Transforming students into well-rounded individuals
With good options at home and abroad, an increasing number of Hong Kong’s suitably qualified school leavers are ready to pick up their passports along with their exam certificates and head overseas to study for an undergraduate degree.
With good options at home and abroad, an increasing number of Hong Kong’s suitably qualified school leavers are ready to pick up their passports along with their exam certificates and head overseas to study for an undergraduate degree.
One prime destination for those with an eye on a career in the world of business is Singapore Management University (SMU), a premier public university established in 2000. “Currently, we have more than 7,000 undergraduate students spread across our six schools - the School of Accountancy, the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, the School of Economics, the School of Information Systems, the School of Law, and the School of Social Sciences,” says Christina Leong from the SMU’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
Christina points out that SMU offers many advantages. “The university is a pioneer for seminar-style, interactive and technologically-enabled pedagogy in small-sized classes. This remains SMU’s unique hallmark,” she says. “Our broad-based and innovative undergraduate curriculum is designed with an international focus. It equips our students with a total skill set comprising not only hard knowledge, but also the soft, people skills and the ‘heart’ skills. In other words, it transforms them into well-rounded individuals.
“The SMU-style of interactive learning has gained widespread acceptance by students, parents and employers. Our classes are not taught in the traditional lecture and tutorial format in big lecture theatres. They are taught in small MBA-style seminar rooms, where you don’t just listen but are encouraged to speak up and present your arguments in a clear and convincing manner.
“Because every student must participate, discussions and debates in class become lively and enjoyable, and while you learn from others, others also learn from you. In this way, you sharpen your critical thinking abilities, as well as your communication and presentation skills, therefore honing crucial competencies needed in the corporate world.
