Stern Opportunity Graduate Student Newspaper
An MBA from Singapore to NYC
By Sean McNulty
America and Singapore are long-time allies, with strong ties; Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently visiting Barack Obama at the White House. The two countries have striking similarities. Both were former British Colonies and immigrant societies, use English as a first language, operate on market-based economics, hold elections, are host to world-class universities, and are amongst the wealthiest countries in the world. Despite these many similarities, there are also notable differences, which my nine colleagues and I from the National University of Singapore MBA Program are looking forward to exploring in our fall semester at NYU.
Both countries are multi-ethnic and multi-religious, but the dominant ethnic groups and religions are very different. 75% of Singapore’s population is of Chinese descent, whereas 73% of America’s population is of European descent. The next three largest ethnicities in Singapore are 13% Malays, 9% Indians, and the remaining 3% categorized as Other (which would include those of European, African and Hispanic descent); in America they are 17% Hispanic, 13% African and 4.8% Asian (which would include Chinese, Malay and Indians). In terms of religion, the contrast is just as stark: Singapore is 34% Buddhist, 18% Christian, 16% Freethinker, 14% Muslim and 11% Taoists, whereas America is 70% Christian, 22% Freethinker, 1.9% Jewish and 0.9% Muslim.
These differences do provide for a different campus experience, especially linguistically. In Singapore, the slang is known as Singlish, which you’ll hear spoken in the NUS hawker centers (cafeterias) and is a mix of Mandarin Chinese and English with “lah” added to the end of sentences frequently. “Ok lah,” “can lah,” “cannot lah” are things you’ll often overhear while studying. New York has its own unique, no less pervasive patois; it’s these sorts of differences that enhance the experience of travel and visiting other universities.
What has been most remarkable to all of us are the similarities, despite the different ethnic and religious demographics between the two campuses and their cities. The professors in both institutions are world-class with impressive levels of knowledge and lecturing ability. Although students come from a variety of backgrounds, they have no problem forming groups along different ethnic and religious lines. And students of both MBA programs do a great job arranging events at pubs and getting the university to pay for the drink tickets (likely a universal MBA attribute).
Undoubtedly, these similarities exist as a consequence of us all being human. Regardless of our religious ideals or physical appearances, we seek recognition of our inherent dignity and freedom to pursue our individual happiness. These attributes flourish on both campuses; it’s why my NUS colleagues and I have truly enjoyed the past two weeks and are looking forward to the rest of the semester.
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