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SINGAPORE: A Reddit post by an international student claiming that missing out on a place at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) or the National University of Singapore (NUS) may actually be \u201ca blessing in disguise\u201d has sparked discussion online. <\/span><\/p>\n The student argued that those who were rejected, couldn\u2019t afford the tuition fees, or were still weighing up their university options, may have unknowingly dodged a difficult experience.<\/span><\/p>\n According to the poster, Singapore\u2019s top universities have been facing growing criticism in recent months, and from his perspective, much of it is justified.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOver the past six months, I\u2019ve seen a lot of negativity behind SG and their top universities (a lot of the current alumni complaining). Well, I\u2019m also a current alumnus and let me tell you, pretty much all of the negativity behind these universities is justified, and to all the people who got rejected\/don\u2019t have the money to go\/considering between universities, trust me, y\u2019all lucked out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He went on to claim that many international students, particularly those not receiving a tuition grant, were treated as \u201ccash cows.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTo most of the students who got in (most of you are again non-Tuition grant students) \u2013 well, you\u2019re basically gonna be treated as cash cows and at the end of your degree, they\u2019ll give you a big fat \u2018f off to your hometown\u2019 for which also you\u2019re gonna get absolutely no support for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He then outlined three main reasons why he believes studying at Singapore\u2019s top universities may not be as appealing as many prospective students think.<\/span><\/p>\n The foreign student claimed Singapore\u2019s job market is \u201cbeyond cooked.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He alleged it was so bad that career counsellors had told international students to return to their \u201cmotherland,\u201d as the NTU name would be enough to help them find work there.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI had one of my counsellors telling me to become a construction worker (yeah, that\u2019s how bad things are getting here). And oh yeah, did I mention no special programs for us -> less chance for us to upskill -> lesser likelihood of getting a good job (anyways, I\u2019m not gonna rant since plenty of students have already done that).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The student also speculated that fewer tuition grants are now being offered because the employment outlook has worsened.<\/span><\/p>\n They argued that with many local and bonded graduates already struggling to find jobs, the government may have become more cautious about awarding grants to international students, as they would have little chance of securing employment in Singapore after graduation.<\/span><\/p>\n At the same time, the student claimed the opposite had been true just a few years ago, arguing that tuition grants were handed out far more generously before and shortly after the pandemic, with \u201cevery Tom, Dick, and Harry\u201d seemingly receiving one.<\/span><\/p>\n To support this point, he shared: \u201cI had a senior 2 years ago who got around 87% and got into NTU computing with a Tuition grant (which heavily undermined the quality of students coming in). Obviously, this sucks because those guys are barely smart enough to do anything and they give a bad reputation \/ ruin the chances for actually talented students.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Beyond the job market and tuition grants, the student said the universities had made several decisions over the past few years that \u201cgenuinely boil his blood.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He claimed the universities made research mandatory instead of work experience or internships and gave student buildings to large corporations.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey gave out student buildings to big corp simply because they donated a ton of money to the uni (students get no benefits by the way, internationals have it worse).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He added that those who failed to get into NTU or NUS \u201cshould be grateful\u201d they never had to experience them.<\/span><\/p>\n On top of that, the student complained about the steady rise in food prices and hall rental fees.<\/span><\/p>\n He claimed accommodation costs have climbed so sharply that living on campus now costs almost as much as renting elsewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c[They increased] the rent of all the halls by a drastic amount every year to the point that getting housing outside of campus now would almost be the same (usually the difference between prices outside and within campus used to be like 50% cheaper on campus). And there\u2019s quite a bit more, but you get the point.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Lastly, the student criticised the universities\u2019 administration, stating, \u201cAdmin is extremely inefficient, and even if you get an internship, they\u2019re gonna bog you down with a bunch of unnecessary stuff (other NUS\/NTU students have spoken in greater depth about this).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The post has since drawn criticism, with some Redditors saying the post author sounded rather \u201centitled.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n One argued that Singapore had no obligation to hire inexperienced graduates.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy would Singapore need to hire inexperienced graduates? I find it a common problem with Indian students, especially, where they expect jobs to be handed to them on a silver platter because they\u2019re used to the placement system back home. It\u2019s pretty hilarious. You\u2019re right. You\u2019re here to study, not to get a job. If you need to go into a huge amount of debt, then don\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Another said, \u201cDo you realise how entitled you sound? Nobody owes you a job or a living.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A third pointed out, \u201cBruh, if I pay to study in the US, I ain\u2019t expecting them to give me a job. Very entitled to think that paying for education is a guaranteed means of getting a job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A few others, however, defended the post author, with one arguing that those criticising the post did not fully understand how challenging the situation is for international students.<\/span><\/p>\n For one, the Redditor pointed out that some companies, particularly multinational corporations, explicitly state that they only hire \u201cSingapore citizens or permanent residents.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n They added, \u201cThe commenters also need to realise it is significantly harder for international students to break into the local unis in Singapore, and if we assume that most of us keep the same level of intelligence and hard work going forward, it definitely will not be a skill issue on our part.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI also don\u2019t understand how people are justifying the incompetence of the career counsellors and the overall teaching body with the argument that these are top universities. If their education is bad, career support is horrible, and there is zero help on either side, then am I supposed to praise y\u2019all for your services? No.\u201d\/TISG<\/span><\/p>\n Read also: <\/span>Singaporean who was laid off twice gives brutally honest answer to \u2018Where do you see yourself in five years?\u2019<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\nJob market<\/span><\/h2>\n
Tuition grant<\/span><\/h2>\n
Campus concerns<\/span><\/h2>\n
\u201cNobody owes you a job or a living\u201d<\/span><\/h2>\n