Tuesday, July 17, 2012

I AM FINALLY DONE WITH SOPHOMORE YEAR!

You have no idea how much I've been wanting to say that since the start of my summer term.

It has been a very long academic year, and rightfully so. The start of year 2 seems so far away now that I look back. Time to shake off some rust and try to recall some thoughts that I would like to put down.

Social Psychology. Human Capital Management. Management of People at Work. Biotechnology and Bioentrepreneurship.

Social psychology is by far the most interesting and relevant psychology module that I have taken. My grades weren't the best, but every class was an experience. To read the textbook and be pleasantly surprised is one thing, but Evelyn Au had that amazing way of replicating the experiments in class on a smaller scale to show us firsthand. It was also the first class that I bided for with my SS Freshmen Camp OG mates. Fun class, fun group, a TA who was my friend and a very good professor. I'll remember this course for a very long time.

Human Capital Management. Loved the relevance of this course and it was my first plunge into the world of HR. It was also the first time that I was being taught a full (and proper) module by someone who is from the industry. Sebastian's classes were a mad rush that never ended on time. His simulations and role playing activities were tiring, but I always left class learning something new. I'll always remember the activity where I was part of the HR department, and the rest of the class were employees who were trying to haggle for better health benefits and coverage. Sebastian stirred both sides, and barely 2 minutes into the role play, things got so heated up, I was practically shooting down everyone sarcastically. His parting words to me after the lesson were pretty funny, "I still maintain that you would make a very good consultant, but when it comes to labour relations, right now, you're just gonna end up with a badly scratched car". Simply amazing life lesson. My group mates for that module were a fun bunch as well. Doing the final presentation slides was quite a breeze as everyone was punctual with their parts. That said, it's also the module that presented me with the biggest disappointment in my SMU life. It was the one module that I really wanted to get an A grade, and I fell short. Disappointing is a mere understatement.

Management of People at Work was simply Introductory Psychology in a business suit. My prof was new to SMU and he was a nice guy with a good sense of humour. It was quite a relief to go into class every week and know almost 3/4 of what the prof was talking about without having to do much readings. It also helped that I had Jing the genius as my class buddy and my group mate. My group for this module was pretty good as well. It was the first time that I fell asleep during a group meeting, and they were nice enough to let me sleep the entire thing through. A presentation on the SMU soccer team, and a mad rush to do all the questions in the MCQ bank to tackle the dreaded final exams that accounted for 60% of my grade... those were crazy nights. But at the end of the day, it was particularly satisfying to get my first full distinction in SMU.

Biotechnology and bioentrepreneurship. The module which is named after a word that apparently doesn't exist at all. It was beyond slack. John Kong was a nice guy who made it clear that he didn't expect SMU students to be one bit interested in the biotechnology part and just wanted us to appreciate it. It was a morning class, and my routine usually involved sleeping from 9am to 11am, before I wake up for the break and listen to the presentation of the week. It was also a mod where I somewhat (not purposely!) scammed the prof. For 3h of studying before my final paper, this mod definitely presented the best studying to grade ratio ever.

And that marked the end of my first semester in Sophomore year. I was incredibly lucky to have great groups in almost every module, save for Biotech where there wasn't any group work involved. My first foray into HR, and my first elective Psyc mod. It was a new experience, and thankfully, an experience that I enjoyed.

Special Topics in OBHR. Finishing Touch. Industrial and Organisational Psychology. Facilitation and Counseling. Training and Development. Introductory Statistics.

Special Topics in OBHR. It was LTB all over again, albeit a more in-depth version of it. It's quite amazing to know that there are so many leadership styles and how one variation actually differs from another in the results produced. I'll never forget German class part girl. She had something to say for every single comment made by someone else. Her hands were perennially up in the air and there were times where the prof even avoided looking in her direction so that she 'wouldn't' spot her outstretched arms. Not particularly satisfying or enriching, but it was alright I guess?

Finishing touch. I have to give it to Ronald Tay, his PR skills are simply mind blowing. His eloquence, his mannerism, and the way he puts himself out there... he simply makes it known to the class that he's on a pedestal without even having to bluntly say it. And admittedly, I dare say that he has earned that bit to put himself up there. Throughly enjoyed his class, though it would have been better without the incessant sucking up. It was a good learning experience and as lame as dining etiquette was, it turned out to be a breath of fresh air in an academic environment.

Industrial and Organisational Psychology. Didn't captivate me as much as Social Psychology did, but the direct relevance to OBHR did make this mod very applicable. Grace Park is indeed a prof to behold. Young, energetic and very VERY lively. Her lessons were usually conducted as though she was high. Her vulgar jokes, her crude life stories and all just add up to a colourful class. It also did help having Xueting and Jonathan around. Having to interview an undertaker for my final project on my birthday is definitely one thing to remember. And to end off with my best psychology grade ever, ah, the relief.

Facilitation and Counseling. Slack. Gosh, this module was fun and slack. There was no pressure at all. No pressure to class part, no pressure to read the handouts, no pressure to even be present actually. The weekly role plays were a joke, and Wellness Center duties might as well be renamed 'the 1 hour I spend in school sleeping on a massage chair'. A few interesting skills here and there, but I guess the highlight would be me trying to psycho my group to air a 10 minute video for a 15 minute presentation. Worked all the way till the day before the presentation where the enthu guy got cold feet and decided to air a 2 minute version instead. Tsk tsk.

Training and Development. Chow Wai Fong really makes this module interesting for a 8.30am class. It's amazing how she can be so down to earth and friendly, and yet, the class still knows that when it's time to work, it's serious business. I've thought about it time and time again, but I've no idea how she managed to put that idea into all our heads. Class was fun, enriching and enlightening. Hearing her share her experience as a trainer and a consultant, and subsequently hear her point out all our mistakes while we conducted our training sessions... it was really good. It's what school should be about, learning about relevant things from the people who know what really goes on out there! I loved my group for this module. My minor project with Lijia and Sheryan was really fun. Brainstorming and coming up with a plan that included Twitter and the Lemon game was really brilliant. And to pull it off the way we did with so many external factors that could have ruined everything, I was very proud of that one. The major project that saw us combining with Farzana, Hoa and Liang Yu was torturous. Not my group mates though, I honestly couldn't have asked for better group mates. But the process of deciding on what to do, what to cover, how to cover, when to cover... it was arduous. Easily the most taxing project (talking about relevant projects by the way, the nonsense for LTB doesn't count as relevant). Planning the 'shipwreck', coming up with the motivational part, linking it all back with stuff learnt from class, planning standing positions, timing, watching our posture, tone, projection... it was crazy. It's the mod that told me that consulting is not something that I would want to pursue as a fresh graduate. But looking back, definitely one of the highlight modules of my SMU life.

And finally, the nemesis, Introductory Statistics. Kwong's a funny guy, but his constant fiddling with the statistics program on his computer made me rely on my GC too much. In the end, as much as I could find the answers to all the big problems, I crashed and burned at the theory section. GC usage involves mindless entering of the correct numbers to churn out the correct answer, the process and understanding is lost. I didn't get the grade that I desired, but looking back, I guess all the time spent googling to get instructions on how to put everything into a GC would be something I'll remember and be amused with. Go Google!

The story should end there, but NO. I forgot to attend my Internship briefing, and thus, even if I did a summer internship, it would not be counted as part of my graduation requirements. It was one of those times in life where a curveball just hits you in the face and smashes all the plans that have been made! Thus came that suicidal reshuffle. I decided to clear 4 mods in summer, which otherwise would have been cleared during year 4, semester 1. The planning of modules kept on changing, and I finally settled with 3 GE modules and 1 GRS module.

Knowledge Governance in South East Asia. Introduction to Physical Science. Intercultural Communication. Introduction to Environmental Science.

Knowledge Governance was an interesting mod. Though I had a easier time during the module as I could tap on my general knowledge and class part very comfortably with it. Thomas Menkhoff is quite a funny guy. His German accent is unmistakable, though you'll always do a double take when he naturally inserts a 'la' in between his sentences. He's a passionate guy and makes an effort to really show it during every single lesson. I'll always remember him for his zany eyebrow action. My group mates were my friends from SS. And it was quite easy working with them as we all knew each other previously. It was a mod with a good pace and I quite enjoyed it, though it did become a bit repetitive as all the hubs seemed the same!

Introduction to Physical Science was beyond boring. My class part was simply me interjecting during the lesson with remarks that were more of jokes than anything else. Meeting a tuition mate from ages ago, having a group that strategised well and thus making the projects seem bearable, and a final exam that reminded me why I screwed up my A level H2 papers. This module was a waste of my time.

Intercultural communication was a joy. Love the prof, love my group mates, love my classmates as well. Okay, minus the annoying act cool guy and this indian foreign student. They got the best man to teach this class, and his laid back, candid approach did make it easier to discuss sensitive topics. Honestly, this course should be made compulsory for all Singaporeans, an eye opener for all the one-track minded people out there.

Introduction to Environmental Science was a waste of my time as well. Learnt almost nothing, but had tons of fun with my group mates, who are equally annoyed with having to do such a ridiculous module. Scamming the prof with an 'organic' apple, the same annoying indian foreign student from ICC who tried to scam the prof into giving him 8 bonus marks that he wouldn't even earn in a fictitious Bollywood movie, playing FM, having a pregnant class mate, having a 'cow' during my presentation... the list of how this class is ridiculous just goes on and on. Thankfully, it's over!

And that... was how my Sophomore year went. It was a good year academically. Not fantastic, but something that I can build upon. After 3 terms, the start of year 3 is daunting. I do feel tired after all these, and the only bright side now is exchange and hopefully, a good internship.  Oklahoma and mystery company, 2013 would bring you along. But now, I'm just going to unwind and say goodbye to my Sophomore year.

Junior year will come, but for now, it can wait.

Mumbled @ {12:28 AM}
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