The final post

Finally comes the final post. Actually I felt a little bit sentimental at the pizza feast treated by madam Fazilah after our last tutorial, which was just another saying, “All good feasts come to an end.” This module gives me the most supports, inspirations and gains during my stay in NUS and this research group is the most harmonious one amid all the groups I’ve been in. Jay did a lot to improve my writing and oral presentation, and even helped me to revise my paper in another module, to which I’d like to express my greatest thanks. He is the one who can always grasp the big picture and the always cheerful Shi Chie has many awesome ideas to share. Of course I will not forget the cold and sarcastic Alex, who takes a judgmental look at all our work, and makes our research more all-rounded.

The most important skill I’ve acquired is how to make a professional oral presentation. In fact I did not have the concept of how an oral presentation should be before I came here, because in Chinese schools little emphasis is laid on the presentation, even for university students. After observing the presentations made by all my classmates, I realize that the PowerPoint slides should be concise and to the point, and that the presenter should be capable of holding the attention of the audience by applying different methods to make the presentation catchy and thought-provoking.

Another portion that gives me a lot of enlightenment is how to write an application letter and resume. First of all, I became aware of my problems in writing according to the peer review from my classmates. Additionally, it seems that creative ideas won’t always help because I tried to make my resume look more colourful and eye-catching and Mdm Fazilah advised me not to. However, I am relatively satisfied with my performance in the mocking interview, for which I made a lot of preparations so that I wouldn’t be too nervous during the interview.

After all, this learning process is really fulfilling and rewarding, which will also become a part of the wonderful memories of my study here. I see another kind of teaching method that is different from what I see in China; I choose a module that can equip me with some very pragmatic skills that can help me make early preparations for the future; I encounter a responsible and warm teacher and a group of young people with great ideas and positive energy. Just like what I’ve been told by a Japanese teacher from another module, “That is why you are here, in NUS, Linna.”