u/aconcernolvlstudent

hi all,

context: abit about me i am a poly kid with a diploma in business. soo i am deciding between NUS Business admin and SMU Business. and thought that i would hop on the nus reddit thread to hopefully gain more insights or information about nus business so that i can make a better informed decision before choosing which uni ultimately suits me the best. so really hope you guys can help me out with my decision making🙏.

1. ofc both schools are great, but some have mentioned that "in terms of business, SMU is the strongest locally", where some employers have a bit of preference towards them. So i would like to ask to what extend is this true? And if it is is NUS business administration lacking behind alot? or just by a small margin?

2. im someone who is interested in exchange, so is there a minimum gpa to hit to be able to qualify for exchange? if not knowing nus is very competitive, roughly what is a good gpa range i need to get to stand a chance of getting an opportunity to go for exchange

3. some have also mentioned that "NUS Business as compared to SMU Business is for people who are more academically inclined" would u say that is true? does NUS place a higher emphasis on exams? (because im abit worried cause im not very good with exams

4. on average how is the weightage for mods are like in nus and smu (class part, finals, grp proj etc).

5. abit of a subjective qn, how heavy is the content? is it very hard to understand? Does it touch on many JC topics?

6. another subjective qn, isit hard to stand out/ score well in nus? esp with NUS being so competitive

7. lastly, what is the chances one usually get hall? with not much connection

rly hope u guys can help me out🙏 thank u so muchh

hi guys, as the application deadline is coming soon, i would really appreciate some help from reddit to share some insights on which uni to pick because ive been having a really tough time deciding between nus and smu.

context: im a poly student, so i guess one way or another im abit more open to class part since we already have that in poly.

basically initially i had my mind fully set on NUS biz admin, but getting a surprise offer from SMU lowk put me in a dilemma rn.

so why am i considering nus:
-prestige. i mean its nus right HAHA, i think to many of us nus is like the holy grail.
-halls. i really like the idea of hall life because im someone who enjoys camps, making new friends and hopefully even lifelong friends.
-ive heard nus gives more academic leeway in the sense that we can SU more mods, which i think would help alot for gpa.
-gpa grading out of 5. i saw on youtube or smth that its “easier” to obtain FCH in nus compared to SMU cum laude because in nus you can technically get B+ all the way and still attain FCH. so that does appeal to me because it feels slightly safer academically.

things im concerned about for nus:
-ofc both schs are great, but smu being known as a stronger business school does make me wonder if nus biz is lacking behind alot?
-no guaranteed second major. is there a gpa requirement to secure a second major?
-location (im an eastie). although i would love to stay hall if i join nus, i dont really foresee myself staying hall for all 4 years. so eventually it would probably become a 1.5h commute.

now why smu:
-i think for business, smu is stronger than nus and ntu.
-ive heard local employers do prefer smu biz students at times, especially for interviews/networking.
-ive also heard smu produces alot of confident speakers/presenters, which is something i genuinely want to improve on.
-as a fellow eastie, smu is way more convenient for me.
-guaranteed second major and overseas exposure opportunities.
-and lastly from the moe graduate employment survey, smu biz grads seem to draw slightly higher salaries on average.

things im concerned about for smu:
-im someone who wants to do well academically, so it does seem like its harder to obtain cum laude in smu (3.7/4) compared to nus FCH (4.5/5).
-ive also heard that for some mods in smu, grading depends alot on the prof. for example, different profs teaching the same mod may have different assignment weightages. like prof A might make group project 45% while prof B only makes it 30%. not sure how true this is since i heard it from a friend, but if its true does that mean there is less structure? not sure if thats a good or bad thing tho HAHA.

also would really appreciate if yall could share generally how the weightage for mods are like in nus and smu (class part, finals, grp proj etc).

lastly, i would really like to go for exchange. roughly what GPA is considered safe/good enough to qualify for exchanges in both nus and smu?

thank u all. ik this was damn long but i really appreciate any advice or insights 😄

hi guys, as the application deadline is coming soon, i would really appreciate some help from reddit to share some insights on which uni to pick because ive been having a really tough time deciding between nus and smu.

context: im a poly student, so i guess one way or another im abit more open to class part since we already have that in poly.

basically initially i had my mind fully set on NUS biz admin, but getting a surprise offer from SMU lowk put me in a dilemma rn.

so why am i considering nus:
-prestige. i mean its nus right HAHA, i think to many of us nus is like the holy grail.
-halls. i really like the idea of hall life because im someone who enjoys camps, making new friends and hopefully even lifelong friends.
-ive heard nus gives more academic leeway in the sense that we can SU more mods, which i think would help alot for gpa.
-gpa grading out of 5. i saw on youtube or smth that its “easier” to obtain FCH in nus compared to SMU cum laude because in nus you can technically get B+ all the way and still attain FCH. so that does appeal to me because it feels slightly safer academically.

things im concerned about for nus:
-ofc both schs are great, but smu being known as a stronger business school does make me wonder if nus biz is lacking behind alot?
-no guaranteed second major. is there a gpa requirement to secure a second major?
-location (im an eastie). although i would love to stay hall if i join nus, i dont really foresee myself staying hall for all 4 years. so eventually it would probably become a 1.5h commute.

now why smu:
-i think for business, smu is stronger than nus and ntu.
-ive heard local employers do prefer smu biz students at times, especially for interviews/networking.
-ive also heard smu produces alot of confident speakers/presenters, which is something i genuinely want to improve on.
-as a fellow eastie, smu is way more convenient for me.
-guaranteed second major and overseas exposure opportunities.
-and lastly from the moe graduate employment survey, smu biz grads seem to draw slightly higher salaries on average.

things im concerned about for smu:
-im someone who wants to do well academically, so it does seem like its harder to obtain cum laude in smu (3.7/4) compared to nus FCH (4.5/5).
-ive also heard that for some mods in smu, grading depends alot on the prof. for example, different profs teaching the same mod may have different assignment weightages. like prof A might make group project 45% while prof B only makes it 30%. not sure how true this is since i heard it from a friend, but if its true does that mean there is less structure? not sure if thats a good or bad thing tho HAHA.

also would really appreciate if yall could share generally how the weightage for mods are like in nus and smu (class part, finals, grp proj etc).

lastly, i would really like to go for exchange. roughly what GPA is considered safe/good enough to qualify for exchanges in both nus and smu?

thank u all. ik this was damn long but i really appreciate any advice or insights 😄