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SINGAPORE: Singapore Management University (SMU) graduates are finding better paying jobs and getting employed sooner, despite the Class of 2007 being 84 percent bigger than the 2006 cohort.
Three-quarters of them found jobs even before graduation, while the remainder secured employment within six months.
Graduates with cum laude degrees, or degrees with distinction, started with an average pay of $3,500 - which is $200 more than what the 2006 cohort got.
69 graduates also landed high-flying jobs that paid between $4,000 and $10,000 a month.
The overall starting pay for the Class of 2007 rose by 6.7 percent to $3,040 from $2,850 for the Class of 2006.
The data are from a survey of 618 respondents.
But success did not come easy, especially for students like Bernard Chan whose parents are hawkers.
He said: "Things got kind of hectic and we can even stay in school till 12am or 1am, preparing for the next day's presentation. Weekends will be.....early morning....heading to my parents' stall to help out."
For Malaysian Edwin Chong, his commute across the Causeway to SMU was no barrier. He said: "(the journey)...about an hour 15 minutes, each way....taking the public transport from Customs to Kranji.... and then a train to here. The classes are not really that bad."
For Lee Huishan who did a double degree in Accounting and Finance, she said she is glad the university made it possible for her to have a stint in Denmark.
For Delaine Cheong, she said joining the university's Judo Club was a great help in her personal growth. "You really have to learn how to cover up for your own weaknesses....like during a three-minute competition, it's really one-on-one. So even if you feel that you're losing ground, nobody is going to come and save you. You really have to do your best to turn things around." - CNA/ir
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