Transitioning from Polytechnic to University definitely wasn’t easy. I struggled for a few months before I got used to the lifestyle in University. Here are some of the things I found different and harder in University compared to Polytechnic. Hopefully, this will shed some light on the education system in a local University and help you be more prepared if you are entering one this year.
Academic Learning Becomes Fast-paced and Rigorous
When I first entered University, I knew that academic courses would be tougher but I did not expect it to be that hard. I was shocked when I saw the syllabus.
Coming from an Accountancy background in Ngee Ann Poly, and going into a Business course at Nanyang Technological University meant that I had a few general modules which I had taken in Poly previously. I thought that that would mean that I will have a head start in the module compared to my peers. Sadly, I have forgotten the things I had learnt in Year 1 of Polytechnic.
The same module in University also studied with much more depth as compared to Poly. For example, a certain topic that can be taught for a few weeks in Poly is now taught in just 1 week in University.
Independent Learning Becomes a Norm
Back in Poly, I used to have lectures with 100 over students for 2 hours and tutorial classes with 20 students for another 2 hours. This was not the case at University. Most of my classes were Seminar styled which meant the lectures and tutorials are combined into a 4-hour seminar and class sizes could go up to as many as 50 people (before COVID-19).
As the seminar classes adopted the flipped learning concept, we were required to self-study and finish our tutorial homework before coming for lessons. Unlike the lecturers in Poly, the professors at University will not go through the concepts from scratch and will immediately dive into the questions assuming that all of us have prepared for class beforehand.
Seminar classes also meant that part of our grades includes class participation. Being in business school, class participation can go up to as high as 20% and I got shocked when I saw people fighting to participate in class. This is very different from Poly where although there were class participation marks as well, people were not as eager to participate in class.
Also, with such a big class size, most professors do not get to know the students personally. So, I also struggled with self-studying before lessons and participating in class.
Making Friends Becomes Harder
Back in Poly, my timetable was fixed each semester and I would have the same classmates throughout the semester. However, in University, the timetable is not fixed by the school and as students, we have the flexibility to plan our timetable based on the modules we wanted to take.
This meant that we do not have the same group of classmates and would see new people for every lesson we go to causing me to struggle with making friends in class. It was easier in Poly where we see the same group of people daily which makes it easier to form cliques. In University, however, everyone is more or less on their own.
Despite all that I have just said, I am thankful that I am able to find joy in University through my seniors and friends that I have met!
Here are some tips on how to make your University experience a better one:
Join Orientation Camps
Before you enter University, there will be a few camps that you can sign up for. As I did not stay in a hall, I decided to sign up for my school’s faculty camp. It was a fun yet scary experience for me as I had to meet so many new people at one go.
Overall, I would encourage you to attend at least one camp so that you can make new friends before school starts as you’ll never know, they may end up being your classmates. It was also great to get to know some seniors.
I remember on the first day of school, I was lost as I didn’t know how to get to my classrooms. Thankfully, I had seniors that I could text to teach me how to get around. Seniors can also advise you on what modules to take in the future if there are certain professors that we should avoid, and even provide us with some notes and study tips!
Join a CCA
As I found it hard to make friends in class, I decided to join some CCAs such as the Welfare Services Club. I enjoyed going for CCAs as it is a break from studies and I got to do what I like such as volunteering and also having a like-minded community in school. These allowed me to get to know people outside of my faculty and build new friendships.
To end off, let me share what someone told me when I asked them about University life.
“University is not about excelling but about surviving.”
After being in University myself, I totally agree with this statement. Times can be tough but all we have to do is to continue to try our best to survive this phase in our lives and hopefully, be able to do well in it too! Jiayou to all who will be entering into the University phase soon. All the best!
