700willdo wrote:
1. Isnt't NUS a more established brand name than HKUST. HKUST is a very young school so aren't you taking a chance with it?
Yes NUS undergraduate is more established.. However HKUST as a young school is very highly rated and I don`t believe I am taking a chance. When i compared the placements that HKUST and NUS manage, HKUST seem to be able to place people in higher reputation companies. Furthermore when i did my research into the career services, NUS suffered badly. Their undergrad (BBA`s) were well supported but their MBA`s were not. Moreover, one of the reasons that HKUST ranked so highly in the EIU ranks was because of their Careers office. In terms of MBA brand, i believe HKUST is stronger in HK/China than NUS MBA`s in Singapore.
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2. I have applied to both the schools myself. Which one did you feel was more competitive in terms of admission standards?
Difficult to say, If you are Indian, probably NUS, one of the reasons i turned down NUS was their student body breakup. Having interacted with both set of admitted students, the student body at NUS appeared a lot more immature. I felt i would learn less from them. Furthermore NUS have a few things which are seriously lacking, which i only discovered post admittance :-
a) No official support/information network for admitted students
b) Poor interaction with current students and alumni ( no contact lists, no ambassadors, no private forums) HKUST have their own forum where you can contact ambassadors and see a list of current students allowing you to talk with them. The only information i could get from NUS current and admitted students were all Indian, as such, they were very Indian focused and therefore couldn`t really provide me with the type of information i seeked. Moreover, they were not very responsive
c) NUS`s adcom`s emails regularly go down. Their IT systems seem bad. e-mails regularly bounce
d) Student body for last years was approximately 35-50% Indian,and 20-25% China.. This does not make for a diverse enough student body. Coupled with the perception that the student body was `immature` put me off (the only interactions i could get were from Indian forums and the Indian student created yahoogroups)
In termds of competitiveness. HKUST seem to look for a more International mindset with an interest in China and Asia.
NUS have a 8:1 ratio and HKUST 5:1 in admittance/Applications. However the vast majority of applications to NUS are from India, so it will be very competitive if you are Indian. (application is free)
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3. I believe that NUS is better if you want to work in Singapore and HKUST is better if you want to be working in China or Hong Kong. Am I right in thinking so?
Correct. However, i believe this to be more the case of Visa issues than anything else. NUS MBA`s have the right to permanent residence. It also means pay can be potentially lower as they are not restricted by work visas which have minimum pay requirements. It`s also a case of convenience when job hunting. I believe this is the same for most universities (e.g. Stanford have better placement stats on the West Coast, Stern in New York etc.etc.)
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4. I know that Hong Kong with its better ties to China is more attractive because China is throwing up huge opportunities but will it not be difficult to find a job in Hong Kong without knowing the language?
Last years students who couldn`t speak mandarin averaged 2/3 job offers each. Mandarin speakers held more offers. Morevoer, HKUST is a financial powerhouse in terms of education. Exchange students from Columbia, Stern and Kellogg visit specifically for the finance electives HKUST possess. Finance industry generally does not need Mandarin. In singapore, you may also need Mandarin, Indonesian or Malay for some jobs.
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5. I think that in Singapore, English is more widely used so wouldn't it be easier to find a job in Singapore.
Correct English is more widely used, however both countries are ex-British colonies so English is common in both countries. Not an issue as far as I`m concerned. That was one of my original reasons for applying to NUS. However after speaking to a lot of current students and to Alumni in HKUST, i don`t believe it to be an issue.
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I guess enough questions already so will keep a few for another time. I thought you were the right person to answer these questions as you are already working in that part of the world.
Fire away with as many questions as you wish.
close
28 Mar 2008, 22:43
