Hi there,
It has been a couple weeks since my last post, so sorry about that. Life actually got really hectic and my school work load got nuts! Something that I have learned and experienced attending school here at NUS is that the students are highly competitive. The system is based on a bell-curve, meaning if you do A quality work, someone might do higher A quality work, pushing your grade down to a B or C, etc. In the business school, class participation and discussion is a hefty component of our grades, therefore everyone is constantly fighting over floor time. Within the first two weeks of school, I felt like classes were easier than my home university and the work level would be significantly less. I had no midterms, only a few papers, group projects, and a final. But then the 5th and 6th week hit and I quickly changed my perspective. Within a two week frame, I had three group projects and presentations which entailed multiple lengthy group meetings, a 10-page product and brand management report, as well as a challenging international finance course. I also gave a short presentation on studying abroad, in representation of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
It has been a couple weeks since my last post, so sorry about that. Life actually got really hectic and my school work load got nuts! Something that I have learned and experienced attending school here at NUS is that the students are highly competitive. The system is based on a bell-curve, meaning if you do A quality work, someone might do higher A quality work, pushing your grade down to a B or C, etc. In the business school, class participation and discussion is a hefty component of our grades, therefore everyone is constantly fighting over floor time. Within the first two weeks of school, I felt like classes were easier than my home university and the work level would be significantly less. I had no midterms, only a few papers, group projects, and a final. But then the 5th and 6th week hit and I quickly changed my perspective. Within a two week frame, I had three group projects and presentations which entailed multiple lengthy group meetings, a 10-page product and brand management report, as well as a challenging international finance course. I also gave a short presentation on studying abroad, in representation of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
For my Entrepreneurial Marketing class, my group and I had to come up with a business idea/concept and run feasibility analyses in preparation for our presentation. We now have the next few weeks to create a full-blown business report on our company. I have a really creative group and we are working on a business concept of (pretend) opening our own edible fruits floral arrangements and sculptures business to the Singaporean market (similar to Edible Arrangements in the US).
For my Product and Brand Management class, I had to simulate the position as a product and brand manager for the Asian company, Tiger Balm and compare the industry among its competitors in the Singaporean market. I had to conduct field research to find its competitors, including visit a number of different pharmacies and stores to first-hand observe. I then had to do an entire analysis based on 12 components for Tiger Balm and its four competitors that I defined, as well as a SWOT analysis and give my suggested improvements. I learned way more about Tiger Balm and the pain ointment industry than I ever had desired!
For my Strategic Business Management class, my group and I had several lengthy group meetings to prepare for our class facilitation and presentation. We had about half an hour of class time to engage the class in discussion on corporate strategies, using Amazon as a case study. I found our group meetings to be rather challenging, as we seemed to sit and toil with ideas in endless circles without ever making solid decisions. In the end, it worked out well and our facilitation went smoothly.
For my International Finance class, I am in a very small discussion group (aka: 4 people + me) and we have to write a 250+word forum each week on various topics and respond to two other posts based on certain requirements. We also write a 500 words essay each week on an assigned topic. We cover three chapters a week and the learning curve is incredibly high!
After the final push of the first half of the semester, I finally was able to relax as I headed out to Krabi and Chiang Mai, Thailand for recess week.