guide

hello pple, finally had a deserving rest for the past 24hrs. anyway.. i heard alot of pple are going thru a tough phase whether to go for sep anot. abit abt myself. abt a yr ago, i was faced with the same situation. these are the top things thats holding/pushing me.

1. personal objectives
2. money
3. boy/ger friend
4. hall friends
5. influential figurine

abit abt myself. i respect huan (my elder bro) alot. so that time when he choose the jcrc path instead of the sep path, i was surprised. realli coz according to him, he already gt the offer, but withdraw as he weigh his personal priorities. well, maybe tks to him, i decide the choose the other path, to forgo the passion, love for the hall for smthing less recognised publicly. it was a tough and painful process to be frank, i had to convince myself i was gd to be able to represent nus to go overseas, to make sure my influence/respect in hall would be intact, my gf wld love me as much, my family would still be fine with the additional financial burden and of coz my friends would be still ard when i come by to the 6th fl.

but, life is not perfect and life is always greener on the other side. i rejoiced when i gt the acceptance letter, but at the same time more problems seemed to surface. hall issues, gf issue, family issue. all these would soon be straighten out for those genuniely keen enthusiasts. also, the other top things i cldnt bear with is with my hall mates, even more with the newly joining in hatchlings, by now they shd be called eguanettes (half grown le).. im so sure that a proper integration to a new environment is necessary as how my blkhead (huan) taught me to. so, i went against the odds, gt a rm to stay despite not theroticall a nus student at that sem, under special excuse by master. i so wanted to let the newbies settle down and to call kr a home next to their real ones and of coz to nurture friendship that goes a long way. so, im can say for sure those who stay more than 15mths in kr then truly understand and gone thru hw a hostelite functions and surely somehow one wld miss everything abt it, the toilet, the corridor, the chairs, even the toilet cleaning auntie. u cant jus leave and choose to format all ur memory like dat. dat was the place where u eat, shit and sleep almost 24/7.

so before leaving, adopt a healthy mindset if u wanna come back, if u do, wat do u want to contribute, if nt wat wld u like to do as a tribute to this place dat give u so much. its more of a self reflection thingy, cant dictate hw much u wanna do. feelings.

likewise for bgr, i am so in love with syl too. i noe shes upset that im leaving, at the same thing shes aware nothing she say is going to change my mind, for that i applaud her acceptance and understand. thank you dear. so, pple, do have a heart to heart talk with ur partners and make sure a gd understanding and trust is laid down. dats a gd platform to go far and stable. i dun deny there are distractions along the way, but at least, u have something concrete in ur memory to turn to shd things go awry. so i cherished every single moment with her before departure tho she feel its not enff. i thanked her for siding me.

money issues, this is probably the biggest boulder holding u guys back. yes, uk is abt 3x, usa is abt 2x.. it goes on so forth. so, wat can u do? get ur ass moving and start earning $. vimal worked as a telemarker as gt almost 7k with 2mths. during the 3mths holi, its the best time, unless u are some rich man's son or daughter. im not, but im realli fortunate to have very supportive parents who has set aside resources for us to study. this made me appreciate and understand the power of capital reserves. anyway, for those enthusiasists, start to source for money. a genuine gd way is to start wif nus bursaries n lee fdn scholarships for SEP. next wld be from immediate families, like working bros, sis, dad & mum. next is extended families, like ur fav 2nd uncle or third auntie kinda thingy.. im sure ur family wld be more than willing to support ur exchange adventure. finally, urself to work ur ass for it, start working, with an aim and objective, hw much u wannan cut down ur exdture/save up.. this goes a long way.

i think lastly, also impt is wat u wanna achieve from sep. i spoke to quite a no. of pple, to vince, keith, jax, bills, etc on the pros n cons of sep. nt dat u can decide jus by listening to them but at least it gives u a better picture.. for me i wanna experience hw the foreign curriculum functions. to taste the 'supremity' of ang mohs.. hw coem they are a supernation even tho their leaders are f-up, haha. also, next i wanna extend my networking. i want to have friends all over the world, like i have friends from japan, thai, taiwan, spain & usa (hopefuly). to be indepandant and to expand my career opportunies.. also for post grad studies.

well, at least 2 keen enthusiast asked me abt the essay for sep, heh.. this is the main essence i've inclded:

1. tell them ur abt ur personal objectives, aims, blah, blah.,. gd to talk big and far.. but always have the idea of contributing back to nus/sg somehw

2. ur financial status, come from humble backgrd.. nt able to finance full expenses w/o nus spprt.. haha. back to porh nus skyhigh.. its a golden chance to learn..

3. nus being a global institution, nurturing young adults.. ample overseas opportunities. porh as well.. grooming young talents.

4. thankful for nus giving u the chance. willing to come back to serve and share ur experinece with ur peers. promote and sing praises again.

heh.

well, jus my 2cents worth of opinion regarding sep. dun go becoz some1 asked u to. go becoz u feel the need to, else u wldnt enjoy and benefit from there. better to let some1 else to take the place. do a gd research on the differnt insitutions (i feel all is abt the same, coz its foreign varisities anyway).. the modules matching is a pain, but do a gd matchup or u gonna suffer later. do a rough expected cost like airtic, insurance, daily expenses, necessities, thermal wear, hostel feels, food etc.

shoot me any qns to find out more abt the procedures, im sure the IRO officer left something out during their sep briefing ;)

love and bless u all

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