Opportunities to grow & a home away from home: 3 S’pore students share how they chose their poly

To the class of 2022, congratulations on graduating from secondary school.

The world is your oyster, and endless opportunities and possibilities lie ahead of you.

This is your first foray into young adulthood, and many of you are now faced with a momentous decision: Where do I go next?

With so many choices out there, making the final decision can be rather daunting.

For those of you considering a polytechnic education, you may want to stick around and read how these three Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) students chose their poly, and their advice to you.

1) Choose a poly that offers you opportunities

Alex Chien said he was “heavily influenced” after he witnessed his brother’s positive experience in NYP, and decided to follow in his footsteps to become a student at NYP.

Like his older brother, who graduated with a Diploma in Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics, Chien also enrolled himself in NYP’s School of Information Technology.

Besides this, NYP was always the clear choice for Chien, who already had his eyes set on a diploma in IT, as it is “known for being an excellent choice” amongst other tertiary institutions.

He also knew that NYP’s curriculum placed a strong emphasis on hands-on learning and came with plenty of opportunities to “get your hands dirty” to complement a student’s learning journey.

Chien said in his case, his project work gave him a chance to “validate my skills and understand concepts on an extensive level”.

Outside the classroom, NYP also “provides a lot of opportunities” to its students, he said.

These include, but are not limited to, NYP’s Diploma-Plus programmes that allow students to gain additional knowledge and professional certifications, as well as numerous competitions for students to apply their knowledge in solving real-world problems.

Chien, for instance, represented Singapore in the international Collegial Artificial Intelligence Innovation Competition 2020 and went up against university teams from China.

Chien and his team came in second place and walked away with a cool S$1,000 reward, as well as invaluable insight and experience in creating real-world solutions with artificial intelligence.

And if that’s not enough, NYP also partners with reputable organisations to offer its final-year students internships, he said.

Chien, who is of the view that “experience is the best form of knowledge”, is currently on a one-year internship at Government Technology Agency of Singapore, or GovTech.

If that name sounds familiar to you, that is because those are the same people behind quintessential technological tools such as SingPass, TraceTogether, and LifeSG.

With this many opportunities, Chien advises those enrolling into a polytechnic to make the most out of their time there.

He said: “School is as good as you make it to be. Come in with the mindset to learn, take the initiative to explore beyond the curriculum, and seek out as many unique experiences as possible.”

2) Identify your interests and do the research

Ong Rou Enn, who graduated from NYP’s School of Applied Science with a Diploma in Chemical & Pharmaceutical Technology, echoed Chien’s sentiments, saying the polytechnic offers a “wide range of opportunities for their students”.

“From co-curricular activities (CCAs), leadership training, scholarship opportunities, to overseas exchange, you name it, we’ve got it!”

Even though NYP was 1.5 hours from where she lived, it was her first choice.

Not to mention, her secondary school CCA teacher had recommended NYP to her, highlighting that the polytechnic offered numerous opportunities to its students.

Ong represented NYP in WorldSkills Singapore, a national skills competition to discover the best in talents among the youth in Singapore, in 2021.

Competing in the water technology skills category, Ong admitted that she was out of her depth as water technology – water analysis, water treatment and filter systems, and the process of creating drinkable water – was a subject outside her course of study.

However, she took a leap of faith and was rewarded with a podium finish and a bronze medal.

Ong attributed her win to her “extremely supportive” lecturers, who are also professional and caring.

Outside of the competition, she added that the lecturers at NYP would also go the extra mile to understand students’ interest and passion so that they can advise students on a suitable career pathway for them after graduation.

Now that she has graduated, Ong’s advice to secondary school leavers is to not waste their Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE) options, and to rank them wisely.

“Make use of all the 12 options you have, choose courses based on what you LIKE to do, [and] do not follow your friends!”

Ong, who already knew she wanted to pursue chemistry as a field of study, said NYP’s Chemical & Pharmaceutical Technology course caught her eye when she was browsing through the polytechnic’s website.

Upon looking into the modules, she discovered that the course not only helps to lay the foundation on the fundamentals of chemical engineering, but also allows students to specialise in the petrochemical, pharmaceutical or wastewater engineering industries thereafter.

This further solidified her decision to choose NYP, and the rest is history.

3) Home away from home

In the same vein, Mohammed Aizam also thinks it is important for secondary school leavers to “take the time to identify what you want out of a polytechnic education”.

For Aizam, this was having opportunities outside of the classroom’s four walls, where he can grow as an individual, spread his wings to see the world, as well as have a community to call his own.

He was able to expand his horizons on a school trip to China, where he said he “gleaned deep, first-hand insights” into the country and was able to forge new friendships with the Chinese students he met, and experience cross-cultural exchange.

Not to mention, Aizam got to get up close and personal with some pandas during the trip, which is always a plus, and even summited Mount Emei, which is the highest of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China.

Aizam also managed to find his people amongst his “dearest friends, lecturers and tutors” and fondly regards NYP as his home away from home.

This tight-knit community helped make his journey at NYP more enjoyable, even through the several late nights in school that he had to pull to complete his assignments.

Aizam said the culmination of the abovementioned factors made NYP an easy choice for him, and he believes they helped him thrive as a person.

He chose to pursue a Diploma in Business Management at NYP as it is the only polytechnic to offer a Dual Specialisation in Business Management, allowing him to not only pursue his interest in e-commerce, but also enables him to venture into other business fields.

To figure out what he should specialise in, Aizam carved out time to attend the NYP Open House, joined the guided tours and workshops, and interacted with lecturers and other students from the course.

He eventually chose International Business and e-Commerce & Retail Management, and while Covid-19 impacted his last year at NYP, he said he still had many opportunities.

At the end of the day, Aizam believes: “Your polytechnic experience is completely defined by you and what you want to make [out] of it!”

“The world is your oyster and everyone at NYP is here, ready to support you every step of the way,” he added.

NYP Open House 2023

One piece of advice that Aizam received back then was to ask more questions during the NYP Open House.

And rightfully so, as there will be NYP lecturers and seniors ready to answer questions on the admissions exercises and the diploma courses NYP has to offer.

They will also be giving advice on course selections and provide more insight on student life at NYP.

If you are planning to head down to the open house, take note that it is happening from Jan. 5 to 7, 2023.

There will be activities and showcases happening throughout all six NYP schools, which gives prospective students a taste of the polytechnic courses.

Visitors can also tour NYP’s grounds and check out the campus facilities through the guided tours, and have a sneak preview of NYP student life through the CCA showcases, games and competitions.

NYP’s Principal and CEO will also be delivering an address during the CHOICES Seminar, where she will share post-secondary options and what poly education is about.

For more information on NYP Open House 2023, click here.

This sponsored article by Nanyang Polytechnic made the author wish she attended more open houses back in her day.

All images courtesy of NYP