I still remembered why I signed up for this course. When the bidding system was ongoing, I still felt the sense of failure and disappointment from interviews with top universities, including Oxford University, Columbia University and Imperial College London. From the experience that I have gone through, I felt that my communication skill is really far from good. I wanted to learn how to express myself well and communicate effectively, so I thought this course would actually help.
I came to the course without knowing anyone, going to class just by myself. However, after I stepped in and saw what was happening around me, I thought this may not be that bad after all. Through this course, I have really gained insights on communication skills. I have never noticed that non-verbal communication can affect the way other people perceived me that much. Resume writing and interview skill were also one of the most important aspect that this course has taught me. I left this class knowing everyone and I have learned as much from them as I learned from Brad.
In term of group work, I really learned how to be patient and more accepting toward others' working style. This is a very important skills that we all need in real life. Through research project and peer teaching, we all have gained the knowledge into what we were doing. However, I think more importantly the skill that we used through these projects have taught us more than we can ever imagine.
All in all, this course for me is just the start of effective communication. It's a football academy where young players learned all the tactics from. However, after the graduation, the real improvement comes when these players actually play in real matches against different teams. Just like what we are now. We are only at the start of the journey. We are now facing the real world where we will hone our skills to be the star in this league, so let the journey begins. It has been great training with all of you in various discussions and projects. All the best everyone.
Cheers,
Billet
Hi Billet,
ReplyDeleteI think we didn't just learn to comment, blog etc, but also tolerate the occasional overcritical comments. If you would like to ake similar modules, I would recommend SP1202 and WP2201 modules.
$W?h0w$
Hey Billet,
ReplyDeleteHere I am again. First to comment! :) You never shared about that before..the interviews with OXFORD, COLUMBIA and IMPERIAL! Those are really impressive and you had interviews with them. Well, I'm certain that still doesn't limit where you go from here.
It was really interesting and fateful that you decided to take this module, despite being a Year 1. I was thinking about how many of us actually came by our own accord, and that's just about how communication was a genuine interest in our lives.
That being said, it was a great experience learning with you. I remember in my first blogpost you were sharing techniques to boost my confidence in answering questions, and your initiative to evoke discussions in class was consistent through the semester. I learnt loads from your courage just by observation.
Anyway, my fellow proposal group buddy, all the best pursuing your dreams and before that, have a great study-life balance in RH! :)
Okay haha, I take that back. Wyhow was a lot faster than I was! :P
ReplyDeleteP.S: See the amount of effort I put into writing the best wishes for you? :)
Hey Billet,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing with us the reason why you chose this module. I believe that you are the only person in this class who are a freshman. And it’s good to see that you have made a conscious effort to improve your communication skills.
One thing I would definitely remember about you is that you were the most active person in each tutorial session. Your active participation has livened up the atmosphere in class and we have also got the chance to see issues from a different perspective. Thanks a lot for your positive contribution to this course and keep the spirit on!
Since you are only Year 1 and still have a long way to go for your undergraduate study here at NUS, I have some advice which may be useful to you that I have gained through my past two years of undergraduate life. It is very important to be clear about your goal in life as soon as possible so that you can prepare early. There are many directions in life and which path would you like to choose? Would you like to purse higher degrees and you will have another chance applying for Oxford? Or you want to step into the workforce early and be a professional engineer?
Knowing where you really want to go is not easy and it is a self-discovery journey that you have to go through. There are many resources where you can look for help such as career centre, your academic mentor and your seniors. Give yourself as many as opportunities to explore yourself and in the end you will know what is the thing that you really want in life. I would recommend this video by Steve Jobs, which he shared about his personal experience in making life decisions. Hope it can throw some insights to you:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc
You have made your first step to discover your potential by being the actor in Raffles’ Hall production and good beginning is half of success. As NUS’s vision is to be a global university centered in Asia, there are plenty of opportunities where you can give yourself a try. Be it the Student Exchange Program, NUS Overseas College or Industrial Attachment, there are a lot to discover yourself. Plan early, execute your plan with determination and you will maximize your four years at NUS!
That’s all from me and I wish you all the best in your future explorations :)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Billet!
ReplyDeleteAs Nanhai has mentioned, it's quite commendable that you're taking this class in your freshman year here at NUS. Then again, we now know how very important soft skills are in the corporate world. Plus without the ability to write a decent application letter or resume, or to appropriately handle interviews, we'd never get very far beyond university.
So in a sense, you're the most sensible of us all! Possessing enough foresight to hone your soft skills early, at the very beginning of your university education. (:
I have indeed witnessed very positive changes in your writing style, since the very first blog-post. As for your presentations, you left a very good impression on me right from the start (with your peer-teaching on NUS wikis). I can STILL REMEMBER the material you shared with us in class...you were explaining the origins of the word 'wiki' with stories of wikipedia's founder and the wiki-wiki buses in Hawaii. I recall thinking that you had very good 'stage-presence' even back then. And you've just grown from strength to strength. (:
Billet, you have a very pleasant nature and a pretty strong set of principles. Your confidence level is good too. I do believe the world is your oyster at this point in your life and now that you've been better equipped with the skills you need to present yourself well, be it in an interview setting or in a written application, I'm sure you'll go far.
P.S. Nanhai gives good advice. Aside from being the master of quotations, he's also the undercover secret agent working for the NUS Career Centre (I'm not kidding! He knows all their policies and programmes inside-out!) You might want to seriously look into his suggestions. (:
Hey Billet!
ReplyDelete"I'm a lover not a fighter". Is that the exact words printed on your shirt? Haha that's probably one of the things that I won't forget about you! Like what I had told you previously, this course is actually offered for Year 2s and beyond. Whatever it is, I am glad that you signed up for it! I could still remember how active you were in almost every discussions we had in class. Your bubbly nature stood out from the crowd, especially with that smile of yours. Not forgetting your "eye contact" exercise just before your oral presentation! Don't do that to all the girls you see on the streets or else they might all follow you home! Hahaha.
Having said that, probably one of the regrets that I might have is the lack of opportunity to work with you. I believe that there will be chances for us to do so in the near future, given that we are both Year 1/2 students! Probably we could write in to CELC to propose a level 3000 communication module, and that's when we can all be classmates once again.
I believe that your passionate nature will continue to shine and make an impact in the people around you. Chem Engine is a good course, I sincerely wish you all the best for your future endeavours! See you around in Facebook (:
Hi Billet,
ReplyDeleteI think everyone in this final post has talked about how this is by no means to an end but rather a beginning of more to come. And you are no different in that sense. Well maybe in your analogy of the football academy and league. I can totally relate to that for obvious reasons. Man U for the win!! haha. Similar to yourself, I have also grown to value the importance of patience and accepting one another's strengths and weaknesses and work towards the shared goal of doing well for whatever assignments we were tasked with. Its the equipping of such intrinsic life skills that has made this course so memorable and one to treasure throughout our university life. And you having just started off on this journey are extremely fortunate to have taken this module right from the start. I wish I was in your position to be perfectly honest.
There's also much to cherish about you Billet, from your active participation in class like Nanhai pointed out to the lover not a player shirt like XS mentioned to your eye contact skills and also your funny analogy about why Thailand is called the land of smiles on the last day. You have certainly made a difference to this class being what it is for me and I wish you all the best in your future endeavours. Cheers!
Thanks for the stimulating final post, Billet. It's clear and concise, and with a bit of story-telling, you give a sweeping overview of your entry and experience in ES2007S. I also like your analogy with the football academy and how this is really the point at which you put into practice what you have been learning. And look at all the useful feedback you've received!
ReplyDeleteOf course, I also appreciate the effort you made at the work in the course this term, and I should thank you for adding a different cultural dimension to the classroom discussions. Well done!
Best of luck as you continue your studies and broaden your experience!
@ Yangling
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your long and thoughtful comment. I am glad I could help you in any way. Keep on going, yep. All the best. Nice working with you too.
@ Nanhai
Thank you very much for your suggestion. I would definitely look into what I really want in life. I would say I have grown to accept the fact and get the best out of where ever I am. Now, I really want to go to NOC and I will work for it. Thank you once again. All the best. See you around school.
@ May
OMG! Your comment made me laugh at the end regarding Nan Hai being a secret agent of the NUS Career Center. :)
Thank you very much for your very positive comment. I think we all just have to keep learning, the journey will never ends. You have a great personality too. I am sure we will do well in life. All the best. Cheers.
@ Xiao Shi
ReplyDeleteIt's suppose to be "I am a lover not a Player." Actually, it's meant to my "pick up" t-shirt. Haha. So I wouldn't mind if girls follow me back. (Keep this secret from my girlfriend thought).
Jokes aside. Thank you for your comment. I actually feel that I should have gotten a chance to work with you too! It would be great wouldn't it? :)
Anyways, hope to see you around school. All the best for exams. See you in facebook. (wow! such a great comment from the Facebook Generation!)
@Vinod
ReplyDeleteI guess I am quite memorable with the t-shirt. I should wear it more often, right. Haha. :)
Thank you for your comment. It has been really great having you in class. I still remember myself hoping at every project that I would be in the same group as you, but it never happened. I hope it would be in future. See you around. All the best! Cheers!
@ Brad
ReplyDeleteThank you for being such a great teacher. You have taught me so much. One of the thing I will remember is how to give critical comments that won't hurt others' feeling. You are always truthful about your opinion, but at the same time you still have the sensitivity in your words. That is what I really have learned from you among other things. I will always remember this class when I go for other modules. I will be thinking "can't they deliver in such a style?" I guess everyone have their own strength. But, for the great teacher that you are in the soft skill, I have voted for you in the teaching excellence award! (Hope you get it.) :)
I will see you around school. All the best. Keep on inspiring people to be a great communicators.