My route to NUS has been a long one. I first attended NTU in engineering, but found that engineering was not for me. I then attended Ngee Ann Polytechnic to study Chinese Media and Communication. Upon graduating from poly, I got various university offers, but chose NUS because it has the best positioning and culture.

NUS is one of, if not the only university, that offers a course in theatre studies and I’m interested in being director. My friends and I started a theatre company, putting on a production two years ago at Zouk, which attracted an audience of 200. We haven’t been able to do another since due to budget limitations, but we hope to put on another production in the next year.

I live in College of Alice and Peter Tan (CAPT; formerly Angsana College) and the experience is very different from living in one of the halls at NTU. It’s not just having a room on campus or having fun with your friends, but having the opportunity to set up your own interest groups (e.g., singing group, gastronomy club). Everyone is really close to each other and you get to know most of the residents, including the Master, the Resident Fellows and their families.

There are also lots of opportunities to learn as part of the Residential College experience. Besides the classes that are part of the University Town Residential Programme, we also get to learn from artists in residence − such as Edwin Thumboo, who was a poet in resident at CAPT. The Master’s Teas also give us opportunities to meet different people – some of whom I never thought I would have the chance to meet.

I serve as the Publicity and Publications Director for the NUSSU Cultural Activities Club, helping to promote the dance and singing groups under the committee. It’s a learning process getting to manage and work with different people. Through NUS Radio Pulze, my friend and I produce podcasts on fashion and looking good. I also participate in smaller activities around UTown – for example, I was a speaker at a Children’s Day event for primary school kids hosted by CAPT.

1. Opportunities – NUS has given me many more opportunities than I could ever imagine. At NUS, I am able to pursue my passion and display my talents.
2. Family – I do feel very much at home in NUS. We are a very close-knit community even though the campus is very large. From orientation camp until today, I feel that the friends I have made and even the professors I know are all part of my big NUS family.
3. Excellence – Everyone is pushed to excel in whatever he or she does. Everyone in the whole university is striving towards being better.

I think what is different from NUS than the rest is that NUS really changes your attitude towards life. The whole environment really pushes your boundaries, be it in learning or in pursuing your interests.