Chew Min Er Mandy

What is one thing you were unprepared for about university life that you wish you knew before joining SMU?

Non-academic activities are equally important, if not more, than academics. I didn’t realise how much SMU supported students to make time for extracurricular activities. SMU lets students arrange their class schedule, and each module has one 3h session per week. This gave me ample free time (e.g. I had 2 full weekdays free in Term 1, and 1 weekday free in Term 2). It gave me sufficient time and space to learn the latest technologies that aren’t in university curriculum (e.g. learning about AI agents, which I’m applying now in my current internship.

What is your career aspiration and how have SMU’s career prep programmes helped you in making progress towards your goals?

I appreciate that everyone takes an online module (Internship Readiness Modules) that guide students in their preparations for internships. I found the part on how to structure a resume and how to behave in an interview especially useful. SMU is a school rooted in business and management, and you can really tell that SMU thinks about how to market itself. This is important because it extends to SMU putting in resources and thought into how to help their students market themselves to stand out.

What advice would you give to prospective students (especially your juniors from high school) who are thinking of applying to SMU? 

I think JC students, myself included, think too much about academics and doing well in exams. But in university, try to make time for things outside of academics, particularly socialising, clubs and interests, and grabbing any other opportunities you can. Because in the workplace, employers are not looking for exam takers; they are looking for people who can work with others, express their ideas and work, the ability to pick up new tools and skills quickly as needed, etc.