Course + Year: SMU Bachelor of Business Management (Specialisation in Marketing) Y3
I was studying in Temasek Polytechnic School of Design (Communication Design). It’s not completely unrelated to my current course in university as Communication Design is a very minor aspect of marketing.
I had two options – Business Management (Marketing) and Social Sciences (Psychology). Initially, I wanted to do Social Sciences because I’ve always felt passionate about helping people. After taking a design internship in Year 3, I realised that I wanted to do more than illustrating in front of a computer. I wanted to learn more about the world beyond design and also to work with others. In the end, I chose business because it would give me more exposure to business processes which almost every organisation requires. No matter where you’re placed, you can still help others.
I preferred SMU because I’ve heard from so many people about the “unique pedagogy” which encourages you to step out of your comfort zone and the emphasis on class participation. I believed SMU would challenge and improve my self-confidence the most.
The admission process for all SMU applicants requires you to submit a personal statement. There is no hard and fast rule on what works and what doesn’t. However, SMU loves people who are different and can inspire others. One general tip would be to understand who you are as a person and how that aligns to SMU. Before the interview, ask yourself:
The personal statement gives SMU a glimpse of how you’ll fit into their culture. The interview for all SMU Business applicants does the same by putting you in a classroom scenario. At the start, they allocate you into groups to read an article together. This article is completely unrelated to the actual interview. It’s used to prepare your mind on what to talk about. You’ll be brought into a classroom with your groupmates and asked a question about a specific topic. Lots of people contemplate how much they should speak up during the interview. Keep in mind that you are not in a pure debate. Build up on others’ points while giving your own opinion. It’s also always great if you have knowledge about the topic on hand.
Some tips i’ll leave you for the interview would be:
Most importantly, no matter what the outcome of your application is, this is a precious experience you will learn from. Use this experience to cultivate your character and take note of your strengths and weaknesses. All the best!
You get to choose your timetable every semester. Most people go with 4-5 modules. Each module is a 3 hours class. There are two reading weeks in total – before midterms and finals.
We choose our specialisation from the start of Year 1 to the end of Year 2; then your Capstone can be taken in Year 4.
There are two different capstones modules in Business School – The Design of Business and Management of Multinationals Across. These modules are client challenges for you to solve. The former is related to designing a business plan while the latter gives you an experience of working in an MNC, by working with teammates across cultures.
We have both individual exams and group assignments. In SMU we normally have 1 group project, individual assignment, midterms and finals.
It ultimately depends on your professor! So do your research on the professors well.
My specialisation is Marketing. If you’re someone who’s trying to figure out what you want to do, I highly encourage you to think about what you are good at and enjoy. Are you good with numbers? Explore finance or accounting. Are you detail-oriented? There’s always operations. Do you enjoy being creative? Go for Marketing.
Also, talk to people in the industry to gain a better understanding of what to expect. For example, some jobs require long working hours. If work-life balance is extremely important to you, you would have to consider going for another major. You could also take an internship to gain first-hand experience.
I honestly love all of my modules haha because I generally enjoy learning new things.
My most favourite would be Consumer Behavior – it helped me understand how people make decisions and made me question what sort of unconscious biases I have in making decisions.
My least favourite was Statistics. I wished it was more applicable to real life, perhaps by giving us more opportunities for analytics. The statistics module I took was very math focused without much practical application. A missed opportunity, really.
To sum it up, my favourite module was the most applicable one. My least was the least applicable in real life.
SMU has a lot of projects. Every single module requires a project. It can be quite difficult to cope with because you’re juggling with projects and studying for examinations at the same time.
Not at all! I think I am right where I’m supposed to be. There may be moments when I think that there’s so much work or SMU is too out of my comfort zone for me, but I believe that I’ll reap the fruits of my labour at the end of the day. You’ll grow so much from doing something different and that’s the most important!
People who are more willing to speak up and have a flair in writing. These are some factors but most importantly, be resilient and persevere. You might not be good at something now, but anything is possible. Keep striving to be better at what you do every day and you’ll do great!
SMU gives every student a career coach to guide you. Normally you can speak to your career coach to learn about the career progression and job. I’ve met her two times. One for a review of my CV and resume, another for internship suggestions along with debunking some myths. Yes, GPA matters because it affects the pay of your first job! So study hard!
Brand management then becoming a counsellor eventually.
When I was contemplating what path to take when I graduate, my SMU professor suggested Brand Management: I’ve always enjoyed thinking about why people think the way they do and how they perceive things. Since brand management is focused on handling how brands are perceived by its customers and forming good relationships with them, I thought it was perfect for me.
Most perceptions are based on the packaging, associated colours and lettering. Which is very relevant to my previous experience in design. So it’s something I’m exploring right now through internships and speaking to more people.
I would love to become a counsellor eventually, serving youths at risk. Singaporean students are always involved in the chase for perfect credentials. Sometimes they neglect their mental health as well. This doesn’t just happen in university, it happens in secondary school and Polytechnic as well. After joining Peer Helpers, working closely with counsellors and speaking to distressed people in school, I became more passionate about helping others. So many people don’t receive enough support and we must do more to reach out to them. That’s how counselling crossed my mind, I just wanted to be someone who could help others. I’m not diving into this now because it requires a Masters! So it’s a goal I’m progressing towards eventually. No matter where you are, you can still help others!
Yes! Coming from a design background, I’ve always been interested in a job which is creative, personal and strategic. I love how marketing requires you to think about the best strategy to reach out to your target audience. Marketing requires quite a bit of empathy too, which I hold close to my heart.
Right now, I’m doing a 6-months internship with GSK, a multinational pharmaceutical company. So far it has definitely challenged me in becoming more detail-oriented with better time management skills. The culture here is definitely patient-focused, everyone wants to produce the best possible work in order to reach out to our target audience.
In Year 1, I took a part-time marketing internship with The Xplorer, an urban exploration race application. This involved the management of their brand image, social media marketing and producing collaterals. It’s a small start-up filled with people with great ideas. Everything is creativity driven, and there’s lots of space to try out new things.
My SMU career coach was extremely useful in helping me with my resume and CV. We can book an appointment with them anytime. If you’re in SMU, do book an appointment with them. They will give you so many insights on working!
Nope! Those who stay on campus are mostly international students.
SMU is pretty dynamic. Manage your time well and do the things you’ve always wanted to do. Don’t let fear stop you. Let it propel you to do greater things and you’ll learn so many new things about yourself.
Peer Helpers – we act as the bridge between the SMU students and the Mrs Wong Kwok Leong Student Wellness Centre, a counselling service, by being a listening ear to others and helping them out with their problems.
sMarketing – an academic CCA to learn more about marketing. We hold a lot of networking sessions as well as company visits to understand how marketing operates in different countries.
Christian Fellowship – A Christian CCA that focuses on proclaiming the gospel while having weekly bible studies.
Volunteering to serve underprivileged children in CDAC and Bethel Community Services. We conducted a few beneficiary visits surrounding the topic of Dare to Dream, did arts and crafts with them as well as talks about chasing your dreams. It was so humbling to learn about the circumstances people go through.
Have faith in whatever you do and don’t give up! Everything you do has a purpose behind it.
The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the interviewees and do not reflect the official policy or position of any institution. They are also not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, class, individual or organisation.
The information contained in this website is intended to provide general guidance only. It should not be relied upon as professional advice and does not 100% guarantee admission into any course.
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