60 seconds with…

31 Oct 2016
60 seconds with…

…Akshay Nayak from India  

Year 3, SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business

What I love about Singapore…is the Culture. It’s such a multicultural country where everyone feels
like they’re at home! Be it a foodcourt, club, parties or other social gatherings, people around are always so welcoming that you feel like you’re nowhere away from home.

What made me choose SMU…Given that I did my schooling here in Singapore, SMU is the best option for me. The concept of a city campus is indeed quite exciting and plus when I was in high school I heard that the learning environment at SMU is quite unorthodox; hence, I felt that it was definitely worth a shot. Indeed, my experience thus far has been quite exciting!

What my experience has been like so far…I’ve had a great experience so far, the plethora of CCA’s available, extracurricular commitments etc.—these have made university life a lot more vibrant and quite exciting! After exploring various different opportunities made available to me, I’ve taken certain decisions which make me happy— such as being a part of an overseas community service project—for the second time. Definitely looking forward to my last two years here in SMU!

…Pham Ngoc from Vietnam

Year 3, SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business

What I love about Singapore… I love the multi-culture here where people from all walks of life come together, share ideas and live in harmony. I have been in Singapore since I was 14 years old and the people here were so welcoming and helpful in helping me adapt to the new environment. Besides, the public transport system in Singapore is so robust and efficient that it cannot be compared with public transport systems in other countries, even the US! And I can’t imagine myself living without it.

What made me choose SMU…I chose SMU because of the various international exposure opportunities that are offered. Also, I was very impressed by the interactive seminar classrooms in SMU and knew I wanted to study in this interactive environment, where I can share my ideas and air my opinions freely.

What my experience has been like so far…The experience has been great. I’ve made a lot of good friends from all over the world. I had the opportunity to take part in an Entrepreneurial Immersion Program to the US last summer and did an internship at a start-up there. I have gained valuable insights into the US’s start-up culture. I’ve also learnt how open people in the US are to new ideas and how passionate they are in developing that idea into a real product or service. The experience has been enriching and eye-opening.

…Jiwon Kim from Korea

Year 3, SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business

What I love about Singapore… I initially lived in Singapore for 3 years back when I was in the 8th to 10th grade, with my family, before moving to Indonesia. I chose to come back to Singapore for university because: (1) it’s known to be really safe (really important for me, personally), (2) the location was just right since my mom stays in Indonesia, so I can visit and won’t get homesick, and (3) I am planning on working somewhere in Asia, and Singapore—with all the business Asia headquarters—is a great place to start!

What made me choose SMU…After deciding on the country that I wanted to study in, I basically had 3 major choices: NUS, NTU, SMU. Having studied in an American system for majority of my life, I decided to apply for SMU, which supposedly followed the Wharton University (in the states) system. I also heard there’s more diversity in terms of student population.

What my experience has been like so far…To be honest, I had a hard time adjusting to the academic system. It wasn’t very similar to the american schooling system after all. However, I don’t regret coming here as I got to enjoy a fruitful 2 years of studying. I got to balance worklife with my CCA life. Looking forward to my remaining years here!

This article was originally published on The SMU Blog.

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