By Girisha De Silva, PhD student in Computer Science
Girisha Durrel De Silva is currently enrolled in the PhD program of the Department of Computer Science, School of Computing at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He shares his insights into the graduate application and enrolment process, being part of a PhD program at NUS, what to expect, and his experience living in Singapore.
THE GRADUATE APPLICATION PROCESS
What are the requirements for the graduate application process at NUS?
The requirements include a strong GPA, a personal statement, reference letters and certified copies of your transcript. Sometimes a project proposal is needed.
- GPA: A student is expected to display a very good GPA. Depending on where you have previously studied this can be interpreted as having graduated from your prior degree with a first class or with a GPA over 3.5. Of course as with any application to an educational institution, your chances of admission are vastly improved if you have an exceptional GPA.
- Personal statement: Any student applying to NUS for the graduate program is required to submit a personal statement; this should not be confused with a statement of purpose (SoP) which is not required by NUS. It is of utmost importance that applicants understand the difference between a personal statement and a SoP since this is where you will be able to express and distinguish to the admission personnel who you are as an individual and what motivates and qualifies you to pursue your chosen academic path.
A personal statement will encompass your well thought out reasons for wanting to attend graduate school; your inspirations and motivations (of both experiences and people, including professors) to pursue graduate studies; a broad spectrum of what you would like to pursue; and of course personal details that are relevant to your decision to attend a graduate program. In contrast, a SoP is used as a well thought out summary of why a certain program appeals to you and why it is an exceptionally good fit for you. It is tailored more towards the program you have selected, and shows how your interests and research has led towards it. The SoP outlines your interests and how they relate to the program you select and why you are particularly keen to work with the program’s faculty.
- Reference letters: While an applicant must include at least two reference letters with an admissions application, and you do have the opportunity to submit additional references, make sure that you do not exceed a total of four. As an applicant you will be better served if you are able to provide references from multiple sources – professors, advisors, employers/managers etc.
- Transcripts: Applicants must submit certified copies of the degree certificate and transcripts from the prior qualifying course of study with the admissions application. For me, from University of Colombo School of Computing, where I did my undergraduate degree, we can apply for any amount of original transcripts. So they can send an original to the schools you are applying. If not, once selected, schools are you to bring the originals just to have a look.
- Some graduate programs that you might be considering (Ex: Computer Science) will require an applicant to submit a proposal for a subject matter related project. This is used by the admissions panel to determine if an applicant is capable of formulating and documenting a logically sequential and sound solution to a problem. This is only required by some programs – as an example, the faculty of engineering does not need a project proposal.
- Last but not least, all applicants are required to fill in the National University of Singapore admission application form online, and mail in a hard copy of it along with all required supporting documentation and an application fee of Singapore $20.00.
What, if any, standardized tests must be completed by an applicant?
Yes, any student applying must have completed the GRE. It is possible however, to apply for a GRE waiver if you graduated from your previous degree with a first class. This is a possibility since the waiver request is subjected to the approval of the graduate board. A score more than 1300 and a 3.5 or above for the analytical writing portion of the exam would leave your application in good stead. It should be noted that standardised tests such as GRE and GMAT are mandatory, but the requirements do change between departments. For more information, prospective students should check the departmental website.
The TOEFL exam is not required if you have completed your previous degrees (undergraduate or masters) in English. While this will exempt many students matriculating from the Sri Lankan university curriculum, it is better to have taken the TOEFL since this can serve to get you exempted from the English courses that are mandatory for every graduate student.
How long does it take to put together an application packet? How important is each component of the application?
While it does not take much time to complete the application and gather the necessary supporting documents. Applicants should take into account any delays while obtaining reference letters. To circumvent any issues in getting these letters from the required professors, it is advised to start requesting these early in your application process.
Each component of your application is designed to say something about yourself, your abilities, skill set, and your personal and professional drive to succeed. NUS considers a high GPA (the closer to a perfect GPA the better), research potential (articles you may have published or prior research projects you have worked on), and solid recommendations from qualified and respected sources as the primary points to evaluate an applicant’s eligibility for NUS graduate programs. This in no way means that the other supporting documents that need to be supplied are unimportant.
For example, while the project proposal (if required) might seem daunting, remember not to over think it. This is a requirement to assess an applicant’s capability. In order to convey it, create your proposal in such a way that it formulates a problem and proposed solution in a concise one page document. The project proposal will not always be the research you will be doing in your graduate research. It should be short – if you can formulate everything in 1-2 pages, it will be better. This is the same case with the personal statement which should be succinct while conveying who you are and what unique attributes you are able to bring to the academic arena.
When are the graduate application due date/s?
Due dates depend on the department. I had to apply directly to the graduate section of the computer science department. Prospective students should refer to the departmental website as deadlines can change frequently. Some departments extend the deadline if they think that they do not have enough applications.
The Graduate Studies Department at NUS has two intakes of students each year; one in August and the other in January. The application deadline for the August intake is on the 15th of December. Applications are sometimes accepted through the 15th of January but it depends on the discretion of the admissions board and applicants should not depend on this. The most up to date deadlines are found on the department website.
I would advice anyone considering NUS for graduate studies to apply for the August intake since the January intake is mostly used by the university to admit students who were considered admission worthy for the August intake but were not accepted due to constraints in the available number of admission slots and limited funding. Students from January intake will get funding but the intake is limited to few students (around 5), so the chance of getting selected is very low.
Did you contact the faculty at your current graduate school during the application process to determine a mentor/supervisor for your research?
No, it is advisable to be admitted into the program of your choosing as a student before approaching a faculty member to be your mentor/supervisor since one whole semester is given for you to find a mentor or supervisor. Additionally, this will give you the flexibility to come into the program with no strings attached and talk to current students in the program, academic advisors, and the faculty before making your selection as to which professor will best suit you and your research subject.
Other than your undergraduate degree qualification, what other achievements would make an application stand out and make your admission into the program more likely? For example, a final year research project during undergrad.
It goes without saying that prior research experience and published research articles/papers will make you a more attractive applicant to the admission panel and will increase your chances of being accepted. After my undergraduate studies I worked at UCSC for one year as an instructor. Following that, I worked as a research engineer at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NUS for a period of 6 months before I started my PhD at the School of Computing National University of Singapore. Personally, apart from publications, I think that my being a research engineer at NUS also helped my application.
THE GRADUATE EXPERIENCE
What does your graduate degree involve? How long will the program take?
You have to do 8 courses within the first two years. Six of them have to be graduate level courses and you should get a GPA of 3.5 or higher. You have two qualifying exams; one on systems and the other on theory. The systems paper consists of questions on architecture, operating systems, networking and database. The theory paper consists of algorithms, logic and artificial intelligence, programming languages, and theory of computation. Each is a 3 hour long open book exam, with all the questions being research level questions. The pass rate for this exam is approximately 20 - 30 %. However, students are given two attempts each at the two papers, and have to complete all aspects in 1 1/2 years. There’s good news for prospective students who are planning on applying in the future, since the graduate committee has decide to make this exam easier starting next year.
With all this course work and qualifying exams you have, you cannot forget all the research work that you are responsible for as well. At the start of the second year you have to face an oral test as you present your graduate research paper.
The PhD course is defined as being 4 years long. However, hardly anyone graduates from the program in 4 years. On average it takes about 5-6 years. In the worst case scenario it can take up to 8 years.
What is your thesis about?
I haven’t settled on a supervisor yet, so I have not made a decision regarding what my thesis will be about. I am still in the middle of the first semester, so I still have some time.
How was the first year?
I am still in my first year - hectic and fun would be the way to describe it.
What are the highs and lows of the graduate program?
Highs, well it takes the best out of you if you work to match the demand they expect of you.
How is your thesis funded? What other types/kinds of financial aid is available to international graduate students at your university?
As a student in the PhD program all tuition is waived. Additionally, the program gives you a stipend of Singapore $2000.00 per semester which is more than enough for living expenses. But you will not be able to save much, even if you live in a hostel and make your own meals!
On the other hand, Masters students do not get any scholarships.
Do you get to TA? Are there internships available whereby graduate students can work during their program?
No, there aren’t any TA positions available as part of the program. However, you can do a TA job to find extra money to supplement the S$2000.00 stipend.
For Masters students, since they have no scholarships, they cannot pay tuition fees and find money to live by only doing a TA job. If you cannot afford the tuition and course fee, you should first get a scholarship from a Singapore university or by means of other sources. Then if you think you need the additional money (like to buy the latest smart phone that comes to Singapore every month!) you can apply for a TA job. You can earn about S$500.00 per semester from a TA job, but you have to get selected for that. The professor who you will be working under as TA will decide the number of hours you worked in the semester and decide how much they will pay. So you have to come with a scholarship or pay the course fee.
In your field what areas of research have plenty of funding and can potentially be very useful in finding jobs after graduating?
I guess Singapore is best for media related fields. So doing research in Multi Media, Graphics, HCI, Augmented/Virtual Reality would go a long way to help you out.
What are your future plans after completion of MS/PhD?
Go back to my country, Sri Lanka, and find a place to share the knowledge I gathered here.
LIFE IN SINGAPORE
Coming from Sri Lanka, what is your experience of the new city?
Singapore in self is a city - the only country where the country is also the city. Singapore is 7km wider than Colombo District, and keep in mind that Colombo is the smallest District in Sri Lanka. It is a well planned city. The transport service is excellent (one of the best in the world). Unfortunately, there are no discounts on the bus or train passes for students.
As for the weather, it is almost identical to that in Sri Lanka. There are also a lot of Sri Lankans.
What is the cost of living like?
Food, travel expenses, and electronic items (Smart Phones, Laptops etc.) are comparatively cheap. However, clothes and accommodation can be very expensive.
What accommodations are available for graduate students?
Right now the university provides accommodation on campus, but that’s basically for the undergraduates. Of course from next year NUS is going to have a “University Town”. It’s a huge area and everybody will have university accommodation then.
A few graduate students get off campus accommodation currently, but that will not be provided after the University Town is built.
FINAL THOUGHTS
To choose or not to choose NUS… as a Sri Lankan:
Choose…
- NUS is ranked as one of the best universities in the world and the facilities available to students are second to none.
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Research grants are readily available and the government of Singapore is seriously considering on making it a research hub of the world. This will open up a vast amount of opportunities and experiences to students who choose NUS.
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However, more so than anything else, the proximity of Singapore to Sri Lanka makes NUS an attractive choice for any Sri Lankan. The nearness makes it convenient to make a trip home at least once every semester. There are three daily flights to Sri Lanka by Sri Lankan Airlines, Emirates and Singapore Airlines; and a flight every other day operated by Cathay Pacific.
- For people who want to pursue the American Dream, this is not the place for you!
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It is sometimes very difficult to understand the accent of lecturers (while teaching or merely conversing). But as time goes by you will get used to it. It’s up to you to hang in there!
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If you’re planning on doing a PhD, you have to pass a qualifying exam (which as described earlier is very challenging) prior to being accepted to the program. In most cases it is simply an oral test, but some faculties administer two written papers in addition to the oral test.
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There are no scholarships available for students who come in only for a Masters degree.
To choose or not to choose… Singapore:
Choose…
- The weather is almost identical to that in Sri Lanka.
- Singapore as a whole is a well organized country which makes it easier for people to adjust to and live in.
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All laws, rules and regulations are strictly obeyed by all people which makes Singapore one of the safest places to live in. If you choose to study at NUS you will also be expected to strictly adhere to these rules and regulations.
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The transport system in Singapore is one of the best in the world.
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Malls and food courts can be found almost anywhere.
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It is closer to Sri Lanka so visiting home for holidays is easier and the ticket is less expensive compared to being in a country further away.
- There aren’t a lot of places to sight-see and there are limited activities to do.
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It is an expensive city to live in, taking all things into account. Also, if you’re a shopaholic, it’s definitely not the city to live in!
SL2College would like to thank Girisha De Silva for sharing his experience on applying and studying at NUS, and Nirodha Wijewickrama from the SL2College editorial team, for her efforts in developing this article with Girisha. SL2College would like to wish Girisha the very best in his future endeavours.
Date of publication in Sunday Observer: 05 and 12 June 2011 (in 2 parts)
