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Originally Posted by ajayc
I'd turn down every other college for Dartmouth
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<p>Even Harvard or Stanford?
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<p>Yep! .</p>
<p>did you get into Harvard or Stanford?</p>
<p>Class of 2012 :) So I will know my decisions this year!</p>
<p>lol, spencer1111, no one really cares what singaporeans think</p>
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It certainly seems to be the impression down there on the other side of the world. What I and others like thethoughtprocess have stressed is that nobody cares about what Singaporeans think. Singapore is just a tiny country with very limited political influence but is apparently, very much prestige and status obsessed.
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<p>Sounds just like another country in south east asia :-D Except for the fact that pakistan's global influence has been growing, since its basically the only US ally in that particular hot-topic region. Plus it is a nuculer (sic) power :-D</p>
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Another country in SEA that's the envy of the world?</p>
<p>Oh my god, this thread has gone so off-topic.
Better close it until everybody embarrasses himself...</p>
<p>haha but this thread does contain a lot of useful info really...</p>
<p>Singapore is an economic powerhouse. Albeit very small, it does have an important place in the world. Just ask Barings Bank.</p>
<p>Sarcastic..</p>
<p>Ussualy, but not this time. What I was trying to mean was that the economy in a small country in the other side of the world played a role in the downfall of one of the oldest investment banks in the world. Of course the Kobe eartquake, greed and incopetence also played a role.</p>
<p>But to see Singapores place in the world just have a look at the companies that are located in the city/state. Most IB's have local operations as do large consulting groups.</p>
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Singapore is an economic powerhouse.
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<p>I would say that Singapore is a well developed region, but it's hardly an economic powerhouse. It's GDP stands at 132 000 million USD, about 50th in the world for total goods and services.</p>
<p>Something like Canada would be an economic powerhouse - GDP ~ 1 300 000 million USD, about 8th in the world. We're only about 6 times as large as Singapore, yet we produce 10 times as much. The United States is 10 times as large as we are, yet they have a GDP approx. 10 times also as large as ours. Given our specific population subsets, I'd say Canada and the United States are the most productive countries in the world.</p>
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Albeit very small, it does have an important place in the world.
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<p>That could be so, if I could find Singapore on the map. I kid you not, I don't even know where it is on the map - nor do I care. People just don't care where Singapore is, let alone what Singaporeans think in the context of world issues. I do respect how a lot of Singaporeans value education much more than us Canadians do, but their education is not represented fully in the context of world power. Somewhere out there, a University of Calgary graduate named Stephen Harper actually has more say in this world than the Harvard/Cambridge graduate prime minister from Singapore. So much for education.</p>
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But to see Singapores place in the world just have a look at the companies that are located in the city/state. Most IB's have local operations as do large consulting groups.
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<p>I'm not trying to be a doosh here, but Singapore's place in the world = pretty much at the bottom for developed countries. I'm sure Singapore does well as a service-oriented nation - just not well enough. Certainly not good enough such that nations like Canada or the United States particularly care.</p>
<p>Big Brother 1984 is talking rubbish again.</p>
<p>congrats on 600, Ammar!</p>
<p>you're catching up to me...</p>
<p>Big Brother,</p>
<p>I care about what Singapore has to say and I am not even from there. </p>
<p>Basing a countries standing on GDP is so daft. </p>
<p>They are a city state (close to anyway) and seem to be doing prety well for themselves: low crime, strong financial/ services economy (which seems to be the way to go nowdays, just ask Detroit), good universities and it has only been independent for a few decades.</p>
<p>To be fair, when you've been bombarded with stuff like "You're the top 1 percent (or was it 0.01 percent) in Singapore...You're expected to do well...leaders of the future yadayada"...it is inevitable that many heads swell But I think there are far more humble/friendly people in RJ than arrogant ones (you know, the ones you saw in Orchard)</p>
<p>Overtime, society will teach us what life really is about and the type of attitudes that are simply unacceptable. Really, RJC, HCJC, VJC, NJC etc etc etc - everybody is not perfect (and that's what some of my schoolmates suffered from), and everybody has to learn. We're not that bad :)</p>
<p>And Singapore not being known? Sorry "Bro", check out our ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) System, which has been copied in London. We're not a "powerhouse" (let's not dilute the term), but we're certainly becoming more noticed - and not just in education or chewing gum - for reasons that others have brought up earlier.</p>
<p>i have to agree with spencer11111 that big bro is spewing rubbish.</p>
<p>You can't compare Singapore to Canada for the simple reason that the comparison is rendered unfair by virtue of the relative sizes of the two countries. It's like comparing an apple to a watermelon and saying that the watermelon is heavier...</p>
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I care about what Singapore has to say and I am not even from there.
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<p>That's great that you care.</p>
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Basing a countries standing on GDP is so daft.
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<p>It is, but I wasn't exactly doing that. I was just refuting your point that Singapore is an economic powerhouse, which it's clearly not.</p>
<p>There's also a level of political measure involved. For example, take Russia. Russia has a relatively poor GDP for a country its size. But nobody can dispute that Russia doesn't have an immense political influence that continues to outlast from its days as the Soviet Union.</p>
<p>I wouldn't say that GDP is such a useless measure either though. Countries with a lot of goods and services are obviously going to have a lot of say. Most of the G8 are among the most productive countries in the world. </p>
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good universities and it has only been independent for a few decades.
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<p>Singapore is doing great for itself, I agree. But so has South Korea, and it's really only been an autonomous country for several decades. Heck, I think the biggest success story is the United States, which has only existed as a country for about 200 and some odd years and now stands as the most powerful nation on the face of this planet. It's been THE economic powerhouse for about 100 years.</p>
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They are a city state (close to anyway) and seem to be doing prety well for themselves: low crime, strong financial/ services economy (which seems to be the way to go nowdays, just ask Detroit),
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<p>Oh trust me, I've probably been to Detroit more times than you've been to your local supermarket. I practically live next to the city. While Detroit does have some financial services and whatnot, it's clearly a manufacturing hub for the most part. I wouldn't say that Detroit has a strong financial sector like I would say it has an incredibly strong manufacturing presence.</p>
<p>I would also be wary about calling Detroit a low crime district. Heck, about a third of Detroit lives under the poverty line. I could probably comment more on this, but I'm watching Michigan's Most Wanted right now.</p>
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i have to agree with spencer11111 that big bro is spewing rubbish.
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<p>I agree that spencer's been right for the most part on this thread. So if you don't want me posting on this specific thread anymore, just give me the signal. You could also ignore me, like I'm ignoring spencer right now.</p>
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You can't compare Singapore to Canada for the simple reason that the comparison is rendered unfair by virtue of the relative sizes of the two countries.
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<p>We certainly can compare rates and productivity to account for the differences in population sizes between those two nations. I've proposed the idea that Canada is actually even more productive than Singapore is. Why is that? On average, I think us Canadians are less educated - so what compensates for the differences?</p>
<p>I was also primarily making the point that Singapore is not an economic powerhouse. Don't get me wrong here, I think Singapore is a nation that's well off on its own. It just isn't exactly the most influential country out there.</p>
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It's like comparing an apple to a watermelon and saying that the watermelon is heavier...
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<p>I agree that's not a fair comparison. A fair comparison would be comparing a piece of apple to that piece of watermelon. What tastes better?</p>