10
March
2019
|
00:49
Asia/Singapore

Open Day sees enthusiastic turnout

NUS students ready to welcome visitors to Open Day

NUS welcomed more than 31,000 visitors to both the Kent Ridge and Bukit Timah campuses at the annual Open Day held on 9 March. The full-day event offered plenty of opportunities for prospective students to meet with the University’s faculty and students and learn more about the transformative NUS education experience, including academic programmes, overseas opportunities and residential life.

A range of talks conducted by professors and staff of various faculties gave visitors an idea of what studying in NUS would be like, covering topics such as admissions requirements, course offerings and study abroad programmes. In a special guest lecture, NUS Senior Deputy President and Provost Professor Ho Teck Hua gave prospective students 10 reasons to enroll at NUS, highlighting, among others, the University’s commitment to innovation, talented faculty, extensive alumni network, world class facilities and vibrant student life.

“The talks were pretty good. They brought in both current students as well as former students, so that gave us many insights…It was very relevant,” said Mdm Meena, who accompanied her daughter to the talk by the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

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NUS President Prof Tan Eng Chye visiting the booth of the College of Alice & Peter Tan

For the second year running, visitors were given the opportunity to be a “Student For a Day”, attending special classes on topics ranging from real estate law to sustainable energy conversion and even community development, conducted by various faculties and schools including NUS Real Estate, NUS Science and the Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre. Visitors also had the chance to experience the signature interdisciplinary classes offered by the University Scholars Programme (USP) that delved into topics such as the quantifiability of happiness, the biological and psychological processes behind feeling pain, and the fine line that separates drugs from poisons.

Dunman High student Germaine Teo, found the “Beautiful Questions in Architecture” class organised by NUS Design and Environment very informative. “Sometimes you know the name of the module but you don’t really know what it’s about, so this was very insightful. This will help me make a decision about applying for this course,” she said.

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Prof Ho at the NUS Medicine booth

Open Day also catered to working professionals seeking to grow their expertise and pick up new skills. Visitors had the opportunity to speak to representatives from the School of Continuing and Lifelong Education and Institute of Systems Science at NUS at their booths as well as attend talks to learn more about the adult learning programmes on offer.

Various exciting research projects conducted by the NUS community were showcased at the Innovation Hub, including traditional Thai murals painted by NUS Arts and Social Sciences students, a solar streetlight that can operate in areas without an electricity grid by the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, and clinical wearables for hospital patients by NUS Engineering, among others.

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Students from NUS Silat show their moves

A broad panorama of the University’s vibrant campus life was on display at the two Student Villages, treating visitors to diverse performances and games, with a wide array of student-run academic societies, community engagement clubs, dance groups, and sports teams on hand to share their passions and activities.

Two concurrent tours brought visitors around the Kent Ridge campus to selected spots including the NUS Central Library, NUS Dentistry and NUS Business, as well as to two student residences — Ridge View Residential College and Raffles Hall. The residential colleges at University Town were also open for tours, providing guests with a holistic picture of living on campus, even giving them a peek into the students’ rooms, lounges and pantry.

Over at the Bukit Timah campus, visitors had the opportunity to interact with the Dean of NUS Law Professor Simon Chesterman, as well as with faculty and students at the booths and at the Dean’s talk and Professor-Student Engagement session. They were also given a taste of what is in store for prospective students with two mock courtroom trials.

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Guests at the Bukit Timah campus observe a mock courtroom trial

Tampines-Meridian Junior College student Mohamed Irfan said he was particularly drawn to NUS Medicine and NUS Political Science.

“There’s a diverse range of courses offered, and the vibrant college culture and spirit is intriguing to me. Based on what is being offered, I look forward to applying to a course at NUS,” he added.