I remember when I was done with my internship in ITE.
I was excited because it meant that my time at ITE was almost done! And that meant that I would finally be going to a polytechnic!
But I felt a sense of fear and anxiety as the excitement began to die down. Maybe it’s because I’m someone who loves familiarity, but I had so many questions.
“What’s Poly like?” “Will I be able to cope? What if I can’t?” “Is Poly really as cool and fun as they make it seem?” “What should I expect?”
So if this is you too, firstly, congratulations on making it through ITE and moving on to a polytechnic!
I hope the last 2-4 years in ITE were meaningful for you!
But you might be feeling some fear and anxiety kicking in now, as I was too. So read on to let this fellow ITE graduate try to calm you down!
The End of An Era: ITE
Take your last few selfies, say goodbye to your campus, and eat your go-to lunch at Koufu or Foodgle. Who knows when you’ll get to eat it again? (Crispy fish wrap from Sheng Siong, I miss you.)
Honestly, ITE lecturers do not get enough appreciation. So thank them for the time and effort they spent on you!
Lastly, journal or at least reflect on the time you spent in ITE.
What were your favourite moments you had on campus? What lessons in self-growth did you learn during your time there, and what would you have done differently if you could do it again?
Usher in New Beginnings
While you’re reflecting on your time in ITE, take the time to think about what you want the next three years of your life to be like!
Your Poly life is going to be the next three years of your life! It’s usually the last few years of your teenage years or the first few of your adulthood.
So make it count!
Think about what you want to achieve in the next three years and how you’re going to do it. What kind of person do you want to be in Poly? You can use the break to reinvent yourself, you know!
Lastly, think about how you’re going to approach Poly. How are you going to stay on top of your workload and do your best?
What’s Poly Actually Like?
Of course, your Polytechnic experience will depend on which school you go to.
For example, you might face more stress after school if you went to Republic Polytechnic since you have to complete a reflection journal frequently.
I went to Singapore Polytechnic.
So my days were spent going to class, then heading for lunch, or to Hilltop to get my work and group projects done. My friends and I might get a waffle from CreamyDuck afterwards, then decide on whether we want to risk walking on the Red Bridge to get to our next location…
Expectations vs Reality
Everyone wanted to go to JC.
But polytechnics are the cool schools that a lot are aiming for now.
What’s not to want, right?
You have a timetable with irregular timings, and you might not even have school on some days. You get to wear what you want to school and even use your phone to watch Netflix during class! (Not that I endorse it…)
But there are some specific “expectations vs. reality” moments and culture shocks that you might experience as an ITE graduate.
So read on to find out how you can better prepare yourself for the transition!
You’ll Be The Only ITE Student In Your Class
Oh, how wrong could I have been to think this?
After all, every ITE student has to go somewhere after graduating, right? Some of us find work, while the other 4000 of us go into a polytechnic.
So don’t be worried about being the only ITE graduate in class. In my class, 7 out of 22 of us were from ITE. Coincidentally, four of them were the first few people I befriended.
Birds of a feather flock together, so don’t even worry about being a social outcast!
You’ll Be One Of The Oldest
I thought I’d be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, in my class.
But to my surprise, there were people my age or older than me!
Don’t forget that people from all walks of life go to Poly too!
You might have classmates who dropped out of JC, fellow Nitec and Higher Nitec classmates, guys who did their NS first, Secondary 5 students, and older classmates getting a second chance at life!
They’ll Judge You For Coming From ITE
Yeah, there might be a few judgemental scragglers with their “traditional mindset.”
But I’ve never had my abilities underestimated or faced prejudice from any schoolmates for coming from ITE before.
In fact, most of them are quite interested in finding out which ITE college campus I came from, what I studied, and what life was like as an ITE student!
Workload: Polytechnic Vs. ITE
The workload took a toll on me both mentally and physically in my first year.
Compared to the workload in ITE, I’d say that the workload in Poly is almost double in half the time.
So I often neglected my health, as I realised that I could not skip the first few weeks without doing anything anymore.
Please do not do this. Start your assignments as early as possible!
I regret neglecting my health around the submission period.
It affected my brain functions, and it’s not conducive to work when you’re battling a migraine and stomachache on 3 hours of sleep.
Work Attitude: Polytechnic Vs. ITE
To be honest, this one shocked me the most.
I think most people would consider polytechnic to have more hard workers since ITE students are frequently misread as “lazy students.”.
So I was in for the shock of my life when the group projects started.
I had never experienced working with such unmotivated, lazy, and irresponsible groupmates!
So when you meet others who share different goals and drives from you, working with them can get tricky.
I remember once, my group mates and I waited until 1 am for a text back from our member who was still completing her portion of the project. We finally received it at 3 am, 5 hours before the deadline and final presentation!
It could have been avoided if she had chosen to prioritise our CA3 over her relationship!
Most ITE students have a common goal that we’re working towards: Going to Poly.
How To Prepare for Polytechnic
You might want to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for the next 3 years before school starts and the workload creeps in.
Get To Know Your School’s Culture
Use online forums like Reddit or Hardware Zone to find out what your school’s culture is like!
Not just the actual Polytechnic institute you’re going to, but to the school you’ll be studying for your diploma in. Find out what amenities they have there and what CCA clubs the school offers.
This could help you get into the spirit and make you excited for school to start.
Most Polytechnics are open to the public as well. So walk in, feel the energy, and find a spot you might look forward to visiting on your first day again.
Familiarise yourself with your course’s Syllabus
You can do this simply by finding it on the school’s website.
Familiarise yourself so you don’t get shocked when school starts.
You’ll then know what materials you should prepare and if there’s anything that you can get a headstart on by learning it first.
Don’t feel Inadequate just because you are from ITE.
Why should you?
You literally have two more years of experience over the rest! You have 2 more years of life experience, and you’ve even completed an internship too!
Do you know how valuable that is?
Not to take a jab at my younger classmates, but a lot of them didn’t have very “seasoned” ideas since they were fresh out of secondary school.
They struggled to adapt to the workload and weren’t as experienced in certain skills, like Excel, presenting, and thinking beyond their books.
So thanks to your time in ITE, you have an advantageous two years extra of life and professional experience that you can apply to your studies in Poly!
Conclusion
It can be scary to let go of what you’re familiar with to move on to the next destination, but it’s also exciting to enter the next stage of your life, isn’t it?
You might be worried about starting Poly as an ITE graduate, but there’s nothing to worry about!
Don’t be afraid of your past. Rather, use it as an advantage during the next 3 years, and you’ll come to value the time you spent in ITE!
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