most people and local universities in Singapore take about four years to graduate. Some might take a short amount of time because they have less modules to clear and some might graduate a semester later because they took a leave of absence (LOA). It is quite normal to take 1 LOA but it is not common to take 2. In my case I had to take 2 LOAs.
I counted my credits wrongly and as a result of that I had to extend of my studies for another six months. How I found out was when I tried to apply for graduation like all my peers did. However through the system they said that I was not ready yet. I emailed the administrative office to ask what was wrong and the explained to me that I took too many level one modules. So apparently you are only supposed to take 10 level one mods but I took 11. And because of that I had to take another module that was level two or higher in order to graduate.
That meant that I only had two options one which was to attend NUS semester as a regular and attend classes for four months. Or I can on board on this program called special term. However that would mean that I would have to take a leave of absence from the period of January to May.
Honestly when I found out that I couldn’t graduate I broke down. I did not know what to do or who to turn to. And a large part of it was because I was really embarrassed and felt that I let myself and my family down. I felt that I should have been more responsible for my education and also paid more attention to the curriculum in school.
During my LOA, I took on three internships. When I was studying during special term I was also working. It felt like it was hell on earth because I couldn’t catch a break. I was in a really no point and most of my friends have already started working or found full-time jobs.
However I finally completed my studies on July 29 2022. But because I completed my studies in an off cycle they pushed the ceremony to the following year which is why I attended my commencement this year in 2023. After going through so many difficulties in 2022 I landed my first job and started on the 1st of August. That meant I had zero downtime and just went straight to work.
I’m eternally grateful for the people who have supported me since day one. And I am extremely grateful to my parents for always being there for me. My advice to you if you are struggling in university is that stop comparing yourself to other people because you have your own life and your own journey to follow. Always take a step back to breathe. Coming from someone who screwed up a lot in university and still made it out alive with a good job, youre gonna be okay.
