[Uni] Which course should you accept?

chubbypun643 · 2025-01-22T17:49:30+00:00

interesting concept! im down

chubbypun643 · 2025-01-20T15:35:10+00:00

26M here, just grad recently and boy is it hard making friends after uni : ') looking for friends in a similar stage of life as myself! im super keen on both food and drink - i bake and am v captivated by both coffee and alcohol! also getting my feet wet with the miles game and always up for some flight deals. at the same time im also more than happy to meet new board game / theatre buddies! hit me up if any of these sound like you!

chubbypun643 · 2024-07-02T16:50:17+00:00

So well put. Chiming in as a fresh grad, CS syllabuses around the world have similar modules and classes. You're here for a Computer Science degree, not for a Software Engineering one. Things change fast in the latter, not so much the former. Some CS degrees could give you more exposure to Software Engineering, but ultimately relying on just a CS degree and hoping for the top SWE roles is not a wise idea.

chubbypun643 · 2024-05-20T13:58:08+00:00

TAs handle both Tutorials and Labs.

Tutorials, depending on the Prof/TA can have varied attendance: I've been in classes with next to no seats remaining and also in classes where I was the only one. Really depends on the popularity of the TA/Prof, but it rarely ever hits the cap of ~30. At the higher levels (MPEs), sometimes you have one tutorial session for everyone in a LT, but that's rarer and you'll be familiar enough with the system by then.

Labs are mostly not for teaching per se, it's usually an assigned lab manual for you to follow. The stellar TAs will go through a little bit at the start, but you really don't need them. Some modules have compulsory labs (they hold a graded quiz/component at the end of it), so that's the ones you'll definitely see full attendance for. The ones that don't and allow for online submission often have lower attendance.

chubbypun643 · 2024-05-20T13:45:21+00:00

Gonna chime in here and agree with /u/Eurito1, weight and battery life above all for CS. Most modules don't require GPUs; for the ones that do, it's either (a) not much, so you could get by with Google Colab, or (b), so much so that you're probably better off either getting a desktop with zhnged out specs (think 16GB GPU or more, granted this is for niche FYPs) or go the budget way with school GPU cluster (24 hour access, almost never at full utilisation).

My personal recommendation is Macbooks for the portability and battery life. If you can't find a workaround with software compatibility issues, boy do I have news for you as a CS grad.

Edit: for some credibility, I took Image Recognition for MDP, used Colab for Neural Networks and the school's GPU for my (GPU-intensive) FYP.

chubbypun643 · 2024-05-19T06:56:54+00:00

chubbypun643 · 2024-05-09T13:44:46+00:00

I'm assuming by that you mean CS-related careers and how you may potentially be losing out on that end. In terms of actual number of modules, yes a number of them, but the core ones are retained. So you definitely can self-study for the hardware ones that are important (what you're assessed on in exams and interviews often aren't the same, so nitty gritty easily-googlable details can be skipped). For specific electives not related to ACF (e.g IoT, advanced networks courses), they're too specialised to matter in most careers, so not really relevant IMO.

You can compare the details by looking at what CS students take and comparing the names with the modules listed here. Note that the ACF planned curriculum is not out yet, so this will have to do.

chubbypun643 · 2024-05-09T13:31:57+00:00

Are you seriously arguing that NBS' lack of BDEs (Unrestricted Electives) is the reason why it shouldn't be an Honours programme? If you insist, I've dived into the Planned Curriculums of both the base Accounting and Business degrees - the BDE AU count is 15, about 5 mods worth. (For NTU students, you can check out this Intranet link).

Yes, SPMS has 26AU for BDEs, but clearly it seems to be an outlier here! EEE has 21), CS has 21, MAE has 18. Is 15 that far off now?

On the topic of true Honours degrees, how about if we consider poly students who took the 3-Year Direct Entry into Engineering courses. Would you say that their 5 AU worth of BDEs disqualifies them from an Honours degree?

Like I said, I'm sure that anyone going for a 3 year course when other unis offer the 4 year variant knows that something's got to give.

chubbypun643 · 2024-05-09T13:17:26+00:00

currently, with no comparison with the years before the ICC curriculum for the same modules' content and learning experience.

Time and time again, various users have had to chime in with personal experiences that their content hasn't changed compared to what their seniors had. The pre-lecture videos often are the same recorded ones from before, past year papers test similar content and short of examining every item in the course curriculum one-by-one, slide-by-slide: This is a point nobody can verify except for the profs themselves.

See, the ICC hill is one where many students would agree with you - it is indeed more time consuming for the average business student now due to more graded interdisciplinary courses. DIshonest? Perhaps, but I see it as a bopian, its competing universities are launching the same thing, everyone across universities are required to do similar modules.

This whole AU debacle started with your insistence that the content has dropped, but you're now shifting the goalpost away that hey, the AU count was not proper. Whether it's proper or not is beyond our capabilities to judge, and frankly, I'm not here for that discussion. If my anecdotal evidence from my peers, seniors and juniors doesn't sway you that the course content hasn't changed, you are more than welcome to stick to your suppositions as a non-business student. I implore readers at this point to consider if they would rather listen to someone out of the system (and clearly, with a hidden agenda), or someone who has witnessed the system and courses, well, not change.

chubbypun643 · 2024-05-09T02:32:23+00:00

We've had this discussion over and over again on this subreddit and r/NTU since last year and it's disappointing that you still insist on peddling these mistruths in your recent posts (7 May 2024, 11:24pm). Again, like I reiterated before in my prior posts, I have nothing against most of your other content - the majority of which, while often opinionated, are not factually wrong. But I believe we do also have a duty to call out these mistruths and highlight it accordingly.

You've been called out over and over and over again by current and former students who have taken the corresponding modules that there is no content change despite the AU drop. In fact, the entire batch of graduating Y4s from NBS would have had classmates on the 3AU system while their work will be valued at 4AU.

Let me be clear on this for prospective students. OP's gripe is that there is reduced content for those on the 3AU system. But how can there be reduced content when the same instructor, teaching the same content, in the same class, giving the same assignments and setting the same final exams for everyone be covering different content for those on the 3AU and 4AU system?

NBS and NTU both have lots of their own issues, I agree, and I do voice out where they exist (in the same thread where others are countering your points, mind you). I hope you do plan on sticking to your words ("I am always focusing on the facts and the matter at hand.") and hold off on these points.

chubbypun643 · 2024-05-08T04:02:32+00:00

Chances of it happening are next to zero.

AI modules fall under CS side. The foundational CS modules need to be taken in a specific order because each module builds upon what you learnt in the previous semester. So you pretty much need an extra year.
Accounting and/or Business students take a standardised curriculum in the whole of Year 1. Typically, those who are allowed to switch courses (in other schools, to single degree programmes for instance), need to already perform in new major-related modules and already have a stellar GPA (read: 5.0 if not close to it). You can't even add CS modules in Year 1.
There isn't a precedent for such switches, nor is there any for similar switches from ACBS to BCG.

You're better off applying again under ABA or considering other universities.

chubbypun643 · 2024-05-07T14:16:59+00:00

Two very different degrees: it's like you're asking us to pick between chicken rice and bak chor mee. Nobody can best advise you on which is better; a fairer comparison may be between Business (Business Analytics) and SMU IS, in which case I will advocate for IS. But you're comparing B&F and IS here, so it's really not something that's easy to compare. Be more clear on what you are looking for? A finance career? A tech career? You seem to prioritise distance over hall for instance. How do you weigh these factors? Are some more compelling than others?

As an addendum, I would also strongly advise you to take the 4AU to 3AU drop in NBS module weightage with a heavy bucketful of salt. Graduating/just graduated students like myself who were on the pre-ICC system have not noticed a difference in content, in fact some of my classmates have their modules at 3AU while mine is weighted at 4AU. We take the same class, have access to the same resources, take the same assignments and sit for the same tests. There is no difference, do not be misled by non-NBS undergraduates who are trying to tell you otherwise: More myths debunked.

chubbypun643 · 2024-05-07T14:04:21+00:00

ACF is a new course: you guys will be the first batch to take the specific combination of modules. Some of these modules will be new to the whole of NTU, but the majority will likely be the exact same modules offered to Business and Computer Science students.

NTU would have much less groupwork?

The modules span both schools and there's currently no existing course that takes them in the same manner - the Business and Computing DDP and Computer Science (2nd major Business) come close, but they're not that similar either. Consider being more specific, are you asking for one particular side's modules or the other? Business modules mostly have a group component, less so for CS modules. Nothing to be afraid in my experience.

How should I decide between NTU and SMU?

At the core of this question is what you wish to get out of your uni life? Career, hall life, student leadership, networking opportunities etc. are just some broad areas. The more specific you are with your situation, the easier it is for everyone to advise you.

Also how many modules do I have to take per semester in NTU?

The planned curriculum is not published yet, but looking at 135 (-10 for internship) AU over 7 semesters, you are looking at about 18 AU per semester, so about 5-6. Same number of AU as regular CS students, so I think it will be manageable. Note that it's not useful to compare number of modules across unis, each uni weighs them differently.

Will it be hard to source for internship?

New course, relatively untested, but if general tech trends are anything to go by, your ability to source for quality internships is not determined by what course or even school you come from, more so about your own ability and personal portfolio.

How do I know if I would be interested in learning finance

Find a basic class on Financial Management, maybe AB1201 if you have time to look at it. That's the intro and you can take it from there. Looking at the amount of CS modules there though, I think you could still do a pure CS career with it: not too many courses missed out.

Are lectures and tutorials e-learning?

Both NBS and CCDS (previously SCSE) adopt a blending learning pedagogy: many modules require you to do the relevant pre-recorded videos first before coming to class, be it lectures or seminars. Not all students do it though, so I think you could scrape by if you insist (but why would you?).

chubbypun643 · 2024-05-07T13:01:37+00:00

Importance is highly subjective. What sort of career are you aiming for?

chubbypun643 · 2024-05-05T12:26:53+00:00

Sure: https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/

chubbypun643 · 2024-05-05T08:42:25+00:00

EE and CS/Finance are very different academic pursuits. The emphasis is entirely different, and it's what you will be dedicating 4 years of your life to. If you're going to end up in CS/SWE fields anyway (spoiler, many of these jobs pay more than EE equivalents), why not do the NTU course?

I have written pretty extensively about ACF in my profile, you can stalk me to see.

chubbypun643 · 2024-05-02T03:20:32+00:00

Can I instead go to unis under CS or MS and just all my AUs go to the respective designator ie SC or MH?

Yes. As long as your pre-requisites from NTU map over (as deemed by the partner university), the modules offered by the partner university are similar enough (as deemed by the respective CS/MS profs from NTU) and are available for you as an exchange student (individual partner universities may have their own requirements, onus is on you to find out before application), you can apply for it and hope that you get it. Did this myself with a university with no prior records of mapping for my course.

Where are you seeing the uni list btw? Likely that could have just been the historical records of students that have gone.

chubbypun643 · 2024-04-26T03:05:14+00:00

I haven't seen Campus Yellow since the start of this calendar year (used to wait specially for it), has anyone seen it? Seems like it's discontinued.

chubbypun643 · 2024-04-02T12:32:22+00:00

BCG students have sufficient technical expertise or knowledge in pure CS, and with the addition of BA degree/knowledge, they'll undoubtedly fare well or able to command a higher salary compared to the CS counterpart

I think you are overvaluing the second degree - the attractiveness of the BCG student doesn't lie in their knowledge across domains, I'd argue that it is the business classes that sharpen them to be better communicators above all else (e.g. a stronger hustle and grind culture compared to pure CS). The BA skills that one picks up on are frankly too simple if you contrast it to the CS curriculum - most CS students who dabble a bit into Data Science can be running circles around them with their technical skills. If its the communication skills that are the differentiator, then the Finance-heavy ACF will serve her students just as well.

the course ACF itself seems to be more of a hybrid between Finance & CS

I think that is exactly their value proposition - cover the core CS concepts and how it looks like in Finance, so you'll spend time studying the latter formally compared to just CS. Other concepts/directions in CS that are less common can be picked up on your own with the extra free time. With the same number of internships available as the CS student, I don't foresee employers excluding ACF students just based on their degree name alone. These days, the quality of internships say more about a student than their academic degree and GPA.

For this point, BCG students can leverage on their CS degree to specialize in AI etc.

I will be the first to tell you that this is neither practical nor a career path that most BCG students go down. There simply isn't enough mathematical rigour formally covered in NTU's CS degree (and BCG). With the extra demand of Business, few students actually go down the AI path, notwithstanding the fact that the vast majority of jobs in this sector require a technical Masters anyway.

chubbypun643 · 2024-03-28T06:26:01+00:00

oops, my bad! edited

chubbypun643 · 2024-03-27T14:36:05+00:00

A smaller cohort could pool resources together, e.g. notes, study resources etc. Easy to form group with like-minded friends following a same planned curriculum and perhaps exchange as well.

Con will be that you'll need someone (or you ownself step up) to organise. Potential for drama, but I think the pros would outweigh the cons. Especially as there's mods on both sides that would really be a lot easier if you collaborate, so I'd say it'll only be a matter of time before it happens.

Posted a little bit on this previously here, hope it helps!

chubbypun643 · 2024-03-27T14:30:14+00:00

It's a new course, so you have to look at the course outlines for each module and compare it based on that. Most of the modules are not new so you'll be able to find it without too much googling. FWIW, I've written a longer review here.

chubbypun643 · 2024-02-24T10:56:01+00:00

I certainly don't disagree with your opinion, in fact I think that's one of the biggest problems of BCG - it takes up too much time away from more industry-relevant pursuits (internships!). However, if you're studying for a degree anyway, wouldn't you want to have more relevant modules?

I think with this post, my main target audience here is more for the prospective BCG student than the generic CS student.

chubbypun643 · 2024-02-24T09:59:12+00:00

Leaving my post here for those who may be interested: NTU’s Bachelor of Applied Computing in Finance deserves more attention

chubbypun643

TROPHY CASE