Category Archives: Happenings

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Campus Living, Clubs, Happenings, Life at Nanyang, Sports

Spare me a Strike!: The MBA Olympics After Party

February 24, 2016 Laura Melina Loeven

On February 12^th, the Nanyang MBA team gathered to celebrate their victory for the huge success of the 6^th Nanyang MBA Olympics – both as hosts and players.

In the spirit of sports, the MBA Olympics Organising Committee decided to have a bowling party. The event was organised by the Sports and CSR Clubs – the same two clubs that collaborated for the MBA Olympics – and sponsored by the EXCO and MBA Office. Everyone stormed Orchid Bowl @ the Chevrons on the Friday night for an evening of bowling, food, and fun.

The entire cohort – Fulltime, Parttime, and some of the Trimester 2 exchange students – not only celebrated the MBA Olympics’ success, but also the end of the second Trimester. As it was the last Friday night before the exams and probably the last night when the entire cohort is complete before the exchange students and Nanyang-Waseda Double MBAs leave for the last trimester of the program, everyone took the opportunity to have fun, celebrate, and take photos with everyone.

At 10pm, the lights at Orchid Bowl were turned off and the black lights were turned on. Also, party music was played, for a night of cosmic bowling and laughter.

There were exactly 36 bowlers who registered for the event – which was perfect for 6 teams of 6 each. After 2 games, the student Exco president, Deep Dabholkar, member of the powerful bowling team Johnnie M won the “Highest Individual Bowler” award for scoring the highest total score with 288 pins. He was followed closely by Kevin Tay from team Rocky J who scored the highest score for the first game but finished with a total of 286 pins.

The most successful Team KRISP, composed of Koichi, Rinky, Isaac, Steven, Prashant, and Marcel, won the “Top Team” award after scoring the highest total score with 1,113 pins.

We congratulate all winners – well done – and thank all participants for a truly enjoyable event which sparked great memories of the recent MBA Olympics, and provided a great opportunity to celebrate two wonderful trimesters at the NTU campus.

Campus Living, Happenings, Life at Nanyang

Happy Birthday, Mr President!

February 23, 2016 Laura Melina Loeven

In January, the MBA 2016 cohort found yet another reason to celebrate: the very own Student Exco President’s birthday.

Exhausted and tired after running around while competing in the Nanyang MBA Olympics, hours of cheering for the cohort´s contesting teams and combatting the burning heart, the cohort decided to extent a long, but successful day to an unofficial midnight celebration of the president´s birthday.

The next morning started early: as usual, a sore but happy class gathered at 9:30 AM for a lecture in the lecture hall. Yet, during the break, the class got together at the MBA lounge with a box of surprise for Deep, Student Exco president.

Excited, he opened the box to reveal the lip-smacking black forest cake. With 8 candles (editor´s note: number of candles is purely notional and was kept small to fit the size of the cake..) we officially wished Deep a very happy birthday.

While the delicious cake with big red cherries did not last long, the memories of yet another tasty birthday celebration are here to stay forever.

Campus Living, Clubs, Happenings, Life at Nanyang, Sports

The 6th MBA Olympics – let the games begin!

January 25, 2016 Laura Melina Loeven

On 17 January 2016, business students from all over Singapore gathered in the Sport and Recreation Center of the NTU campus to compete in the 6^th MBA Olympics, hosted by The Nanyang MBA team.

The volunteer interscholastic sporting event brought together the MBA students from NBS, NUS, SMU, ESSEC and SP Jain to meet for a friendly competition of badminton, basketball, football, table-tennis, running relays and volleyball.

After Prof. Nilanjan Sen, the Associate Dean of the host school, Nanyang Business School, addressed the students with encouraging opening remarks, a horn was blown to officially kick-off the competition and send contestants off to the field. Despite intense heat and humidity, all contestants exhibited great competitive spirit and overwhelming stamina throughout the tournament.

Prof. Nilanjan Sen addressing the students to kick-start the competition

The event schedule was tightly organised and players who participated in more than one of the Olympic disciplines hurried from one court to the other to support their teams. To refill the contestant´s energy reserves and boost the competitive spirit, the event sponsor Kashmi, provided 100PLUS energy drinks, Red Bull had donated their famous energy drinks to give students “wings”, Bayer offered Berocca multi-vitamin tablets to boost energy and mental sharpness, and the Soup Spoon gave out coupons for a hot meal at their food outlets.

After a hectic morning with group competitions in all disciplines, players gathered at the running track to enjoy a lunch break. Students had the opportunity to network, make new friends, and regain energy for the next round of competitions. Often, the race between schools was tight and supporters had to give their every bit of energy to cheer on their teams at the top of their voices. Being the event´s organiser, NBS had the advantage of having their school mascot around. Rondel Apelo, a Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA student, could not care less about the extreme outside temperatures and put on the heavy plush costume of NTU´s official mascot, Lyon, to cheer on his classmates, and of course, be the accessory in many memorable photo shoots.

Mascot “Lyon” with NBS students

The final winners in the respective disciplines were awarded with bronze, silver and gold medals to honour the tremendous efforts and great sportsmanship of all players. Professor Pete Giulioni, Head of the NBS Career Development Office, proudly handed over the many medals to the exhausted contestants and congratulated every student on their outstanding performance as well as good sportsmanship. “This was a terrific day”, Pete stated with a beaming smile. “I am truly impressed by hospitality exhibited by all our students.”

Prof Pete was assisted by a crowd of agile volunteer helpers who had formed the event organization committee from the NBS cohort. The MBA Olympics event committee had done a great job in preparing for the tournament, setting up the venue and taking great care of all players throughout the game day. Everyone had given their best efforts to make the event a success and the Nanyang Sports Club Co-Chairs, Sancho Cuasay III and Anoop Bolisetty, were truly delighted. “We are proud that all guests had a lot of fun and enjoyed the day”, said Sancho after a long day of coordinating the various matches of the day. “Thankfully, nobody got hurt and we only heard good feedback from all participating schools”, Anoop added.

Action on the football field

The purpose of the full day sports event was not only to measure up to each other in various sports disciplines, but also to raise awareness for a noble cause among future business leaders. The event sponsors, Lee Foundation, Mitsubishi Electric and Renesas, offered generous donations to support the sporty students in their fundraising endeavours. All surplus funds raised from the event were donated to Special Olympics Singapore, the beneficiary of this year´s MBA Olympics. The NBS Corporate Social Responsibility Club Co-Chairs, Aki Narita and Gauri Agarwal, proudly presented a cheque in the amount of SGD 5,000 at the end of the awarding ceremony.

Singapore Special Olympics receiving a SGD 5,000 cheque

Upon honouring all players and teams for their efforts to support the 6^th MBA Olympics, and presenting the trophy for the title “Overall Champion” to the winning school SP Jain, the event was closed with a friendly football match between the Singapore Special Olympics and a mixed team of all school´s football players, just before sunset. A truly successful event!

The trophy for the “Overall Champion”

….and medals for all teams !

Campus Living, Clubs, Cultural Events, Happenings, Life at Nanyang, Living in Singapore

Student Life At NBS

December 18, 2015 hmteam

The MBA programme at the Nanyang Business School is rigorous. Academics are just one of your many priorities here. Classes, case studies, team projects and homework are just one part of the whole experience because the B-school aims to create future leaders who’ll maintain a work-life balance successfully. During your time here, you’ll have ample options for housing, social activities and business competitions.

Here’s how you can step into the vibrant student life at NBS.

Residential Life:

On-campus housing is available only to full-time graduate students. Graduate Hall 1, Graduate Hall 2, Crescent Hall & Pioneer Hall offer rooms with a single bed, a wardrobe, a desk, an attached bathroom, fan, air-conditioning and an internet connection. Keep your eyes on the notice boards in case something opens up later. If you’re looking for accommodation off-campus, take a look at the Off-Campus Accommodation System (OCAS), which is open to students registered with NTU. The best route to take would be to book an on campus option, settle down and then look for a place off campus with less stress.

Student Executive Council and Club Co-chairs:

The Nanyang MBA Student Executive Council or Student ExCo takes on the responsibility of making every student’s time at NBS a lively one. The MBA students hold annual elections to elect its council members. Candidates are usually given a minute to make a speech that can let the others decide if they’re worth their votes. So that’s a position you may want to vie for as well. Student clubs on campus include those focused on particular industries, sports and cultures. Meet the current council members here.

Healthy Well-being & Philanthropic Activities:

A healthy mind and body are vital to performing well in your MBA programme. If you don’t feel good inside, your work will be affected. But, with so much going on campus, you will find yourself exercising, meeting people and getting lots of fresh air too! In the past, events have included a prison run, kayaking on a nearby island and other outdoor sports that bring you closer to your classmates as well. And since life can’t be complete without doing your bit for the less privileged, the student council organises charitable activities like trips to children’s homes and hospitals.

MBA Olympics:

The MBA Olympics is a volunteer interscholastic sporting event that NBS participates in every year along with Singapore’s other B-schools. It is a friendly competition that aims to raise awareness for a specific cause and collects donations for charity by promotion corporate social responsibility in business. You’ll get to play badminton, basketball and other sports and make a difference in some people’s lives. Sounds interesting? Take a look here.

Business Case Competitions:

What you learn in the classroom needs to be applied outside of it. NBS’ MBA students are regular participants in international business case competitions where they compete against students from B-schools based in the United States, Canada, Germany and so on. These events are a great place to see how academic concepts work in the industry while you interact with fellow MBA candidates who can add to your global perspective of the way things are done in business. In 2015, Nanyang MBA also hosted several case competitions such as Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) and Amalgamation 2015.

So you can stay comfortable, safe and active. The Nanyang MBA office works in collaboration with the Student ExCo to ensure that every MBA student walks home with a degree and lots of valuable experiences that add up to make a journey full of learning.

Clubs, Cultural Events, Happenings, International Exposure, Life at Nanyang, Living in Singapore, Useful Tools and Tips

5 Ways to Live Like a Local in Singapore

October 30, 2015 hmteam

A metropolitan city-state known for its towering skyscrapers and cosmopolitan culture, Singapore is an amazing place to live and explore. Ranked as Asia’s most liveable city and the world’s third best, it is one of the safest in the world. Being a global financial centre, with a consistently stable government, and a burgeoning technology hub, the city is a much sought after educational destination for international students.

If you are a student living in Singapore, or someone who is considering the idea of pursuing your studies there, then here are a few ways that you can soak in the Singaporean lifestyle and experience the city like a local.

Ride the MRT

You haven’t lived the true Singaporean life, if you haven’t been on a commute in the city’s popular subway, also known as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT). Spanning 152.9 kilometres and connecting more than 113 stations, the Singapore MRT is the fastest, easiest and the safest way to get around the city. While there are always taxis to cater to your travel needs, a ride in the MRT is something that lets you feel the pulse of the city and experience the breath-taking views of Singapore’s major landmarks. MRT stations are also known for their remarkable architecture and art installations. The fact that ticketing is done via contactless stored value smartcards, known as the EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay cards, also makes commuting in MRT quite convenient for students, professionals and other regular commuters.

Work and Lounge in Cafes

Whether it’s hanging out with friends in the evening, grabbing your breakfast in the morning or completing your class assignments during the day, Singapore has a slew of cafes that not only offer lively ambience and mouth-watering snacks and beverages, but also provide free Wifi, making them a go-to place for students and professionals to work and relax. Afterglow on Keong Saik Road, Habitat Coffee on Upper Thomson Road, Group Therapy Cafe on Duxton Road, Club Street Social on Gemmill Lane, and Bridge Cafe on Seah Street – these are some of the Singaporean cafes offering free Wifi.

Dance Away the Blues

What makes Singapore such an attractive destination for students and young professionals? It’s got to be the city’s scintillating nightlife. Singapore’s bars, pubs and clubs let you unwind and party hard after a busy day at work. Clarke Quay, Orchard Road, Zouk Club, Chijmes, and Boat Quay – there are endless places to indulge your inner party animal in Singapore.

Go on a Shopping Spree

Think of Singapore and the word ‘shopping’ comes to your mind. From shopping malls to outlet stores, international brands to local products, Singapore has something for every kind of shopper, something for every purse size. Apart from the glitzy malls featuring a wide range of international brands on Orchard Road and Marina Bay Sands, there are also the Mustafa Centre, Bugis Junction and Far East Plaza where you can shop till you drop, without making a big dent in your wallet. Don’t skip the neighbourhood malls like Jurong Point, Bishan Junction 8 and West Mall.

Get Adventurous

Singaporeans love to participate in sports and adventure activities. As a sports enthusiast and thrill-seeker, you’ll have myriad places to get your adrenaline fix. Being an island destination, Singapore is well known for its wide range of water sports such sailing, snorkelling, kayaking and water-skiing. Reverse bungee jumping, indoor skydiving and Formula One racing are a few other unique outdoor experiences worth having in Singapore.

These are just a few of the things that you can do to explore Singapore’s vibrant culture. Share this post with your friends and help them make the most of their stay in the Lion City.

Blog, Happenings, Life at Nanyang

Happy Friendship (Valentine’s) Day !

February 13, 2015 WONG LINLING Leave a comment

Submitted by Phua Boon Huei, Student Exco VP Finance

Today (12 Feb) is a special day. Notably, this marks the last day of our Trimester Two class; and for our friends on the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA program, the last day of NTU class before they head off to Japan to continue their MBA journey.

The MBA gentlemen wanted to mark this day with laughter and loooove (like what our Marketing Professor would say). And it is with perfect timing as well, because Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!

Continue reading Happy Friendship (Valentine’s) Day ! →

Blog, Business Competitions, Happenings, The NANYANG MBA

Homecoming Party for the Champion Team

January 22, 2015 WONG LINLING 2 Comments

Submitted by Reina Wong, Student Exco VP Communications

The Nanyang MBA participated in the John Molson MBA International Case Competition held on 5 to 9 January at Montreal, Canada. The team comprising of Cory Reid, Aswathi Suresh, Sunitha Vijiyasingam and Jonah Wong emerged as division champion, and eventually beat all other semi-finalists and finalists and emerged as the champion team. In fact, the team won every single round of the 7 intensive cases throughout the competition. It is also the first time an Asian school won in this prestigious international competition. (News coverage on Channel News Asia, Straits Times, NTU Website)

Continue reading Homecoming Party for the Champion Team →

Blog, Clubs, Happenings, Networking

EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards Gala

January 15, 2015 WONG LINLING Leave a comment

Submitted by Aswathi Suresh, Co-Chair of the Marketing & Entrepreneurship Club

The EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award is a prestigious business award that is handed out every year in multiple countries across the world to honor enterprising entrepreneurs who have made outstanding contributions to their local economies. Within Singapore, the annual awards gala ceremony has evolved into a tradition and a hallmark event of the business community and this year, the Nanyang MBA was privileged to be a part of it. The only MBA program to be represented at the event, the school was represented by Anggonno Natalnugroho and Aswathi Suresh, co-chairs of the Marketing and Entrepreneurship club.

Continue reading EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards Gala →

Blog, Happenings, The NANYANG MBA

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

September 23, 2014 WONG LINLING Leave a comment

Submitted by Reina Wong, Student Exco VP Communications

The Nanyang MBA ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, organized by the Nanyang MBA Student Exco, took place on 27 August. The event was very successful with a great turnout of participants as well as generous donations from faculty staff and students.

It was our honour to have Prof Ravi Kumar, Dean of the Nanyang Business School, to grace the event and enthusiastically participate in the challenge.

A video clip of our Ice Bucket Challenge has been uploaded to YouTube here showing the participants in action. We also challenged the MBA classes at SMU, NUS and Insead to complete the challenge.

A grand total of USD 700 was raised and donated to the ALS Association on 9 September. We thank all donors for your generosity in making this event a meaningful one.

What is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? 

It is an activity involving participants to dump a bucket of ice water on their head or donate to the ALS Association in the United States. It went viral throughout social media and became a pop culture phenomenon in mid-2014. On August 18, 2014, the ALS Association announced that it had received $15.6 million in donations compared to $1.8 million during the same time period (July 29 to August 18) in the prior year. (Source)

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