SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party MP Jamus Lim said in a Facebook post on June 10 (Monday) that he has never regretted his choice to pursue doctoral studies in the United States, knowing at the time it was the best decision for him.
Assoc Prof Lim wrote this in the context of a recent news story about how some students from Singapore are passing up on the same opportunity to study in the US due to the recent protests over the conflict in the Middle East in top universities, some of which have resulted in students getting arrested.
The Sengkang MP shared a screenshot of The Straits Times story on the topic, adding, “It was with some disappointment that I read that some students with acceptances at fantastic universities in the U.S. chose to forgo these opportunities because they felt that excess exposure to protests could be detrimental to their studies.”
He acknowledged that some students may have chosen to study Singapore as this was the better choice for them.
Still, he added, “If the decision was because of some fear of random protests that only involve a tiny minority of the student body, then I think something is lost.”
Assoc Prof Lim shared that when he had left for the US to study shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept 11, 2001, his family faced fears for his safety. He could have gone to an institution in a “safer” country where he had also been accepted, but the university in the US where he was headed was among the best in international finance, his subfield.
“But I knew deep down that the best decision was to head Stateside, and so that’s what I did,” he wrote. “And I never regretted the decision.”
Added to the education he received were a number of other life lessons, including “when to play it safe versus when to take a calculated risk.”
“How can we expect to raise a generation of entrepreneurs and innovators and creators—who are risk-takers, almost by definition—if we don’t even want their education to confront some potential for disruption? We have to stop being content with coloring within the lines and excelling at reproducing received knowledge, but feel the courage to challenge existing norms and the status quo. That’s how one will really make a mark, whether it is in the arts, science, or business,” wrote Assoc Prof Lim. /TISG
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