Graduate Studies Blog
Nanyang Business School (NBS) will soon have its first Masters’ graduate from the Republic of Palau, an island located in the Western Pacific ocean, and host to about 20,000 inhabitants. Ms Danielle Jean-Marie Willis is currently pursuing her graduate studies in the MSc Accountancy programme, and is due for graduation in six months.
We chatted with Danielle about her academic journey – her far-flung beginnings and beyond:
Hi Danielle, tell us more about the Republic of Palau – you are our first Palauan enrolled here in NBS.
It’s known for being a tourist destination, and we have only one community college (two-year programme), so you can’t get a bachelor’s degree. People have to leave in order to pursue further education.
Has there been anyone else from Palau who has considered coming to Singapore?
Not that I know of, but they are trying to implement the structure of Singapore’s education system back there. I had to apply for a loan to get here, and the reason they granted the loan was so that more of us from Palau could be educated overseas and then go back and share our experiences. That would contribute to their education system.
What about the academic journey you took before finally arriving at NBS, Singapore? (Palau > Taiwan > Singapore)
I managed to get a scholarship from Taiwan. Every year they award five-year scholarships, one year to be completed in Chinese and then four years in English.
So, is the community college in Palau modelled after the US system?
Yes, the two years of Community College in Palau are modelled after the community colleges in the United States, which are similar to the junior colleges here in Singapore.
What was it like transiting from a US system to an Asian one?
I jumped from taking four modules a semester to anywhere between eight and 15 modules a semester in Taiwan, which was quite a lot to handle for me. I had to learn to adapt, balance, and manage my time across all those modules.
What made you decide on Nanyang Business School’s MSc Accountancy programme?
Well this school is quite famous in Asia. In Taiwan they hire quite a lot of their senior managers who’ve gone to this school.
What was it like taking your undergraduate programme in Chinese previously, was it a choice?
- What are the differences in learning between English and Chinese?
- Did you anticipate any difficulties in making the transition?
A lot of the people on scholarship usually choose English as their medium, but I wanted Chinese, as it was something I was more interested in. I started my undergraduate journey with computer science, and then gravitated towards modules that had more math and numbers. Eventually I thought switching to Accountancy would be a better choice, so I did.
Learning in Chinese meant I had to do a lot of self-learning and preparation before classes. In class, I’d understand about 60-70% of what was taught, and the rest I had to just learn on my own through the notes I took or through the textbooks.
How do you think your work experience so far as an audit intern and a junior auditor will help contribute to your MSc Accountancy experience?
We have an audit module, and in class the teacher always looks to us to share our experiences or thoughts. Auditing is so different from accounting, because it involves a lot of practical experience and procedures that can’t be learnt in class and is hard to grasp. A lot of my classmates who don’t have work experience feel that they can ‘see the trees, but not the forest’ (bigger picture).
What were you looking forward to the most in NBS? Did it match your expectations?
Undergraduate education was a lot of one-way learning, where I would attend my lectures, take notes and try to get through the exams every semester. We never gave any presentations or had too many discussions with fellow classmates. But I’ve found that I learn a lot more from discussions and group projects, which I get to experience now in NBS.
Do you have any friends from Taiwan enrolled here with you in NTU/NBS?
No, there is one girl from Taiwan, but I’m friends with a diverse group here in NBS. I’ve made really good friends here. I never actually had any back in Taiwan, probably because there was no time to socialize.
Do you already have a favourite professor here?
I like Professor Lee Kin Wai; I think I like his attitude. Everyone respects him, because he knows what he’s talking about. A lot of professors at the graduate level are practitioners in their industries. With Prof Lee for example, when he talks it’s easy for us to digest it because it is practical knowledge. I also like Professor Premila Gowri Shankar – she’s smart and a good role model for us students, especially the female ones.
In her role as Junior Auditor at the Office of the Public Auditor (Palau) in the past year, Danielle has already audited the government at National and State levels, assisted with the completion of two State audits and one grant audit, and assisted with the preparation of two performance audit reports – all in a span of a few months. No better way to pay back the island’s good faith in her.
About the MSc Accountancy
The MSc Accountancy programme is offered by Nanyang Business School (NBS) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore). NTU Singapore is currently ranked 11th in the world by QS World University Rankings, making it the top University in Asia. NBS ranks number 1 in Asia for its accountancy research (all years) and also its Ph.D. programme in Accounting (source: Brigham Young University Accounting Rankings).
The programme can be completed in a year by full-time students, and in two years by part-time students. It is conducted in English and its academic rigour is complemented with strong career support from by the Graduate Studies Career Development Office (GSCDO), which helps the students procure suitable jobs with ease post-graduation.
Visit our page to learn more about the MSc Accountancy!
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