The Ultimate Guide To Surviving Polytechnic

It's your first time entering the massive polytechnic campus, of course you'll feel a little inferior. Freshly graduating from Secondary School, & all your close friends dispersed around the 5 polytechnics in Singapore, let alone those who went on to pursue their studies in JC. I first entered Singapore Polytechnic (SP) with only 4 friends from secondary school with me, but I graduated with more close friends than I ever had. Here are 8 survival tips to graduating from polytechnic with good memories to hold for a lifetime...

Wise words from the First Lady

1. Always set MULTIPLE alarms

If your alarm page does not look similar to this, think again!!

Our local polytechnics do not tolerate lack in punctuality y'all. Specifically in SP, being late will result to being 'absent'. I believe each polytechnic has grace periods in-between classes, so use it to your advantage. Always aim to reach class on time, excluding the grace period. If your lesson starts at 8am, BE THERE OR BE SQUARE. Being late for lessons also affect your state of mind & you'll be too sweaty and uncomfortable to actually pay attention to your first class of the day. Also, attendance affects your overall grades for the semester. No matter how much of a genius you are, but you can't pass your attendance above 75%, u a dead meat boii. As the saying goes, "to be early is to be on time and, to be on time is to be late."

2. Print your Lecture Slides

Yes, I am not kidding. Though bringing your laptop to school everyday seems like a more convenient way to access all your lecture notes & slides, hardcopy handouts will always be more effective than staring at your radioactive screen. I would also like to take this opportunity to mourn for the trees my friends & I have killed during our 3 years in poly. Writing down notes on the particular slide in which your lecturer emphasises on will also help you prepare better for the final exams. It's also easier to draw on your notes than to attach 'drawing' or shapes on the notepad in your laptop. Research also shows that it is easier to remember handwritten notes than those that are typed. If you feel that bringing your laptop to school is cooler, don't worry because you'll have ample time to show-off the stickers on your laptops in your subsequent years because RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH! When it's time for lectures, take your pen & paper and be the student that you are. One of my lecturers used to say, "A student should always have his pen & paper. That's what students need."

3. Join a CCA

Even though joining a CCA is not compulsory, I strongly recommend you at least join a school club. If you're not the type to spend over 5 hours in school, then sign up for a non-sports CCA. Be it interest groups, service learning, or academic school clubs. Being able to obtain CCA GOLD With HONOURS can be added on to your portfolio. In SP, CCA points are put into 7 different categories in which you earn points in order to achieve either bronze, silver, gold, or gold with honours. Besides your grades, you can also flex your CCA grades in your portfolio for your internships or applications to University. I believe joining a sports CCA makes it easier to achieve gold with honours because each competition for the school will easily get you multiple points for participation, representation, and sometimes leadership. It's also a great de-stressing activity. Honestly, my teammates are one of my best takeaways from polytechnic. Aside from that, I get to keep a healthy lifestyle throughout my years in poly. 😉 lol, just kidding, we go for supper all the time after training.

4. Make Google Drive your Best Friend

Google Drive is the most useful sharing site - you get to simultaneously input in the same document at anytime & anywhere of the day. It's also easier to allocate the work among your teammates. To make the lives of your teammates easier, you can easily check the document's History on its changes to ensure that everyone has input where & when necessary. 😏 However, since the format for Google Docs & Google Slides are not always the best, you may convert the file into either Microsoft Word/ PowerPoint to make formatting amendments before presenting. If you do not have access to Microsoft (because your school doesn't provide for one reason or another 🤨), it's good enough to present using Google. As long as the layout & animations are appropriate. Google Drive is also a great app for safekeeping of past documents, should you require any information from your past assignments. Since the modules are progressive through the 3 years, there's definitely a high chance of having to review past assignments. (Don't say I never warn!)

5. KEEP YOUR PAST NOTES, you'll need it

As mentioned, you'll need to refer to your previous assignments due to the progression of modules from Year 1 to Year 3. Keep your past notes accessible so you won't be too lazy to dig into it. Also, it's best to review your past notes before the commencement of your next semester's module (but oh well, who does that?) For someone who handwrites notes for review before exam, I strongly encourage you to refer to your old notes if you have forgotten key concepts. You earn trust points from your lecturers too, if you get to answer their recap questions. 😉

6. Befriend your Lecturers, the nice ones

We <3 helpful Lecturers!!

Once you come across a lecturer who checks up on you once in awhile before, during or after class, APPRECIATE IT. Not all lecturers in Poly care about their students' wellbeing because most of them love their modules more than their students. Helpful and approachable lecturers are treasures. Once you get hold of one, ask them questions - as many as you can, even the most simplest questions. But don't forget to ask them about their day! Remember their favourite drink, dish, or hobby, so you can talk about it before bombarding them with questions. These lecturers are the ones who will help you clarify your doubts even when you feel like your questions are stupid or if you feel ashamed about not grasping a key concept. In my final year, I had a group of nice, friendly, and super helpful lecturers who would clarify my doubts & check up on my progress too! Once in awhile, they will test me a certain concept that I once questioned before. They did it with most of the "noisy" students in class! Make your lecturers your best friends, so at least they know your efforts & would probably hesitate to fail you. HAHA just kidding, do your revisions kids.

7. Bring your power-banks and/or chargers

Though you shouldn't use your phone in class, it's sensible to bring your powerbanks with you. At this day & age, I think most of the Singaporean teen population would own at least one powerbank each. Anyways, it's definitely more crucial to bring along your laptop chargers whenever you are required to bring your laptops for research or projects. It's also wayyyy easier to type emails and essays on your computer btw. If you forget to bring your lecture handouts, you can refer to the soft copy version of it, while writing notes on paper & pen - duh! Some of you might think that having your laptop fully charged will be sufficient to last a few hours in school, but don't fall for that trap! Sometimes, you may end up researching longer than expected, & it'll be such a bummer if you can't complete your assignment JUST. BECAUSE. you ran out of battery. Sure, there may be a friend who often brings his/her charger which you may borrow, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Your friend needs to complete assignments too y'know.

8. Do your GROUP WORK irl

That one prominent thing about being in poly, is being tasked to do group work for at least 2 of your semestral modules. Some modules put in group work tasks as part of Continual Assessments, so there's no time to waste. Don't ever take a group work lightly, tasks can easily cost you about 10-15% of your module grades. The most effective way to get your A for that part of your module is to get everyone in your group, on board. If you have an Alpha personality, just take charge. Allocate parts to everyone in the group, but make sure you listen to their opinions too. Honestly, you don't have to tank the whole group work. Just make sure everyone understands & are in favour of their part of the assignment. It definitely helps to meet in real life - hold group meetings, do the task together. It's easier to discuss and make decisions when everyone is accessible and responsive. Though Skype and call conferences may seem like a good idea, it's always best to have your teammates at your beck and call, like instantaneously. My Final Year Project assignments were always done irl, together with my group mates, and we have no rAgrETs. It's also a good bonding time to sit & work together.

There's definitely more to this when it comes to creating fond memories in your 3 years, but these are basic survival tips to keep you sane. You're welcome! 😇😇

As you chiong for your assignments, don't forget to eat healthy & sleep well!

Best of luck.

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