NUS guide: entering university! 🏫🎓💯

Upcoming applications: 1. if you want to transfer to another degree, the transfer application period is a brief one: 29 October 2025 to 12 November 2025 - I note that if you’re looking to transfer to one of the following courses (Architecture, Dentistry, Industrial Design, Landscape Architecture, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Nursing (CCP-RN Degree) and Pharmacy) this window is especially important as you cannot apply to transfer into these during the Sem 2 transfer window i.e. you can only apply in the upcoming period. - If you’re just looking to change major but have the same degree, then this process can generally be skipped; you may be able to simply opt for a different major during the next academic plan declaration which is usually straightforward. - It may be possible to transfer degrees without delaying graduation nor overloading; this may depend on whether your courses so far can be turned into UEs, if there are common courses, or if the faculty you’re entering into has certain policies to allow such transfers to be smoothened. - @NUSguide will share more tips/advice on this on a later date 2. Application for Sem 2 stay in Halls, Houses, Student Residences & RCs (for those who are not currently staying and want to) is open from 1-6 November. - However, as I have shared before, halls mainly accept Sem 2 residents via a separate “Master’s List” process which involves an interview with the hall (usually with its JCRC, a student committee). This typically requires you to get a recommendation from an existing resident, although the exact policy differs from hall to hall. Thus, applying for a hall purely on UHMS (the nus housing portal) without going through the Master’s List process is unlikely to be successful. If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

^^ you can view their FAQ to understand how the bonus ThisCounted up to $60 works! https://t.me/ThisCounted/1292 I realise this is actually one of the first times that you’re able to get a newly launched accessory alongside the Back to School Sales (e.g. the Apple AirPods Pro 3 that just launched which has had rather positive reviews/live translation features), since it so happens that the new product launch happened before the Back to School Sales has ended. I’ve also previously shared how a benefit of an iPad is that it can act as a second screen, which may help with productivity—a benefit I took a while to realise:

If you already got your laptop, an iPad does have an extra perk of acting as a “second monitor” (other than just a larger easy-to-take-around/easy-to-scribble-on device) that some are unaware of! https://support.apple.com/en-sg/102597 This is most seamless if your laptop is already a MacBook; you simply go to the extended display setting, and this can work with your iPad unconnected to the MacBook. For windows laptops, it’s less direct, but there are easy workarounds to still allow for it after connecting a USB cable (specialised but free apps like Spacedesk). A second display screen might be helpful for productivity: e.g. one device for playing a lecture video/displaying reading material, and the other device for note-taking/writing (or in some courses, programming).

An iPad is very portable, so you can use this as a second screen even if you typically study outside (which is how I’ve personally used it). If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

Last Chance: Apple Store Online’s Back to School Offer (ends 30 September) 💻 🟢 Maximise your student benefits with ThisCounted’s exclusive link — Get bonus Apple Store Gift Card/cash on top of Apple’s offer. This year, depending on what product you purchase, you may be able to choose a different accessory for the bundle offer: the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad. The AirPods Pro 3 is also available for selection as a step-up option. 📒 Purchases must be through our unique link ( bit.ly/ThisCounted ) and follow the tracking steps below. 📘  Bonus Apple Store Gift Card or cash valued at up to $60 (with min. guaranteed value of $30) is provided in addition to Apple's Back to School offer. 🍪 Steps for successful tracking: 1. Ensure that you’re using ThisCounted’s link ( bit.ly/ThisCounted ) when making your purchase; you will need to enter this again when actually checking out (Step 2). Your browser should allow cookies to be tracked. 2. After student/staff status verification, enter bit.ly/ThisCounted again 🚨(UNiDAYS may redirect you incorrectly, so just re-enter our link after student/staff status verification. i.e. Re-enter bit.ly/ThisCounted again on the same tab when you reach the final check-out page; your cart should still be saved)  📘 T&C apply (refer to the image and Apple’s T&C) 🔴 Bonus Apple Store Gift Card/cash only for those who make verified purchases through ThisCounted’s link from now till 30 September. Fill this claim form after your purchase (and to indicate preference of Apple Store Gift Card/cash) : https://forms.gle/Xf1DGXvD2mVAzAEw5 Questions? Reach out to us at ThisCountedBiz@gmail.com or @ThisCountedSupportBot ——— FAQ and more student deals: @ThisCounted

1. Are there any practical incentives for joining NUS CCAs? Since some faculty clubs are still co-opting for management committee roles and most are currently recruiting subcomm members, here’s a timely note for those who are interested: there might be a benefit to securing student housing. The Residence Admission Scheme does not apply to halls/RCs, but for the residences e.g. PGPR/UTown Residence. The cap (refer to remarks column) means that each student club is only able to nominate a few individuals for the RAS. For SEP (student exchange programme), faculties like business that have a point system take into account CCA involvement and leadership. Most faculties are focused purely on GPA, though. Of course, there may be other less direct benefits e.g. to your CV/interview answers/getting to know more ppl. —- 2. 💻🍎Also, the @ThisCounted / Apple Back to School Sales promo returned and ends on 30 September (this gives you extra up to $60 on top of the usual Apple perks like free AirPods/Apple Pencil etc. for students when you order with ThisCounted’s link). View more here: https://t.me/ThisCounted/1291 — 3. P.S. reminder that W grade / course drop period ends this weekend! — If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

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Reminder that the deadline to drop a course is 28 September, for it to only reflect as a W grade on your transcript which will not affect your GPA! Also, you can check out the following promo to save on costs if you see yourself needing ChatGPT Plus especially during your recess week revision/submissions. If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

Bots for matching: With some questionable bots/apps out there that you may want to steer clear of, here are some that are NUSSU-supported or have student verification/safety features that allow you to match and chat anonymously until both parties are comfortable with exchanging tele handles (the bot acts as a middleman so that chats are anonymous!) These bots are from the creator of the original uni matching bots that were viral in 2021/2022, during the pandemic, across unis and has been used by tens out thousands of users across the years (https://www.tiktok.com/@nicolettecalliewe/video/6973191836521237762 | https://www.tiktok.com/@ninjabread_/video/6971050102278360321) The original bot is @nuschatbot , but albeit it being faster to get a match, the following bots were updated versions with better safety mechanisms. Do refer to this list below as there have been copy-cat versions not by the same creator, which may be less safe! NUSSU-supported bot @nusmatchbot : opt to match only with verified NUS students, match by faculty/batch/gender, and goals! This may be used for making friends or getting helpful senior advice too. 🎓 @simplymeetbot : match by location; chats reset at 10 am daily, and you can opt to meet with verified students who are already near you. This is meant for meet-ups for lunch/dinner/activities etc. (you can set various goals) on the day itself. This is meant for wholesome meet-ups, and there isn’t gender selection by default. 🤝 @cupidsgbot : unlike the above bots, this bot is geared more towards dating, and you can match by MBTI and specific dating goals! 💘 Nonetheless, stay safe and limit the personal info you share when chatting! If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

Quick Access Tips For Mobile Key (those staying in hall/dorm) or quick access to other apps (e.g. NUS Bus time app) Taking advantage of the Shortcuts App (iPhone) - For those staying in dorms, one inconvenience may be the Mobile Key app (as the physical card for accessing rooms is increasingly phased out). To cut down on the number of steps needed to open the app each time you want to access a room, you may find this convenient: Step 1: Create a shortcut “Open App” which will open “NUS Mobile Key” app (or another app you prefer). Step 2: Option A: If you’re on iPhone 15/16, the “action button” which is the default ring/silent button may be replaced to activate a shortcut. Search “action button” in settings. This way, whenever you press the physical button on your iPhone, the NUS Mobile Key app opens instantly. Option B: Settings > Accessiblity > Touch > Back Tap Set the device such that when you tap the back of your iPhone twice (double tap), the “Open App” shortcut activates. Note: this may be also for other purposes [P.S. I’m not familiar with Android, unfortunately, but I believe there are equivalent features you can consider including third-party apps] — Timetable This one is quite straightforward: if your phone’s homescreen wallpaper is not put to good use, you can consider just having it replaced with your NUSmods timetable (you may set the nusmods timetable view to “Vertical”, take a screenshot, and set it as your Lock Screen wallpaper). This may make it more convenient whenever you want to check your schedule! If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

What happens if I still do not secure a tutorial swap after the Add/Swap period (ends 5 p.m. today)? After 5 p.m., you may begin appealing to your course's host department. Limited reasons are accepted for appeals. You may attempt this if you have any extenuating circumstances. ------------- It’s been said that if your NUS course timetable has a clash from other courses such that you have no choice but to take another tutorial at a particular timing, and you didn’t manage to secure that, an email appeal to the faculty/course department may stand a chance at succeeding. On an extreme, some seniors have gone to the extent of intentionally causing a schedule clash in an attempt to get the tutorial slot they want (of course, it is probably too late for you to do that now even if you wanted to). On an even greater extreme, some realise that when appeals to course host departments are made, host departments may not know your actual timetable especially if it consists of other faculties' courses in the mix. They thus send an image of a false nusmods.com timetable that shows a “clash” between the undesired tutorial slot and another course. This probably only works in the following sequence: E.g. the course has two tutorial slots, tut 1 and tut 2 (and the student doesn’t want tut 2) Round 1: he bids only for tut 1 (fail) Round 2: he bids only for tut 1 (fail) Add/Swap: skip/ don’t bother adding tut 2 Appeal to course’s host department, claiming he didn’t bid for tut 2 due to a “clash” with another course (from a different department/faculty). This is because if he didn’t want tut 2, but was allocated it in Round 1 or 2, then to claim a clash would be more clearly disingenuous: edurec would not have allowed him to pick tut 2 if there were a clash. The above sequence of events may stand a chance of success because he was never allocated tut 2, and is able to claim he didn’t select it due to a clash, with the course host department possibly unable to verify on its own if there is truly a clash. (However, such a request may still be rejected / you may instead be given the option to drop the course if they really are unable to add more vacancies). -------------- Of course, we don't promote unethical loopholes here, so this is shared purely for informational purposes. Although understandable in some unfortunate circumstances, turning to the aforementioned approach remains wrong and discouraged (students may also potentially face disciplinary action if caught, so do be mindful of that). If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

Round 2 results officially release on tomorrow, 18 August at 9 a.m. (but it’s apparently already visible unofficially if you check now!); what is important is that the add/swap tutorial option also opens at 9 a.m. The add/swap is first come first serve (this is unlike all the previous rounds!) Thus, you’d want to be awake at 9 a.m. to have your first pick at any remaining vacancies (if you need them). Requests to add/swap are processed at regular intervals: you’ll be shown the number of “matching requests” when you try to swap. Typically, swapping with friends would mean to coordinate to submit, at the same time, aligned swap requests and hope the system swaps both of you successfully. The course/faculty groups we shared earlier on our channel are helpful for this and you can start searching ahead of time for one-one swaps since the swap period is short, ending at 5 p.m. If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

Final reminder that Round 2 ends in about 2 hours! If you did secure a tutorial slot in Round 1 (but not a desirable one), our understanding is that the only way to switch in Round 2 is to drop the current slot to bid for another; however, this is extremely risky and not recommended, as you may end up with neither. The opportunity to add/swap is on 18 August, and that is generally a safer time to do so. If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

What if I didn’t get a spot in round 1? [TODAY, TILL 5 p.m.] Course Reg Round 2: if you didn’t get a spot, bid in excess and be mindful of vacancies left for the courses you bid for. Securing something is better than nothing — at least you have something to offer for potential swaps later on. [18 August 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.] Add/Swap Period: Remaining vacancies after Round 2 are up for grabs first come first serve on 18 Aug. Join the group chats listed in our earlier post too — these may be helpful for swapping requesting to swap tutorial slots! [18 August after 5 p.m.] Appeal to Course Host Faculty opens, with limited reasons accepted for why they should offer you a spot. We will post more on this soon. If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

Also, you may be wondering whether you have the same tutorial slot as your friends. If there are multiple tutorial slots at a particular day/timing, you know your exact tutorial slot number by clicking the slot (in view classes) and then clicking 'Meeting Information'. This will show the venue (it will also show your tutor’s name). You can then check which tutorial slot (on nusmods.com ) has the same time and venue — you will then know your slot number. Round 2 of tutorial registration begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

^P.S. no worries if you didn't secure some slots at all — some courses may not be fully processed yet, so you can only be sure after the official release time (9 a.m. tomorrow)

Tutorial slots are unofficially out early! They can be viewed on edurec at Academics > Academic Records > View Classes! If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

🚨Ending in about 2 hours! Tutorial registration ends at 5 p.m. today. Do prepare sufficient backups, as it is not uncommon to not get your preferred choices. Naturally, certain slots e.g. those after a lecture may be more popular. Rank strategically if you know that slots you want are popular (this could either mean ranking them in better positions to stand a chance, or deciding that it’s too competitive and it’s better to jump straight to your next-best option as your best ranked course). For students in some faculties, you’d see that you have a choice tutorials in odd weeks or even weeks. In this case, some students would prefer to split these such that you have a more balanced workload for both your odd and even weeks. (Alternatively, some students prefer to have more “free days” and thus prefer to have as many tutorials happening on the same day as possible) If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

do view our previous compilation here too as well!

^ some course-based groups forwarded here!

AY25/26 Sem 1 GC UPDATES (to add on, message @aaldentnay ; view most updated list @nuschs ) Main CHS group: @nuschs ⭐️CHS 1k HS_ courses + FAS1101 will use “topics” within @nuschs; you may mute those that you are not taking, while unmuting those that you do take. GEA1000: https://t.me/+8HBmm8iC_uQxN2M1 (reuse) DTK1234: https://t.me/+YvXHhqZmX4s2ZGY1 (reuse) ⭐️ for social sciences/humanities sem 1 modules Econs : https://t.me/+yaRCmqLTcQRjODhl (reuse) PolSci: https://t.me/+LBhjvpwgrP8yMDY1 (reuse) Psych: https://t.me/+OpStBtGuRbZhYzY9 (reuse) History: https://t.me/+UlbypYTj9tJiMzY1 (reuse) Sociology: https://t.me/+S-NNiEJ2uqphODY1 (reuse) Global studies: https://t.me/+xuLk6CE5RHk1Yjll (new) ⭐️ Math / Stats MA1100 (Discrete Mathematics): https://t.me/+zjqDtzTRGTsxNTg1 MA2001 (Linear Algebra 1): https://t.me/+D3thWgF34EkwM2Fl MA2002 (Calculus): https://t.me/+6Fwb10ezI5lkZjFl MA2101 (Linear Algebra 2): https://t.me/+aXbY64EDfj8xMjM1 MA2104 (Multivariable Calculus): https://t.me/+JpLLSeDwmoU5YzQ1 MA2108 (Mathematical Analysis 1): https://t.me/+duCRbsMAAfRmMjU1 MA2202 (Algebra 1): https://t.me/+CRyCbYez0yUzOWM1 MA3220 (Ordinary Differential Equations): https://t.me/+XtFj3Rfmby4zMzY1 MA2116/ST2131 (Probability): https://t.me/+YPgxN8oF_bgwOWFl ST2132 (Mathematical Statistics): https://t.me/+EfMTSud6mt9lMzhl ⭐️ CS1010S: https://t.me/+afBfOiiKXDw2MGE1 ⭐️Physics PC1201: https://t.me/+Zh0MMgKKdL0wYmE1 ⭐️DSA: https://t.me/+p90zamuADHQ5NmY1 (reuse) ⭐️ FRESHIE/student tips: @NUSguide ⭐️ Bots for random anon chatting: @nuschatbot / @nusmatchbot (safer version w student verification) | @simplymeetbot / @cupidsgbot ⭐️ Student discounts: @ThisCounted P.S. don’t mute the announcements channel—only impt info/academic info/compilations will be sent here!

Tutorial registration is on 12 August and starts at 9 a.m., ending at 5 p.m. Note that this is a way shorter window for registration than coursereg! —- Re-sharing this: Below is a message on the balloting process which isn’t by us, but has been passed down by various NUS seniors! Note that “courses” used to be referred to as “mods”: “Balloting process How to ballot like a senior (by sam chan) First, here is how the balloting works: - you rank up to 20 tutorial slots according to your preference, with the slots you want more ranked higher - you do not have to use all 20, and in fact you can just put one tutorial slot per mod - the system looks at your first choice, checks the tutorial class, and if there are vacancies, you're in! - the process then repeats for your second, third choice etc. until you have tutorials for all your mods, or you have no viable options left (i.e. all your preferred tutorials are full) - it's quite by luck in the sense that if you're the 26th person the system sees for a 25-person class, you don't get it, even if you put it as first choice. hence the term balloting. IT IS NOT FIRST COME FIRST SERVE! Now that you know how balloting roughly works, here are some pointers! 1. Plan for multiple timetables - needless to say we all have that one tutorial slot we want (for free day, with friends, both, etc.), however it would be terribly unwise to not have any backup plans/tutorial slots. having three choices per mod is a safe number, although you can go up to 4 per mod (equal distribution among 5 mods) or any number really (unequal distribution) 2. Know your preferences - even among your first choice tutorial slots for your modules, it's good to know which are the ones you want the most - generally you get your first three choices, while anything after that is more risky, so you need to priorities which are the ones you diedie must get, and hence rank first 3. Know that certain tutorial slots are more popular - generally tutorial slots from 10-4 are the more popular ones - likewise for those on the same day as the lecture for that mod - you might want to rank these slots higher - this is more for your knowledge, but if you plan to take this tutorial with say >5 friends, some of you might not get it Keeping these pointers in mind, you ballot! And here's now: (note: you don't have to follow this method but I find it really helpful. also, it's based on the assumption that one has 5 mods to ballot for) 1) Note down the tutorial slots you want on a piece of paper (virtual or otherwise) according to your modules, while ranking them at the same time. - you should have 5 columns of 4 tutorial slots each (assuming equal distribution), already in order of preference 2) Double check the timings and the tutorial number (eg. D3, E5, etc.) 3) Rank all your tutorial slots in a flop-table style (MOST IMPORTANT STEP). This might require some explanation, so bear with me. Let's say your 5 mods are called 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, and it's according to the mod which first-choice tutorial slot you want the most Each mod has 4 tutorial slots, called A, B, C, and D according to your preference. Here's how your ranking would look like then: 1A 2A 3A 4A 5A 5B 4B 3B 2B 1B 1C 2C 3C 4C 5C 5D 4D 3D 2D 1D Basically you "reflect" your mods. Since you're quite likely to get your choices for 1, 2, and 3, but less so for 4, and 5, your sixth and seventh choices should be the second-choice for mods 4 and 5 to increase your chances of getting what you want. 4) Finally, don't panic if you don't have any tutorial slots! There is always add/drop and online swaps, and worst case manual registration. It's all part of student life! But if you follow the above, it's less likely to happen (: “ —- If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻