t just earn money, but you learn a side skill as well.
- About studying smart: Many of the exam questions for engineering courses are set based on the reference textbooks provided by the school, so look carefully into that!
- About avoiding burnouts: Cramming 16 weeks worth of content into 3 weeks is not highly recommended. Instead, make the effort to study consistently every week and do your tutorials.
- About identity and friendships: Conforming to what other people want you to be is poisonous. Do not change yourself to please other people. Instead, treat everyone neutrally and take time to understand your classmates. Naturally, you will find the people that you can rely on and call them your friends.
Yee Xing Qing’s Story: Taking the Right Steps through Poly
The NP fresh grad at first sight looks very bubbly and approachable. As we got to hear from her, one would be sure to fall for her rap-like tone that makes you focus on what she has to say.
Before entering Poly, she had a sneak peek of Poly life through her sister, who also happened to study in NP. She expected Poly life to be just about studying well and making connections.
However, upon hearing her story, she has made her Poly life to be more meaningful than what she thought out to be. Apart from working part-time, she was also an active member of the NP Korean Culture Club (KCC), being part of the dance team and publicity team! Through KCC, she met friends who share the same love for Korean culture and friends who stuck through the highs and lows. Though her results fluctuated throughout the 3 years, she felt that she fulfilled the kind of Poly life she wanted.
K-Pop Dance GIF By CNLA
When being asked if she would change her Poly life, she confidently said she wouldn’t. She explained that the decisions she made in Poly helped her gain clarity on what her strengths and weaknesses were.
Being the freshest out of the 3 panelists, Xing Qing shares with us some pretty relevant tips!
- About working on projects: Find project mates that can match your working pace. It would also be good to find people with different strengths, so that they can make up for your weaknesses.
- About coping with burnout: Due to the high commitments in CCA she had in year 2, burn out was inevitable. Boring modules didn’t help either. Setting aside time to reset priorities became necessary as it helped her to identify and take a break from commitments that are less important.
- Study hacks: More often than not, Xing Qing finds herself getting vague advice about her assignments from her lecturers. Sometimes, she would have to make multiple changes to her work due to the lecturer’s conflicting advice. This inconvenience caused her to seek help from her seniors instead, getting their past projects as a reference. (Psst! Keep in contact with your seniors that you meet at orientation and at CCA)
- About making decisions: Pursue what you enjoy. Once you miss an opportunity to pursue what you like, there might not be any chance in the future to do it again. You don’t need to commit to many things to have a fulfilling Poly life, pick what matters to you at a given point of time.
Marcus Hong’s Story: Increasing and Expanding Horizons
Marcus in the middle with a bow tie.
Marcus would be a good example of an underdog becoming “successful”. He started his tertiary education at the Institute of Technical Education, to Republic Polytechnic and is now studying Physiotherapy at the Singapore Institute of Technology. Though his educational path was rather unique and unconventional, it allowed him to increase and expand horizons - connections, knowledge, experience and “lobangs”.
Through his wide connections, he got many opportunities to build his portfolio. From being a helper at sporting events to being an emcee at an international conference, his connections had brought him to places that he never thought he would go.
Impressed Leonardo Dicaprio GIF
Even though he had these unique opportunities, one regret he had would be not joining a CCA during his Poly days. He felt that joining a CCA would have given him even more opportunities to take up leadership roles, making his portfolio a little more colourful.
When Marcus entered Poly, he was a little older than the rest. The age gap with his fellow peers caused him to not be able to “click” as well with them. Though he didn’t have a lot of friends in Poly, he still described his time in Poly as worthwhile, colourful and enjoyable.
Here are some Poly life tips that Marcus shared with us!
- Building connection: Invest in what you know, master it. When you make yourself resourceful in experience, knowledge and “lobangs”, people remember you and come to you. Be intentional to know as many people as you can, and identify the people who you know you can trust.
- Positive mindset: Don't worry too much before Poly. Instead, learn to enjoy it! Even though the learning curve is high initially, it will get better as the years go by. Just be present for the things that you need to be present for!
- Managing burnout: Gratitude is the ultimate solution to a burnout. Being thankful for what you have helps you to focus on the better things, so that you will have energy to pull through the grind.
A fulfilling Poly life lies in your hands - the decisions you make, the friends you make, the opportunities you grab. All these add up to your very own Poly experience. Though it might sound scary for some, allow yourself to be open in this new Poly environment. Give in your 101% and enjoy the next 3 years ahead of you!
