A broad-based education is always an important one. Let one CAE student tell you more about the fast-track to an American university education from the comforts of your home.

By Nabilah Husna A. Rahman

When most students in Singapore consider the option of studying overseas, fellow Commonwealth countries like the United Kingdom and Australia may first come to mind. But for Center for American Education (CAE) student Felix Yew, a US-based education attracted him immensely due to the creative freedom he would be allowed in coursework.

The students at CAE complete the two-year general education segment of an American degree in its Singapore-based centre, before they transfer to a US college or university of their choice to complete another two years of specialised studies. At the end of the four years, students will attain their respective bachelor’s degree.

Find out how enrolling in the Bachelor of Science (Real Estate) degree programme at NUS led to a fulfilling career in real estate for a 26-year-old.

By Stella Seet

The real estate industry is, without a doubt, a paramount sector of the Singapore economy. Not only are real estate transactions mounting rapidly, they also involve increasingly significant sums of money.

For 26-year-old Lim Wenjie, real estate had always been his calling. “I think what most impressive about real estate is that you have the opportunity to see the end product physically around us and how it contributes to redefining the urban landscape. That makes it very special,” Wenjie explains.

He discovered his interest in business and finance when he was but a mere teenager studying at Raffles Junior College. So when he came across the Bachelor of Science (Real Estate) degree programme offered by the National University of Singapore (NUS), Wenjie knew it was the path most suited for him.

Juggling work and school was not easy but Petrine Chua talks about how choosing MDIS ensured that her efforts paid off.

By Joyce Lin

Last November, 28-year-old Petrine Chua graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Marketing from Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS), awarded by UK-based University of Bradford. Yet eight years ago, Petrine was doing something entirely different from marketing.

Upon graduation from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a diploma in Real Estate and Property Management, she worked as a property executive, liaising with contractors, tenants and property owners to ensure the proper management of a building. Fast forward to a few years later and Petrine had made a career switch to sales in a video conferencing company. Her current job as an account manager requires her to ensure customer satisfaction and renewals of the contracts her company has secured.

Though the challenges were many, the close-knit rapport between faculty members and students went a long way in ensuring that Ivah Sugiarti secured her string of distinctions at the private educational organisation of her choice.

By Prasana Chandran

It may seem like an odd decision to many but halfway through her polytechnic education in 2005, Ivah Sugiarti decided to transfer to TMC, a private educational organisation, to pursue a course of study that lead to a Mass Communication degree. Upon further consideration however, one will realise that the Technology Management and Communication (TMC) Educational Group is partners with a host of top universities both in Australia and the United Kingdom.

There is a lot more to an international study experience, as two Singaporeans Chan Xin Hui and Chan Cheong Shuen discover during their UK education.

By Cheryl Tay

Going abroad to study has always been viewed as a prestigious opportunity for the rich or the smart. Concerns like overseas living expenses, adaptation to a new culture and potential communication barriers are typical of an overseas education.

But these can be easily addressed and overcome in exchange for a highly-respected internationally-recognised qualification and a higher marketability for employment along with self-developed traits like independence and self-reliance.

Backed by a reputation forged through 90 years, respected by contemporaries and renowned for its comprehensive syllabus, the CIMA stands out as a brilliant choice for leaders and professionals to get ahead.

By Azhar Jalil

“I think it’s important to have varied experiences, so that you come across as an interesting and well-rounded person during interviews,” Xie Jiayin says.

As a finance professional with Barclays Capital, the 23-year-old believes in higher and broader learning to upgrade her practical skills and improve on current knowledge.

Consider the POSB Further Study Assist to finance your dream of getting a degree.

By Everlyn Lee

As the adage goes, “it is never too old to learn,” and Yue Li Li is the perfect example of a Singaporean who embraces this spirit of lifelong learning. Li Li, currently 38 years old, may be older than many of her peers who are pursuing a Bachelor’s degree, but that did not deter her from going back to school.

In response to the Government’s call for skills upgrading, Li Li, under the encouragements of her supervisors, enrolled in Kaplan Singapore this year to pursue a part-time Bachelor of Science degree programme in Management that will be awarded by the National University of Ireland, Dublin. She has been working tirelessly in the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS) for the past ten years and currently holds the position of a clerical officer within the organisation. A degree, she hopes, will open doors for career advancement in the future.

The Project and Facilities Management programme at the Department of Building in NUS may be relatively new, but its students are set to make a difference to the urban landscape of Singapore and beyond.

By Ong Kai Ling

“Project management is a skill and construction of buildings can be one of the most complex projects. So if you can handle a building, you can handle anything else,” Grace Lee quotes her professor confidently when asked if an interest in construction is necessary for her course of study. The 23-year-old is a final year student studying Project and Facilities Management in the Department of Building at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

This is a far cry from the girl who confesses that she “freaked out” when she attended her first lesson in NUS and realised that the Project and Facilities Management programme is not the business management programme she envisaged.
Thankfully, Grace adjusted her perceptions accordingly and now feels that the programme has broadened her horizons. “I see the world in a more multi-dimensional perspective now,” she reveals.

SMU offers opportunities for the go-getters who charge after what they want from life.

By Everlyn Lee

The Singapore Management University (SMU) may be young with only ten years since its incorporation, but it is certainly charging ahead in the tertiary education arena. Modelling its style of education after The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, SMU prides itself on pioneering an interactive pedagogy in Singapore that remains its unique hallmark today.