Dude, I think subsidizing your second Uni stint is just as wasteful, if not more, than subsidizing a foreigner.

By the way, NUS education is buay pai already. Just go on an exchange to find out.

????? ?????????

In the first place, we should not question about taxpayer’s money. We should question what are the authorities doing to help locals get a good education.

Overseas, some unis actually give free tuition fees to their locals. And some even pay them to study! Ok, I don’t expect that sort of treatment here. But how do you account for the fact that foreigners only need to pay 10% more than us Singaporeans to study here? Taxpayers paying for my fees? Perhaps, but think deeper again.

For $80+k to pay full course fees to study here for 4 years, seriously, I’d rather foot the extra money for lodging, food, etc to experience life overseas. Unfortunately, to begin with, I cannot pay that kind of fees for the course I’m studying. It’s not a career which will return me big money in the short term.

Moreover, I don’t see the logic of my having to pay so much when in the first place, NUS could have given me a double degree.

Moreover, it’s very flexible for undergrads to switch subjects, courses and majors, or get double majors. It’s a pain and as good as impossible here. What if in mid-life I wish to get a second degree which I find I can do better in my career? You can do that easily overseas.

No man, I’m not interested in a law-related degree.

The tertiary system here is far from world class. No surprise why Singapore is labelled as an “elitist” country. You got to choose where you are going else it’s almost a no turning back.

you’ve already been subsidised once for your first NUS degree, why should taxpayers subsidise your second one, when others have not enjoyed their first chance to be subsidised? Unless special factors are involved. Therefore its par for the course that you should pay full fees for your second degree which arguably is still lesser than a full fledged cost of a “better” degree overseas (tuition/books/living costs).

Lets take Oxford for ( a hard to argue) example of a better degree for arguments sake. A BA costs 11k british pounds for foreign students. 44k for 4 years. Over 120k Sing dollars tuition fees. Add living costs/books on top of that. Ok stanford charges US$24k per year for tuition.

So weren’t you glad that your first degree cost you only $24k sing dollars for 4 years?

I do agree with you that the NUS spread of educational courses pales in comparison to other major universities. However, they are playing catch up now with offerings of double degrees/majors/concurrent degrees etc. I also missed the boat.

But if you want to take a second degree in NUS and still pay subsidised fees, this is the only one I know of, which I am in: http://law.nus.edu.sg/prospective/undergrad/glp.htm. Also you can use your degree to apply and do not need to compete with the “young lads” with A levels.

I love the time I spent with my friends there. I love some parts of the environment. But I’m bitter over the administration, the stupid guys up there who call the shots. Here’s why:

When I tried to take a second major, I was rejected. Their reply was: Nope, no such thing. You belong to XYZ faculty, you can only graduate in XYZ. You can’t major in an ABC subject.

Ok fine. Limited and crippled educational system, I thought.

So after I graduated and worked for a while, I wanted to so badly major in ABC at NUS. I told them I wanted to start afresh. Take me in as a freshie. They said Ok, but you have to compete with that year’s A level students. I was like, Huh??! I graduated with Honours from your institution and I need to compete with the young lads?

Ok fine, so be it. I was getting excited at the prospect to study as a new undergrad again. Never mind, “wasting” a few years of work (at least I saved some money.)

But wait…. What about the course fees, I suddenly remembered. Then came their most discouraging and illogical reply: “Youve been subsidized by MOE before, so you’ve got to pay the Full Course Fees”. Ok bring it on…. How much?

S$80,000+ for a 4-year course!

I repeat if that figure didn’t sink into you yet: S$80,000.

They got to be kidding right?! I could easily have gotten a better education overseas with that same amount of money! Ok, maybe not inclusive of daily expenses and lodging. But still… Why in the world would I want to study in NUS when other better unis overseas charge similar course fees?

That pissed me off a lot. As with the limited educational system in general, you get chained into a particular course/career here and your life’s pretty much screwed unless you’ve got to money to bail yourself out. Or if rich daddy or mommy can help you.

Another point to note: Foreign students (oh yes, don’t those jokers up there love these people) coming to Singapore to study need only pay a mere 10% or so more than locals to study in NUS.

Noy witty reader, please point out to me where else in the world that charges foreigners course fees that differ so little compared to their own locals???

And NUS still wants us dear Alumni to chip in??? They must be joking. You don’t even care about me, why should I care about your institution which I believe is making a lot already?

What irks me is that they will sometimes print some pathetic stories of needy students who need the money to study to gain your sympathy.

IRKSOME and CUNNING are the words I’d use on NUS.

NUS — A world class institution? You got to be joking.

So you still want to donate to NUS? Don’t be a Fool.

(Note: All those rankings are very misleading. They never quite state what criteria were used to judge. Sometimes, NUS ranking is high based on the number of papers published by lecturers and researchers, who, no suprise here, hail from foreign countries. They use money to buy these people. Simple to understnad right? And it’s not because the students are that smart generally or that the teaching standards are excellent.

I’m sure anyone who has studied in NUS will relate at many points lecturers with weird accents that are so difficult to understand, and those who are simply not dedicated enough to teach well.)