Hello, my name is Bin Hong and I was a student studying in National University of Singapore (NUS). Let me share my university experience. My whole life I have been working towards the goal of getting a university degree. Every step of the way was planned with the goal of getting the university certification, certifying not just the knowledge I gained but also the hope and pride that is instilled in me from my parents from young.
The Start
In the first semester of school, I lost all my motivation to study. I finally entered National University of Singapore. All my goals since young all acuminated to this moment. I knew once I entered university, I would definitely get the degree as long as I don’t commit any major offences or fail too many subjects. As the famous saying goes, “Getting into the best university is harder than studying in that university.”. I finally got into the course I am interested in and the most prestigious university in Singapore. In my mind, I was constantly wondering what should I aim for next?
However, as I continue in my university education, I slowly gained back some motivation. I realised that self-improvement should have been my goal all along to achieve financial freedom. I started to explore into areas of how to better utilise the skills that I have learned throughout my different semesters. I start to take on part-time jobs to hone some skills I am severely lacking or weak at. Forcing myself to go beyond my comfort zone. For example, I started to give science workshops to different groups that came to the Singapore Science Centre. This ranges from kindergarten to secondary school-level science workshops. For me, teaching the workshop was one of the ways I get to practice public speaking and code switching between Mandarin and English.
The Covid Period
Soon, Covid-19 struck Singapore. This pandemic came assaulting the world silently and disrupted every single one of my plans effectively. I remember before covid struck, I was still planning for an overseas exchange programme to Sweden with my friends. Although this was an uncontrollable situation, not going to the exchange programme has since become my biggest regret while in National University of Singapore.
As the saying goes, “When God closes a door, He opens a window.”. During the pandemic lockdown, it really gave me a lot of time to reflect on myself and what I want to achieve from the university education and out of my life. What’s next after graduate from National University of Singapore. Questions such as: The type of career that I want to pursue; the type of relationships I want to have with my family and friends, and how I can achieve it. These questions have helped me to better focus on what I really wanted out of my life in the long run.
The End
As I come to the end of my university education, I come to realise that education institutions give a very structured way of educating individuals and they merely provides the structure for one’s path to learning for the rest of his life. A university education is only one of the many means to the end to self-betterment. There is absolute certainty that I will continue to learn, relearn, and update my skills to remain relevant in the everchanging working environment.
- My NUS University Experience - 2023-01-06