before I get into the why, these are some statistics for people who think i'm headed off because it's the 'easier' way out and i just want to 'party'.
1) fuck you.
2) the acceptance rate for the USC Annenberg this year was <7% and it is top ten in the world for my major (nus/smu/ntu/etc are not)
3) i was accepted into nus and got a scholarship to smu (reasons why i rejected to follow)
4) i'll be sure to snapchat you from all the fun parties I go to xoxo
Simply put, i'm sick to death of Singapore.
Don't get me wrong, by no means do I hate it. I've made friends for life, had an incredibly safe and clean environment to grow up in, and the food ugh yes. Given the fact that I had a fake ID when i was 14 and have done loads of not-so-good things since then, i've still had the most 'conservative' life when compared to my friends overseas which is fairly amazing tbh because I have far less things to regret now.
[DISCLAIMER: by NO means am I putting down nus/ntu/smu why would I they're incredibly prestigious schools and getting accepted is a HUGE deal plus all my close friends are headed there and are most definitely going to have an amazing college experience - these are simply reasons why it would not be a good fit for me]
Honesty hour, i've never really felt like I fit in in local school. Most of my best friends go to international schools here and their stories about silly school pranks/ fun festival/ etc are things that i've always envied. Pseudo grass-is-greener reality but yeah (GOD what a first world problem hurdurh my school doesn't have mufti days)
The no.1 reason I rejected the local unis was because I need flexibility in choosing my majors. I'm extremely undecided at this point- Journalism/Econs/Psychology/somanyothers and local unis will make it hell for me if I decide to change subject, let alone faculty. In the US, I plan on doing as many things as i possibly can in my first year before I decide what i'm going to spend my entire life pursuing. [HOW DAUNTING DOES THAT SOUND]
these are quotes from collegeconfidential I happened upon while i was making my decision:
"NUS/SMU, if you would read the other thread in this forum, are to be avoided at all costs. They are the death of the joy of learning, and the student cultures there are rather square, predictable, boring (in general of course). But it remains to be seen if the student culture will be as vibrant as those in US schools. my guess is that it will not. There will be many internationals, but the majority are Singaporeans. And many spontaneity-seeking, adventurous, resourceful, proactive Singaporeans have found one way or another to study abroad."(clearly I know this is not true, i've got plenty of friends who're having a blast in nus/smu, this is just some random's opinion)
"Most important, in my opinion, is the 4 year college Life in the USA. Nowhere in the world you have such an opportunity to explore, enjoy, and develop your intellectual/artistic/athletic abilities"
"Intellectually uncurious, GPA-crazy Singaporean students. The entire student culture is GPA driven. People take courses they believe they can score highly in. People hole up in libraries to study all day. test material of course. they wont touch anything that wont be tested. As a result, professors' lectures more often than not involve dropping hints for upcoming tests. Students aren't interested in lectures beyond getting such hints. All this is relative to the US."I love learning, reading, and i can honestly say i used to enjoy studying. All this passion has been sucked out of me by the singaporean education system. This pressure cooker system has taken everything from me. I'm no longer interested in going beyond my textbooks.
I need this change of scenery, pace and people. Am I terrified out of my mind? Of course. Is this the most excited i've ever been in my whole life? Abso-fucking-lutely.
