ITE
School: ITE College East
Course: NITEC in Chemical Process Technology (Pharmaceuticals)
______________________________________________________________________________
As mentioned in my "About me" post, I scored 149/300 for my PSLE. According to Singapore's education system, I was only eligible for the N.T. (normal technical) stream. Anyways I took 4 years of secondary school education before moving on to enrol myself for the NITEC course at ITE.
To this day, I will always be grateful towards ITE for giving me that "second chance" to prove to myself that it is NOT the end. Maybe decades ago, the reputation and stigma surrounding ITE were mainly nasty. But these days it has gotten better so to those who are going/in ITE.....Chest Out, Chin Up!
Overall Personal Experience:
The lecturers in ITE are very supportive of your learning and growth, ONLY if you put in the effort to show that you're interested to learn. Just paying attention in class, not creating trouble/conflicts in school/outside, and attending your lessons/tutorial/lab regularly are considered to be very good! So give yourself a pat on the back!
However, it MIGHT be difficult (for some) to concentrate in school, especially when your peers are having fun and playing video games every day. It takes some discipline to stay focused in your studies and I'll share some tips on this later.
But my main source of motivation came from my desire to go to poly after 2 years in ITE. And I would constantly remind myself daily that I will have to do my best so that my GPA would meet the cut-off points to enrol to poly.
Tips:
[Study]
1) Summarize what was taught in class on a piece of A4 paper. This paper MUST be written in your own words (never copy word for word from the textbook into your notes) and it will be extremely helpful for your test revision.
2) Have questions about the lecture content? Try your best to think first. If cannot? then see if your classmates understand or not. Still cannot? Ask the lecturer at the end of the class! Please don't be afraid of asking the teacher just because your friends might call you a "try-hard" or "nerd". Your education values more and you're paying for it!
3) Practicing Past Year Papers (PYPs) will help you ALOT and prepare you for your exams
4) Maintain a good relationship with your teachers (especially class advisors). You can approach them for advice regarding studies/personal struggles etc. And they are super friendly too!
_________________________________________________________________________
[Extras]
1) Join CCAs to make your time in ITE fruitful! I was involved in the ITE Rotaract Club and I did quite a few community service and made friends with ALOT of my peers from other courses as well. Besides that, it helps to build your portfolio (important when you're looking to apply for poly).
2) Try to find yourself a Mentor (could be your ITE class advisor) who can provide you with guidance on your journey in ITE (and even after ITE!). I have an awesome mentor from ITE and we still keep in touch with each other frequently! (shoutout to Mr Yang :D )
3) It's normal to face disagreements and conflicts with your friends in school. Don't take it personally and learn to be the bigger person and forgive them. ITE is just 2 years so chances are you guys won't even remember what happened back in school after you graduate.
4) DO NOT be overly stressed over getting to Poly. If you didn't perform well on your tests/exams then so be it! There are many pathways (work/private poly/higher nitec etc.) after completing your ITE. Don't be too harsh on yourself ya!
_________________________________________________________________________
[What I would have done differently]
1) Learn to take a chill pill once in a while. I pushed too hard and my main focus was studying, so I did not manage to explore other opportunities (school trip to Japan/sports CCAs etc.)
2) Failure isn't the key to growth. But learning why you fail, acceptance of failure, and seeking to improve from your failure is the key to growth and maturity. Without this, you can fail a hundred times and not experience an ounce of growth.
_________________________________________________________________________
[For those who have plans to go poly after ITE 💪]
1) Build your portfolio by participating in CCAs/Competitions/Workshops and holding leadership appointments. Don't be afraid of competitions because even if you lose, you gain invaluable experience. Competitions and recommendation letters from the internship supervisor/lecturer help as well.
2) Do your best to attain a GPA above the min. cut-off points.
3) Having good grades and a portfolio not only increases your chance to be accepted to Poly but also scholarships/sponsorships.
4) Please try your best to attend poly open houses/events to interact with the lecturers/students to truly get an idea of the course and school you're applying for.
5) Some things to consider in your poly decision-making:
- Distance between the school and your house.
There will be FYPs/Projects that may require you to stay up late in school, so
you want to get back home ASAP since you'll probably be super shagged out.
- Certain schools may have different ways of grading
their students. If I'm not mistaken, schools like RP require students to submit
daily reflection journals that are graded so take that as you will.
- Do not apply for courses/schools just because your classmates are going there. This is extremely important. Instead, look at your grades and your time spent in ITE and ask yourself what are subjects that you are strong/weak and even subjects that you love/hate.
______________________________________________________________________________
That's pretty much the summary I can give about my ITE experience! I believe that there have been changes to the modules, which is the reason why I did not elaborate on the specific modules.
All this guide is useless if you do not practice discipline. I hope it helps you in your ITE journey and remember to stay safe and happy!
Comments
Post a Comment