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.
Professor Pang Yang Hoong, Vice Provost (Undergraduate) of SMU and Dean of SMU School of Accountancy, demystifies the university’s unique approaches to education. “When we talk about modelling after Wharton, we usually refer to its curriculum. SMU’s curriculum is a four-year broad-based programme, and the whole idea is that a student, besides knowing his or her own discipline, should also have a good understanding of disciplines that are outside his or her chosen specialisations.”
Hence, SMU students are all required to take modules in different areas like general education and global regional studies in addition to their modules directly related to their degree programme.
But this is not the only reason an SMU education stands out. “Instead of having a one-way learning where the professor is the instructor and the student is the learner, the SMU teaching pedagogy looks at the instructor as a facilitator and the student as an active participant in his or her own learning. Students are expected to read their materials before classes and come to classes with their own perspectives and opinions. They then participate in class discussions and become a participant in each other’s learning,” Professor Pang elaborates.
Prof Pang credits SMU’s pedagogy for playing a big part in developing more articulate students. “Students are required to do presentations in class for every module and class participation often counts up to twenty percent of their final grade. Therefore, after going through four years of the programme, students will find that they are so used to speaking up and doing presentations that being vocal and articulate becomes second nature.”
Choosing SMU
Armed with distinctions in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, Wayne Tan Zhi Qiang was spoilt for choices when it came to selecting an institution for higher education right after junior college. He eventually chose SMU’s Accountancy programme over engineering courses offered by other local universities, citing SMU’s dynamic image as the main draw. The 25-year-old also believes that an Accountancy programme will not only develop his theoretical knowledge, but also his soft skills as well, and rewards a professional degree on top of that. Wayne is currently a final-year Accountancy student who is expected to graduate with a Summa Cum Laude.
Wayne certainly appreciates the convenience that the city campus offers. “I do not have to waste time travelling to school, especially when the morning and evening traffic can really be a pain. Also, I get more things done. For example, most of the job interviews are held in the business district, so I can easily drop my stuff in school, go for the interview and then come back for lessons.”
However, he also concedes the downside of being located in the heart of Singapore’s civic, cultural and business district, “Everything tends to be a little bit more expensive.”
Being both the vice-president and secretary of SMU’s Windsurfing Club and Astronomy Club respectively, Wayne proves himself to be an all-rounded student deserving of the DFS-SMU Accountancy Scholarship. He was awarded the bond-free scholarship tenable for the duration of his studies at the end of his second year due to outstanding results and excellent non-academic performance. The scholarship requires him to complete a minimum of 10 weeks’ internship with DFS Venture (Pte) Ltd.
Wayne is one of around 200 SMU students that are awarded scholarships every year. “On the average, out of every eight to 10 freshmen coming in, one person gets a scholarship. By that we are including not only merit-based scholarships, but also financial-need based scholarships,” Prof Pang comments on the wide array of scholarships available in SMU, a remarkable feat given the young age of the university.
Potential SMU scholars will also be glad to know that most SMU scholarships are bond-free. “Very few SMU scholarships carry a bond because what we would like the scholarship donors to do is to help us develop in our students a sense of moral responsibility to the community instead of a legal obligation. There is a moral understanding amongst our scholarship recipients that they should contribute to the student community while they are in university and then to the community later on when they graduate,” she adds.
A well-rounded education
“SMU is a school that does not sleep. We put in a lot of effort in our schoolwork but we also try to achieve a well-balanced lifestyle,” Wayne says as he attempts to capture SMU’s culture with words.
He continues, “The unique thing about SMU students is that no matter which aspect they choose to focus on, they are all very passionate about their causes and seek to achieve success.” As part of the team which recently bagged the silver medal in the inter-tertiary windsurfing competition, Wayne probably relates to this statement.
Despite having a heavy co-curriculum schedule, Wayne had also done internships with three renowned companies, namely DFS Venture (Pte) Ltd, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Lazard Ltd during his holidays. And this over-achieving does seem to be the norm for many SMU students, who juggle their schoolwork with at least one co-curriculum activity and at least two internships.
Hence, to students considering SMU, Wayne advises, “SMU is not a school that everybody will do well in, especially if you are one who do not like to speak up and are more laid-back. It is pretty competitive here, but as one learns in economics, only with competition can one become better. Unfortunately, not everyone likes competition. You must come in with the mindset that you want to learn and develop. You definitely have to make certain sacrifices.”
But with sacrifices come rewards. According to both Prof Pang and Wayne, the strong results that the SMU alumni have delivered in the marketplace thus far are testimonies that the SMU system works.
Prof Pang shares, “As SMU is a young university, we do not carry the baggage of the past and nothing is set in stone. We are free to start from a clean slate.”
