Not the most flattering picture but this shall suffice
I said in my module review 1 year ago that I would be a basic bitch and take a picture in front of the business school logo. After 4 years the day you never felt would have come now has officially arrived; last day of school, last day of student life, graduate lo~ And this equates to my last module review!! This semester I took a different (and more unconventional) approach to the selection of my modules. As I wasn’t going to pursue an extra specialisation, I decided to take modules mostly out of my home faculty, so the title of the review is kinda contradictory since it didn’t feel like I was a business student this final semester HAHA.
In short, I had to clear 1 more 4k accounting/finance module and SS so the other 3 modules were really just pick and choose. It was a balance between interest, maintaining a 3 day work week, making sure I have a manageable finals schedule and still trying to score well. Another reason why I took mostly electives is because I still had an S/U remaining so I wanted the flexibility to S/U a module in case I *touch wood* screwed up a module. Trying to keep it simple and stress-free as I spend the last semester with one objective: MY 2ND UPPERRRRRR!!! So the aim was to get at least B+ for all the mods with the S/U being a slight safety net. Okay it didn’t end up really completely stress-free but it was a peaceful and tranquil final chapter in the student life.
ACC4611 Advanced Taxation
The only business module I took for the semester. I still had to clear 1 more 4k module and there weren’t many good options for Semester 2. Other 4k modules which I considered taking had either timetable clashes or were just too early (8am class on last semester omg i shouldn’t put myself through such pain).
Advanced Taxation in Semester 2 is taken by Prof Simon Poh, as he and Ms Lim Cher Hui will swap modules between 3k taxation and 4k adv tax. So if you want to take this module take note of which prof is taking which semester. I was taught under Ms Lim for basic tax so I was interested to be taught under Simon Poh because many peers have enjoyed his classes. Course assessment is exact same format of basic tax: 20% class participation, 20% group presentation, 30% Mid Term & 30% Final Quiz. Content covered under advanced tax include more in depth tax planning businesses, such as incentives and international perspectives.
I score slightly above average for midterms and was quite confident coming out of the final quiz, so maybe I did not class part enough or didn’t do as well as I thought. I was hoping for more math/calculation based questions for exams but prof dropped hints that he wouldn’t be testing them. Exams were “open-notes” so it was more of a test of application and answering of questions rather than memory. Kinda disappointed with final grade so maybe this is a sign not to pursue tax as a future job HAHAAA.
Final Grade: B
GE2202 Economy & Space
This was the final module which I bidded for as it slotted in nicely between morning tutorials and a late afternoon lecture. The module was basically an introduction of Economic Geography, one which I liked when I did geography back in JC and covered certain aspects of it in my business modules. The whole module consists of lectures that are webcasted and 4 bi-weekly tutorials; with 10% pairwork presentation, 30% individual research essay and 60% finals. Prof Henry Yeung is one who is well established in terms of publishing numerous research papers and his lectures really value adds to the slides and textbook. The cohort is really small with several exchange students which was quite surprising because I thought this module would have attracted more people. Tutorials consists of discussions and your own presentation/listening to presentations so it was a chillax start to my Thursday mornings haha.
My topic for my research essay was on the digitalization of the supply chain of Uniqlo. Being an avid shopper at Uniqlo myself made research more enjoyable as you learn more about the company itself and the behind-the-scenes logistics behind each product and campaign. Prof Leung always uploads comments and mark distributions for past years’ semesters so I did take note and was hoping for a B+, but after seeing the distribution for this semester I was like WTF oh god please let me get a B and bell curve god save me. Worries start to hit; thinking whether I may not have not answered the research question adequately or I wrote it too much like a business essay rather than a geography one.
ohgod average is like a B?!!
Prof showed some sample essays of a C/C-, B and A+ essay, and we got to collect our essays after lecture ended. Boomz I got an A~!!!! *starts dancing internally omg an alphabet I love to see anyday anywhere* It was a pivotal moment for this semester as it really boosted my morale for the remaining weeks heading towards finals. Finals preparation consisted of preparing of sample essay pointers and memorising of case studies. Past year questions with comments are also made available to us so I tried to do some spotting of topics as well. 2 hours for 2 essays for finals so it was just “vomitting of information” while making sure you answer the question.
Final Grade: A
GE2220 Terrestrial Coastal Environments
Well after taking a human geog mod, you gotta take a physical geog mod to compliment with it HAHAHA! Unlike the econ geog mod, there wasn’t much overlap from A level physical geog other than plate tectonics (I didn’t study rivers in As so thats 1 less chapter of prior knowledge). Weekly lectures with 3 lab practicals/tutorials; but lectures aren’t webcasted so these were lectures that I couldn’t skip sadly 😦
Module consists of 3 lab reports, a mid term and finals. It was revitalising to be doing something in the form of outdoor practicals after semesters of fighting over class participations in seminar rooms. Writing lab reports is something new as I wasn’t used to reading studies for referencing and the proper formatting of presenting data and analysis. The 3 reports constitute for 50% of the whole module, and some of it may be time consuming due to the need to draw out figures/manually plotting out river profiles from Google Earth. Deadlines were tight at certain periods but other than handing up reports, this is a module which doesn’t require consistent studying and can be chiong-ed within a few days since it is mostly memorisation. Finals consists of short definition questions and 1 essay, so its memorisation all over again. Very straightforward module overall as everything tested will be in the notes. Additional readings are only required for the lab reports and are highly recommended sources to boost credibility (and obviously marks) in your reports.
Final Grade: B+
GEK1531/GET1004 Cyber Security
A module which I took which I hoped that I could score and pull the CAP up. Y said this module was a breeze and so I decided to go for it. Turns out D also was taking the module as he was looking for an easy module to score (being an IS student himself), and my sis’s bf was in here as well. Ended up forming a group with them, the sis’s bf friend and N whom I did projects with in business and we were all set.
Grading consists of 35% mid term, 35% final quiz, 25% group project (split into 15% group paper and 10% individual presentation) and 5% homework. The module is split into 2 parts: the technical cyber security component and the mathematical calculation component. I learnt some of the math part way back in Living With Maths in Y1S1, such as encoding and decoding so I found the math part much more enjoyable. Lectures are on Wednesday evenings so towards the end of the semester I began to either leave early or just skip the lecture completely (even though it wasn’t webcasted). Homework I would usually double check my answers with D, so the only differentiating factor is those 2 exams. T
Steep bellcurve and below average MCQs were my downfall for this module but there really isn’t anything to complain about hahas. There really isn’t much to study for this module and not a lot of practice of the math component so I would recommend this module for those who are looking for something with light workload to balance their other cores.
Final Grade: B+
SSS1207/GES1021 Natural Heritage of Singapore
Not a big fan of the Social Studies compulsory university requirement but after 7 semesters, it is finally to clear this requirement. I have been saving my G account for this module, but they have properly split the bidding procedures between the 2 module codes (old vs new students) so I was only up against Y4s and above who have most likely cleared their SS requirement. I have been eyeing this module because it was the only science-related SS module and open book MCQ exams sound like a breeze
No tutorials but 2 lectures each week from 4-6 which is not webcasted. It was a plus to have this as the last lesson of the day as I could just walk back home. The module was taught by 2 profs, one took the animals topic while the other took plants/vegetation. Grading consists of yet another midterm and finals, all MCQs and all open books, but the fallacy of open book tests being easy is oh so wrong here as you would be flipping around your tags and notes scattered around your table. Textbook and notes are a must so it’s really burn and drink so you know where to flip during the exams.
Did below average for midterms as my tagging was way inadequate and I struggled to know where to flip. To the person who lent me his/her textbook, sorry I still struggled quite a bit in this module as I wasn’t able to grasp the content completely, leaving to much guessing (And praying) in choosing option A-E.
Final Grade: B
FINAL THOUGHTS
CAP (for Y4S2): 4
CAP (for Y4S2 with S/U on SSS1207): 4.13
Overall CAP: DON’T REALLY CARE I GOT MY SECOND UPPER HEHEHE ^_^
I was considering plotting my cumulative CAPs in a table format but I’m like nahhhhhh it’s over there’s no need for such things. Looking back there were many things I could have done better, such as module selection and planning, but it isn’t meant to be perfect so I can finally wrap up this storybook and move onto the next one.
Being a “jjamppong/rojak” semester, the biggest difference is the change from 3 hour seminars to lecture tutorial format. Often I’m just staying within business school, but now I’m hopping around 3 faculties, which resulted in many squeeze and rushed bus rides from one place to another. On the bright side, it led me to be able to sample the many cuisines of the canteens of different faculties instead of just biz canteen and deck HAHA.
FINAL WORDS
When I just enrolled and started university, 4 years felt like an extremely long time and hell weeks feel like the worse as you just can’t wait for each summer/winter holiday. Now after 8 semesters it is truly finally over. Hasn’t hit me as hard as I thought, but the self-growth during these 4 years has been tremendous. I know most people who visit here come for my module reviews so I hoped they have been of assistance in anyway. Apologies for the lack of diverse vocabulary and me being a jukebox HAHAHA.
To those who are still studying “omg take this mod, aim for 1st class, play as hard as you can in grade-free semester etc.”, in the end 4 years of studying would just amount to a certificate and a transcript. Yes it will affect your future prospects but no one will remember what your grades were, it’s all about the memories and the people you met along the way. It’s all about finding the balance between work and play, plus knowing what you want out of everything. Time is precious so spend it on the things and people that matter, and before you know it you would be like me, getting ready to graduate. You will face many setbacks in many different forms, from failed interviews, strained relationships and many more, but please remember that the only way from there is up. Dig a bit more within you every time you feel like letting go and as time passes, you will understand how capable you are actually as a person. Don’t be afraid to try and fail because university will be the last place that you can try without much consequences.
and don’t forget to smile 🙂
Nick // Guardian 