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22 May 2008
Interview with Tricia |
Formerly a Science student from Victoria Junior College, Tricia is now a first year student at the SMU Law School. She has an avid interest in sport— as a JC student, she was once part of the canoeing team. Tricia’s other love is music – guitar, and, not forgetting of course – percussion. iDiscipulus caught up with this groovy future lawyer in the midst of a typical day.
1) What were your feelings upon graduating from Junior College? Did you look forward to going on to a new phase in your life?
I didn't exactly look forward to a new phase because at that point of time it just seemed uncertain as to the path I was going to take, i.e., whether I was going to study overseas or locally, what course, etc. JC was a much easier period of time as there was a great deal of guidance given to us. Also, it seems as though we didn't experience enough during JC since it lasted only 2 years and the 2nd year was practically spent studying for the A levels. However, I did look forward to doing something different during the 8-month long break before university started. For instance, I did look forward to working as an intern at a law firm and I really enjoyed my experience during the 5-month long attachment as it was a whole new thing as compared to school life.
2) Why did you choose to study at SMU?
Prestige and flexibility of study were the two main factors in deciding which school to go to. The amount of help and preparation offered by the school in terms of future employment was also something that attracted me. For instance, I was rather impressed with the Office of Career Services Centre in SMU, which is basically in charge of providing support for students who wish to gain experience in the working world. They are the ones who would help students look for attachment opportunities during school vacations. Also, I was impressed with the high employment rate of the first few batches of students who had graduated from SMU. The school is indeed doing alot to prepare its students for employment.
3) What was your university orientation experience like? Have you made new friends at university so far and what are they like?
I would say uni orientation is somewhat different from others. It was entirely planned by students of the school and very flexible/liberal. For instance in JC, our orientation programmes are very tight and a proper time schedule has to be strictly adhered to. In uni, the main objective of the orientation programmes is to meet new people and therefore things are largely more flexible. In school, I usually hang out with friends from my own law faculty as I feel we understand each other better (in terms of workload, etc.). We also help each other out to reduce the workload by, for e.g., mass emailing each other case research and summaries.
4) What has your experience at SMU been like (for e.g., do you find the tutorial system useful, etc)?
The small classes gear you to be more prepared for lessons and encourage you to speak up in class. I like the fact that presentations are integrated in every course so much so that it seems like a natural thing to speak in front of large groups. The nerves that I used to have are gone. Of course, I was rather apprehensive at first with the fact that class participation (which we never had in JC) constitutes a heavy weightage as to the overall grade. As weeks go by, your courage and confidence build up and so it wouldn't seem so stressful anymore. Another thing I like about the small classes (as opposed to huge lectures) is that you get personal attention and you get your queries answered there and then. This saves time as well.
5) Do you join any CCAs at university? Tell us your experience.
I'm part of the Law Society where we organise law events in school as well as outside of school. We're a close-knit group and it makes school life less stressful. Personally, the work load in school also makes it difficult for me to be part of other activities and CCAs and I'm still trying to find a way to balance my time. In fact, there is a fishing club and a travel club in school that I've always wanted to join but failed to due to time constraints.
6) Typically, where do you and your friends hang out after class?
We've got many projects at hand right now and so it's not wholly surprising to find us in school till late. However, we usually make a point to have meals together, sometimes at Fruijch (this 'hang out' cafe in school) or around the city hall area. At times we'll go to the gym in school too. There is always a long list of readings to do for law courses and so much time is actually spent at the library.
7) Do you prefer being in university or JC? Why?
JC, definitely. There is a sense of togetherness and certainty in a class. In university, there is no fixed class as we have different classes for the different modules that we bid for. Furthermore, the teachers in JC provide a great deal of guidance as compared to those in uni (where I suppose you have to be more independent).
8) Do you think you've changed at all since coming to university?
I guess my lifestyle has certainly changed. I used to be quite active in JC, where there was more time to do things such as exercise for e.g., my classmates and I used to jog all the way to East Coast Park and back about twice a week after school. In university, there seems to be fewer opportunities to engage in such activities as more time is spent on school work. However, university is not all that bad. For instance, I believe my confidence level has risen and my showmanship and speaking skills have also improved due to the numerous presentations we have to give.
9) Any words of advice to students preparing to make the transition from Junior College to University?
It's always good to try to get to know seniors who are already in the university so that they may help you adjust/ advise you on academic work/ tell you what the school culture is like. Also, do some research on the courses that you are interested in before making a choice. This way, you will have a sense of the bigger picture and a deeper idea as to what is expected of you. Other than this, I really don't think there is much anyone can do to prepare for university. Everything comes as it is, and you just have to adapt and deal with it.
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