Juggling work and studies to prepare for future challenges
UniSIM students who work and study part time share their experiences
He cares for peoples' teeth in the day and studies sociology at night.
Full-time oral health therapist Glenn Lee, 23, is pursuing his part-time Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) at SIM University (UniSIM).
In 2013, Mr Lee graduated from Nanyang Polytechnic with a diploma in oral health therapy. After national service (NS), he worked for half a year in 2015 before joining UniSIM in January last year.
Mr Lee chose to study while working so he would not lose out on the years he has to commit to a full-time degree programme.
He said: "Though there are challenges as a part-time student, the skills that I pick up, such as time management and balancing of work and family commitments, prepare me for the increasing demands that I will face in the future."
He said the most interesting part of his course is meeting a variety of classmates.
He added: "From all walks of life, we go to class with different perspectives towards social issues."
His parents encouraged him to study, but they were initially worried about him doing apart-time degree.
"They were concerned about the time spent on other commitments, and whether I had sufficient time for a part-time degree," he said.
Mr Lee wants to use his degree to promote changes in Singapore and improve dental public health, especially among the less fortunate.
He said: "I believe the degree I am pursuing will equip me with a different perspective towards social issues."
Mr Lee aims to graduate in 2019 and hopes to pursue further studies in dental public health.
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Another person who chose to work and study at the same time is Mr Sean Fang, 25, who will soon join the National Institute of Education's Office of Education Research as a research assistant.
Mr Fang, who graduated in December last year with a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) with honours from UniSIM, said he worked full time for a year in 2012 after completing NS because he wanted to gain work experience first.
From 2013, he worked part time while pursuing his degree, only taking a six-month break last year to concentrate on his honours classes.
He said: "Studying in a part-time course allowed me to interact in a classroom environment where a large percentage of my classmates were already established individuals in their respective fields.
"The environment not only facilitated the sharing of experiences but also painted a more vivid picture of how concepts taught in the classroom could apply to the workplace."
Part-time degree courses at UniSIM
The Bachelor of Science (Psychology), Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) and Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) programmes at SIM University are available only as part-time courses.
To graduate with a basic degree, students are required to complete a total of 130 credit units.
This includes 10 credit units of university core courses.
In addition, an honours programme is available for students pursuing psychology, and an additional 40 credit units are required to graduate with honours.
The BSc Psychology programme can be taken with minors in multimedia or security studies.
The BA Psychology programme can be taken with minors in business, communication, film studies, marketing, political science, sociology or translation.
Students pursuing sociology may take minors in communication, contemporary China studies, film studies, political science, psychology or security studies.
Interested applicants can submit their application online via www.unisim.edu.sg/applynow.
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