S’porean woman: ‘I thought private education institution students would all be rich & lazy but I was wrong’

When it comes to private education institutions in Singapore, there are quite a number of negative assumptions that people have about them.

Perhaps some people assume that students who attend private institutions are “not smart enough” to get into local universities, or that the quality of education provided is not up to par with other institutions.

(But you know what they say about assuming…)

To better understand whether there is any truth to these assumptions, we spoke with three current and former PSB Academy students who shared their insights and takeaways from their time as students.

Amelia Ng: Scored 7 points for L1R4

Current PSB Academy student Amelia Ng’s path to the school was not a straightforward one.

After scoring seven points for her L1R4, Ng began pursuing a Diploma in Biomedical Science in a local polytechnic.

However, unlike the structure and routine which Ng had appreciated in secondary school, she found that “this structure felt non-existent” in her new programme.

Coupled with realising that she found no passion for the course, Ng found herself falling behind and struggling with severe burnout and depression by the second term of her second year in polytechnic.

Ng made the decision to leave her programme and took one year off of her studies.

However, she knew that she wanted to return to school and began researching other options.

She came across PSB Academy’s diploma in digital marketing, which intrigued her.

Since her highest academic qualification was O-Levels, Ng first earned her Certificate in Business Management through PSB Academy’s six-month course.

Today, Ng is finishing up her Diploma in Business Analytics and will graduate in July 2023.

She shared her appreciation for the “amazing lecturers” she has been taught by:

“These teachers were able to turn foreign concepts like economics and data storytelling into digestible and interesting lectures. Not only were the lessons easy to understand, I found myself looking forward to their upcoming lessons as well.”

Ng added that she appreciates the smaller class sizes and the lecturers’ friendliness and willingness to help, which have helped her stop feeling too shy or intimidated to clarify questions, and instead be proactive and ask questions about what she doesn’t understand.

Prior to her enrolment, Ng had held some preconceived notions about the types of students who attended the school, thinking that they would all “just simply be rich and lazy”.

However, she made friends of many different backgrounds who challenged her assumptions about her fellow PSB Academy students:

“Many of them have aspirations and goals that even I don’t have, which I find admirable. I realised it was unfair to put all the students under one negative, preconceived umbrella, and that everyone has their own pasts and stories to tell."

Ng said that she has “gained a lot along the way, both academically and mentally” throughout her time at PSB Academy.

“After leaving polytechnic, I felt very broken, and had little respect for myself. Attending this school slowly gave me back my confidence and self-worth, and a sense of purpose as well.

People may look down on the school, but to me, PSB Academy gave me a chance to redeem myself, and to progress forward in life.”

After she graduates, Ng hopes to attend university and study data analytics.

Hermas Tan: Finished in shorter time due to module exemptions

Before Hermas Tan joined PSB Academy in 2021, he held the misconception that private education institutions like PSB Academy were “the easy way out.”

Tan, who had studied Biomedical Sciences in polytechnic and enrolled in La Trobe University’s Bachelor of Biomedical Science programme with PSB Academy after finishing National Service, soon came to find that his assumption about “the easy way out” was proven wrong.

He found that balancing his many assignments within the trimester-based system was challenging, but appreciated the support of accommodating professors who responded to questions promptly.

And Tan’s attitude toward studying changed vastly from how he had been in polytechnic:

“[In polytechnic,] most of my exams were open-book. Thus, I wasn't the studious type to mug hard come exam period as I believed that listening in class was sufficient enough to pass your examinations back in polytechnic.”

However, at PSB Academy, Tan gained an appreciation for “the extra practices to check our understanding on the student portal, which can even be accessed before we took the class.”

Once he experienced the education offered by PSB Academy, Tan realised he found that “the quality of it was not lacking compared to that of local education institutions.”

And because Tan held a relevant diploma, he was able to have a 12-module exemption at La Trobe University, which allowed him to earn his degree on a shorter timeline and to enter the workforce with a relevant degree and at a younger age than his peers.

Since graduating in 2022, Tan has been helping out at a Covid-19 vaccination centre, inspired by PSB Academy’s staff and lecturers’ helpfulness and passion for supporting students:

“Since this spirit of helping is imbued in every staff I have met on campus, I myself would want to carry it forward by helping others in need.”

He is confident that attending a private education institution will not inhibit his career prospects.

“I believe that it is how well you perform your role at work that will distinguish you from your peers,” he said.

Ernest Chew: Made a mid-career switch

Ernest Chew found out about PSB Academy the old-school way: spotting an advertisement while commuting on the train to work.

Chew had graduated from polytechnic with a Diploma in Electronics.

After finishing National Service, he began working full-time but immediately began searching for suitable part-time degree programmes.

“I am always curious and love to pick up new things and therefore it has always been a wish to further my studies after my NS. Other than that, a more practical pushing factor is to accelerate my career through studies,” Chew said.

Upon learning that PSB Academy and The University of Newcastle, Australia offered IT courses that matched what he was looking for, Chew enrolled.

He appreciated that the modules emphasised real world applications with IT systems.

The shorter duration of coursework is another factor of PSB Academy which attracted Chew.

“Private education institutions offer courses that are more focused, shorter duration and yet achieve an effective learning outcome,” he said.

The central location of the campus also enticed Chew as he could then save time commuting there after work.

Amidst his tight schedule juggling work and studying, Chew found that the camaraderie between classmates “made the whole learning journey fun and enjoyable.”

Chew mentioned that some people might assume that private education institutions in Singapore “are for students that did badly and thus did not qualify for local admission” and offers a “lower and sub-par quality of education” compared to local public universities.

However, Chew said that private education institutions have progressed and improved, and he is grateful to have had well-paced classes taught by efficient and effective professors.

A module called Database Management System sparked Chew’s interest in the topic, and after graduating from PSB Academy in 2007 with a degree in Internet Technology (IT), Chew went on to earn a professional certification to administer Oracle Databases.

This “opened more doors of opportunity” for him when he joined his current company, PSA Corporation Ltd, as a database administrator. Since then, Chew has progressed to be a senior product manager.

Find out more about PSB Academy

Among many Singaporeans, there may be negative assumptions about private education institutions and the students who attend them.

But for students like Ng, Tan, and Chew, their private education at PSB Academy provided them with a caring community of lecturers and fellow students, a streamlined way to earn a diploma or degree, and a path forward, both professionally and personally.

As Ng said:

“We’re all just simply students who go to school to learn, just like anyone else. Especially in a country that is so academically driven like Singapore, we solely focus on academics and lose sight of what really matters; such as mental health, or the individual’s goals and aspirations.

[...] Overall, I feel that people shouldn’t be so narrow minded, and to not see things only in black and white.”

PSB Academy offers a wide range of certificate, diploma, and degree programmes, with course fee rebates of up to S$11,000 available. Terms and conditions apply.

Find out more on the PSB Academy website, or register here for an open house hosted by PSB Academy on Feb. 4 from 11am to 5pm at City Campus @ Marina Square.

This sponsored article is brought to you by PSB Academy.

Top photo via Unsplash. Some quotes have been edited for clarity.