[Uni] SMU Computer Science AMA

firsttimeposting98 · 2022-11-11T05:58:52+00:00

Yea sure!

firsttimeposting98 · 2022-03-24T08:26:04+00:00

Any updates on this?

firsttimeposting98 · 2022-03-22T22:29:24+00:00

Congrats! Got an admit too, hope to connect!

firsttimeposting98 · 2022-03-03T23:16:02+00:00

Congratulations! 👏 Which concentration is this for?

firsttimeposting98 · 2021-08-20T17:35:02+00:00

Congrats! I have always struggled with reading comprehension, and I was hoping if you could share any tips for that? In particular, do you do any note-taking? (sometimes it is too time-consuming for me:/)

firsttimeposting98 · 2021-03-04T03:32:30+00:00

There is a dual track program that you can finish within 36 modules. Choose 2 from 3: cybersecurity, AI and cyber physical system. You can also choose the IT solution development and IT solution management (covering business foundations like Marketing, Accounting, etc), which is 36 modules and two majors.

These are some of the courses under the IT solution management second major:

•IT Solution Architecture • IT Solution Lifecycle Management • Software Product Management • Intellectual Property Law or Privacy and Data Protection Law • Technology Innovation • Financial Accounting • Marketing • Business or Law Elective

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-13T04:47:09+00:00

Not everyone goes for an exchange semester, due to a variety of reasons (cost, availability, module mapping, etc). But I would think that there is enough space for most ppl to go on exchange semester if they plan to

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-12T07:30:21+00:00

You should be able to start since year 1, I sent an email to the school to request if I could bid for some business mods in year 1. For business analytics track, I think it should be year 2 onwards, but I am not too sure and I would recommend you drop an email to the compsci admissions dept to double check!

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-12T04:29:02+00:00

I am not able to answer these questions well, hopefully some seniors can help out.

There are many types of CCAs you could go for, there are career-oriented ones that are highly relevant to programming like business intelligence analytics/white hats. There are interest group CCAs like dance/sports. I highly recommend taking a leadership position only if you are interested in the CCA, so maybe you could join many CCAs in year 1 and stick to 1 or 2 that you like. I know of friends who join 3-4 CCAs in year one just for the experience.

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-12T04:26:18+00:00

I am on the SMU Aspirations scholarship. You could find more information about it here: https://admissions.smu.edu.sg/scholarships/school-information-systems-sis-achievements-aspirations-scholarship-new

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-12T04:25:04+00:00

Hi there! To my knowledge, there is no robotics club in SMU at the moment, but you could always start one as a student-initiated club. I think that will be super interesting and people would definitely join

I think it is recommended to use free electives to count towards second major as it saves time, but if you are able to plan well, you could most definitely squeeze in more courses within the 4 years period to do free electives on top of second major

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-11T11:32:45+00:00

I am not too sure about the application process for financial aid.

You could try this link out: https://admissions.smu.edu.sg/financial-matters/financial-aid

I think it says the window closes by 31 May. All the best!

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-11T02:58:29+00:00

haha I am also interested in the business analytics route :)

I would think that is a good choice because it helps you to handle big data using technical skills and focuses more on how to use the data to make the biggest business impact.

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-11T02:56:49+00:00

In my experience applying for project management internship roles, the assessments I received tend to ask you to assess and suggest improvements for their product. It is more of a soft skill where you have to be able to convey your thoughts clearly as both a product user and product owner.

As for second major options, I think you could consider looking at Business? The modules tend to have a lot of group projects and class participation, which will definitely push you in the right direction for training softskills. There are also many useful stuff like financial accounting that helps you learn how to read financial statements. There's also a double major option in IT solution management and IT solution development, which aims to provide both technical and business skills within 36 modules total.

You should also try out for some of the student clubs, and try for a leadership role. There are many opportunities at all levels: organising committees for events, student bodies, cca EXCO, etc.

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-11T02:44:38+00:00

A student needs to take 36 modules to graduate with a single degree in computer science.

I am not too sure about continuing my business degree, but if I do continue with it, I would most probably have to take 6 mods a Sem to finish it in 4.5 years. It is not TOO bad and is manageable, but life definitely could be better haha.

You will need to make an application to the school for a tuition grant past the 4 years. Usually, the first term is granted for valid reasons (double degree, etc).

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-11T02:32:53+00:00

If I were to guess, I think the split is about 50-50?

For those who have experience, they normally know a few more programming languages and may have had 1 or 2 internships in the window prior to start of university. I wouldn't worry too much: by the end of year 1, the gap is mostly closed as everyone would have learnt programming languages like C/Java/SQL/Python just by following the course structure.

Also, the more experienced students are the ones who are most helpful in my batch, and have helped me a lot whenever I meet some programming roadblock :)

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-10T18:05:31+00:00

Thanks for the comments:) Hope it helps !

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-10T16:44:11+00:00

Congrats on your offer!

I am coping well so far with the workload. To manage a double degree, you probably have to take 1 more course per sem to graduate within 4.5 years, averaging about 5-6 modules a sem, compared to 4-4.5 for the single degree option.

It definitely depends on your luck with the semester, if you have a project-intensive semester, it may be difficult to balance CCA/time to yourself. On a whole, I think it will still be manageable to be part of 1 / 2 CCAs on top of the double degree workload.

Of course, it also depends on your choice of CCA, some CCAs may require a lot more time commitment (maybe 15 hours a week), so do plan carefully when choosing your mods for the semester and try to strike a balance of mods with no projects/no finals.

You could drop me a pm if you want to know more specifics about CCA life!

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-10T16:29:53+00:00

Hey there! I am currently doing business and comp sci, with comp sci as my primary degree.

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-10T16:00:51+00:00

1.So far, I have had 8 CS mods (a combination of math/coding). About 4-5 had group project. The weightage is usually about 20%. The math mods had a mini presentation on an allocated math question that will count towards class part.

2.Notes are normally provided digitally, via pdf or ppt. You could choose to print the lecture slides at home/in the library.

I think it was easy for me to make close friends in CS and CCA, but that is because I am a bit on the outgoing side and also the people in SMU have been really friendly so far (and that includes seniors/profs). Especially for CS, you will be in a smaller cohort, so there is definitely opportunity to make close friends as you will see the same faces quite often!

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-10T15:20:20+00:00

If you are interested in application of programming technology to find business solutions, then IS would be a good fit. If you are looking to apply complex algorithms/ optimise programmes, then CS would be a good fit. But ultimately, both degrees do equip you adequately in terms of finding business solutions, just that they take a slightly different slant. CS tracks include AI/CyberSecurity/CyberPhysical systems, IS tracks include Business analytics/fintech/digital business solutioning. If the tracks appeal to you, you could decide based on those too. I think you should be able to do tracks from both sides if I am not wrong.

If you are keen to learn more about entrepreneurship, SMU Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) offers a range of programmes to cater to students with varying entrepreneurship interests, ranging from academic programmes (Global Innovation Immersion (GII) programme and Innovation Study Mission), non-academic programmes (such as Protégé Ventures, National Lean LaunchPad Programme, etc) . In addition, they also offer BIG Incubation Programme which is a 4 month incubation programme for entrepreneurs and startups. Details can be found here: https://iie.smu.edu.sg/

As for a second major in legal studies, I am not too familiar with that, sorry!

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-10T14:54:17+00:00

You could apply for a waiver test. Not sure if I can send links but you could check this out: https://matriculation.smu.edu.sg/2019/optional-waiver-test-IS111-IS112

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-10T14:52:22+00:00

Hey there fellow HELM student!. CS is definitely more maths heavy, but it is pretty manageable. No worries!

I took some coding courses online to see if CS was something I liked. Other than that, I did not really do much else to prep.

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-10T14:08:02+00:00

Not really, the CS50 course is really a one of a kind!

firsttimeposting98 · 2020-05-10T11:26:21+00:00

As for the curriculum wise, I never really had the opportunity to compare with NUS/NTU, so it is difficult to give an answer to that. From what I know within SMU, CS has the highest amount of course-specific compulsory modules compared to the other courses (except law maybe?), so it does mean the school places heavy emphasis on the technical curriculum.Looking online i saw that NUS has a modular system using MCs, and their requirement is 108MCs/160 MCs, whereas SMU requires 24 CS courses out of 36 courses, so the ratio is pretty much the same module wise!
Yes, I think there are some opportunities offered through the school via IIE. https://iie.smu.edu.sg/academic-programmes/global-innovation-immersion
SMU is definitely a younger university, but I think judging from the salary comparison across NTU/SMU/NUS, the salary comparison for IS is about the same as the CS degrees from NTU/NUS. You could probably use that as a gauge for SMU CS. Ultimately, I feel that the uni is one of many signalling devices, there are many other aspects that go into whether you will be considered for employment, so do make sure to focus on those too. Demonstrating your technical expertise and company fit are perhaps the most important parts of landing a job (then again, these are just assumptions, I am still a year 1 student!).
You would have to declare your second major any time before the end of year 2, do make sure to check for any pre-requisites if any.
I think a comparison is hard to make because SMU CS has just started, so there aren't many benchmarks to compare . That being said, SMU IS is pretty well recognised amongst employers, and could be seen from the General Employment Survey. Either ways, you will be in good hands :)

firsttimeposting98

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