So.... I'm still alive. Yay~
Semester 1 of my first year in NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is almost over! Right now I'm on my study break and final examinations are coming soon. How fast. It feels just like yesterday when I was wondering when my classes will first start.
At least one thing has improved so far: my typing. I'm typing a lot faster now and with more accuracy. xD
So FASS is trying to implement a partial liberal arts system where before you major, you have no compulsory or pre-allocated modules. Good news is, you are free to take whatever module you want~ Bad news is, you have to bid for EVERYTHING. The bidding system is so tedious. For FASS students we have 600 faculty points and 400 other points. Good luck bidding for more popular courses that can go up to 300+ points for one module.
In order to graduate with a degree from FASS, we need to take 2 General Education modules, 1 Singapore Studies module, 2 breadth modules, 3 faculty exposure modules, 7 unrestricted modules (which can be used for minors), 15 major modules for bachelor and another 8 more major modules for honours. Each module is about 4 MCs (module credit).
To graduate, we need
BA- 120 MCs and CAP 2.0
BA (Hons) or BSocSci (Hons) - 160 MCs and CAP 3.2- (optional Honours thesis)
This semester I'm taking
1. Introduction to Philosophy (PH1102E)
2. Einstein's Universe and Quantum Weirdness (PC1325)
3. Introduction to Public Speaking (GEM2027)
4. Environmental Biology (GEK1515)
5. South Asia: People, Culture, Development (SN1101E)
1&5 are FASS mods and I'm taking them to fulfil exposure modules requirement. 3&4 are general education modules, one arts and one science and I'm taking 2 as my breadth module (from physics department). I wanted to try more FASS modules but the bid points were too damn high and I couldn't get what I wanted. Philosophy cost 300+ bid points! That's more than half of my 600 faculty point! The rest all cost only 1 bid point each though... I'm saving up for semester 2.
In FASS you have to declare a major latest by year 2 and earliest year 1 semester 2. Most majors don't have any prerequisites but for the one I'm interested in, Psychology, requires at least a B- in two of its introduction modules.
I wanted to bid for Psychology modules but they were too popular and cost too much. T^T
So I'm saving up for next semester!
If you really need more time, you can appeal to the school admin and ask to extend time before you declare your major. Of course, then you'll have to plan your timetable carefully because you would miss one semester of your major modules. And if you don't graduate in time, the government's subsidy will run out... and you'll run out of $$$.
For now the expenses are about S$4k/sem and I'm using my Dad's CPF to pay first. I'll have to return the money to him, with interest, when I start working of course, but honestly I'd much rather pay interest to my Dad than to banks.
To learn more about CPF Education Scheme, click here.
To be honest though, I don't really know what I'm doing in university. I have no motivation to study because I don't know what I'm studying for. I'm just going along with the paper chase because I don't know what I want.
I've tried working in retail, admin, charity organisations etc and I cannot survive for longer than 1 month in any of them.
I constantly put myself in a position where I have many options to choose from... Maybe that's my security. On one hand I have many, many opportunities. On the other I have too many options and I don't know how to choose. I really want to find a job that I love and I would be happy to do for the rest of my life but really, so far there is nothing I can do for the rest of my life.
No joke, I even get tired of eating sometimes (mostly during long holidays) and I just stop eating because I don't like eating anymore. And eating is a necessity essential for my survival.*sighhh~*
What to do.
On a side note, I really think that I was born 30. I'm only 19 and I feel like birthdays have lost their meaning because I have celebrated too many and they just don't feel as special.
I'll tell you a secret. I'm actually 50-year-old fabricating the life of a 19-year-old for my own amusement. And if you see me outside it's because I am really, really, prodigiously good at make-up. Also botox. My friends can testify to this.
-just kidding-
Even my sense of humor is old. Oh well. Off to knit christmas mittens.
Side-side note: I reallllyyy love christmas and I have no idea why. We don't even have snow in Singapore. Or cold weather, or egg nogs or roasted turkeys or nutcrackers or plain old fireplaces... Landed property is scarce. :'(
We do have the heck a lot of chocolates though~ Mmmh~
