National University of Singapore - Will going there limit my options?

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Hello all.

As a Singaporean who has just received his 'A' level results, I am currently wondering if the NUS Physics faculty has a good reputation globally. An online search seemed to show that it stood around the mid region overall (ranked 30 or so).

The question that bothers me is whether or not going to NUS will limit my options for study. My dream career is to become a lecturer/teacher in a University and teach Physics to undergraduate students(or maybe graduate students as well?).

The main concern is whether or not I will be able to continue with graduate studies after my undergraduate period, as it seems if I go for a Bachelor of Science with Honors I will have to specialize in either Astrophysics or Physics-in-Technology(these are the only 2 offered it seems?).

I haven't exactly decided what field I wish to specialize in and plan to use my undergraduate days to expose myself to the different areas of Physics(as of now, I believe my area of interest is Fundamental Particle Physics and Quantum Mechanics, but I should learn more about all the other fields of Physics before deciding so hastily), and then specialize during my graduate studies.

To summarize, if my choice of specialization is not offered in NUS after I graduate, will I be able to continue graduate studies in an overseas university under a scholarship if I do well enough? And what are the chances that I will be able to secure a teaching job at a university after say, I obtain a Ph.D.?

Here is the link to the Physics Faculty at NUS:
B.Sc and B.Sc(Hons): http://www.physics.nus.edu.sg/corporate/student/ugrad_course0910.html" [Broken]

On a side note, if anyone has anything to add about how life is like as a University Lecturer/Teacher, it will be most helpful!

 

[pythagoras88]

Hi,
Well, you are pretty lucky. I am a year one physics major in NUS singapore. From what i know, at least for honours degree, NUS physics is not too bad. If you are interested in Quantum mechanics, we have quite a few good profs that teach that very well.

However, i too intend to pursue graduate studies in theoretical physics and for this, i think it will be better to go overseas to do it. NUS graduate course does not suit my taste.

Then a few point to consider. Well, think twice before entering physics, because the drop out rate for physics is very very high. Yes... For some cohort, in year one there are about 80 student(which is very small), but when reach year 3 or 4, it reaches about 30 odds. It is a pretty challenging but rewarding course i must say. Uni physics won't be like JC, there will be quite a lot of maths involved and so, you must be proficient in that as well. Just check out some physics text to know what to expect from University physics.

Ok, hope my advice does help. All the best in you decision making!

 

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Thanks you for your reply!

Yes, I did realize, upon reading some university texts in my free time, the amount of mathematics in Physics is a lot more at the university level than at the A-level. That is a good thing at any rate as A-level physics(or science for that matter) was rather disappointing in terms of the mathematical content(there was not an ounce of calculus, for example, which made me wonder if it was the same in high schools in other countries and such).

I intend to go for the open house this Saturday to find out more about the course and all. On the topic of graduate studies, what is your opinion on this scholarship: http://www.quantumlah.org/phd/" [Broken]? Also, is honors for your degree a requirement for most scholarships at the graduate level?

Once again thanks for your reply and the useful information!

 

[pythagoras88]

hmmm... regarding scholarship i am afraid i can't give you much information, because i never really do any research on that and i don't have much interest in applied physics. But well, you can take things a step at a time, try to settle your undergrad coursse first and in the midst of it decide about the graduate study.

yup... if there is any other issues about undergrad studies, you can try asking. I will try to help you with it...

 

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I see. As of now I have little interest in applied Physics as well, but that scholarship looked interesting since there was no bond and all. And yeah I am also more inclined towards the theoretical aspects of Physics as well.

Either way thanks for you help and I will post again if I have more questions.

 

[fishtroupe]

Hmm, can I ask, for the both you, whether you have considered the physics course at Nanyang Technological University?

 

[Simfish]

Hey, does anyone know how competitive the National University of Singapore is (for graduate school)? Especially for internationals? One of my parents says that it seems to be less competitive than American schools since it seems to accept more Chinese students than most of the American schools are accepting.

 

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Hmm, can I ask, for the both you, whether you have considered the physics course at Nanyang Technological University?

I did check out the course information and stuff on their website, but I didn't attend the open house, if that is what you mean. I did consider it as an option.