<p>Haha I'm not bullying SMU... okay maybe I sound a little anti-SMU. Well, I am. Not that I think there's anything inherently wrong with SMU, I just didn't like the whole business slant to everything, too pre-professional attitude towards education (nothing wrong with that though, I mean, it's a business school), and the lack of campus life. Not exactly my cup of tea. </p>
<p>Hey but happycosmos, you seem to know about me and my college options but I don't remember chatting with you before! Haha okay I guess you're one of those lurkers out there. You're singaporean? </p>
<p>I'm going to Conn if I don't get off Amherst, Williams or Colby's waitlists. I wouldn't mind selling MY house... only that the house isn't mine. it would be quite selfish of me to render my family homeless while I go enjoy myself at Brown right? besides, I think my parents still owe a lot of mortgage so selling the house won't bring in enuff bucks too. :p</p>
<p>Nothing is confidential on the internet, not least on 'College Confidential' - ironic huh. Couldn't resist the pun.</p>
<p>Have you read today's ST? The Workers' Party guy, Perry Tong or something. He was a N-level guy who worked as a waiter for 5 years before going to a CC in Cali. </p>
<p>He then transferred to Berkeley as a poli sci major. Worked 12 hours a day as a bertender to pay his tuition. Yes, he graduated at age 27 - so what? He's now a Management Consultant pulling in 100 grand. Age doesn't matter. </p>
<p>You can only get chances like this in America. Singapore's too stagnant, we're too staid in our ways, it's very hard for people to get back on track once they fall off.</p>
<p>If you really want a top American education, go for it. Don't let money hinder you. Take a semester off to work and pay off your tuition. Squeeze classes into your summer. Take the path less travelled.</p>
<p>Between Smu & Nus, I believe there is no one sure way to compare these 2 initituitions. </p>
<p>Woebegone: Like you, I'm a little anti-Nus. I don't like the fact that all singaporeans think Nus as THE only venerable instituition in Singapore. The perception is that if you can't into Nus, you are dumb and stupid. I'm like Smu. It's new and fresh, different and follow closely to the american-style of education. With only a couple years of history, it has done pretty well. </p>
<p>Anyhow..... unanimously</p>
<p>McGill > Nus?Smu</p>
<p>Anyways, I like to share with you all this conversation I had with a typical Singapore bimbo(ah lian). I like to talk to this girl cause of her naivety & sheer stupidity. </p>
<p>the bird. says:
Wharton Vs Dartmouth. which is better?
Mav- says:
I dun play dota..
Mav- says:
nt yet anyways
the bird. says:
. . .
the bird. says:
tat's nt a dota question.
Mav- says:
izzit?
Mav- says:
oh...
the bird. says:
those are schools
Mav- says:
huh
Mav- says:
NV heard of them
the bird. says:
lolz
the bird. says:
have you heard of brown u, cornell u, or duke u?
Mav- says:
nop...
Mav- says:
they sound very ulu to me
Mav- says:
doesnt sound like mainstream ones..
the bird. says:
lmao. lol!
the bird. says:
those are ivy league.
Mav- says:
even when I workin a British school at de moment I havent heard of these places
the bird. says:
heard of Mcgill n Toronto U?
Mav- says:
toronto yes
the bird. says:
hahaa
the bird. says:
seems that all you don't know all the good schools
Mav- says:
if its tat GOOD... it will be well known to most in SG...
Mav- says:
And besides... certains schools r onli good in certain things.~ it doesnt mean they r GOOd.
Mav- says:
muz SG ppl know bout they school when they r able to study locally anyways.
Mav- says:
and also... we follow more towards they english counterparts~ like Harvard~ nt americans
Mav- says:
Well then by all means~
the bird. says:
oh dear god.
the bird. says:
Harvard is in america.
Mav- says:
but whether u will get a job here is another thing~
Mav- says:
if u think they r tat great~
the bird. says:
lol
Mav- says:
fine~ by all means study there and live there~
Mav- says:
from my impression~ havard is in UK~
Mav- says:
unless theres one in US~
the bird. says:
oh dear ...
Mav- says:
in anyways case~~~
Mav- says:
if u realli thing they r tat great~ by all means
the bird. says:
UK is cambridge n oxford.
Mav- says:
well Fine then!!
the bird. says:
lol.... you made my day! lmao
Mav- says:
K then knower of all "good" schools~ continue on yer research</p>
<p>my 2cents worth as a soon-to-be-graduate from the us: to be perfectly honest, nus and smu are not really that recognized outside of the region. australia, maybe. but almost certaintly not in the uk and us. of course there are people who do get into good overseas grad schools from the local unis, but it's an uphill struggle compared to, say, a mcgill student. i'm not saying that you will get a better education overseas, because there's no true way to compare the three. i will say that you're sure to get a better experience, and of course, you'll be studying at a school that is recognized in the us.</p>
<p>knowing that you want to work in the us, i would say go to mcgill for sure. it has a very strong reputation over here. most americans rate it as one of the top 2 or 3 schools in canada, and a good option for those who can't afford the ivies. </p>
<p>i am assuming that you are looking at the financial sector. mcgill does put a significant number of people into the ibanks. i would actually argue that they have more students recruited for banking positions than nus and smu combined. (i'm talking about the front office positions only here. back office work doesn't really count as ibanking)</p>
<p>kudos to the wharton guy btw - happycosmos: show me the money! lol</p>
<p>wasup: haha serving NS i suppose. notice the "PENN here I come...in 2008!" :) </p>
<p>naff: i think u mean "UNLIKE me," u're a little anti-NUS. coz i believe i sounded more anti-SMU than anti-NUS. okay lah maybe not anti, I have nothing against either, I just prefer NUS to SMU if i were to choose between the two. indeed i am quite put off by the ignorance of most singaporeans who think that their NUS is the best in the world, or rather like 18th or 22nd in the world, ranked alongside the likes of Columbia and Penn, and that those who go overseas but are not on scholarships are just losers who can't get into NUS. sadly, it's a myth perpetuated not only by the less educated older generation, but also by our own peers. It wasn't so bad when I was in RJ... not to sound elitist but I guess my peers then were more enlightened about uni stuff. but meeting more people in NS, i realize some people still see NUS as THE uni. I have friends asking me why am I going to some ulu college in some ulu place when I got into every local uni. I see my friends lamenting that they didn't get into NUS with the course they like and are prepared to sacrifice their academic interests just to go NUS - which is frankly a dumb thing IMO. NUS or NTU or SMU - I really don't think the reputation matters much, at least not more than your own interest. oh, and i dun think i can sustain a conversation with such bimbos. they drive me nuts. </p>
<p>happycosmos: yeah i think i read something about a Berkeley grad, didn't know his background though. well, i guess people like that are one in a million, especially in Singapore. even by taking financial aid to a LAC, i already feel like i am taking a path less travelled... when all my friends are happily enjoying themselves at top unis filled with so many fellow singaporeans that there are even singaporean student associations,with their expenses taken care of and future all laid out for them by their scholarship officers.</p>
<p>Nope, NS is a thing of the past. Check my other posts if you want to know stuff about me.</p>
<p>One thing about scholarships; after 6 years in the civil service, what else can you do? It's possible to move back to the US but it's much harder than if you had stayed on. </p>
<p>I don't think it's worth getting bonded. I plan to get out of Singapore as soon as possible - perhaps I'll never return. </p>
<p>Don't worry about the little people who haven't heard of Amherst or Middlebury. You probably can't hear them anyway when your ears are stuffed full of US Ben Franklins. :)</p>
<p>Tough road there. I once told myself if I don't get into a US college now, that's it. I'm not gonna try anymore; 2 years of application are enough. It's too tiring. </p>
<p>Woebegone: I meant LIKE you, i'm also bias. Perhaps I didn't phase myself probably.....was to anxious to share the bimbo's harvard which is in UK info. </p>
<p>Meeting people through NS was like meeting a bunch of male bimbos. Conversation we had were rather similar and equally hilarious. </p>
<p>"I have friends asking me why am I going to some ulu college in some ulu place when I got into every local uni." I get that a lot too. The kind if your not on scholarship, you're a loser who can't get into Nus. </p>
<p>Hate Ns. 10 more days to Ord. Btw, have u made up your mind on U Conn or Brown?</p>
<p>oh i made it a point to withdraw from brown before i applied AGAIN to brown and other colleges for financial aid, which probably explains why i was a little heated in a certain other thread over ED ethics issue. anw, it's conn coll (= connecticut college), not U Conn (University of Connecticut). and yeah, it's conncoll for now.</p>