See blogpost on Kun.H, LS and other students delayed by a year.
At age 17 to 19, I felt so bad about my delay in HwaChong. Now in my 40’s, looking back I earned a degree from NUS, better-known than all the Chinese universities “they” attended.
Fundamental to this outcome is the spectacular rise (in the league table) of NUS among Asia universities.
— how about the one more year in the 5Y degree from TshingHua? Clearly it was 1Y delay, so the students graduate 1Y later but why I never had any inferiority projected-onto these classmates?
Aha .. becasue TshingHua was desirable to most of my peers in China. I simply subscribed to that preference from the mass market.
Analogy — most Singaporeans seem to prefer Singapore condos, despite the low current income. To me, rental yield is the #1 factor, so I should NOT subscribe to the mainstream preference.
Analogy — most Chinese flat buyers prefer higher floor
Q: compare this 1Y delay in TsingHua vs my 1Y delay in HwaChong -> NUS?
A: the Chinese would think the TsingHua deal is better, because the Chinese buy that brand! On the job market outside China, I guess NUS has higher position, higher market value. English alone is a priceless advantage.
A: more importantly, NUS helped me and wife’s SG citizenship, which is worth 100 times more than a TshingHua degree.
Q: compare this 1Y delay in TsingHua vs my journey from HwaChong to UChicago?
A: in terms of branding, TshingHua is no match for UChicago. Just look at Nobel Prizes.
— TsingHua vs India Institute of Technology
( These colleges are vastly different, but it doesn’t stop people from comparing them.) They have very high standing in their respective domestic markets, but on the international competitive landscape, they are not that competitive.
— why focus so much on branding rather than quality?
Quality is too hard to compare between two colleges.
— https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/failed-a-levels-academic-journey-singapore-673911 — The author (Raffles JC grad) spent 2 years in JC, then 2 or 3 years in poly, then 3 or 4 years in university. Lots of delays, but not necessarily a disaster, IFF the person handles it well. He probably graduated from university in his late 20s or early 30s. In the U.S. I was told many people go to college in their 30s, after they figure out what they want to learn.