What made you decide on SMU and Singapore for your postgraduate studies?
Singapore has established itself as one of the global financial hubs. Many multinational companies have set up their Asian headquarters in Singapore. There is no dearth of job opportunities in the country for graduates.
SMU SOA held its Data Camp for those seeking to understand more about the MSA, so I registered and attended to take a look at what would be like to pursue a Master’s degree at SMU. Prof Yuanto was the lecturer and he always encouraged students to actively participate in class discussions. I was intrigued by the renowned SMU interactive teaching pedagogy.
In addition, SMU provides students with credit-bearing internship opportunities. This is very important to international students who would like to work in Singapore.
Why did you choose the MSA?
I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. However, after graduation, I realized that I would like to go beyond the scope of social science and explore other academic subjects that really spark my passion. I have been interested in leveraging data to facilitate daily business decisions. What I wanted was a curriculum that would offer me a blend of technical and accounting knowledge and skills. SMU’s MSA, therefore, was an obvious choice when deciding on my postgraduate studies as it is the first Master’s degree specialising in accounting data and analytics.
How did the actual SMU experience meet your expectations?
The MSA curriculum is very challenging, so I expected there would be great difficulties in picking up hard skills. However, the learning curve was exponential and I enjoyed the journey from the beginning.
Did you experience any challenging times during your postgraduate studies?
I did not take many accounting modules during my undergraduate studies and the MSA curriculum covers challenging accounting courses. I had a hard time learning IFRS. However, SMU’s professors have been always friendly and approachable, and my talented classmates are very supportive. I really appreciated the support from them.
How has the SMU MSA helped to prepare you to thrive in your career?
SMU has been providing dedicated career services. My career coach, Eunice, has been very supportive. She helped me map out my career preparation and development paths. I could reach out to her whenever I had any questions regarding my career. The MSA programme provided numerous opportunities to interact with industry partners as well.
What advice do you have for prospective international students?
Take opportunities to attend the career fairs organized by SMU and reach out to your seniors who are working in the industries that you are interested in.
What were some skills you picked up during the MSA programme that has contributed to your current role?
In MSA, I was given opportunities to deal with a large amount of data, using Python or R, for projects. During my internship with a local bank, I participated in the bank’s digital transformation projects where I was tasked with automating manual processes and BI reporting. With the knowledge and experience accumulated in MSA, I handled the tasks confidently.
