Written by Eugenie (Y1, ECPP) 😊

Throughout my primary to tertiary school experience, it seemed like anything and everything I did was geared towards one specific goal: to get good grades to enter a good university. Then, in the blink of an eye, the momentous A-level exam was over, and I was overcome with a sense of uncertainty on how I should choose my future path. The decision of which university to go to was a tough one to make, and I had to juggle between many considerations like university culture, hall life and academic rigour. Ultimately, I chose to enrol in NTU’s Economics & Public Policy and Global Affairs Double Major programme, as well as the NTU-University Scholars Programme (NTU-USP).

The two programmes sounded like a lot to handle at once, but I was attracted by the promise of interdisciplinary learning and the close-knit community that NTU-USP offered. To me, it was an opportunity that I felt I could not pass up. I wanted to have my cake and eat it too! When university finally started, as I expected, it was tough to manage my studies amidst the hustle and bustle of university life. During Orientation, I was bombarded with information.

“Here’s some tips to win in the STARS war!”

“Have you signed up for Hall Orientation?”

“Which clubs are you joining?” 

It felt as if everything hit me like a truck, and I was lost in a maze of confusion. Every turn that I took led me to even more worries about not just my first year, but also how the rest of my university life would pan out; overseas exchange programmes, internships, extracurricular activities, and the list keeps going! All these concerns seemed so imminent when I constantly overheard my peers discussing and sounding so certain about their plans, whilst I could not give a definitive answer when someone asked me where I would like to go on exchange, or which internship opportunities I was looking out for.

Orientation quickly came to an end. Yet, I still had not found my footing. While I had a good time socialising with others, I didn’t feel like I had found my group of friends; friends that I could call when I am bored, friends I could lean on when I need help and friends I could reach out to for a listening ear. The glorified impression I had of university came crumbling down. It was not nearly as fun as I had thought. Instead, I found myself feeling quite lonely…

Of course, there were many social events I could attend to find my go-to group. However, there are only so many hours in a day. Attending these events often meant less time for myself, my family or my studies. The rigour of academic work was catching up to me and slowly, I realised that I had grossly underestimated the demands of university. 

Before I knew it, two semesters had flashed by, and I am finally reaching the end of my first year in university. Reflecting on my journey thus far, I realised that the incoming freshmen may face the very same challenges I had to tackle. Don’t get me wrong – university is still hard. However, if you are struggling like me, I promise that things will get better.

One year of university has taught me many valuable lessons. Firstly, feeling overwhelmed or intimidated at the start of university is totally natural. It’s completely okay to not know what you want to do, and it is likely that many others feel the same way you do. I came to this realisation as I spoke with my NTU-USP friends and seniors who confided that they went through the same issues. I felt so relieved to hear that I was not alone when I struggled to transition into this new phase of my life. 

Before I started the academic year, NTU-USP paired me with a senior buddy, Glendon, who is in the same major as me. Whenever I was in doubt, I reached out to him, and he gave me tips on which key events to look out for and the possible opportunities that NTU-USP has for me. To top it off, the handbook compiled by the NTU-USP Freshmen Orientation Committee for the freshmen batch was such a lifesaver, it helped me navigate through my first few weeks in university.

While orientation is a great starting point, don’t sweat if you haven’t found your group of people. Second lesson I learnt: you have to be patient; they exist, and you’ll meet them one day. NTU-USP organises many activities that allow you to expand your social circle. We had a Back-to-School event in the first week of school where we got to dress up as Disney characters! I had a lot of fun playing trivia with my friends, and I got the chance to get to know more NTU-USP friends and seniors.

As my batchmates grew closer together, we started hanging out more, like having meals, playing games, and working on assignments together. Even now, the friends that I have formed strong bonds with are mostly from NTU-USP. It’s really comforting to have people who I can turn to share my thoughts and go through the university experience together. 

My third lesson: university is hard, but the challenge is fulfilling! One of the hardest challenges I faced was during the Travel Overseas Programme for Scholars (TOPS). This is an NTU-USP core module that provided an opportunity for me to collaborate with friends from different majors and delve into qualitative research through interdisciplinary means. For my group’s research project, we decided to investigate the driving forces behind plastic waste in Sapa, Vietnam. We faced many challenges in Sapa, like the mountainous terrain, language barriers, and cultural differences with the locals. Despite the obstacles, we managed to collect data, interview stakeholders, write our research report, and prepare our Mixed Media Deliverable to present our findings. This reflected our perseverance, and I am so proud of our achievements.

Fourth lesson, university is a time for you to explore! University is a safe place for you to make mistakes. If you don’t make mistakes, you don’t learn. I joined the Arts, Culture and Social Affairs (ACSA) subcommittee in the NTU-USP Club which has allowed me to learn event planning skill sets and enhance my appreciation of the arts like crocheting and origami. With the guaranteed hall stay for my first year by NTU-USP, I have also explored my various interests in dance and recreational games through hall CCAs including Pioneer’s very own dance club Parad18m, contract bridge and darts.

Furthermore, I expanded my social circle when I played for contract bridge in the Inter-Hall Recreational Games (IHRG) by meeting like-minded friends.

Surrounded by a supportive community, I am now more courageous and daring to try out new things and occupy myself with commitments other than academics. I really appreciate the fact that many clubs here are open to people without experience and they create a safe space for members to learn, which removes the barrier of prerequisites and encourages me to pursue what I truly like. Personally, I’m pleasantly surprised at how many new things I have tried, particularly my greater engagement with different forms of art. Recently, I have decided to also try out something completely new to me, which is participating as the ensemble cast for USPresents, NTU-USP’s very own annual theatre production.

Although the academic year is coming to a close, there are still so many upcoming events that NTU-USP has in store for us, and I’m excited to see what other novel opportunities I may pick up and what I will have learnt by the end of my first year. Looking up to my seniors in NTU-USP, I envision myself as a Year 2 being more academically oriented, but still striving to achieve a work-life balance by taking up greater responsibilities such as progressing from a member to a subcommittee member in the recreational games that I’m playing now.

I am sure university will have its up and downs and that my second, third and fourth year will present new challenges that put me out of my comfort zone. However, with the skills I’ve learnt this year and the supportive community I have found, I am confident I can tackle these challenges like a champion!