Locally or Overseas?

AmandaMatilda SG

Hello everyone I need some views and advices here and would appreciate if you can help :)

First and foremost, I'm an 'O' Level student who didnt scored well and ended up in Higher Nitec, Leisure and Travel Operations course. I did not regret choosing this because finally I have found my passion and interest. I am very keen in the Tourism industry and am pretty sure that my future career will be linked to it.

So if i want to excel in this industry, it is common knowledge that I will need to obtain at least a degree to carve my career path (Hotel/Resort Management). Here comes the question:

I am considering to take up a Degree in Australia. Is it a wise choice?

To be honest, personally I think it is a wise choice because

1. I save 3 years to get a degree since right after higher nitec i will proceed overseas and get my degree (3 year course). I will be 22 by then. But if i choose the standard local route (higher nitec-poly-uni), I will be 25 by then.

2. Since its a Tourism course, I feel it is good to experience life outside Singapore to gain better exposure.

But afterall I am only 17 this year,year 1 in higher nitec. But I wish to plan ahead because if i really want to study in Australia, there are alot of documentary procedures. To me, i regretted not doing well for my 'O's but since one cannot cry over spilt milk, I've already woke up and now I can confidently say that I'm doing well in Higher Nitec. But my utmost concern is even if I get to poly, I'll still need to get a safe GPA of 3.7 to get into local universities, and by then I'm like 22 already.

What are your views? :)

Thank you very much!

Poignant SG

same here.

did not do well in o levels, got into higher nitec instead.

i think the only problem is how well the U cert will be recognised?

if it's a good one, no doubt, your decision now will only benefit you in future.

but if it's a not so recognise one, then maybe you got to think twice.

all e best, good luck.

AmandaMatilda SG

Urm. The university I was looking at is Curtin University of Technology Australia @ Perth. Haha

dkcx SG

There is no tourism degree offered by the local unis as far as i know. At most is just a concentration in it but thats different from a complete tourism related degree.

storywolf SG

question mark is - you have to consider the local situation.

Can you even recovery the money spend studying oversea ?

Lord_Nazrul SG

Urm. The university I was looking at is Curtin University of Technology Australia @ Perth. Haha

Hey!my friend is going there in Feb 2010.He was a poly student and didnt do well for his diploma.He's a very astute individual.I believe that he would not have chosen Curtin unless it was worth it.I believe his degree is recognised.For you Amandamatilda,i think it best if you went through the whole thing.I have read your posts and i understand that you have a passion for Tourism and the like right??Since you are passionate about it,i believe that,with great effort,you can score a good GPA and get to University.Passion is key,otherwise i would have chosen to do double degrees in law and anthropology,both of which are vey difficult to master.Make the proper choice.The rest of your life will depend on the choices you make now.

Cheers,

Nazrul,LSE Anthropology and Law'13

baikachuchu SG

Hi there,first of all,I would like to applaud you for making a conscientious effort in planning for your future despite your setback during the O levels.Not many youngsters nowadays think until so far ahead.

However,I just would like to caution you on something.

From what I know and have researched in the past,most universities,including the ones in Australia require at least A levels/Diploma to apply for the degree programmes.I'm not too sure what their overall stand is on higher nitec being used as an entry qualification but I have yet to see any of my friends who did higher nitec being accepted directly into the degree programme.There were a couple of them who were accepted but they had to do about an extra year of "foundation studies" on campus before they could start the degree.They applied for a few Australian unis including Curtin too .

Even though they applied for business degrees,i don't think the requirement will be any different for hospitality/tourism related ones either.

Perhaps you should first try sending an email enquiry to Curtin to check if they accept your higher nitec as an entry qualification.If yes,what is the cut off GPA if any?

There isn't any point in going to the local unis because none of them(NUS,NTU,SMU) are offering hospitality/tourism related courses.

In the event that Curtin rejects your application,your only choices left would be to either go to poly or do a private diploma then apply for the course again.A poly diploma would be better in this case as it might actually qualify you for exemptions which means that you can complete your degree in as little as 2 years.A private diploma can be done in as little as 8 months but they might not qualify you for exemptions.

What is most important now is to confirm if Curtin will actually accept higher nitec for direct entry into their degree programmes.

AmandaMatilda SG

Well, actually i heard about Curtin from my teacher in school and he sort of said Curtin is liased with ITE or something like that. But when i check under qualifications to get a degree there, under Singapore they stated GCE 'O' Level minimum requirements. Which made me assume that my certificate in Higher Nitec + course that i've studied is about Tourism, maybe it is easier?

I was looking at Murdoch too actually. :)

dkcx SG

If they allow O's etc it means there will be bridging courses you have to clear before you can start your degree education and maybe things like entrance tests.

baikachuchu SG

I was looking at Murdoch too actually. :)

I assume you are looking at the degree in tourism and event management?

The one listed here?

http://courses.curtin.edu.au/course_overview/undergraduate/tourism-management

If it is,then I think you might have misunderstood the requirements.

It states:

"Three ‘Ordinary’ level passes (minimum grade C) or completion of the Integrated Program plus two ‘Advanced’ level passes (minimum of 5 points) in the General Certificate of Education (GCE) and grade C in ‘O’ level English/English Literature or separate evidence of English competence."

Don't be confused by the Ordinary part.To simplify it for you,it means they require 2 A level and 3 AO passes in addition to a pass in O level english.Some subjects taken at A level will only give you a pass at "ordinary" level like GP or Mother toungue.

This is the common requirement for many university courses except that they rephrase it differently.

Clarify with your teacher further as to what sort of arrangement they have with Curtin but I think it would be more fruitful to directly ask Curtin or Murdoch themselves

AmandaMatilda SG

Oh!!! Now im cleared. So ya. afterall I still must take a dip first..and then plan from there right.. since currently local uni none offering degree in tourism management :(

Thank you so much baikachuchu and everyone!!

Ya ive sent mail to them and currently waiting for their reply. :)

vulpes macrotis mutica SG

why don't you check with IDP instead?

i came over to australia with only O levels. there are pathways that offer diploma programs which allows you to continue into the 2nd year of your degree studies.

AmandaMatilda SG

But are the fees similar to a 3 year degree course? Well lucky for me i scored a B3 for my english and therefore my english competency SHOULDNT be that bad. But I really do not wish to complete poly, then to australia. :( In addition, i prefer Perth/Queensland to any other states so ya.

vulpes macrotis mutica SG

IDP represents all australian universities so you can't go wrong talking to them; besides it's free consultation. i've attached a link here.

fees, calculated by per credit points, are usually cheaper in the bridging courses than for the degree course.

good luck to you (:

thrhapsody SG

What about doing a tourism related diploma in a local polytechnic? It would definitely help if you are considering studying abroad. With a foundation knowledge, instead of doing a 4 year course in an overseas uni, you will be exempted from several modules which will shorten your course of studies to about 2+ years. :D

SeanC SG

Well Done. Hospitality is getting hot these days in Singapore.

Why didnt you consider studying in Singapore yet overseas? There are a lot of good quality programmes in Singapore which you could consider.

In the Job market is not just about your qualification. Qualification is your entry level, experiences counts a lot when in job selections.

I wish you well. If you are interested in going private, email me [email protected]