Golam Rabbani
Should I take the Singapore Government Grant for undergraduate studies?
I am a high school student from Bangladesh. I have recently been accepted to Yale-NUS College for the class of 2023. I have an option to take the Government grant that will allow me to pay subsidised fees but I will have to take up a bond to work for 3 years in a Singapore-registered company after my studies. I am interested in pursuing a career in Artificial Intelligence research and I intend to pursue a phd. I have 3 options now: 1) I can take the grant but it will mean that I will have to work for 3 years before pursuing my next studies; 2) I can take student loans instead of the grant and pay them back after getting a job; or 3) I can study in a public university in Bangladesh on a very low cost and then pursue my higher studies abroad.
If you recommend to take the grant, can you suggest some companies that I can work with to fulfill my bond with a Bachelor of Science degree and also gain experience that will help me in pursing a career in AI research.
Thank you in advance.
#college #singapore #ai #artificialintelligence #technology #undergraduate #computer #bachelors #science
5 answers
Shu Jackson
Shu’s Answer
Hi Golam, I think the answer depends on the major of the undergraduate degree they have offered you, and what type of job it is for that 3-year contract. If it is related to AI/Computer Science then I would go for it! I have studied and worked in a different country and I'd say it's a great experience. You can learn a lot as well as gain lots of different perspectives. You will grow in many different aspects in life and meet lots of new friends. If that 3-year job is of a field you like to work in, why not? However, if you know the major and the job is something you know you will absolutely not like and not want to waste time on, then I'd stay away.
Thanks for the answer.
Golam Rabbani
Angela Chang
Angela’s Answer
I am so happy for you that you got accepted to Yale NUS and also approved for singapore university grant. i would strongly suggest you to take it for a number of reasons.
1. subsidy of tuition fee
2. Experience to study and live in Singapore. It gives you a lot of opportunity to explore and understand multicultural outside of your country.
3. a guaranteed job for 3 years.
4. with 3 years experience, you can easily find a good job after 3 years.
Too many benefits.
All the best to you.
Charles Chow
Charles’s Answer
Mukunda Joshi
Mukunda’s Answer
Education in most prestigious Institutions around the world are very expensive. It would be best to get Scholarships/Waivers etc from the Government (s) to reduce the financial burden on the student. there are also low rate student loans available.
Thank you for your answer.
Golam Rabbani
Shengdi Wu
Shengdi’s Answer
out of three choices that i would pick the option of using government grant to pursue study even that I would need to work for the company the for 3 years. As a new graduate, especially undergraduate it won't be easy to get a job nowadays unless you are exceptional well academically when you first step out of the school, companies ask for working experience. and you do get a job, the salary won't high enough for you to pay back the loan soon, and you are forced to take whatever jobs given because you are financially pressured. And if you choose to a public school at lower cost, I would say it is not worth time doing that even you had a better chance to go for a better school, and studying abroad is more expensive as well. So first option is better even you have to work with the company for three years, you won't have finance pressure, and you could also use the three years to gain more experience before you pursue your PHD degree, experience are very important to PHD degree as well. And you could also accumulate some savings in three years and decide if you want to study abroad after. Hope it helps.