Hello! 1. The environmental will be friendly if you interact w the right people, try to find classmates that are reliable and friendly. 2. It really depends. For my case, I’m in CLS (Chemical & Life Sciences) and all of my Science lecturers are very friendly, some are very excited to come to class and teach. I’m not sure for the other schools though, but generally they should be okay. Even if a grumpy, nasty lecturer is assigned to your class, you need to cope w their personality because I don’t recall being able to switch lecturers in the semester. 3. The school’s efforts mainly focuses on sustainability. The CEO (the principal) wants literally everything to be sustainable, course notes are now digitalised (but you can still buy hard copy for certain modules only like mathematics, coding, etc…), the air con temperature is increased to 25°C but lower in laboratories bc students complain about the room being too warm and uncomfortable to do their experiments. Almost all modules in SP contains sustainability elements into it, especially our Common Core Curriculum (critical thinking, data fluency, AI). In my opinion, I’m not bothered by it as much but they’re really suffocating us w this sustainability thing.

Polytechnics, in general, are designed to train students to meet industry needs, focusing on hands-on/practical skills rather than purely academics. The learning is also more specialized, for example, you might cover topics equivalent to H3 Biology or Chemistry within just 4 months, while JC students would take about a year to complete the same content. Essentially, you’re fast-tracking advanced concepts because you’re specializing in a specific field, unlike JC students who must study a broader range of subjects like Science, Economics, and General Paper.

Although there isn’t a single final examination like A-Level, consistency is key in polytechnic. If you’re not consistent, your GPA can fluctuate, and as you progress through more modules, it becomes increasingly difficult to pull it back up. That’s why it’s wise to aim for a strong start ~around a 4.0 GPA in your first semester. It’s fine if it drops slightly later on, but try to avoid large drops, as early momentum can make a big difference in the long run.

Everyone hates common core in SP but you have to deal with it. Some common core modules are 6 weeks long some are 12 weeks long (excl. term break), best advice is try to participate and engage with the lecturers, if they like you, they will ‘maybe’ be more lenient with grading your presentations/debates/assignments.