As the curtain falls on my time at NTU, I can’t help thinking about the past three years of my short yet eventful undergrad life at the Nanyang Business School that was filled with joy, laughter and challenges…
1) Case competitions
Designing a cool online marketing communication campaign for CP Foods? Trying to sell their frozen food products on a rainy afternoon? Yes, my team of three did them all and bagged the second prize to boot.
Winning the prize money, however, was not the best part, as such success and happiness is short-lived. It’s the memory of celebrating with fellow NTU participants, and the strong friendships we’ve forged, that will stick with me for life.
Three of the five finalist teams at the CP Marketing Challenge 2012 came from NTU. Hip, hip, hooray!
2) Eye-opening electives
NTU constantly offers new electives that pique our interest, such as BU8543 Tourism & Society: Journeys of Discovery, taught by Assoc Prof Joan Henderson. Although I’d already fulfilled the academic unit requirements for my degree (and was in the midst of a very busy semester), I signed up for this elective without batting an eyelid.
The course was refreshingly different as we had to read a travel writing novel. The icing on the cake? Prof Henderson allowed us to choose our title! Our group swooped for the romance novel, The Lady and the Monk by Pico Iyer, which was about how the author of East Indian descent fell in love with a Japanese who had the heart of a Westerner and dreams of exploring the world. It was a match made in heaven and we were glued to the pages right to the concluding weeks of the semester!
I learnt to appreciate the literature of travel writers and the intricacies of their travel adventures. Without the need for taking a plane or trawling the Internet, we were transported to Japan in the era of the early 1990s, where we experienced the changing sights and sounds of Japan as we followed the characters’ love story set in scenic Kyoto. Not only did this tourism module enlighten us about other parts of the world, it inadvertently cultivated in us the good habit of reading regularly.
We were glued to the travel writing of Pico Iyer…
3) Peking Uni and pandas
Seeing the world is fast becoming an affordable option for many NTU students. Under the GEM Discoverer Prelude programme, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the beauty and tranquillity of Beijing as a student on immersion. Not only was it a privilege to rub shoulders with some of the brightest minds at Peking University, one of China’s top varsities, the sheer size of the campus (many times that of NTU’s) simply took my breath away! We also conquered the Great Wall of China and visited the adorable pandas at the Beijing Zoo.
That’s us after our two-week summer stint at Peking University.
4) Cool internships, hot jobs
With the guidance provided by NTU’s Career and Attachment Office and the Nanyang Business School’s Undergraduate Career Services, the otherwise harrowing experience of job hunting became a breeze. With their support, I landed internships with top hoteliers as well as a coveted position with Sony as a management associate. Kudos to the NTU staff who pulled in long hours so undergrads can stay updated on job opportunities by top employers!
5) Great friends
Studying a range of modules in NTU allowed me to make new friends with diverse backgrounds and interests. Whether it’s someone I bumped into while staying at Hall 16, or initial strangers from my language classes (who became “practice buddies”!) or peers who share common passions in electives such as astronomy… these are all treasured friends whom I am lucky to have met. The bonds built between us will be deeply cherished, even as we move on to pursue our different dreams after graduation.
Our last exam in NTU – I will miss heaving that sigh of relief after my final paper!
Comments? Email us at hey@ntu.edu.sg