Open House Survival Guide

It’s that time of the year again. Sheepish secondary school kids awaiting their O Level results pay a visit to the “open houses” conducted by the 5 Singapore polytechnics. Secondary school graduates flock by the hundreds to each open house in hopes of getting as much information about the poly and their courses 

 Being someone who’s gone through this phase before, I know this can be confusing and stressful for some to navigate around. Its sad to think that at the tender age of 16, one must make decisions that will affect his/her entire life indefinitely.

 At every turn, different poly representatives bombard you with all kinds of ( occasionally exaggerated and downright stupid ) reasons as to why you should join their poly. In the end,  you end up severely confused by the information, so much so that you can't decide on which poly suits you best.  Here are a few tips that I feel Everyone should keep in mind before choosing their polys. If you disagree, feel free to pummel me with hate-mail.  This may offend some people who belong to certain groups but I don't feel like holding back .These are things I wish Someone had told me back then when I was deciding on which poly to choose. All the seniors from each poly that I spoke to were bias towards their own school and didn't answer my primary questions. I had the worst time figuring out what to do with my life without any proper guidance & I don't ever want that to happen to anyone. 

(1) Have confidence in your choice. Don't let ANYONE tell you that your making a mistake: 

Back then, I was pressured by my parents and partially by my friends to take up business studies instead of pursuing Fashion . In the end, I gave in to their incessant remarks that belittled any future I thought I might have had with Fashion. I had no confidence in my own abilities to succeed and it landed me in a course that I knew nothing of. Trying to please everyone with your decision will be impossible. You are bound to get some criticism from either your family or friends about your choice. Stop calling your friends and asking them to give you their opinion on your possible choices. These Decisions mean nothing to them and won't permanently affect their lives in any way. They will tell you things that will make you doubt yourself. Why would you want that?  

If you've had a particular interest for something and want to make it your course of study, don't let anything prevent you from doing so. If you still haven't figured out what you want, It is probably best to consider the Junior College route since the Poly route are for those who ,to a degree, are certain of their future careers. Don't just join a course for the sake of the course , like joining accountancy because you don't know what you want to be and you think accountancy will help you reach a profession that will churn out loads of cash. This is complete Bullshit.  It's is no laughing matter !

What's important is your own goals. Don't let yourself be swayed into choosing a poly just because your friends are gonna be in it and you want to be with them.  This isn't like secondary school where its not that serious if you choose to attend the same school as your friends. Just because your parents want you to study in SP because that was where they studied 40 years ago doesn't mean you should listen to them. Have a mind of your own and take charge of your life. 

As a young adult, You are now able to make decisions on your own that will affect your entire life . Please no-one but yourself   By the time your realize that it isn't worth it to suffer in a school that you don't enjoy being in because you chose to please someone else, it would have been too late to make a change. Make the right decision the first time. It will save you alot of effort and tears.

(2) Don't bother about Distance :

This issue is only important for the chronically late and Even so, it boils down to discipline.  Waking up on time is something everyone can achieve. At most, traveling time to school for someone in Singapore is 1.5 hours at max.  This amount of time is hardly significant and should not influence your decision. Grow up , Stop making excuses for yourself and take responsibility. Keep in mind that you're no longer a CHILD but a Young ADULT. Such issues like being lazy about traveling is trivial . The transport system Sucks, I know. But it isn't totally worthless. 

Don't Settle for less by choosing a poly just because It's closer to where you live instead of a Poly that's best for you but is a few trains stops further than the other. I don't care who tells you that distance is important.  There are people who travel from Malaysia to Singapore just for Secondary school and You think you have the right to compromise?  You will only hinder your own success and trust me when I say YOU WILL REGRET choosing a poly based on distance. Such decisions are almost impossible to correct and will cause much heartache in the years to come.  

Be like Hercules. Go anywhere, as long as you know that's where you belong.

(3) Do your own research. Don't be naive & believe everything the course consultants from each school tells you: 

They will say anything and everything to convince you that their school is the best there is. Make sound decisions based on real proof. Don't just buy in to whatever they tell you. A good way to tell is when they twist their answers to always make it seem like their poly has everything you're looking for. 

Truth be told, these course consultants are actually given guidelines that prevent them from saying anything that might point out something the poly/course might be lacking in. Thus, take everything they say with a pinch of salt and make your own findings by being smart and observing for yourself.  

Ask your friends form these schools if you have any. They will give you honest answers that includes the good stuff along with the bad. Remember,their main priority regardless of whether it is within your best interest is for you to join their poly. This may be untrue for a few schools but never the less, it's always good to have a subjective stance when it comes to judging the art of persuasiveness. A school is still a business after all. 

(4) Know the environment you want to be a part of : 

While the Kind of course the poly offer plays an integral part in decision making, the environment you want to be in plays an important role too. Each Poly has their own vibe that may be attractive to only a few people.  There are students interested in school that have events 24/7. Some prefer polys that are heavy on theory instead of application ( this is stupid. Poly is about learning to apply the concepts you learn. If you want theory, go to JC and stop being indecisive ). 

You're going to be spending a huge chunk of your young adult life in the poly grounds so it helps to choose one that encourages you to be at your PERSONAL best .  Once you've accessed the type of environment you want, pick out and evaluate the poly that possesses that factor. 

(5) Get to know the behavior of the people from various Polys:

The attitudes of students from the poly of your choice will greatly shape your character and strongly influence your behavior. If your decorum and countenance isn't the same as that of the students there, You WILL find it hard to cope and conform. Ultimately, you will end up struggling and will have nobody to blame but yourself.  For example, I come from SP's School of Business and a large majority of the students there prefer academic results over holistic ones. 

This makes it hard for me because I am strongly against learning for learning's sake instead of how to apply them. In the end, I lose interest and my grades drop. It's important to find a school that has similar students who share the same studying behavior as you.  This will make your enthusiasm constant, allowing you to do better throughout your 3 years. 

(6) keep in mind the unique possibles each poly offers: 

Each polys boasts their own individual niche areas . SP is know for their Engineering( of which i cannot give two flying ducks about) while NP has a recognized business faculty. TP is the only poly to offer a fashion mechanizing course while NYP has a competitive Nursing diploma course. RP is relatively new though I'm sure they have their own unique strengths that I'm not aware of. Some schools have a better variety of CCAs or Interest groups . For example, its arguable that SP's theatre group is the best amongst the 5 polys (LOL Because I'm it it!) while TP's Tennis CCA holds a commendable standing as compared to the rest. 

The list goes on but what's key is how these unique offerings will help you to gain more expose in your field of interest. Lets say you like DJ-ing.  A good Option would be NP because their School Radio station; Radio Heatwave, allows for students to freely join and be a part of the radio. Their standards far exceed those of other school radio stations like SP's Space radio which in all honesty, is depressing to here and bores me to death (no offence) 

In a nutshell,

Your best interest is your own issue to worry about. Step up your game and make the right choices for yourself. Im going to quote from some article I read when I was young and still wondering which poly I should go for. Learn to be smart because Poly is just like the Hunger games: Your ultimate goal is to survive and outlast.  At least You can wear anything you want to poly! Although it does get tiresome to keep coming up with ways to add spunk into your looks . You'll go through this "what should I wear/Have i worn this before?" dilemma but that phase will only last For your first year. After which, you'll realize that it doesn't freakin matter but by all means, Make the campus your fashion runway and explore your options

Life in Poly is an on-going social game and drama. You’ll judge.You will be judged.You’ll bitch and be bitched about. Learn to keep an open mind and make the right friends. What's important is to learn and find out who you really are or not. That would be the time to stand up strong and proud being who you are. It’s only through trying that you’ll ever know SO go step out of your comfort zone, go crazy, go socialize, go party, go experiment, go fucking live life itself! Because the years in poly will fly by fast and by then, you'll probably continue your studies in a Uni or serve your national service or whatever. When you enter that world after graduating from Poly, Its going to be a different ball game altogether.

 If you have any questions about SP's business school , the Business Administration course or the Theatre CCA for SP, feel free to drop me an email at dreamingofdior@gmail.com and I'll be sure to answer them ASAP. If you feel that this post is utterly ludicrous and makes no sense, send me hate mail. I love hate mail. I'm sorry I haven't been very active in blog posting these days. Believe me, I have my reasons though i accept any punishment you guys see fit :3

Currently, Fashion is in a deep hibernation but will be in full bloom as February approaches. What are you most looking forward to by then? Mine's the new Glee Season 4 episode as well as Alexander Wang's collection for Balenciaga's Spring summer line . Also, I've been working on projects that involve giving away fashion books like "Vogue: the editor's Eye" as well as "The little black jacket" and is gonna be carried out real soon. . Watch this space to get more info on how to win these coveted literary fashion must haves OKAY !?  Till then, I wish everyone a wonderful week. Stay safe and live simple. 

Don't f*ck with my shit -Marc Jacobs ( so much angst )