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.
A preliminary education with CAE is, at the most part, cost-saving and efficient for students who desire a US degree. “It’s costly to spend four years in the States. But by splitting it up, you get to save half the cost, so that’s my main reason for being here,” says Felix, who graduated from Pioneer Junior College and went on to undergo his National Service training before enrolling in CAE.
“I did a lot of research on the school and I consider it a cheaper alternative as well; you save a lot on expenses and lodging,” adds Felix. “You also get to transfer to a wide range of universities in the US, so you’re not restricted.”
Freedom of Expression
Felix is currently in his first year of education in the CAE to attain an Associate of Arts degree, a general education programme that provides him with a scope of subjects across a multitude of fields: literature, business administration, chemistry, history and business law, to name a few.
“One thing that stands out from the other educational institutes is that it’s a very small school, so what you get is very personalised teaching,” he elaborates. “It’s a kind of participative learning, and you get points for your participation, so you’d have to engage in the discussions and be there during the lessons.”
Moreover, the sundry mix of subjects has exposed him to plenty. “Being here has opened up my mind a lot, because of the kind of research that we do,” he shares.
Felix finds that a US-based education would provide him a unique allowance of self-expression and ingenuity. “You’re not really tied down by a particular set of rules as to how you should develop your thesis,” he says, with regards to academic research. “You get to voice out your opinions and your professors will allow you to improve it from there.”
He recalls, “While writing general papers in JC, you write the essay and your teacher tells you what’s wrong with it – and you basically write the whole thing from scratch. Here, they guide you by telling you what’s wrong and they’re not so particular about how you present it. You get the freedom to do your research and construct your essay the way you like it.”
CAE follows a more independent learning approach, with classes limited to as little as an hour or two per day. “It’s not like in JC where they’ll send you reminders, so you have to really manage your time well,” Felix observes. “With this amount of freedom, you have to gauge your time and plan your schedule in such a way so that you can score well in school while balancing your personal life.”
Because of this freedom, CAE trains its students to develop an exceptional amount of discipline for university education. “The academic focus around here is that you don’t have a comprehensive examination, where there’s a high weightage on scores. All the tests that you take count towards your final grades; it requires you to actively participate in class and be very consistent in your work.”
Still, Felix finds that the transition was smoothed out due to his NS training between his JC graduation and CAE enrolment. He cites, “I was a fire-fighter in the Civil Defence; we were given a set of objectives to follow, and we worked our way around that. It helps me in my learning here, and how I cope with my time, scheduling and discipline.”
The Expressway to University Life
He shares further his hopes of working in the financial sector upon graduation, having long harboured an interest in business and accounting. Felix has his sights set on a banking career, and hopes to attend a university in New York or Boston after going through his two-year general education in CAE.
For those keen on making CAE their gateway to an American university, Felix says it takes proper research on not only their university of choice, but also CAE as an education provider.
“You have to know what you want out of an American education, rather than just wanting a degree – because you can get that anywhere else,” he advises. “Think about the experience also because everyone here has this goal of wanting to experience the American college life.”
