Thursday, April 14, 2011

Final reflections

Ending my entire 4 years of university life with ES2007S was interesting. I think it was apt that we were reviewing the entire coursework, going through  a checklist of what we have covered in this module. I think I have covered EVERY aspect in my entire university life.

Of course, as discussed yesterday, this course covered alot of ground. It has aided me in the development of many soft skills. Even in engineering, what I take away will not be the heavy technical details but soft skills like learning to think on my feet, logical thinking and analysis, etc. I believe these soft skills will help me along in my future career. Though I cannot say I am an expert in all my soft skills, but my experience in NUS have helped to form the foundations. I can continue to develop and hone them with experience.

To be honest, one of the reasons I chose this module was because it has no exams. The other intention was to learn how to write a proper resume, cover letter for the primary purpose of scoring myself an interview with the company of choice, since I would be graduating. It was very practical knowledge that I felt I needed to know. I came here to learn but I ended up doing the second peer teaching lesson which was on resume, cover letters and personal statement. What an irony! But I truly appreciated all the feedback that we gave each other. It helped me improve by comparing myself with the standards of the rest.

I've always thought that blogging was something you'll do when you have too much time on your hands. Well, that's exactly what I did during my long holidays after junior college. But I realised that I like blogging and seeing responses and comments was indeed encouraging. Still, I might not be able to sustain it after this module. The use of facebook was also effective because our generation probably surf facebook more than we check our e-mails.

What I found interesting about ES2007S is the myriad of people I have come across. It would have been better if we had students from other faculties join us to give different perspective. Still, the mix we had was interesting enough.

My only qualm was that we could not choose our own research project team. I would have preferred to work with people I was more comfortable with. Forcing me to step out of my comfort zone, I know, was a necessary evil. But this necessary evil might have cost me my grades which is something I'm not too pleased about. I understand that grades are not everything but it will affect my class of honours.

13 comments:

  1. Hey Michelle! =)

    I understand where your worries and concerns come from. I definitely do not want to see my grades deprove because of the modules I took. But hey I really thought you did well for this module and seriously I should be the one worrying more. Though I still do understand that this is your last semester here so you definitely wish to end well. =) I believe you'll do great so don't worry k!

    Anyway, I think that having you around was really cool! You can really dance super well! =)) You were a fun addition to the class and its been awesome getting to know you! =)

    Of course, besides the friends we made in this course, useful soft skills and people skills is another desirable takeaway. Its just thanks to you people that learning all these was so much more fun=)

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  2. Hola Michelle, Que tal?

    I'm so proud of you Michelle that you finally completed the ES2007s course and come out of it learning lots of soft skills!!

    The only issue I thought was a widespread problem in your post: it sounded very grouchy, grumpy and grudgeful? And it spoilt my appetite for what I thought was a well-written and grammatically clear post. It might have been better if you showed us not too many bad points, just 1 will do, and 1 good point as well, for after all its 250 words, and I'm been seriously warned that I need to write in 250 words or less.

    Don't worry too much about grades Michelle, its not everything, and class of honours isn't everything either. What matters to me, or to anybody else, should be what values, virtues, morals, personality traits, you have in you.

    Cheers

    Que tu siempre haber bueno de salud y que tu haber frutos de la vida y mas importante el amor. Tuvo el placer a te conozco, senora!

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  3. It is heartening to know that Michelle discovered that she likes blogging after all, else the work she had to do might have seemed a chore to her. It is also great that she did the peer teaching lesson on résumé-writing as that was what she had taken the module to learn in the first place. Through teaching others, I am certain that she reinforced her own knowledge in the process and has since become an expert on résumé-writing. Ironic or otherwise, that episode has proved to have a silver lining in it for Michelle.

    With regard to her presentation techniques, as mentioned in my comments on her previous blog post, I would advise Michelle to just go with the flow and avoid over-rehearsing. Sometimes, less is really more. Her Achilles’ heel, anxiety attacks, could be overcome if she takes it easy and learns to breathe slowly and just relax more.

    Finally, we may not always have the good fortune of being able to choose who we work with. Having no say in how we were grouped was a realistic simulation of the actual working world and could be seen as a test of our ability to work with others. Personally, I think Michelle handled it well enough and should give herself a pat on the back.

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  4. Hey Mich!

    I'm sure you've learnt some useful things and had some good times. Try to focus on that instead. We should try to leave NUS with as many good memories as possible.

    Yea I agree its unfortunate sometimes that you are assigned to work with someone that you can't really get along with. But it makes you appreciate your regular collaborator more doesn't it? He'll be in school all next week; go buy him something nice.

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  5. Thanks for the heartfelt reflection, Michelle. I'm happy that you could find so much in ES2007S (and in your university education in general) of value to you. By going through the various skills, we did have a chance to see just how much was accomplished. Quite amazing, actually!

    That you were on the team to do peer teaching for the resumes and cover letters really is an irony, when one considers that those topics interested you most.

    Of course, I can sympathize with your reservations about the fact that your research teams were arranged for you. That can be especially frustrating when one or some team members don't play their part. I had no idea that such was the case for your team though. You certainly never gave me any indication in that regard, until now.

    At the same time, I tend to agree with Isaac that the way we handled the creation of teams is more in line with the real world than it would be if I allowed you to choose teammates. In the real world, we are often placed on work teams in a manner that doesn't involve personal preferences, and we have to learn to deal with that.

    As for that affecting marks, I don't know what to say other than, again, welcome to the real world, where teams and their achievements live and die first and foremost by the manner in which the team members come together, uniting behind a common vision and shared values, and then handle their various responsibilities. All in all, I felt your team did that and that you achieved much success---just not to the level you might have expected. What's most important now, after the fact, is for each of you to ask yourselves how it might have turned out better. That reflection too is a learning outcome.

    In any case, I really appreciate your many contributions to our classroom discussions and to the online forums. I also value your hard work and fine insights.

    The very best of luck for your future!

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  6. Hey Michelle!

    I would say that lunches with you and Faizal were a few of the best things that I gained from this module. I'm really glad to have known you as a friend, and am honoured to have shared in some (at least one) significant moments in your life. When you got the phone call (from you know who), I was just so filled with joy for you! I am excited for what God has in store for you!

    Thank you for being such a great lunch buddy, and like what I said for Faizal, great chemistry. Hope that you have brought away with you more than just coursework, but also good memories which can bring to you a smile (which decorates your face perfectly).

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  7. Congratulations Michelle! You have finally completed all your four years in NUS and that must be a milestone for you as it is for me. I am glad to have known you in this module before you graduated (: You are a very honest and down to earth person which is why I always enjoy talking to you.

    Keep in touch ya. I would like to wish you all the best for your future endeavors.

    Cheers!

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  8. Hey Michelle!

    I can fully understand about what you said in your post! I do agree with what Isaac mentioned though, I think you gain so much more when you actually teach someone! So you should view it more positively, don't be sad about that!

    I think you did a great job though, considering that you were juggling this module with so many other activities, especially your fyp! So don't be disheartened about it!

    Anyways, all the best in your future endeavours alright! I hope you like your new job!

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  9. Hi Michelle. I still remember the lunch we had after the first lesson ended. It was a lunch of the blog peer group, consists of Faizal, Edwin, Jon, you and I. We ‘tall trio’ of life sciences enjoyed the honor of playing host to you and Faizal on the first lunch =)

    Even though we did not manage to work with our ‘dream team’, the opportunity to work with new faces and personalities brought us new memories and friendships. Too bad I did not have a chance to work alongside with you.

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  10. Hello Michelle! It's been nice knowing you in class through all the small discussions that we had during class. While I can understand where you're coming from regarding the groupings,I do agree with Isaac and Mabel that we really didn't have much choice about it and to just make the best out of everything. So cheer up girl and all the best in your new job :)

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  11. Hi everyone, thanks for all your comments. I really treasure all the comments that all of you have contributed throughout the semester.

    I will take your advice and move on happily.

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  12. Hi Michelle! Thank you for sharing with us.

    I do agree with you that the grading system is really scary. But as long as we know we do our best, we did not let ourselves down. Though I had never worked together with you before, I could see that you are doing what you can to improve. Besides, we really gained alot in this module, feedbacks and friendship. Unlike other modules, we know what went wrong and we know our strengths. Hence, it keeps us better equipped for the future. :D

    Glad to know you! I am also impressed by your passion for dance! All the best to you! :D

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  13. Hi Michelle =). Thanks so much for being my teammate haha. I feel that you were the main engine of our group, since our group's project topic basically came from you. Plus, you contributed many points that were fundamental to our project's success. Nice to see that despite some of your sadness/worry about grades, you choose to adopt a more optimistic tone and are aware of the many ways in which this module has benefited you. Saying that the glass is half full instead of half empty is of course preferred =). I do wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

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