NUS guide: entering university! 🏫🎓💯

CourseReg Round 3 has opened and closes at 12 p.m. on 9 Jan (ie tmr). At this point, some may consider overloading. Why some people overload: It may sometimes be strategic to overload extra courses you are unsure of, then narrowing down to which courses you really want to take after trying them out. This is because if you drop a course by week 3, it won't show up in your transcript / or if you drop a module before recess week, it would only show up as a 'W' grade with no effect on GPA. This way, you may be able to opt to keep only the courses you expect to do well (which you may have a better sense of by that point in time) and be more likely to get stronger GPA. (that said, it may also be unstrategic to do this if it means you can't cope in the first few weeks) Of course, a more common reason to overload is because you may want to have an easier workload in your final years in uni! In fact, if you are able to overload enough across multiple semesters, you would be able to finish your degree earlier, i.e. graduate earlier. This can mean major savings in school fees and time, e.g. paying a semester less of school fees. However, overloading is not always recommended and is ultimately a personal decision that requires you to balance various pros and cons and what you’re personally able to have on your plate in a semester. If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

CourseReg Round 2 has opened and closes at 12 p.m. on 6 Jan (ie the next day). Results for Round 1 are also out. Unlike Round 1, this is an open round which allows you to bid for courses you may not have been able to previously. If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

You may check the current vacancy:demand ratio to see if it has substantially changed before the end time. This may help you consider whether to change your ranking of courses depending on how badly you want a particular course, or if the demand is too much higher than vacancy such that it’d be a waste of your “Rank 1” points to still pick the course. The ranking of options matters. Refer to the image for how this works: Priority Score = A (first table “points”) x B (second table “points”) x C (third table “points” where Rank 1 course gives the most points) Our academic plan declaration advice would have helped you for A (first table). You might now want to be strategic with C as that affects each course bid’s total priority score. Get your friends/juniors to follow @NUSguide for more tips/reminders, as we continue to walk you through course registration, tutorial registration, and more! 🙌🏻

Dropping Pre-Allocated Courses If you have pre-allocated courses, you should be able to view them on edurec. In many cases, it is possible (but not necessarily recommended) to manually drop a pre-allocated course during CourseReg and take other courses in its place (you may then be pre-allocated it again in a subsequent semester or have to manually add it in — of course, note that there is some risk as this means deviating from the intended timeline for you to clear your graduation/required courses). This is typically done by students who want to take another course that clashes with the pre-allocated course that semester. If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

CourseReg Round 1 opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 12 p.m. on 3 Jan (ie the next day). Round 1 is a protected round. Students will be able to select courses (subject to meeting course pre-requisite, co-requisite and preclusion rules) in this round if the courses can be used towards: (i) Programme (Faculty, Major, Specialisation) requirements (ii) Second Major requirements (iii) Direct admission/restricted Minor requirements (iv) Prescribed English requirements (i.e. courses offered by CELC) Students will vie for a spot in the course within the available places allotted to their student category (e.g. separate numbers for UG and GD). Note: if you had done what we suggested previously, you may have declared the major associated with e.g. UEs you want to clear as a “second major”. This would then already allow you to bid for them in Round 1. In this round and future rounds, having declared it as such would also give priority (as part of the priority scoring rubrics) against someone else who did not do so. Ranking of courses does matter (a better rank gives more points for bidding). You can find past year demand/allocation info at https://courserekt.vercel.app/ which may be helpful when you want to strategise your course preferences! (typically, courses which often have excess vacancies don’t have to be as heavily prioritised during bidding—one may be able to afford to rank this lower). P.S. happy new year! 🎉 If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

Academic Plan Declaration (for Sem 2) opens on 30 December. This can allow you to declare your primary/second major/minor. This affects CourseReg, which opens on 2 January. You should do this at least 24 hours before CourseReg opens so that this is processed without administrative delays (i.e. try to do by 31 Dec 🚨, ahead of CourseReg opening, despite the deadline for academic declaration being supposedly far later on paper). Tip: As mentioned previously, some students find it strategic to just declare a second major/minor related to courses they plan to bid next semester (even if they actually don’t truly plan to major/minor in that, or haven’t fully decided) in order to have more priority during coursereg (e.g. an economics minor/second major student gets priority bidding for EC1101E than someone who bids for it without making such a declaration). This academic plan can anyway be changed before every semester (during academic plan declaration) up till your fifth semester of study. If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

If you didn’t do well for yesterday’s exam results release, here are your options. Pay attention to the deadlines since these are v close (tmr, and at a specific timing— 6 pm!): For all courses including those that cannot be S/U: - Results review aka appeal, though this is stated to only involve a recalculation/ensure all marks are included (deadline 25 Dec, 6 p.m. 🚨) - Request for late special consideration (e.g. illness that affects exam, etc.) (deadline was, by right, 9 Dec; as this is a late request beyond the official deadline, it has lower chances of success) - If there are any unique reasons, you may want to send an email. For courses that can be S/U-ed (you should have identified this on nusmods or know whether these can be S/U based on whether the course has prerequisites): - You may eventually choose to use your S/Us which excludes them from GPA computation, and as long as you had a D and above grade, it will be shown as an “S” on the transcript. - You can wait and decide to S/U your Sem 1 courses after Sem 2, instead of now. Generally, the only reason you would want to S/U now is if there is something you’re applying for (e.g. internship) with your Sem 1 results such that you think a bad grade on your transcript reduces the chances. Given the limit on S/Us, many prefer to wait till the subsequent semester so that they can better analyse which are grades really pulling down their GPA (to select which to S/U). What else can you do? Your unofficial transcript only releases on 3 January! 🚨 If you had a GPA drop and are applying for interviews etc. that require a transcript uploaded, it may be wise to do so before the unofficial transcript releases which would include the latest sem’s grades. —- Dean’s List Typically, you’ll know whether you’re on the Dean’s list by the time the unofficial transcript is released. This would be reflected on the transcript itself. Whether a faculty looks at post or pre-S/U for Dean’s List selection may be dependent on each individual faculty’s policy (which you can find online). In fact, different faculties also have different requirements on e.g. the number of units of that faculty’s module you must have taken in the semester/total workload requirements to be eligible. If you found these useful, follow us and share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors! 🙌🏻

Exam results are expected to be visible at 7 a.m. (for all faculties, despite the publicised timings being different for each faculty) tomorrow! This will usually be visible on the uNivUS app first, while the one on EduRec rolls out later. Note that in past years, there is occasionally too high traffic at 7 a.m. such that there might be momentary difficulty viewing the results page (but this usually resolves itself as traffic goes down later on in the day). If you found these useful, do share and follow our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks/coursereg reminders throughout the year! 🙌🏻

[@NUSguide will bring in other faculty valedictorians/students with unique experiences soon; reach out to us if you have any tips/advice to contribute] If you found these useful, do share and follow our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks/coursereg reminders throughout the year! 🙌🏻

Part 2 of @NUSguide Q&A with Wee Leng (NUS Life Sciences Class of 2024 Valedictorian, currently pursuing a PhD in Duke-NUS Medical School) Q: I have no idea what I want to do after graduation. What should I do? You are definitely not alone! The best approach is to get exposed to as many things as possible, and as early as possible! I recently met JC and poly students at a networking session with scientists and also in a career workshop so it is really never too early (and never too late) to explore. Life Sciences opens many doors (even outside of science), so don’t limit yourself!  One concept that really helped me came from my mentor, Dr. Wee Shiou Liang, during the NUS FoS Alumni–Student Mentorship Programme: the idea of Ikigai (your reason for being). It sits at the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.  As a start, you can try the online quiz: https://ikigaitest.com, or read the book ‘Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life’ https://books.google.com.sg/books/about/Ikigai.html?id=MDksDwAAQBAJ  Q: How do I know if I want to pursue a PhD / research career? In my opinion, you might be suited for a PhD if you enjoy asking questions that no textbook can answer, and you are motivated by the idea that your work could one day improve or even save lives. I once came across an analogy that beautifully summarises the meaning of a research career: “Medicine saves the village from the flood, only for the waters to return year after year. Research, on the other hand, builds the dam so the village does not have to fear the river forever.” For me, research became meaningful when I realised that behind every experiment is a real person and a family hoping for a better life. If the unknown excites you more than it scares you, and you find purpose in bridging science with compassion, then a research path may be worth exploring! Q: Should I take a gap year before starting a PhD? It is not compulsory, but it can be very beneficial.  As undergraduates, we often think like students, focusing on modules, grades, and deadlines. A PhD, however, is much closer to a full-time research career, with expectations of independence, resilience, and long-term project ownership. Taking a gap year to work as a Research Assistant helped me to:  develop confidence and technical skills at the bench,  clarify my research interests I genuinely care about,  confirm whether I enjoy the day-to-day reality of research (e.g., experiments that fail, troubleshooting, reading, lab meetings),  build a stronger and more informed PhD application, and reflect on my personal and career goals before committing to a long PhD journey. Q: Why did you choose Duke-NUS for your PhD? I chose Duke-NUS because it offers a strong translational research environment, where discoveries can be meaningfully advanced toward improving patients’ lives. Its close integration with SGH enables collaboration with clinicians and clinician-scientists, which aligns with my interest in bridging knowledge and compassion in medicine. Other aspects I valued about the Duke-NUS PhD programme:  Lab rotations, which encourage open-minded exploration of different fields, Small, tight-knit cohort of ~20–30 students,  Culture that emphasises impact and collaboration,  Competitive stipend, and  Career guidance (both in academia and industry)  Q: When should I start preparing if I want to apply for a PhD? What do I need for a PhD application? You should Ideally start planning 1 year before the application deadline.  Check application timelines (programme & scholarship applications may differ) Shortlist schools and reach out to potential PIs  Prepare your documents Personal statement  Academic CV (education, research, awards, presentations, publications) Recommendation letters (requirements vary, do have a backup referee just in case) Official transcript GRE (some programmes can waive this for you) Short research proposal (not all programmes require this) Feel free to reach out to me if you need any help!

@NUSGUIDE Q&A with Wee Leng (Life Science Valedictorian Class of 2024), Part #1(continued) Q: Is it okay to start research with no lab experience? How did you cope? Absolutely yes! Everyone starts somewhere~ When I first started, I did not even know how to use a pipette 🤣 My advise is to take the ‘LSM2191 Laboratory Techniques in Life Sciences’ module first to gauge if you like being in the lab, doing experiments, and documenting your findings etc.  If you liked the experience, you can explore further through UROPS/FYP, or even UPIP (research internship). This will give you a more realistic experience of doing research independently.  What helped me greatly throughout my research journey, especially during my earlier years:  • Having a genuine interest to learn and improve • Asking questions and clarifying doubts early  • Learning from mistakes  • Practising good time management (especially when you are juggling with classes and experiments) • Having a good mentor who is there to give you advice and teach you the necessary skills Q: How do I choose a UROPS/FYP project and PI? To be honest, I picked my UROPS lab out of pure interest. Looking back, many things could have gone wrong 😅But I was really lucky that the lab environment was great, and I had great mentorship and support from my lab members.  If I were to pick a lab/PI again, I would consider carefully: • Research direction – Is the lab working on projects that are interesting to you? You can find out by looking at their lab website or from the PI’s profile.  • Skills transfer – What are the techniques and skills you can learn from the lab (e.g., wet lab, coding, imaging, animal work)? Are they going to be useful for your future research career? Look at their recent papers to have a rough idea.  • Lab culture – Are the people supportive? How are the past/present students doing? Typically, if a student continues their PhD with the same lab after undergrad, it is a strong indicator that it is a good lab to join. But best to talk to seniors/lab members~  • Mentorship style – Does the PI/mentor invest in your growth and give feedback? Are they more hands off (more independent learning) or hands on (more guidance)? You can talk to seniors/lab members, or even the PI/mentor directly to see if it aligns with what you are looking for. [@NUSguide will continue with Part #2, on pursuing a PhD, and bring in other faculty valedictorians/students with unique experiences soon] If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

@NUSguide will be sharing tips from various individuals with unique/exceptional experiences. In particular, we will be approaching various faculty valedictorians (or you can message our channel if you're keen to contribute!) First off, we will have Wee Leng, who was NUS Life Sciences Valedictorian in 2024, and currently pursuing a PhD in Duke-NUS Medical School. We will split this Q&A into two parts, the first part on advice during undergrad, and the second part on advice on pursuing a PhD. Although much of this is tailored to life science students, some aspects may be generally relevant to non-LS majors. @NUSGUIDE Q&A with Wee Leng (Life Science Valedictorian Class of 2024), Part #1 Q: How do I do well in Life Sciences modules? What do you wish you knew earlier? This is not specific to LS, but I wish I had learned how to learn. When I first entered LS without a H2 Biology background, I really struggled through my bridging and foundational modules (LSM1301, LSM1102/5/6 - I believe they have been recoded). I was simply absorbing information passively during classes and memorising content for exams, without really understanding and critically evaluating the materials. Yes, I was guilty of avoiding eye contact when my lecturers asked questions… 😅 Everything changed when I started my UROPS and saw how concepts taught in lectures are applied to real research questions. Suddenly, all those pathways and genes were not just facts, they were tools to answer meaningful biological problems. This mindset shift made learning a lot easier, deeper, and exciting! Here are some practical strategies that helped me in my later senior years:  1. Go to lectures prepared → avoid skip lectures unless absolutely necessary; skim through slides/materials before class (just familiarise yourself with the learning outcomes, overarching ideas, terminologies, etc., no need to understand everything) 2. Listen actively, not passively → take notes, draw arrows/diagrams to link concepts, engage your critical thinking (why is this true? how do we know? how does it matter in medicine or biotech?), write down any questions you have along the way 3. Clarify questions/doubts early → do it immediately once lectures/tutorials end (small confusions will grow into big ones if left unaddressed!!); you can also email your lecturers~ I still follow these even in graduate school, where these are even more important since we have to do a whole lot more independent learning and critical thinking!  Q: Should I do a minor or second major? If you have the bandwidth, then yes! It can be super valuable, especially since biology is increasingly interdisciplinary (e.g., bioinformatics, public health, psychology, business, chemistry, computer science). A minor/second major helps you think from different perspectives and stand out in both job and graduate school applications.  If you are not planning to pursue a science/biology related career, your minor/second major will be super useful in helping you pivot out into a field that is related to your minor/second major!  If you are unsure which minor/second major to choose, you can consider: • something you genuinely enjoy, and/or • something that supports your future career (think about future trends – biotech, AI in medicine, global health, etc)  You can always try out the introduction modules first before committing to see if that is something you will want to pursue. Personally, I started off with a second major in Psychology, but eventually dropped it to a minor because I figured that I want to focus more on other Life Sciences modules and my non-academic commitments (e.g., volunteering, hall CCAs, SEP, UROPS, UPIP). So it is really quite flexible! If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

For those staying in halls, remember that you have an F&B cash value (close to $30) in your dining app that is expected to expire before 7 Dec 12 p.m./when you check-out, if you have not used it. This can be used at various canteens e.g. The Deck, YIH (you may also use the NUS SmartDining app — most stores listed there accept it). You may consider just loading up on snacks/canned drinks that are less perishable if you’re spending everything last minute. (Most snack/drink stores should accept the app). If you have leftover F&B cash but can’t be bothered to visit stores, I don’t think there is a way to transfer it to a friend who e.g. is still in campus and hasn’t checked out. This is unlike normal dining credits that are transferable. Of course, you might consider whether to give such friends access to your NUS Dining account to spend the F&B cash on your behalf (but this would mean trusting them with your NUS NET ID access since it’s the same account; that said, there is also 2FA anyway). If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

Stacking SEP awards/scholarships/bursaries: For those going on SEP, you may find that you are able to apply for various awards/scholarships/bursaries, either offered by NUS or your exchange uni/country. Each typically doesn't cover your full cost (instead being maybe a thousand/a few thousand dollars). However, most actually allow you to stack awards. In fact, the NUS Awards for Study Abroad ("NASA") awards are one of these: its terms state that "This award cannot be held concurrently with any other awards which do not allow award recipients to hold concurrent awards meant for overseas programme or the total sum of all concurrent awards meant for overseas programme has exceeded what is needed for the overseas programme." This may get misread as prohibiting holding of concurrent awards. What it is really saying is that you cannot hold it concurrently with an award that prohibits concurrent holding; most awards do not specify such a prohibition. Thus, it is possible to get e.g. the NASA award and stack it with another award (unless the other awards' terms prohibit concurrent awards). Reminder: the NASA award application deadline is tonight! If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

The exam results are expected to be released on 23 December. Although this is not shown on the NUS main website/schedule, at least one faculty has mentioned this in their documents (which should presumably apply to all faculties as the release date is the same). If you don't expect to perform well this semester, you may consider making applications for internships etc. before the results release. Also, note that Academic Plan Declaration (for Sem 2) opens on 30 December; this can allow you to declare your primary/second major/minor. This affects CourseReg, which opens on 2 January. Thus, although the deadline for academic plan declaration is 19 January, it may be a good idea to do this >24 hours before CourseReg (since it takes time for CourseReg to factor in your declaration). Typically, students may choose to be strategic and intentionally declare their first major/second major/minor to align with courses they plan to bid for (even if they are not actually sure they want to major/minor in that). This gives them priority over someone undeclared. (e.g. you want to take EC1101E although you have no plans on minoring/majoring in economics; by declaring economics to be your second major/minor, you'd have priority over someone who bid for it but didn't do so). For those of you still taking exams, all the best! 💯 If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

Just made an edit! The following programmes seem to have their applications open only on 3 Feb (as you enter these only in the subsequent AY), and it is that which is the only window you can apply for these: Architecture, Dentistry, Industrial Design, Landscape Architecture, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Nursing (CCP-RN Degree) and Pharmacy) Applications for these courses will have their Sem 1 uni performance considered, but your Sem 2 results are unlikely to matter as you would typically be offered before Sem 2 results release. —————— Are there other programmes I can enter mid-way? You could consider going from a single degree to a double degree. For e.g. https://bba.nus.edu.sg/academic-programmes/dcdp/ddp/ad-hoc-double-degrees/ You can do this at the end of your first year (or technically, even later). It appears that uni performance, especially if you took relevant courses, are particularly helpful here. You could also consider interdisciplinary programmes (e.g. if you have cleared PolSci/Econs/Philosophy courses and meet requirements, you can apply for PPE). https://chs.nus.edu.sg/programmes/ppe/ If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

🚨Transfer applications close on 12 Nov 1. How do transfers work? Your uni GPA might be considered, but your A-Level (or other pre-uni) grades still matter. It appears both may be taken into account. Thus, if you did well in uni, this might help you enter a course you previously could not enter. Unfortunately, if you’re in y1, you do not know your Sem 1 results yet when applying. The transfer outcome releases only from December, so it is still possible for the admissions office to consider your Sem 1 results. For some courses, the outcome is later than December e.g. if they involve shortlisting for interviews. Pre-uni grade requirements still apply (e.g. business which requires you to have passed math). The only additional step in your application (compared to normal uni admission applicants) is that you would be asked to explain your reason for wanting to transfer. 2. What if I was in the A-Level 90 RP system, where a contrasting H1/H2 subject and PW was required? Can I benefit from the 70 RP system now and exclude these? Nope; if your A-Level was in 2024 or before, these are still taken into account. Unfortunately, it is only in 2028 (which is probably too far away) that fresh NUS applications will exclude PW etc. from your University Admission Score computation even if you took the A-Levels in the old 90 RP system. 3. Is my graduation delayed? If you can count your past courses as UEs / if there are common courses, then your graduation may not be delayed at all. Even if not all courses can be transferred, you may consider overloading. However, this is not possible for courses like Medicine and Dentistry, due to lack of UEs in their curriculums for your past courses to be counted towards. Another difficulty is you cannot enter some programmes (Architecture, Dentistry, Industrial Design, Landscape Architecture, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Nursing (CCP-RN Degree) and Pharmacy) in sem 2 I.e. you only officially enter in in the subsequent AY. This means that if you cannot count 40 units for transfer, you may be delaying graduation by a year. As noted, this is so for courses with no UE space in their curriculum. If you delay graduation because e.g. you’re already y2 or it is to a course you can’t count units towards, there are MOE Tuition Grant implications (your excess semesters have no MOE Tuition Grant). However, NUS heavily subsidises the first two excess semesters so it’s not that bad a hike: First sem in excess: [Full semestral fees × Workload%] capped at [Subsidised semestral fees × 120%] Second sem in excess: [Full semestral fees × Workload%] capped at [Subsidised semestral fees × 150%] 4. What about Law? In 2023, NUS Law (in an effort to bring in interdisciplinary talents) introduced a pilot programme that smoothened transfers to law: this meant that for the first time, a transferee to law school would be able to count 40 units of his previous programme towards the law degree. Thus, if you’re in y1 now, this would mean no delay in graduation. Your former courses essentially replace what would typically be the “y4” of NUS Law which is a year students take electives. In fact, this rule was subsequently expanded and all NUS Law students can take up to 40 units of non-law courses in their senior years. Thus, a transferee to Law is basically doing what a typical law student could do, but in reverse order (i.e. instead of clearing law courses first and then non-law electives, the non-law electives have simply been cleared first before the law courses). To my knowledge, in the 2023 intake, there were only two transferees accepted out of many applicants. In the 2025 intake, it appears nine transferees were accepted, a drastic increase from what was once 0-2 transferees per year. Despite this increase, a transfer to law remains extremely competitive and constitutes a minority. Note: You still have to sit for the same written test and interview process as fresh applicants. If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

Thought I'd share another alternative way to get a discount on ChatGPT Plus (but it doesn't always work): if you subscribe to ChatGPT Plus for several months at full price (it is not clear how long this has to be), then try to cancel your ChatGPT plan, sometimes (and it isn’t clear when), when you try to cancel your plan, ChatGPT grants you the offer of getting 50% off your subsequent three months if paid upfront. However, this still means having to pay full price first (at ~25 SGD/month for an unclear number of months), and still having to pay ~$13 SGD per month even after getting 50% off (and this discounted period is only three months).  This alternative is admittedly still multiple times more expensive than what Circles.Life offers (https://t.me/ThisCounted/1307), which is an immediate 80% off discount and getting additional perks (the second number/4G plan, access to other tools), for always $5/month that’s cancellable anytime, which remains a more cost-effective way to access ChatGPT-5.  If you found these useful, do share our channel @NUSguide with your friends/juniors — we share uni tips/hacks throughout the year! 🙌🏻

For those who were interested, there's been an update to this!