I am reeling fresh (ok, last month) from a pickpocket attempt in an city (not London) in the UK - attempt by 3 ladies! They came straight for my backpack. I guess I was the easiest target because the rest of my family used PacSafe backpacks that day. They did successfully unzip my backpack, but thankfully, nothing was nicked.

@doodbug said in Overseas Uni funds preparation:

@lee_yl jialat so if kids are going to europe to live or study, especially for girls, maybe we need to consider sending them for self-defence class. guns are not legal or prevalent in europe (i hope) but still other forms of crime, especially mobile phone theft, are not uncommon.

Learning a little self-defence can create overconfidence, I feel. I tell my girls to push away and RUN! And scream as well. But the best defence is avoiding situations and behaviour which attract attention or are dangerous. Singapore is too safe, which is both a good and bad thing. Most overseas cities are more dangerous than Singapore, whether in Europe, Asia or just about anywhere else!

Totally agree with you.

Know parents who gave kids safety alarm to hang on bags plus pepper sprays for protection.

To add on, keep a low profile on a daily basis - avoid carrying/wearing branded items.

@lee_yl jialat so if kids are going to europe to live or study, especially for girls, maybe we need to consider sending them for self-defence class. guns are not legal or prevalent in europe (i hope) but still other forms of crime, especially mobile phone theft, are not uncommon.

Learning a little self-defence can create overconfidence, I feel. I tell my girls to push away and RUN! And scream as well. But the best defence is avoiding situations and behaviour which attract attention or are dangerous. Singapore is too safe, which is both a good and bad thing. Most overseas cities are more dangerous than Singapore, whether in Europe, Asia or just about anywhere else!

Either she loves the Parisian lifestyle or can’t let go of her good income working for the private equity firm there, despite the terrifying experience

If DD2 is the only child then perhaps more straightforward

My own view is that, I have done my part for them by providing them a good basic education thus far. It’s like buying a car. I can get them a Toyota, but if they want a Porsche ($300K-$400K), they will need to finance the purchase themselves.

https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/ex-host-sharon-au-quits-job-after-her-paris-home-is-burgled-reevaluates-her-life-there

Is any of your DD’s friends or school/class mates also offered/going?

Am not sure if the contact info for the other local recipients will be shared or if there will be any pre-departure orientation. I vaguely remembered DD was communicating with some local and Asian recipients (from different courses) about flights and accomodation arrangements.

Am not familiar with Japan’s student accomodation arrangement, hence not sure if the opportunities to get to know others is better staying in hostel or flatting out. My DD stayed in a hostel, ensuite with cleaning services. She eats out most times so no concerns in this aspect. Food should not be a problem in Japan.

Japan is not so far, probably can consider flying there regularly until she is more settled.

@Imp75 no time you can just watch the last 10 mins of part 1. Sharon Au shared that just 2 weeks into her course in Japan, she almost gave up and wanted to come back to S’pore. She thought her Jap was proficient but she couldn’t catch what the locals were saying due to their accent and slangs. Because breaking the bond will cost her $1m+, she had no choice but to complete the course. 当没选择的时候，只好硬着头皮走下去 and for Sharon Au, it’s 柳暗花明又一村. Didn’t know she mid-way switched track to do Law and Politics in France, thought she went there for some drama related courses.
人生很多转折点
Life is never linear!

I’ve always super admired her versatility and how bilingual - now polyglot - she is!

@lee_yl
It’s not mummy don’t let her go. It’s mommy let her go but now she’s having cold feet being alone in a foreign country (japs are known to be very exclusive bunch of people).

Has she ever been there before other than as a tourist? Does she have Japanese friends? Would they have any contacts with that town/city/university?
Does that university have any alumni in Singapore, who could tell her more, maybe introduce her to people and groups in that city/town? Even better, if there are any Singaporeans who will be seniors in that same university, at least she will have someone she knows to start with.
Does the university have any orientation for international students, or have an international students’ group where she can get help from seniors who are also internationals, or Japanese who are willing to reach out to foreigners?

Any of these can help her to make some friends initially, and she can then branch out from these to build bridges to others in the maim culture. She has to be prepared that it can take time and effort, and she will often have to make the first moves and be persistent in reaching out, rather than have the locals reach out to her.

It’s normal to have cold feet before such a major transition - even those going to the “normal” places like UK/Aus/US will feel this. But if your daughter is really keen to study there, she can make some plans to make the transition easier. And just as I always advised my kids when they faced transitions to a new school - don’t immediately try to break into the “in” groups with the most popular students as they are often too busy to reach out; the best is to look for those who are a bit quieter, not so busy, but willing to be friendly. After a while, when they know more people, they may well end up in the “in” groups, but that’s not really important as long as they have some social network.

If your daughter really wants to study there, she should not give up too easily. Help her think about what she can do while here, and what she can do once she’s there. All the best to her!

https://www.mewatch.sg/episode/Hear-U-Out-E26-Sharon-Au-Part-1-183891

https://www.mewatch.sg/episode/Hear-U-Out-E27-Sharon-Au-Part-2-185148

Overseas Uni or not really depends on kids nowadays. I don’t think parents have any say in this. Hv one child already obtained a fully funded non-bonded scholarship to Japan yet is mulling over the decision to live in Japan for 5y.

If your DD managed to get a bond free scholarship then go ahead lah.

My good friend sent me a link about this former Mediacorp artist Sharon. Sharon Au was from St Nic, Hwa Chong and subsequently graduated from Wasade Tokyo (on scholarship). She furthered her education in a French University . She can speak French and Japanese. After a career in local showbiz, she resigned from Mediacorp and is now an investment Director of a private equity firm based in Paris. She gave me the impression of being highly versatile. Impressive track record even though she’s not from NUS/NTU.

Another perspective is to imagine 20 years later what would be your daughter’s bigger regret? Not to have attended NUS/NTU or to forgo her dreams of doing her university education in Japan.

Like what SGKP said earlier, it is really not advisable to skip the 1st year language foundation class despite your daughter’s proficiency in Japanese. Some time is needed to get used to the daily slang and accents as well as to prepare for the university entrance exams (if required).

I can honestly share that I don’t think the path my child took is the right path that would maximise success in the traditional sense, or earning power. We laid it bare for the kid to consider, but he still chose what he chose. Ultimately, once the decision has been made, we support fully and make the best of it. But prior to that, we were frank with pointing out what we thought the kid would be forgoing from our vantage point (we may not always be correct) for their consideration.

I understand the examples you had cited. For Business, if the child has ambitions to work in Wall Street or go into management consultancy firms, then I think UCLA may open more opportunities to intern at leading global companies (even tech companies). But not all kids have that sort of plans/ambitions - some plan to return to Singapore and are content with job opportunities in SG. In which case, the range of opportunities whether its a degree from Korea or UCLA may not be too different. The important thing is the child is making the decision, roughly aware of what he or she is ‘forgoing’ as well.

Every family will have different considerations and perspectives. Am just rambling thoughts aloud

The 3/6 job offers is my analogy, not an actual statistics. This is to show likely lesser choices for first job for lesser names Uni graduates.

@doodbug said in Overseas Uni funds preparation:

For niche interests or value propositions, the considerations are different.

For me, if everything else being equal and absence of any obligations, if niche interests give the child happiness plus 3 job offers after graduation , and value propositions give the child half the happiness plus 6 job offers after graduation, I will support the former.

How will know how many job offers a graduate will get? If it’s a niche area, I really wouldn’t be able to assess the chances! And it depends on the student too - my daughter only applied to 3 places, received 1 offer, and accepted it. I suppose she would have received more if she had applied to more places since she studied a generic and widely applicable subject, but I wouldn’t have the same confidence for a niche area.

A real example: I have friends whose daughter is very keen to continue training in ballet (in the UK, which leads to a BA of some kind) instead of going to “normal” university, and they have supported her choice (although with some misgivings). They decided that since she can always go to “normal” university later in life if the ballet doesn’t work out, but it’s not possible the other way round, they should let her follow her dream while she’s young. By the “3 job offers” criterion, they would have said “no”.

For niche interests or value propositions, the considerations are different.

For me, if everything else being equal and absence of any obligations, if niche interests give the child happiness plus 3 job offers after graduation , and value propositions give the child half the happiness plus 6 job offers after graduation, I will support the former.

For niche interests or value propositions, the considerations are different. This applies even at decisions at the schooling stage (e.g. certain special programmes, SOTA for Arts & Music etc). If a child is going to read say Dentistry in a not so well ranked university overseas, but earns a degree recognized by the singapore accreditation board, and wishes to practise in Singapore, i think most parents will support (if they are financially able to). so it there is a clear niche such as studying in Germany with plans to work for German firms in Singapore, or working in Austria/Germany in future, I think that’s fine.

However, if the child has no clear plans and wishes to keep job options in Singapore as wide as possible (not unusual among university-going students), then I guess my general take is that going to local universities or more widely known universities may open the most options. As slmkhoo explained, it’s also down to how the candidate is able to position the experience and his/her choice, and to contextualise it to the employer’s hiring needs.

Other parents, pls share your thinking whether a degrees from lesser known Uni will affect the child’s job search in Singapore?

Factors to consider:

• how well can the student “sell” himself and his experience? If he has the personality and presence to explain the choice and the benefits derived convincingly, it can make him stand out from the crowd. Some employers will appreciate this (maybe not the most conservative ones).
• what niche is the student intending to work in? Some are less conservative (see above) and potential employers may possibly be more willing to consider less usual backgrounds. And they are also more likely to appreciate the skills needed in that specific niche.
• how important is it for the student to get a job quickly and earn decent money asap? Students who have younger siblings, parents who need financial support etc may prefer the tried and true routes as they can’t afford to take risks and need to start earning money quickly. Those who don’t have these constraints can afford to try the road less-travelled and take a bit more time to find an employer that appreciates what they offer.