I found my soulmate in the form of NTU’s Renaissance Engineering Programme, or REP. It is a holistic programme, one of the few of its kind that brings together the best of both worlds: science and humanities. Fresh out of junior college, I’d fallen hopelessly in love with a course that seemed challenging, exciting and intriguing at the same time. So, I decided to swear fidelity to my one true love and looked forward to an amazing undergraduate learning experience.

So how is married life with REP treating me? I get this a lot, for people in our world are always sceptical of relationships with strangers we don’t know much about. Joining REP was definitely a venture into the unknown, as I am a part of the pioneer batch of students now in our second year. So have I found the elusive marital bliss yet? Or have I succumbed to a premature seven-year itch?

As a true-blue pioneer, I can tell you REP gets frustrating sometimes. Most recently, that happened when I sat down with crayons and markers (for the first time in the past decade) to draw – yes, draw – for a prescribed elective at the School of Art, Design & Media. And it happened when I met my old friend, Electronics and Information Engineering, again, only it had grown more difficult and impossible (why, Fourier, why?). And it happens every second week when I have multiple assignments due, or continuous assessments that clash, or a car (for a build-and-test project) that adamantly refuses to run… and the list goes on.

Then why am I still here?

First, the thrill of being part of something new and challenging. Our professors, interviewers and peers expect more from us and the sense of accomplishment on the rare occasions when we meet those expectations, is incredible. For instance, the jubilation and cheering that erupted in the lab last week when we finally managed to run a motor with self-made batteries (admittedly not a Nobel-worthy achievement but still a big deal) was unbelievable. Oh, the heavens thundered with applause and the skies cried tears of our joy!

Second, I am learning things I never imagined I would as an engineering student, such as comparing world economies during an economics course, critiquing literary pieces for a writing module and making sense of contemporary product design as part of a design module. While some may see these as digressions from the study of engineering, I welcome them as a desirable and much-needed change from our technical core. For all the value of engineering, education would just not be as fun without adding a little diversity to the equation.

The whole class went to IKEA as part of our prescribed elective in art, design and media. 

Third, I’ve married into a great family. By virtue of attending the same seminars and tutorials and experiencing the same highs and lows together, students of REP have grown extremely close to one another. It is awesome to know such a diverse group with varied backgrounds, interests and strengths, all bound by an interest in making life at REP as memorable as possible. We recently welcomed another 56 members at our freshmen orientation camp. We’ve hung out at chalets, gone night cycling and organised other outings to create shared experiences that bring us closer. This is also why so many REP students have already found their partners in the course… and new relationships are in the pipeline. The government should be pleased.

Finally, as in any relationship, the promise of the future holds us all captive. We will be going to the University of California, Berkeley, in our third year for a year-long exchange programme and we can’t wait for this exciting chapter of our lives to begin. The prospect of meeting new people, experiencing new cultures and studying in one of the best universities in the world, is scary and exciting at the same time. Yes, we will be competing against the best in the world. Yes, we are going to be thrown out of our comfort zones. But who doesn’t like a good challenge? Especially when it comes a few hundred miles from Vegas and Hollywood. 😉

Marriage Counselling 101 suggests that the best way to keep a romance alive is to keep looking for new experiences together. So far, REP has not failed me in this aspect, and there is little room for monotony. Married life is treating me well indeed and I hope that, unlike Hollywood romantic comedies, this marriage isn’t the end but just the beginning of many good things in my life. I will keep writing about these things here, so stay tuned! 🙂

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