Whether you’ve just completed your ‘O’ levels or are considering your post-JC/Poly/ITE options, applying to a private institution (or PEI) such as Kaplan, MDIS, SIM and PSB might’ve crossed your mind if you aren’t confident about getting into the local institution of your choice or if you’re looking to fast-track your education and start your career ASAP.
Alternatively, if you’ve just enrolled in a PEI, you might still be unsure about how to navigate your student life there and what your post-graduation future holds. If you identify with any of these at all, I hope that this article will offer you some reassurance and guidance through my insights as a fresh graduate who received a private education.
Hi, I am Neeja. I graduated from Murdoch University (administered by Kaplan) mid-2020 with a double degree in Cyber Security and Forensics & Business Information Systems. Since then, I have done freelance web development at a start-up, have worked full-time in digital marketing at a local e-commerce and am currently interning as an engineer.
Just to be sure, I will absolutely not be sugar-coating anything. You may have heard that being a PEI student entails being on the receiving end of cow smack like “So don’t need to study?” or “Can just lepak right?” and I can tell you from experience that it does, indeed, happen. And you may be met with disapproval from relatives. As a member of an Indian household of doctors, engineers, accountants, academics, and writers, I was swimming in the lake of fire my entire time in Kaplan.
Ultimately, though, looking beyond the sneers of naysayers, there are many more practicalities you should be considering.
Should You Enrol in a PEI?
First off, passion and opportunity cost are factors to be given proper, serious consideration. I, for one, knew full well that I wanted to work in digital security and forensics – and going through JC, studying subjects I wasn’t fond of could’ve just about killed me! Moreover, if I had stayed in JC to complete my IB and enrolled in an orthodox 4-year degree course thereafter, I would be graduating at 22 or 23. Studying at Kaplan for my diploma and degree, though, allowed me to graduate at 19 (which meant starting my career much earlier), thanks to the course durations and credit placements.
If you have the luxury of being able to choose between local and private universities, I am not going to try and sway you to either side. What I am about to do, though, is clarify the differences between them (in terms of opportunities and graduate career prospects), so that you can come to your own well-informed decision.
As it stands, local university students enjoy the advantage of affiliations to potential employers, while PEI students need to source for opportunities (entirely) on their own.
When it comes to the job application and screening process, however, I must say that - at least from my experience - I was never disadvantaged simply because I came from a PEI. The screening processes I went through included assignments and tests (which provided a level playing field) and it was obvious that what mattered most to my interviewers were my portfolio, skills and work ethic.
Of course, this really depends on the employer. You may be aware that some companies just prefer to hire local university graduates and would pay PEI graduates comparatively less even if they were hired. But, in reality, many companies in the private sector do not have such preferences/policies and would be happy to employ primarily based on what an applicant proves to be able to contribute.
The bottom line: enrolling in a PEI is definitely a faster way to get your career started, but (and that’s a huge but) you’ll most certainly have to put in more effort into sourcing for opportunities and building your portfolio/skills so that you can still stand out during the screening process.
Important note: tuition for PEIs can be quite exorbitant especially considering the short course durations, infrequent in-person classes, lack of career counselling, lack of advantageous affiliations – i.e., you'd be paying for nothing but a certificate. Shelling out this amount of money may not be feasible for everyone, and even if it would be feasible for you, do give serious consideration to whether you deem what you’ll get worth what you’ll be forking out. For me, the fact that enrolling in a PEI would allow me to graduate early and earn a few years' worth of additional salary was enough to justify (and balance out) the cost.
My Advice to Those Applying to a PEI and Those Who are Newly Enrolled in One
~Study related~
You can expect the learning experience and assignments to be pretty hands-on and technical – a far cry from the rote learning you may be used to - so be fully engaged in class. Last-minute cramming won’t save you anymore!
And while I cannot comment on other private institutions, Kaplan, for one, has a sizeable population of filthy rich kids, most of whom tend to be very laxed about their studies since they can afford to pay to retake as many semesters as they need. So:
Do not adopt their attitudes (unless you want to perpetuate the negative stereotypes which you so loathe).
Be self-driven. The relative lack of cut-throat competition might mean that you won’t feel the need to be on your toes, but you should actually capitalise on the situation by taking charge of your studies and staying ahead of the game!
Of course, do not be too laser-focused on school either. Be involved in some extracurriculars - be it in or out of school – to develop yourself holistically and pick up skills that will make you more employable when you graduate.
~Career related~
As I have stressed in the previous section, taking the initiative to source for opportunities during your studies would be crucial to your graduate job hunt. So:
Start applying for internships early in your semester and be responsible about following up with your applications! And be open to different job scopes. Don’t cross something off just because it does not relate directly to your course of study; it could help you to build valuable transferable skills!
Keep networking (Linkedin is your friend) and building your portfolio (freelance jobs are great for this).
Indulge in your hobbies – these will help you maintain your sanity and might also provide interesting points of conversation for your interviews!
~Student Life related~
I'm sure you've thought about whether your choice would entail forsaking the perks of student life that you see others rave about on social media. And I cannot deny that you will have to “mature” faster than your peers who've not chosen this same path, since you will have more “adult” priorities sooner.
You might have also heard of the stereotype that PEI students just want to go to class, get out of class, and go meet their baes (not bothering to interact with coursemates at all). But I’ve actually made some pretty cool friends, so not everyone there is unwilling to socialise - I highly doubt that your student life would be as dull as you think! To make the most of your time in a PEI, here are some additional things to take note of:
Be sensitive to the fact that you are with people from all walks of life and don’t let that hinder you from connecting with them. Providing you with classmates who are poly grads, JC grads, local uni grads/transfers or even working part-time in industries completely different from their course, a PEI doesn’t lose out to other tertiary institutes with regards to helping you do some IRL networking.
Embrace the diversity that is around you on campus and get ready to meet lots of international students!
Keep your heart and eyes open for those around you who may have their own struggles. While you will meet the aforementioned filthy rich people, there are also those who have to work to pay their next terms' fees. You might find their learning attitudes and commitment very humbling and inspiring indeed.
Outside of your circle of school friends, you may meet people who love giving (rather condescending) advice. Just take what you need and leave the rest - in fact, there’s tons of easily accessible career advice online which provide more concrete guidance. Don’t lose yourself to what others are saying about your future and end up spiralling into self-doubt – you gain nothing from that! Remember: it’s not about your shortcomings. The working world is about what you can contribute and how you solve problems. So stop studying and start learning because at the end of the day, cliché as it may sound, you are seriously more than your grades (if your future employer even asks to see them, that is).
My Parting Words (or rather Paragraphs) to You
Studying in a PEI and entering the working world will almost certainly be a bumpy ride. But you will need to constantly remember your existential “WHY” and work with what you have instead of dwelling on where you fall short.
I was always the youngest one in my classes and am the youngest one in my workplace. Consequently, there were many times when impostor syndrome came knocking at my door because everyone around me seemed way more qualified. It took me a while to realise that being the youngest wasn’t all that bad since being surrounded by older, more experienced individuals meant that I could soak up their perspectives and knowledge. And I hope that my telling you this convinces you to adopt such an outlook from the get-go, should you end up the youngest where you are as well.
Also:
Don’t dwell on the past. Don’t regret your decisions, because those were the best decisions you could’ve made at that time anyways. Accept them and learn from them.
Always take care of your mental health, it’s important to stay in touch with your inner voice. And there is nothing wrong with seeking help.
Understand that things will not always go 100% as planned and that’s completely okay. I graduated into the COVID-19 pandemic. The nightmare job application stories you saw on the news? Been there, done that! Just got to carry on carrying on!
Having studied in a PEI, I have made some really wonderful and cool friends, gained so many invaluable experiences, and become more financially independent. I guess my journey would’ve been much smoother if I had chosen to stay in JC, but it is what it is. If I’d picked the “normal” route, I would’ve perhaps had more readily-available opportunities, longer semester gaps, and happier, prouder parents. But those would've come at the cost of the flexibility as regards my career and life, in general, that I enjoyed and am still enjoying – and of my chance to share my story, insights and takeaways with you through this article 😊.
Remember, there’s nothing wrong with building a multi-faceted career path and entering unfamiliar territory. It will take time for demanding parents and judgemental elitists to grow out of their thought bubbles and realise that churning out good grades, pursuing the “normal” career path and holding a “conventional” full-time job are not the be-all-end-all of success. But it is up to you to prove to yourself, first and foremost, that success is not linear (“success” is up to you to define for yourself, anyway)!