U-Insight

By Tan Si Jia and Hanis Rahmat

06 March 2018

Navigating the waters of tertiary education can be a daunting task even for the most well-weathered and hardened of students.

But on 3rd March, there was no sign of a trepidation on the faces of our prospective freshmen as they buzzed about campus grounds during the annual NTU Open House.

NTU’s Open House 2018 opened with a lively display of NTU’s dynamic student life, incorporating captivating performances, interactive tours and informative talks.

“It (Open House) was crowded, but very vibrant. [It was] definitely different from what I expected. I thought NTU was quite chill,” said Clara, a prospective student interested in bioscience.

Despite the pouring rain that Saturday afternoon, the Open House was in full swing, with stage activities and performances starting from 10.30am, food booths dishing out student favorites such as Thai milk tea and noodles, as well as guided school and campus tours occurring every 15 minutes.

The fresh Polytechnic and Junior College graduates toured the campus with this year’s Open House goodie bag in tow. Prospective students immersed themselves in the experiences offered at the Lecture Theatres at the Nanyang Auditorium, the bustling booths, as well as entertaining activities by the newly renovated Quad.

The bustling Quad also housed many booths from the different school clubs, a photo booth, and booths hosting sponsors for the Open House.

In addition, the event was also graced by the newly sworn-in NTU President and inaugural Distinguished University Professor, Professor Subra Suresh, who addressed an audience at the Nanyang Auditorium, delivering a speech on the future developments in NTU.

“[Open House 2018 was] very well planned,” said Valencia, a student ambassador, adding that “many people turned up for this event, [and] it was a good initiative to engage many student ambassadors in guiding visitors around NTU, especially at the North Spine area,” where many prospective students alighted from public transport.

According to the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid, an estimated 16,000 visitors showed up for the Open House – a number which exceeded that of last year’s event. Student volunteers from the clubs and societies contributed their time to ensure the success of this year’s Open House.

When asked about the Open House, Edward Lim, the president of the NTU Students’ Union (NTUSU) commented that this year’s Open House was a relative success, in light of the higher turnout compared to that of past years. At the Students’ Union booth located by the Quad, NTUSU’s core mission was outlined – to be the voice of the school body, to represent the students, and aiming to enhance the well-bring of students.

In response to several queries from prospective students on the work of the Students’ Union, Edward also explained the difference between NTUSU and student councils in the respective polytechnics and Junior Colleges. The scale of the events planned by NTUSU is larger in scale and scope, catering to the the NTU undergraduate student body, consisting of roughly 24000 students.

“It (Open House) was crowded, but very vibrant. [It was] definitely different from what I expected.” – Clara, prospective student

It was an exciting and eventful Open House, with visitors echoing the sentiments of Julie and Xing Yu, two prospective students, remarking how “it was very interesting, and the people at the booths were very friendly!”

Crescencia Chay and Tan Jun Yi contributed reporting and editing efforts.