Unsure about which course to go in POLY / ITE? Click here to find out!

Selecting a course is essential in ITE and Poly as it will follow students for about 2 to 4 years before graduating.

Many of us may know that studying in ITE or Polytechnic should best fit our interest and personality. However, what if you are uncertain which course to select?

1) Elimination

2) Interests

3) Opportunities Offered

4) Skills

5) Open House

1) Elimination

List out courses which you may like and leave out those which you definitely will not consider.

Steps:

i) List out courses which are of your interest. You may consider courses that are in the same field of study. For example, Applied Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering are different courses but of the same field. You may click here to use the course finder to help you!

ii) Eliminate one by one based on factors such as

- Interest

- Academic requirement

- Location of the school

iii) If you have a few interested courses under the same school (e.g. marketing, accounting, and tourism), you may consider a general course such as the Common Business Programme. This course allows you to have more time to socialize with seniors and find out what you would like to specialize in, and make that choice in Year 1, Semester 2.

2) Interests

- What do you like to do? Is the course giving you the knowledge to do what you love? You can visit the course curriculum to see whether if the modules can help you with your ambition

- For example, if you would like to have a blog shop and learn more about the industry. Perhaps a business course may be one of your choices.

- If you are only interested in one of the module in the course, you should search for other courses that provide more attractive modules

3) Opportunities Offered

- Opportunities offered varies among schools. Generally, students have plenty of opportunities such as Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) offered to advance their interests through competitions

- Some schools may make internship compulsory and have different learning journeys

- They may offer unique opportunities to enhance a student’s knowledge and add on to their portfolio

- Some schools may offer programs to help you acquire an industry certificate or license that could accelerate your career. This is prominent in Engineering related courses.

4) Skills

- You may consider to pick a course based on the skills you already have

- You may enjoy what you are doing because you are already good at it, and this will develop an interest in your course

- With your skillsets, you will have a higher chance to score a better GPA to help you further your studies

- If you do not have any skills, then be prepared to learn and put in the effort as skillsets and know-how are critical when you are out working

5) Open House

i) Open houses allow you to have a tour in the school and get a feel of the environment

ii) Prepare a list of interested courses to help you use your time effectively during the visit

iii) When you approach the booth, learn more about individual courses from seniors and teachers at the school by asking key questions like;

- What kind of internship will I be getting?

- Do I have the exposure to build a certain skill set or knowledge?

- Can I know more about this module and its curriculum?

- Will I be able to operate this machine?

- Will I be able to try out this software?

- What kind of Final Year Projects (FYP) opportunity does this course provide?

Resources

https://beta.moe.gov.sg/coursefinder/?journey=GCE%20O-Level&app=course_finder&q=*&fq=course_qualification_s%3A%22GCE%20O-Level%22&fq=course_field_of_study_s%3A(%22Applied%20Sciences%22)&fl=*&sort=name_s%20asc