The school year begins once again here in Singapore Universities yet I’m no longer a student in school. I’ve just graduated from university and as I think back, there are more takeaways beyond academics and that “piece of paper” which are so important to note. These are some of the things that I wished I had known earlier. If you’re still in school, you may want to learn from some of the mistakes that I’ve made.

FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO AS EARLY AS YOU CAN.

Better yet, by the end of your first semester of uni. If that’s too difficult, at least have an idea.

Hold up, I know what you’re thinking. You have the rest of your university life to figure out what you want to do.

Well, let me stop you right there.

That statement is so misleading. Sure, you can have the rest of the semesters to figure out what you want to do. But without some serious considerations, will you?

I remember going through my first year in uni. I was trying out every “ups” thing just because my senior was telling us to try. I had no idea where I’ll end up nor where I wanted to end up. So, I started drifting through uni and I missed so many opportunities that I could have had. I also set the wrong priorities, focusing on things I wish I didn’t join if I had known.

So it is very important to know what you want to do so you can start to set goals and get to your destination in a more efficient manner. Especially, for those who need to specialise in their degrees. Get to know which are the areas you want to specialise in and start understanding it more.

If I had known what I wanted to do, I could have really saved a lot of time and done more things that are more related to my specialisation.

ASK QUESTIONS

As much as the rest of NBS complains that there are “sneks” amongst us, I’ve honestly never encountered another team member who would not help you if you needed any help at all.

Sure, there are some “sneks” who would only care for their own work or don’t do it, but most aren’t like that!

Get to know your teammates, you’ll be really surprised by how much knowledge some of them have! And, my belief is that you can always learn something from everyone – the good and how to not do the bad.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO BE IN A DIFFERENT CLASS THAN YOUR FRIENDS

Chances are, in uni, it is very common to change around your classes to better fit your schedule around other activities. It can be so tempting to always hang out with your friends and work with the same people.

I get it. It is daunting to get to know strangers and pretty much put your grade in their hands as you navigate through the module.

But, the combinations of some of the groups that I’ve encountered are some of the best times to remember uni. I have so many instastories to look back on those funny moments all with strangers that I had never known.

Plus, you can network with them. And having more friends is better than not having any.

PROFESSORS AND LECTURERS ARE THE BEST RESOURCES THAT YOU CAN ASK FOR

What’s a better way to score the class part than to talk to your profs? The answer is none! So, your grades will thank you for this.

Besides, getting to know your profs can mean gaining opportunities that you would have never known. Who would even want to help you out if they don’t know you, am I right?

One of the best ways to get to know your profs is to speak up in class. Ask them questions! They are more than willing to answer them!

TBH, they are not as aloof as everyone thinks.

If you are feeling shy, then speak to them before or after class. You can also choose to send them an email. I’ve written a post on how you can email your professor here.

The point is, they have so many experiences and opportunities to share. And you can only access this knowledge if you know them personally.

But do remember to be genuine and authentic.

DEGREE IS JUST A PIECE OF PAPER

I was ingrained with the thought that having a degree guarantees me a good job. Hang on just a sec, this is so not true. As I start sending out resumes and cover letters. I start to realise that having a degree means so little now compared to the vast experience that others have.

While having a degree is important (in my opinion), it is important to not forget to get some experience alongside the degree. It better shows what you can actually do.

If you are thinking of starting up your own business or being an influencer. Then it gives more reason that the degree is just a piece of paper that is good to have but is just another event in your life.

INTERNSHIPS ARE IMPORTANT – BUT ONLY FOR THIS REASON

They are important if you are wanting to work in a company for other people, which should be a vast majority. In that case, you’ll want to make sure that you get some internship experiences so that you can exhibit the value that you can bring to your prospective companies. This will be the selling point in your resume.

However, if you are thinking of starting your own business or becoming an influencer whatsoever, internships may not be as important as you think. For sure, you can learn a lot from your internships, especially working in SMEs with a very small number of people or any other companies in your field. But my opinion is that you need to start your business on your own and learn along the way. It is the best way to be your own boss and actually know what a boss needs to know and learn. Who knows, you may end up preferring to work for other people instead of working so hard on your own.

FRIENDSHIPS

I’ve made so many acquaintances and met so many people throughout my 3 years in uni. Unfortunately, not many may end up becoming friends that last through even the rest of my uni life let alone the rest of my life. In fact, the number of friends that I’d actively communicate with after uni will probably be counted on both my hands. That’s it.

These are the ones that’ll probably witness my milestones while the rest are my hi-bye friends and that’s okay. It is so difficult to maintain that relationship if we don’t even meet up and both parties need to make the effort.

So, if you want to keep that friendship in uni, remember to reach out and hang out even after class. But remember to choose your friends wisely and know who you should spend your time with. There can be so many toxic people that you’d meet who are totally not worth your time.

Most importantly, you should also learn to focus on yourself.

PRIOR SUCCESS OR LACK OF DOES NOT MATTER

I used to think that everyone is super “ups” in uni and the pressure in school would be so overwhelming as I would be competing with my super-smart peers. I was so wrong. While there are extraordinary smart people, there are also people who are the opposite. Everyone here is the same as anywhere else.

Despite everyone’s success or the lack of before uni, it really does not mean much. Sure, that kid may be from some of the best junior colleges in Singapore or they may have worked their way through ITE, Poly then come to Uni. At the end of the day, we are all equal once again in this field, in university.

The inferior complexity, coming from a rather low GPA student from poly is telling you, just do your best and focus on what you can do. Seriously, ignore those high achievers and don’t compare yourself to them. If you don’t do as well as you wanted, it’s really okay if you had tried your best. It is not okay and you’ll probably regret it if you DID NOT try hard enough.

I’ve seen students from good schools who could probably score very well in uni but ended up not, and students who did not seem that smart, ending up with a high GPA due to being hardworking. You’ll never really know what to expect here.

UNIVERSITY IS A WEIRD STAGE IN LIFE

Everyone is trying to figure where they stand as they start to think about where they want to be after university. In my opinion, this is where the most growth happens since birth – as I change my identity from a young adult to a more serious adult. This is the place where I can truly take charge and guide my life.

I have friends who excel in a crazy CCA specializing in case studies on top of their academics – all while scoring 5.0s while the other is pretty carefree and just hoping to get that piece of paper to get out of uni.

This is why Point 1’s lesson was to get to know yourself and what you want to do better. So you can make your own decisions and figure out how to deal with them if it deviates from your goals.

For instance, if you’re not interested in going into investment banking for instance, maybe that case competition CCA isn’t that suitable for you, you’re better of spending time and effort elsewhere.

FUN AND EXPERIENCES IN UNI

In the midst of my entire uni life, the best had been the 2 Weeks Winter Exchange that I went to in Year 1, which I’ve written all about it here. The 6-months exchange was cancelled due to COVID which is a huge pity.

One of the best things in uni was the autonomy that it granted and the opportunity to attend uni in another country. It allows for an authentic experience of living and travelling in a foreign land.

School events such as helping out in camps and activities are fun to join. As you share your experiences with others and learn from each other. The community that you join and forge may even go on to after university. Having a great support system is so important too.

YOU’LL GROW UP – A LOT

In year 1, I went to Korea for Winter Exchange with my friends. And I ended up falling sick within 3 days there. Thanks to my friends around me, helping me tabao [buying takeaway] and buying me medicine, I felt better afterwards. I didn’t tell my parents this because I didn’t want them to worry. I just solved the problem and told them when I got back to Singapore. It wasn’t like they could do anything from Singapore anyways.

In school, after staying in the hall, I took up more responsibilities and learnt to deal with insects on my own. I realized how pampered I was while I was still living at home, I can just call for help anytime. I truly took too many things for granted.

TRIAL AND ERROR

One of the best things about University is that there is so much to discover and it is the perfect place to trial and error.

The easiest way to find out whether you want to do something is to try out everything and see whether you like it and want to continue it. When you know you do know that you don’t want it, hurry the hell out and try something else! You’ll be surprised at the kind of opportunities that may come knocking on your door. For instance, in uni, I never thought I’d pick up a sport. But one of my hall friends jio-ed [invited] me to play squash in hall, I learn a new sport and ended up enjoying wayyyy more than I expected.

Now, I have a few friends that I play squash with when we can.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING NEW

As I mentioned earlier, uni is the best place for trial and error. But that means you’ve gotta start trying!

It can be daunting to try something new in uni. But since this is the time that you can take charge of your life. There is honestly no time like others.

I was initially afraid of starting things right until COVID began. I was constantly worried about whether I could cope with the additional tasks. But I learnt that you can and will always find a way to cope with all of what you have. Now, I regret not starting earlier. Those few years will make a difference.

So start that blog or Youtube or business that you’ve been thinking of!

I MISS MY UNI LIFE ALREADY

I never thought about how much I would miss school – the school and even the exam stress. I know. Everybody who has graduated says this but it is true. I don’t think you’ll know and understand it truly until you graduate.

Uni has officially ended for a little over 3 months now. But seeing my friends going to school – and not being able to hang out with them as frequently is quite saddening, especially since I meet them every week for dinner. But it is so difficult now that we are not in the same place.

The pressure that comes with work and school are very different. This is when you really start adulting and taking care of yourself – especially in terms of finances. I can’t dilly-dally as I did in the past.

Don’t get me wrong, without school, there are so many other things that I can now pursue without any hindrance. For instance, I learnt new skills in design and started my own branding and design business – @mondayblossomdesigns.com. Without these 3 months, I probably would not have done much as I would be focused on school.

So the cliché thing to say is, Cherish your uni life, you’ll only miss it when it is all over.

LEARNING DOES NOT STOP RIGHT AFTER UNI ENDS

I had this perception – especially when I am doing my exams in uni – that studying stops when uni is over.

I am definitely wrong about that. While there are lesser exams, studying continues and is own time own target.

After all, there are so many things that your uni classes don’t teach. So you’ll want to learn more after school. For example, I’ve learnt how to use Adobe software on my own once uni ended and started my own branding strategist business. Most of these skills did not come from my studies at uni.

So, learn to love what you are studying! I wish you all the best in your journey and hope these tips will help you before you leave your uni life behind