University of Adelaide logoI have been studying for my Bachelor of Computer Science from the University of Adelaide since October 2009. It has taken a long 27 months but I finally cleared my last subject in January 2012. 6 months longer than it should have been!

What happened was that in April 2009, I stopped my studies at Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education Centre (NAA) and applied to finish it in Adelaide. Everything was in order but months before I was to fly off, I cancelled it and decided to remain in Singapore.

It should really just have been 21 months to complete my degree. So here I am waiting for the official graduation ceremony sometime in April and will do my convocation in Singapore rather than in Adelaide. What could be better than to graduate with my course mates right? Sadly, there will only be a few of them as the rest are still clearing their subjects. Keep going guys!

I’m so excited as it would be my first time putting on a graduation robe. No, I did not attend my poly one and till today, I still do not know why. I probably thought it was a waste of time.

So what can I tell future students who are keen on this program through NAA?

Well, it might be tough at the beginning especially when you are still not used to the intensive sessions schedule:

  1. Fri (7pm – 10pm)
  2. Sat (1pm – 8pm)
  3. Sun (9am – 5pm)

You have to absorb ½ a subject over 3 days so getting knowledge leaks is all too common. Being highly motivated with lots of self-discipline and completing your assignments on time is a must.

Don’t expect to be spoon-fed. While there might be a few lecturers who will go out of their way to help you, there are some who expect you to pick it up on your own. Be prepared that you might actually be left to die if you do not know your stuff. So make friends, form study groups and help out one another.

Other than the intensives, the only way to contact your lecturers is through the course forum and email. I don’t like it, definitely prefer asking questions face-to-face but this is one of the downsides to a part time program.

Computer Science is highly technical and all the subjects come with programming assignments, maybe except for 1 or 2. So if writing code is not exactly your strongest point, you might want to think thrice before applying.

So there you go, I hope you have a better idea of what to expect for the Bachelor of Computer Science program with NAA now. If you are still unsure about anything, drop a comment and I will do my best to answer your doubts.

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