Thursday, August 19, 2004
The Straits Times, 19 August 2004: Forum
"ARTS STUDENTS AT A DISADVANTAGE WHEN APPLYING TO ARTS FACULTY"
By EDWIN TAN CHOON BOON
As the new academic year starts in the National University of Singapore (NUS), one is reminded of the fierce competition fro places this year and its fallout.
As usual, hard-luck stories abound of arts-stream students from junior colleges failing to gain entry into the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), and their oft-heard cry that they have been deprived of places by science-stream students.
There is some merit in that assertion, due to the inequalities of the system. A cap should be placed on the number of science students in FASS.
To begin with, there are far more science students than arts students. Due to the constant proportion of grades awarded, regardless of stream, this means that it is more likely for a science student to attain a certain grade than for an arts student because of the former's far greater numbers.
This translates into a system whereby for every one arts student, there are many more science students who have equivalent or better grades. This is an inequality in the system, as two students of the same calibre may get different grades simply because they were in different streams.
Also, it s a fact that many science students did not put FASS as their first choice, but still got into the faculty, due to their better grades. In contrast, there are many arts students who put FASS as their first choice but failed to get in.
A faculty's worth is measured by its students, and students who sincerely want to be in FASS are likely to be of more value to the faculty. On the other hand, science students are disadvantage in FASS, because their lack a grounding in the humanities, are unsure of their aptitude in the humanities as well as their field of study, and may lack the passion if FASS was not their first choice. This combination makes for mediocrity.
Lastly, another inequality in the system is that arts students have far fewer choices of faculties than science students. Entry into FASS is generally easier than for other faculties, so if the arts student fails to get into FASS despite putting it as his first choice, there are precious few options for him. For many, entry into the polytechnics has become their last resort, meaning that their A-level education has been wasted.
In view of the inequalities, it is only fair to enact some corrective action.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The real problem is: a University degree is becoming such a must-have that people are desperate to get into a course so that they can receive a paper and show it to their future employers. This is despite their capabilities and interests in the course they choose.
We've all heard of certain courses being second-grade, from the point of certain students. For example, law is the dumping ground for science students who cannot make it to medicine (correct me if I am wrong). These students have good grades capable of getting anywhere, but the figures just loose out in Faculty of Medicine. So, desperate to jump on the bandwagon which can lead to survival in this small city state, they close in for the kill on another course of prey (pun unintended).
So we've got students going to the wrong places. And when these students go to the wrong places, the students who ought to be rightfully in these places become course-less.
Let's take a look at the subjects offered in FASS:
ASIAN STUDIES
Chinese Language / Chinese Studies
Japanese Studies
Malay Studies
South Asian Studies
Southeast Asian Studies
HUMANITIES
English Language
English Literature
Theatre Studies
History
Philosophy
SOCIAL SCIENCE
Economics
Geography
Political Science
Psychology
Social Work
Sociology
Information and Communications Management
Sure, science students are able to handle some of the subjects, particularly those under the social sciences division. However, these subjects may not parallel to their interests, which are normally in the field of the pure sciences such as Physics, Chemistry and Biology. For the social sciences inject both sciences and humanities within, so there is a fair share of having to understand the surroundings and human nature, requiring some creative thought and the opening of one's eyes to the world, unlike the pure sciences, based on logic, the qualities and characteristics of the things being studied and whatever has been researched before. Science students in the Junior Colleges have been groomed in the direction of the latter. As far as I know, economics is probably the only humanities subject the majority of the science students take. There are very few cross-faculty personnel who take History and Geography together with the sciences. Therefore how can we believe that (pure) science students are not making a wrong choice in joining FASS? Yes, they may have the interest, but it cannot be matched with those who have been in the arts stream in JC. Arts students pick the arts mainly because they have an interest in the humanities and the arts. An art student will not be ashamed of being in that stream, commonly looked down upon by other people as playing second fiddle to the more prestigious and more future-worthy science stream.
Therefore it is only right that more arts students deserve places in FASS. Their passion and drive for the subjects offered make sense for their presence.
Mr Tan proposes some corrective action: I am in support. There should be a restrictive limit to the number of science students admitted into the faculty, unless on the condition that the science student is very interested in the arts and has an affinity for the humanities. Perhaps it could be that he was forced into the science stream in his JC days, when he truly wants to take the arts? There can be no discrimination: everyone should follow one's passion. Passion should lead the way in what we do things, because it creates highly-motivated, hardworking, and efficient workers. It should not be that we do things because we are forced to. We may end up living a lifestyle of riches and comfort due to the wealth that our line of work brings in, but if we do not like that occupation, it is only that we suffer in silence within a lavish lifestyle.
¶ 8/19/2004 01:17:00 pm "ARTS STUDENTS AT A DISADVANTAGE WHEN APPLYING TO ARTS FACULTY"
By EDWIN TAN CHOON BOON
As the new academic year starts in the National University of Singapore (NUS), one is reminded of the fierce competition fro places this year and its fallout.
As usual, hard-luck stories abound of arts-stream students from junior colleges failing to gain entry into the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), and their oft-heard cry that they have been deprived of places by science-stream students.
There is some merit in that assertion, due to the inequalities of the system. A cap should be placed on the number of science students in FASS.
To begin with, there are far more science students than arts students. Due to the constant proportion of grades awarded, regardless of stream, this means that it is more likely for a science student to attain a certain grade than for an arts student because of the former's far greater numbers.
This translates into a system whereby for every one arts student, there are many more science students who have equivalent or better grades. This is an inequality in the system, as two students of the same calibre may get different grades simply because they were in different streams.
Also, it s a fact that many science students did not put FASS as their first choice, but still got into the faculty, due to their better grades. In contrast, there are many arts students who put FASS as their first choice but failed to get in.
A faculty's worth is measured by its students, and students who sincerely want to be in FASS are likely to be of more value to the faculty. On the other hand, science students are disadvantage in FASS, because their lack a grounding in the humanities, are unsure of their aptitude in the humanities as well as their field of study, and may lack the passion if FASS was not their first choice. This combination makes for mediocrity.
Lastly, another inequality in the system is that arts students have far fewer choices of faculties than science students. Entry into FASS is generally easier than for other faculties, so if the arts student fails to get into FASS despite putting it as his first choice, there are precious few options for him. For many, entry into the polytechnics has become their last resort, meaning that their A-level education has been wasted.
In view of the inequalities, it is only fair to enact some corrective action.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The real problem is: a University degree is becoming such a must-have that people are desperate to get into a course so that they can receive a paper and show it to their future employers. This is despite their capabilities and interests in the course they choose.
We've all heard of certain courses being second-grade, from the point of certain students. For example, law is the dumping ground for science students who cannot make it to medicine (correct me if I am wrong). These students have good grades capable of getting anywhere, but the figures just loose out in Faculty of Medicine. So, desperate to jump on the bandwagon which can lead to survival in this small city state, they close in for the kill on another course of prey (pun unintended).
So we've got students going to the wrong places. And when these students go to the wrong places, the students who ought to be rightfully in these places become course-less.
Let's take a look at the subjects offered in FASS:
ASIAN STUDIES
Chinese Language / Chinese Studies
Japanese Studies
Malay Studies
South Asian Studies
Southeast Asian Studies
HUMANITIES
English Language
English Literature
Theatre Studies
History
Philosophy
SOCIAL SCIENCE
Economics
Geography
Political Science
Psychology
Social Work
Sociology
Information and Communications Management
Sure, science students are able to handle some of the subjects, particularly those under the social sciences division. However, these subjects may not parallel to their interests, which are normally in the field of the pure sciences such as Physics, Chemistry and Biology. For the social sciences inject both sciences and humanities within, so there is a fair share of having to understand the surroundings and human nature, requiring some creative thought and the opening of one's eyes to the world, unlike the pure sciences, based on logic, the qualities and characteristics of the things being studied and whatever has been researched before. Science students in the Junior Colleges have been groomed in the direction of the latter. As far as I know, economics is probably the only humanities subject the majority of the science students take. There are very few cross-faculty personnel who take History and Geography together with the sciences. Therefore how can we believe that (pure) science students are not making a wrong choice in joining FASS? Yes, they may have the interest, but it cannot be matched with those who have been in the arts stream in JC. Arts students pick the arts mainly because they have an interest in the humanities and the arts. An art student will not be ashamed of being in that stream, commonly looked down upon by other people as playing second fiddle to the more prestigious and more future-worthy science stream.
Therefore it is only right that more arts students deserve places in FASS. Their passion and drive for the subjects offered make sense for their presence.
Mr Tan proposes some corrective action: I am in support. There should be a restrictive limit to the number of science students admitted into the faculty, unless on the condition that the science student is very interested in the arts and has an affinity for the humanities. Perhaps it could be that he was forced into the science stream in his JC days, when he truly wants to take the arts? There can be no discrimination: everyone should follow one's passion. Passion should lead the way in what we do things, because it creates highly-motivated, hardworking, and efficient workers. It should not be that we do things because we are forced to. We may end up living a lifestyle of riches and comfort due to the wealth that our line of work brings in, but if we do not like that occupation, it is only that we suffer in silence within a lavish lifestyle.
