Hello! For those who are following me on my Instagram (@ughjermaine), you would have known that I have left Singapore Polytechnic, and enrolled in ACJC. Some of my readers got to know me through my videos about SP and the Early Admissions Exercise (EAE) process so I'm sure this comes as a bit of a shock. It's been a month since I officially left SP, yet I still receive many questions about why I left!
When I was considering to leave SP, I spent months researching online, hoping to find other people that had the same experience as I did. I found only 1 or 2 forum posts on kiasuparents and the reasons for them was because their GPA in poly was not so good. Thus, I really wanted to be able to share my unique experience and reasons.
First's thing first, although the title of this blog post says that I 'transferred', there is a slight difference. Most of my friends had the misconception and thought that I used my GPA to transfer. I actually used my 2016's O Level results and took part in the 2018 JAE to apply for ACJC. This means that I participated in the same JAE as my classmates now and got in through the same system as them. After I was accepted into ACJC, I withdrew from poly. So in a sense, I joined ACJC then dropped out of poly.
I absolutely LOVED my poly course. Everything I said in my EAE videos and my interviews is true, the course was a perfect fit for me. I enjoyed the modules, the lecturers were amazing, I was passionate and proud of my work, and I liked my friends. The one year in poly was the happiest year I had EVER had. So, why did I leave?
1) It was impossible to get a 4.0 GPA.
I blame this on my own naiveness, but before I actually entered SP, I didn't know much about poly, and I thought that, just like secondary school, as long as I work hard and ace all my exams = 4.0 GPA. It didn't occur to me that in a media course, there are completely no exams, and everything relied on assignments and projects. Everyone has different opinions on what a good idea or a good story is, and so the grading was very subjective and depended a lot on the lecturer.
I don't blame the lecturers, of course, but chances were, if the lecturer didn't like your idea, you wouldn't get an A, even if your language was almost perfect. This meant that attaining a 4.0 GPA was nearly impossible! This realisation hit me like a truck. All my poly friends can tell you how badly I was aiming for a 4.0 :(
I don't blame the lecturers, of course, but chances were, if the lecturer didn't like your idea, you wouldn't get an A, even if your language was almost perfect. This meant that attaining a 4.0 GPA was nearly impossible! This realisation hit me like a truck. All my poly friends can tell you how badly I was aiming for a 4.0 :(
My GPA was 3.75 in semester 1 and it was one of the highest (if not the highest, I think) in my cohort... I guess it was considered very good for a media course, but compared with 3.85 to 4.0 from business and engineering students...?
2) I need to go to a local university.
Yes yes, qualifications are not the only thing that matter nowadays, but a degree was always the end goal for me.
If I continued my course, and I maintained my GPA, it was likely that I, like many of my seniors, will end up taking Arts, Design and Social Sciences or Communication Studies in NTU. The problem is, I aspired to take Law. I like to reach for the stars, so that even if I fall short, it would still be high up in the sky.
A Law degree overseas is crazy expensive, and my parents have other siblings to feed too HAHA. I also considered the fact that the local degrees I was interested in required a pass for O Levels A Maths, which I dropped a few weeks after prelims, without thinking of the consequences, so if I wanted to go local uni, I would need to take the A Maths exam as a private candidate.
If I continued my course, and I maintained my GPA, it was likely that I, like many of my seniors, will end up taking Arts, Design and Social Sciences or Communication Studies in NTU. The problem is, I aspired to take Law. I like to reach for the stars, so that even if I fall short, it would still be high up in the sky.
A Law degree overseas is crazy expensive, and my parents have other siblings to feed too HAHA. I also considered the fact that the local degrees I was interested in required a pass for O Levels A Maths, which I dropped a few weeks after prelims, without thinking of the consequences, so if I wanted to go local uni, I would need to take the A Maths exam as a private candidate.
With an estimated 3.75 GPA when I graduate, would local Law degrees even consider me? Of course, I know that it is CRAZY hard to get into Law in Singapore, but I wanted to at least be able to try. To even have the possibility! If I continued with my course, there was little to no chance. Among all the students, only 1 student in my course had been offered law, and it was overseas. In fact, it is SO rare for poly students to get into law, that when it actually happens, it is reported in the news!!!
And my friend in NUS Law says that only 2 students in her whole cohort are from poly. And they were probably from Temasek Poly's Law and Management course. Statistically, it's another near-impossible feat.
And my friend in NUS Law says that only 2 students in her whole cohort are from poly. And they were probably from Temasek Poly's Law and Management course. Statistically, it's another near-impossible feat.
3) What about my FUTURE???!!?
My passion is and always will be media, but what about my future job? In Singapore, money is of utmost importance. And it really got me thinking, honestly HONESTLY, do I want to work for money or passion? I think that I would enjoy working in the media industry, but there are some grey areas about the industry that are morally wrong.
If let's say everything goes well and dainty, and by some miracle, I land a spot in Law. But I end up hating the lawyer lifestyle. With my law degree, I can return back to working in media-related jobs! And my starting pay will be much higher, simply because of the law degree. To be brutally honest, I asked myself if I could live comfortably without money.
If let's say everything goes well and dainty, and by some miracle, I land a spot in Law. But I end up hating the lawyer lifestyle. With my law degree, I can return back to working in media-related jobs! And my starting pay will be much higher, simply because of the law degree. To be brutally honest, I asked myself if I could live comfortably without money.
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| My friend showed me this as a joke HAHAHA |
4) I was wasting my time in classes.
Even until the very last day of Poly, (even when I knew there was high chance I will be leaving), I gave my 101% into my assignments and projects. Even when my project mates didn't care so much, I helped them and pushed the project so that it would be of the best quality. Even when I started JC, I was still helping my friend finish "our" project HAHA. It's just the kind of person I am, to give my best into everything even though it doesn't matter at the end of the day. And I truly loved my course so I didn't mind all the extra stress I put on myself.
BUT I was so so so so SO bored in lessons!!! I would be playing stupid games on my laptop like Battle Tetris, Bloons TD and even resorted to Town of Salem just to kill time because the things taught in class were mostly skills. Classes were always fun because the lecturers made it fun, but I'm sure I wasn't the only one that felt like some days were a waste of time. I would go to school, come home, and not even feel tired, because I didn't use my brain much. This doesn't mean that what the lecturers taught wasn't useful, it was just too slow for me. My parents said that I was just wasting my potential, and after a while, I understood what they meant.
(Disclaimer!! This doesn't mean that all poly courses are slack!! Some of my friends in engineering and business are really drowning in work!! )
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Those are all the reasons I left SP and decided to embark on a journey in JC filled with stress, stress and more stress... HAHAHA *gulps* It definitely would have been easier if I didn't worry so far into my future, but that's just the kind of person I am. Well, this is a decision I have made after contemplating, stressing and crying A LOT. I told myself that I would apply via JAE and leave the rest up to God. Although I was about 70% sure I could get into ACJC bc of the merging of JCs and the cut off score, I believed that God would close the door for me if it wasn't His plan. I also had my mind set on ACJC, because of the Drama CCA and the Theatre Studies programme. I told my mum if I didn't get into ACJC, I wouldn't be going to JC at all. At least this way, through theatre, I am still pursuing my lifetime passion! :)
Many friends say, "Huh but you wasted one year.." but honestly? I have absolutely 0 regrets at all about having gone to poly for a year. In fact, if I went to ACJC from the start, I guarantee you, 2 months in and I would have insisted to transfer to poly, because I genuinely prefer the poly system of calculating grades consistently, instead of mugging at the end! And that would have been worse bc if I transferred out, I can't apply through JAE for JC again.
The one year in poly was the best year of my life, and the social skills, the people I've met, the friendships I've forged, they made me into a much, much better person than the sheltered secondary school girl I used to be. In just 1 year, I learnt so many invaluable lessons and became more independent.
Many friends say, "Huh but you wasted one year.." but honestly? I have absolutely 0 regrets at all about having gone to poly for a year. In fact, if I went to ACJC from the start, I guarantee you, 2 months in and I would have insisted to transfer to poly, because I genuinely prefer the poly system of calculating grades consistently, instead of mugging at the end! And that would have been worse bc if I transferred out, I can't apply through JAE for JC again.
The one year in poly was the best year of my life, and the social skills, the people I've met, the friendships I've forged, they made me into a much, much better person than the sheltered secondary school girl I used to be. In just 1 year, I learnt so many invaluable lessons and became more independent.
Luckily, I'm still in close contact with my poly friends and since ACJC is so close to SP, I can go back to visit or catch up with them during the holidays! Hopefully they don't get sick of me tho HAHAHAHA
Needless to say, I still miss my friends, our Starbucks, cheese fries and our inside jokes, and I miss the large variety of good and CHEAP food in Singapore Poly!! I miss having the freedom to wake up late, walk only a few steps from Dover mrt, and come to school only when my lesson is about to start. There are still a few things I can't get used to in JC, such as assembly, queuing up and squeezing everywhere. (ACJC please do something about the canteen foodðŸ˜) It's like I became an "adult" for a year and suddenly downgraded back into a secondary school student :/
I'm usually a pessimistic person, but if you look at this positively, I guess you can say that I've gotten the best of both worlds! I've had all the fun I wanted and chased my passions and dreams for 1 year, but now it is time for me to make the difficult choice and embark on a new journey in ACJC! Who knows? Maybe I might up taking a media degree in the future again and be reunited with my poly friends in university HAHAHA but for now, I just wanna keep my options open.
Thanks for reading and as usual, let me know what you think either through messaging me on my social media accounts or leaving a comment below (anoymously if you'd like)!
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Jermaine x
20 comments
Interesting. First thing I'd like to say is my thoughts about law. I think that law, like arts and medicine need tremendous passion to do well in. Even if one might succeed in these fields, I think our justice system would benefit from passionate lawyers and judges to provide fairness tp society. So imo i urge you to pursue it only if you have the passion and not only for the money. This is especially pertinent in law and medicine due to the saturation of these fields in singapore, people doing law for the prestige taking jobs away from people who love law
ReplyDeleteSecond point is on the dichotomy of passion and money. I think both can be balanced as long as we work to serve the society, as that's where money is paid for, for services that others demand.
I think both law and media have grey areas and morally bankrupt players. It's a common notion to get a stable job earn money and find happiness, but i honestly feel that's fallacious. We put off pursuing our passion until we have money, but happiness is a constant lifelong pursuit and the more we put it off the harder it is to attain.
Lastly, I want to comment on being bored in class. I think every day will feel like thay one boring class if you have a job you hate. No matter how great a course or an institution is, there's always times where its easy to slack off. But pushing through these times builds character.
I'm not saying your decision was wrong. Instead, I wanted to bring a response to what you said, beyond the usual career related or education related one, but one more about attitudes and life.
Thank you for your thought-provoking comment! :)
DeleteHad the exact same dilemma as you this year! I was an 8 pointer for R4/R5 at olevels (2017) and applied for mass comm in np for this year's intake. However, i jumped ship right at the very last minute to jc (in a lower-tier jc rn) because of the exact same reasons. Heard its superrrrrr hard to go to local unis from np mass comm, so i am in a jc doing CMEL (H2 math chem econs with h1 lit). Hope you do well in ACJC! :)
ReplyDeleteIts okay, don't worry too much about wasting a year. Its a good learning experience and im sure youll do well in jc:)
Thank you!!
DeleteHi Jermaine,
ReplyDeleteI was from your course (in fact, I was in the first batch so that's pretty long ago) and even in my time there were people who graduated with a 3.8 and even higher. (I didn't do that well, but I still got in a "local U".) Like you, most of us knew we had a passion for something writing, filming, journalism-related, which is why we applied for our course and continued on to study similar things in social sciences and comms. There are others still who took business, and others who chose to step straight into the working world after Poly.
Those of us who went to Uni went to local Us and private Us. Some people went overseas to further their studies.
I think you'll find that no matter which path you take, JC or Poly, if you go to Uni or not, it doesn't mean that your future will be set in stone. Everyone has a different path when it comes to their career and what makes them tick, and that is something that I've been seeing after graduating.
I think it's great that you know where your passions lie! A lot of us just let our passions sit at the back while we chase after material gains. It doesn't mean that we'll necessarily starve if we go after our passions, but it doesn't mean having a lot of money (like 1.5- 3k more as a fresh law grad) will make you happy either. It's tough, but in the end, we have to ask ourselves what is really important to us.
Good luck with your studies and your future! :)
Thank you for your comment! :)
DeleteHey jermaine! What is your subject combi in acjc?
ReplyDeleteI take theatre studies, geography, literature and h1 maths!
DeleteYeah , i am from poly as well and I do agree with some of the things that u have said. Its a pretty balanced view that u have provided. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteThis is very nice blog post in this blog. Thanks for an authentic sharing……….
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Hello, I’ve just read your blogpost because I am also thinking of transferring from poly to JC. Can I ask how is the procedure like? How did you manage to enter the JAE system? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi, so sorry for getting back to you so late! You can log in using SingPass!
DeleteI like that you aim for the stars, even if you fall, you are still somewhere high up there.
ReplyDeleteCan i ask how is the process like from poly to jc because i want to apply to a jc next year but i am not sure how you can apply ? Like what do you have to do in general... sorry for asking so much
ReplyDeleteSo sorry for getting back to you so late! Hope you managed to figure it out in the end, you can log into the portal using SingPass!
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI have been accepted into the EAE for SP Accountancy,however,my parents now feel that it is better for me to go to JC. Considering my O level results, it isn't an issue, but I am not sure if it is possible to even change at this point. (Closing deadline for submission of JAE is on Friday, 18Jan) Would you happen to have any advice or know if it is possible to switch?
Hi! I'm sorry for getting back to you so late! You can log into the JAE portal using SingPass!
DeleteHonestly, thank you so much for this aricle. Even though this was posted years ago, I still find it relatable. It really helped me feel better. Truth is, I'm trying to appeal to a different poly course from the one I've gotten, but I'm having a hard time choosing one and its really getting to me. It could be because I'm still trying to find myself, then I realised its also because I was scared of delving into something I might end up not liking and wasting a year in the end.. But you reminded me that we shouldn't have regrets over things like these because we all can take something meaningful from our experiences! Everything does happen for a reason, so I should just trust myself and go ahead right? Thank you for inspiring me <33
ReplyDeleteHi Jermaine!! Super glad to have chanced upon your blog as I too am thinking about transferring to JC so that I can do Theatre Studies as a subject! Currently waiting for my exams results from 1.1 to come out but I really do agree with all the points you mentioned. Honestly, I also would not regret my 1 year in poly if I can successfully transfer to JC. Hope you are doing well in JC!
ReplyDeleteThank you! How are things for you?
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