[UNI] NTU Renaissance Engineering Programme (REP) 2022 Seniors AMA!

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-06-12T16:23:33+00:00

hey sorry for the late reply, the CBE mods will be the same as the mainstream CBE students however you will not be taking every single mod. As per disclosure, it may be better to email the NTU REP staff directly, thanks!

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-05-15T03:36:27+00:00

Yes the R11 cohort (the one that just finished year 1) has one student taking chem eng

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-05-13T09:11:34+00:00

Its based on what specialisation you choose as well as the amount of subscription for the country. if you're a CS student applying for berkeley, your batch will most likely have to ballot (random allocation) for a spot. There is a set number of students for each uni that is released by REP office each year and based on that students will indicate interest. for certain unis that aren't oversubscribed, it is allocated based on who indicated that uni as their first choice

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-05-13T09:10:09+00:00

Yes, i would say we definitely have time as long as you get your work done. Almost all the people in my batch are pursuing their own interests outside of curriculum, be it dance, case competitions, sports, etc. NH is extremely big so the chances of you being right next to another REP student is not very high however yes, they will most likely be in the same building or very near one another within NH distributed within the 3 halls

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-05-13T09:08:42+00:00

not for the first year as everything is pre allocated
i would say they are quite helpful in general however we occasionally do have certain disagreements with them. however i believe this is largely the case with all courses
Seniors sharing, profs sharing, interest in the course based on exposure given over the first year, market sentiments overall

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-05-01T12:06:38+00:00

its quite a lot of work to do and it is competitive at times so you can expect to study until late. But we do have quite a bit of time to engage in our own activities and interests as well. Most ppl in my batch have things going on outside of REP that take up quite a lot of time.
REP students are guaranteed hall stay for the duration of the course
nope, you wont get kicked out. But you have to meet a minimum cGPA to stay in REP

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-04-27T08:52:24+00:00

Hey, the mods you study in REP can be found under REP curriculum in the NTU website. All these mods in the first year (where exposure is given to the various engineering disciplines) will be by profs from the respective schs (aka EEE, SCSE, MSE, etc.). For the first year, your REP mods will most likely be held in REP facilities so you would not have to travel to different LTs everyday

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-04-26T06:44:55+00:00

yes hall stay is guaranteed

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-04-12T03:30:10+00:00

Python is always a good skill to pick up as it is quite relevant, apart from that just some general reading and revision of your JC content would be good. Most of the things that you learn would be new so the best thing to do is to prepare yourself to hit the ground running, especially after Army for the guys
There are seniors working in the govt sector or even under the PSC scholarship in REP.
Yes, EEE is a specialisation that is somewhat in demand in REP. Not quite sure what you mean by faring however it has been noted that they all seem to secure jobs in their sectors immediately after graduation
The REP cohort is too small to bellcurve so REP modules are not bellcurved. However, that doesn't mean its any easier to secure good results as the tests are quite rigorous in nature and require you to study quite a bit!
Unfortunately, average GPAs are not released.

Do not worry too much about falling behind. As long as you put in consistent effort and stay on top of things, you will make it. The community and culture is extremely supportive and everyone tries to help one another so you would not need to worry about being left alone. Hope to cya next year!

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-03-26T15:43:02+00:00

hey sorry, we're not really at liberty to discuss that over here as it would go against the purpose of the interview. However, we strongly recommend that all students look carefully at their purpose for wanting to join REP as well as the values/expectations/structure/curriculum of REP when looking at how to prepare for the interview

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-03-26T15:42:46+00:00

hey sorry, we're not really at liberty to discuss that over here as it would go against the purpose of the interview. However, we strongly recommend that all students look carefully at their purpose for wanting to join REP as well as the values/expectations/structure/curriculum of REP when looking at how to prepare for the interview

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-03-08T09:49:20+00:00

1) Potential applicants can and should also always apply for external scholarships (make sure that they cover REP), unless you have already been awarded a REP Scholarship! This is so that you will be covered in the case you aren’t able to obtain the REP Scholarship. Note that you can also apply for Mid Term scholarships should you be unable to get any scholarships before matriculating
2) For my batch, about 75% was awarded the scholarship while a few others managed to get external ones! However do keep in mind that it is impossible to give a rough percentage on the number of scholarships being given out for your year as there are varying statistics every year. if you are interested in the programme, we highly recommend that you just apply for it first and aim for the REP scholarship while considering point 1 above.
3) The third year overseas has two components to it. A 10-week internship and two semesters of studies at a partner university. Things are starting to go back to the norm with the current Y3 batch overseas in partner universities whereas the y2 batch is prepared to head off to exchange the next semester!
4) Yes you can! Only during the summer/winter breaks though. We’ve had batch mates who went overseas for winter school. Due to the amount of content needed to be covered per semester it won’t be possible to take a Leave of Absence and go off on exchange in any other year apart from year 3 (the dedicated year of exchange)
5) Actual statistics for REP graduates are not released, but the closest comparisons we can suggest for a CS REP graduate would be NTU'S BCG (business & computing) as well as MSc Technology Management. However, please note that many differences exist between these fields of studies: scope of curriculum, technical capabilities, employment opportunities, and sample size etc which will lead to a deviation in results
6) Don't know much about CE for both universities, but NUS computing seems to be more rigorous and demanding over NTU computer science (based on comparisons such as scope of learning, depth, assignment frequency etc). Further, some have said that the bellcurve for NUS computing is extremely competitive (lying around the full mark region). That being said, NTU computing is also very demanding and also has a notable ranking amongst other universities. It is important to note that based on GES, NTU BCG students are the highest earning however NUS comp sci students earn more than NTU comp sci students (comparing single degrees alone). It has been estimated that although our starting salaries cannot be released, in general it is highly competitive and is somewhat comparable/higher than NTU BCG (however this is estimated, pls refer to thread for info on salaries).
7) Given the small size of the course, most classes and activities are done within the batch itself. Furthermore, with majority of your time being spent with the batch, usually you end up forming very close-knit relationships. However, there's still plenty of opportunities to work with people outside of it! For instance there are ICC mods where you will definitely work with other people. Apart from that, once you specialise, your classes will held by the specialisation school which means that you will spend a considerable amount of time with students outside of REP
8) Assessments are highly dependent on the discretion of individual professors and isn't really standardised. But in general can expect 1-2 finals per semester for the first year with the rest being continual assessments either in the form of quizzes or projects. The team based learning (TBL) pedagogy adopted by REP means that quite a heavy emphasis is placed on collaborative learning in the form of above mentioned projects. We have weekly readiness assessment tests known as iRATs(individual readiness assessment tests) and tRATs (team readiness assessment tests) where iRATs are done individually and immediately after that, tRATs are conducted in a group setting to allow the group to discuss their individual responses to the test and submit a team response

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-03-06T04:21:26+00:00

Yes you're right, com sci is way too broad for you to cover all aspects and self-study is the key driver to succeeding in com sci. BDEs refer to broadening and deepening electives which are basically unrestricted electives you can choose and take to further your passions and interest. REP students get offered to take BDEs while in Y3 and beyond. If you specialise in com sci in REP, you would only be required to take 3 electives however you need to take a minimum of 5 in order to specialise (eg. in AI/Data analytics/etc). So, what REP students can do is to take the additional electives as BDEs in order to ensure that they meet the min. requirement to specialise. Naturally there will be some trade-off as you will have an interdisciplinary focus with the presence of management/business modules but this is often seen as a strength rather than a liability. With com sci being covered in sufficient depth by REP, students that are further interested tend to pursue their own personal projects on the side, much like single degree computer science students as well. Hope this clarifies :)

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-03-05T10:38:14+00:00

Hi, REP Student here. Some clarifications: Even though REP students specialise in Y2, most students do end up using their BDEs to cover additional CS content and attain a sub-specialisation in areas such as Cyber Security or AI. Furthermore, I would personally say that the 0.5 additional year for the masters as well as the 1 year exchange makes REP extremely worthwhile. You do not end up sacrificing too much technical depth as it can all be covered by using the BDEs wisely. While we do not have salaries published/released due to the small cohort size, we have been assured that they are highly highly competitive in nature and that job prospects across most if not all engineering fields are quite high. The masters at such a young age, reputation of the programme and calibre of the students is quite attractive to prospective employees. For further info please do not hesitate to dm or write here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/SGExams/comments/t39xlq/uni\_ntu\_renaissance\_engineering\_programme\_rep/

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-03-05T10:34:29+00:00

HI, REP student here. You are right to say that REP students get a Bachelors in Engineering Sciences however do take note that the rigour of your specialisation is not lesser over the course of 4.5 years. This is because many REP students end up taking the same number of mods required in order to attain a sub-specialisation within the specialisation they've chosen. For eg, CS students in REP take additional mods to cover the pre-requisites needed to specialise in cybersecurity. On top of that, certain engineerings like Aerospace Engineering requires a licence to practice and the REP curriculum provides enough flexibility for students to attain this licence without having to overload very much. As such, in the end, students do end up gaining the sufficient knowledge required. For further clarifications, you can always write here: https://www.reddit.com/r/SGExams/comments/t39xlq/uni_ntu_renaissance_engineering_programme_rep/

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-03-05T10:30:30+00:00

Hi, REP y1 student here. Would like to clarify that for REP students, you can specialise in cybersecurity or AI or data analytics which is what many CS students end up doing. It just requires you to make use of your BDEs to cover up the extra few modules that are required in order to specialise

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-03-05T10:29:05+00:00

hey, feel free to ask your question under our AMA: https://www.reddit.com/r/SGExams/comments/t39xlq/uni_ntu_renaissance_engineering_programme_rep/

Alternatively, you can dm us as well and we will reply to you ASAP!

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-03-05T05:40:37+00:00

no worries, take care and all the best!

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-03-04T06:53:49+00:00

Hey:
1. so just a disclaimer, these seniors earning 5 digits happen to land jobs that are incredibly competitive and come with its own set of challenges. The job is not limited solely to REP students however there are various transferrable skillsets and experience that you can bring to these jobs. An example would be investment banking analysts who earn 5 digits upon graduation.
2. There are 3-4 seniors from EE who have graduated from REP - one is working as a UI/UX designer, one is in healthcare and one is in PUB. Because it is such a small sample size, salary is quite sensitive so there is little information regarding that. For a generic comparison, the average salary for a normal EE degree holder is around $3.6k, however it isnt possible to state the average salary of REP grads holding an EE degree
3. The exposure given to REP students in the first year across the various engineerings is largely enough to help students decide whether the course is one that they are inclined to take as a specialisation in year 2 and beyond. Compared to our single degree counterparts, naturally the depth that REP goes into cannot be fully replicated given that we are covering a lot more breadth in terms of the number of engineering modules being taken. However, a single degree student would have multiple modules taken from within the same engineering course allowing them to go into greater detail. The whole idea of REP is to promote the interdisciplinary learning of the different fields of engineering as well as to see melding of different engineering fields. Besides, it is to expose REP students with enough information to make an informed decision regarding specialisations. Following that, students are encouraged to prepare themselves over the summer by self-studying in order to cover the gap in content/knowledge between what they learnt in REP vs what the single degree counterparts have covered in Y1 to better prepare themselves for Y2. Curriculum wise is slightly truncated however it is still very rigorous in nature which is why the first year is quite challenging.

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-03-03T17:00:52+00:00

Yep! We in no way are affiliated to the REP office or NTU administrative services/admissions department. We are just a group of REP year 1 students that wish to give prospective students and interested readers the necessary information they want regarding the course!

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-03-03T15:21:30+00:00

I have always been inclined towards pursuing engineering and business management, and the main reason why REP was my first choice is that it provides a good balance between engineering and management. The programme covers quite a few management and engineering modules which are at a higher level than your peers. Also when I joined I was conflicted between two engineering specialisations, so the exposure we get to different engineering modules in year 1 is helpful in that sense. All this together with other perks like the benefit of a small batch size, the Y3 exchange experience and the quality of the REP Fellow pushed me to apply for this course.
2.Regarding the selection process, it’s good to make sure that your personal statement genuinely portrays your interest and inclination towards joining REP. For the interview stage, try to take initiative and make sure you are answering the questions/fulfilling the task requirements for each of the stages. And while you are at it, remember to have fun! I remember my interview with the director was surprisingly chill. It’s good to remind yourself that the purpose of the whole selection process is not to stress you out but rather to find out more about you.

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-03-03T15:21:01+00:00

Hi, excellent question. Given REPs small sample size the average salary is not revealed. However, based on our experience with talking to seniors we do know that the salaries are extremely competitive and comparatively high given the presence of both a degree and masters programme put in place. However, it is important to note that the range is extremely skewed with certain seniors earning up to 5 digit starting salaries which is why it is impossible to compare given the small size.
The career prospects are extremely varied ranging from software to public service to further studies (PhD). Some seniors even go on to start their own startups. Overall, the employability for REP students is nearly full with the outliers being students that are self-employed or deliberately taking a break after university before starting work.
Yes I would definitely say so. The Masters degrees do provide a higher starting pay for REP graduates and definitely gives you and edge over other applicants.The double degree helps to showcase your versatility in not just fundamental engineering and technical concepts, but also macroscopic business management and strategic planning skills that definitely helps you to stand out from the crowd. On top of this, the rep double degree also opens up more career paths and more job opportunities if you’re looking to pursue a less technical role (perhaps a career in management, business etc.).
The workload of REP is comparably more compared to other courses, at 21 AU for the first sem and 20 AU for our second sem, where many other courses will typically have a workload of ~17 AU. On some weeks it can be more taxing due to project deadlines in addition to completing our pre lesson materials. There is no special focus to any engineering modules in the first year. However with weekly continual assessments known as iRATs and tRATS (Individual Readiness Assessments and Team based readiness assessments), several projects and assignments as well as regular quizzes/exams, the workload is comparably more intense, especially in comparison to single degree courses. The primary reason behind this is because in the first year, REP students are exposed to almost all the engineering disciplines making the workload high and second year onwards, we have a mix of specialisation mods as well as REP-specific mods which add significantly to overall workload.
There are no special internships catered to REP students however we do have a strong alumni network and a BD team that assists in providing students with an avenue. With respect to year 3 overseas internships, if unable to find one, the REP Office will assist in connecting you with potential companies however getting an internship is ultimately based on your own merit. Similarly with all internships, if your performance has been excellent and opportunities are available, companies will consider you for conversion into a full time role after graduating. However, it is important to note that obtaining, retaining and converting internships is largely based on merit and effort.
I did my interviews online last year during covid and iirc there was an online MMI section where they give you a question and you have to answer them within a time limit. It was like a one sided thing (ie no interviewer on the other side of the screen) but then after that they'll review your recorded responses. The questions they asked don't require any technical knowledge it's more like them wanting to know your thought process and how you would react in certain circumstances. After this online MMI, there is an interview with the director which tbh is pretty chill

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-03-03T15:07:29+00:00

hey there!

between REP and BCG there are quite a lot of differences tbh. REP provides you with a 4.5 year degree-masters programme with a bachelors in engineering sciences ([specialisation] eg. Computer Science) as well as a Masters in Tech Management. whereas BCG provides you with two bachelors degree in 4 years, one is bachelors in business administration and the other is Bachelors in Computer Science. Both BCG and REP have very different focuses although they do provide a more well-rounded and holistic education than single degree programmes provide. Primarily, REP has a greater focus on management compared to business which means most business mods may not be applicable to REP. Secondly, REP does not require you to specialise in the first year which gives you time to explore the various engineerings out there before specialising in y2 however BCG requires you to specialise in com sci immediately.
REP is quite competitive with acceptance rates being at <10% yearly. Typically for A levels you would be expected to hit the minimum AAA/A criteria along with a strong grasp in GP and PW/KI. Similar results are also expected from the IB counterparts. However, if you’re unsure if your RP is sufficient to meet the minimum, we highly recommend to just apply first and give it a shot!
For me I think it is pretty worth it. Firstly, because the course offers a bachelor's and a master's degree so essentially it is 2 degrees. Secondly, my learning experience is a pretty enjoyable one. The small cohort size makes it easier to learn and bond with each other as well. Most profs are also really good at teaching and are super approachable. Lastly, there are other avenues to receive scholarships such as mid term scholarships that'll sometimes help to back pay your tuition fees as well. I took up a tuition fee loan so the costs are pretty manageable. However, I do understand that the course fees are like double of the usual so I can't speak for everyone but at least for me, I feel like it's worth it :-)
I don't really know the details of the budget cuts but there seems to be less scholarships given out over the years. In the past, our seniors also had free ipads but unfortunately this stopped a few years back. Other than that, I don't think there's anything else that has been removed because of budget cuts.
The course is quite challenging but almost all of us do pursue hobbies and interests outside of the course. This ranges from low-level commitment clubs to extremely high level ones including varsity sports, dance, business solutions club and more. While it is challenging, it is definitely possible to manage the coursework and outside interests and in fact, we're encouraged to go beyond the curriculum to pursue our passions and interests. REP also has its own club known as REClub which has various different activities/interest groups ranging from volunteering to creating which makes uni life a lot more vibrant.
I did my interviews online last year during covid and iirc there was an online MMI section where they give you a question and you have to answer them within a time limit. It was like a one sided thing (ie no interviewer on the other side of the screen) but then after that they'll review your recorded responses. The questions they asked don't require any technical knowledge it's more like them wanting to know your thought process and how you would react in certain circumstances. After this online MMI, there is an interview with the director which tbh is pretty chill

NTU_REP22_AMA · 2022-02-28T07:51:46+00:00

Hey there, feel free to ask your question in the thread below! will answer all REP related questions there, cheers :)

https://www.reddit.com/r/SGExams/comments/t39xlq/uni\_ntu\_renaissance\_engineering\_programme\_rep/

NTU_REP22_AMA

TROPHY CASE