Highlights on SMU Postgraduate Research Programmes

18 Sep 2015

PhD Students’ Orientation Activities: Settling-in Our New Cohort of Students

Organised by the Office of Postgraduate Research Programmes, the one-and-a-half day long orientation began on 13 August. Students were briefed on important administrative details, and they attended events which introduced them to the SMU culture, the campus as well as life as an SMU student. At those events, several senior students took time off their busy schedules to interact with the first-year students, providing them with tips and information on settling into campus life as well as into Singapore.

To help our international students acclimatise better to SMU and Singapore, the International Student Experience unit from the SMU Office of Global Learning organised a city tour and food trail on 15 and 22 August respectively. The city tour helped our first-year international students familiarise themselves with Singapore, whereas the International Food Trail gave our students the opportunity to savour various local delicacies.

SMU Presidential Doctoral Fellows, Academic Year 2015

This year’s annual Kick-off Party was attended by 92 PhD students and 26 faculty members and staff from the PhD programmes. During the event, recent graduates of the SMU Presidential Doctoral Fellowship shared about their experience with the other PHD students. Here are some excerpts from their feedback:

Samantha Sim Student of the PhD in Business (OBHR) (Year 3)	"It is important to have supportive peers and a network of people whom you can speak freely and bounce ideas with! The social support from my classmates has also helped keep me sane because they face the same challenges. It’s easy to work through the challenges together or learn from their wisdom and expertise."
Liu Shew Fan Student of the PhD in Economics (Year 4)	"I thank my supervisor for the constant guidance and mentoring. He has been an inspirational force and has always helped me broaden the limits of my potential.”
Tian Yuan Student of the PhD in Information Systems (Year 3)	“I learnt that the process is as important as the end product. One can learn a lot from the process, and apply accordingly in other related projects.”
Nguyen Thanh Son Student of the PhD in Information Systems (Year 2)	“The PhD programme has its challenges, and tackling these challenges has helped me to grow and do better academically.”
Lee Huey Woon Student of the PhD in Psychology (Year 3)	“The PhD process is rewarding in terms of the skills that one can learn. Compared to where I was 3 years ago, I am able to think more critically now. I also write better, and analyse and interpret data correctly. I have, in essence, developed as a researcher. But development is almost synonymous with overcoming struggle. It is only in environments where one has to struggles and is forced to challenge oneself that growth can occur. So the PhD process, although tough, is rewarding...”