KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

University age is a great time for students to travel and see another part of the world and experience different cultures. There are lots of Universities in Europe, the United States and Australia that offer mass communication degrees and at the same time allow the student to explore the world. And especially for mass communication, you want to know how to reach out to people in different cultures and how different people speak and respond to communication.

I am visiting the US now during the school holiday and I am reminded of how many great opportunities there are over here in terms of education.

Not sure if there is a discussion on this before, moderators, pls merge if there is one.

As we know, both Uni are the best in SIN, so given a choice (if both have the same courses), would you choose NUS as first choice?

I was given the impression that top students will definitely choose NUS over NTU. Is it true?

I like to know -
Is the quality of teaching in both institutions comparable?
Why does everyone go for NUS?
Do employers really consider which Uni you come from when you apply for jobs (bearing in mind that all other factors are constant)

Hope to hear the views from everyone here.

Thanks.

SMU also equally good. Dont forget SUTD too

Some courses do not overlap between NUS and NTU...and some seemingly same but actually have subtle differences

FASS is more established in NUS

B Acc is more established in NTU as it was transplanted from NUS though now NUS started B Acc again

MBBS is quite different between LKC and YLL, entrance requirements are different too

NTU does not have architecture. And SUTD's archi is diff from NUS too

NTU does not have dentistry .....

More meaningful to compare the actual degrees on offer between the various institutions rather than just overall name plate ranking of the uni

Do note all these uni do not have allied health care degrees which is actually in great demand going forward. MOHH is spending large sum of money sending students to "not so famous" uni to do the allied health care degrees because they are good at it

I don't think most people have a better/worse opinion when comparing whole universities. But the emphasis or electives offered, even in the courses which are offered by more than university, will differ, and the assessment requirements etc may also differ. Some employers may prefer one over the other. At the end of the day, though, it's the assessment of the applicant by the employer that matters most, rather than whether the degree is from NUS/NTU/SMU etc.

Which course is your daughter applying for, zbear? I would compare the unis based on the course of interest rather than looking at the overall university ranking.

Location wise, NUS is much more accessible, especially now that Kent Ridge MRT is up.

I think travelling to and from NTU can take up to 4 hours per day, if the student is not living in the extreme west of Singapore.

It really depends on the course. If wanna compare must compare in the narrower sense. Biz vs biz, Psych vs Psych etc. Some courses are better at NTU than at NUS. You really have to look quite deep into it.

It also depends on the specialisation and concentrations that one intends to do. This will be dependant on the faculty members of the division. If you want to research on a particular issue but you have no suitable professors that specialise in that area, then you won't be able to. Fields such as pol science, psych, sociology and philosophy are extremely broad!! So its not possible to compare FASS vs HASS. Neither universities can claim that their entire faculty actually covers ALL sub-fields and are experts in them. So it really boils down even to the particular sub-field you are interested in. I chose NTU specifically because they poached really good, up and coming professors in a sub-field I am interested in. Although NUS does offer modules in this sub-field, their professors are not well-known and their papers are not as well-cited. Also, NTU is a direct major unlike FASS. So it really depends on what you want out of your degree. NTU has much closer student-prof interaction IMO. Undergrads can also start research with their profs with the URECA programme. I feel its well-suited for those academic overachievers who are looking towards a career in academia. But its really up to the individual and what he wants out of his degree.

One of the reasons students choose NTU over NUS is the attractive scholarship offered to top students.

For NTU, bond free scholarship (Nanyang/College Scholarship) is given more readily to top students e.g. those with UAS 87.5 and above. I know quite a number of 7As/8As students who choose NTU over NUS when everything seems equal (e.g course that they like are offered in both unis) because of the scholarship. Distance is not a problem as students can stay in the hostel, which is also covered by the scholarship.

Employers don't look at which local uni the students come from. They look at individual's capability, their academic achievements, how they perform during selection tests and interviews, if they fit into the firm's culture etc.

Not true
My son just submitted his application last nite
He prefer SMU though he still apply for NUS

In recent years, I feel NTU and SMU are more in touch and offering more relevant courses compared to NUS. Because they are "newer" than NUS, they are bolder and more willing to try something new. They have also been more aggressive in getting in top students by offering them scholarships. Scholarships holders are also guaranteed hostel accommodation. NTU looks like its heading towards the right direction. If you look at the IGP, it doesn't look like NUS-rejects go to NTU.

NUS seems to be taking its own sweet time to take its pick. While it has started offering places to students who can meet the course's IGP, i haven't hear of them offering places to students with 90 UAS yet.

NUS double degrees takes 4.5-5 years to finish. I thought that was a bit too long. Whereas SMU and NTU are able to offer these in 4 years.