Chew Wen Yan is a graduate from the very first batch of Quantedge Foundation Scholars at the Singapore Management University. She graduated from the Lee Kong Chian School of Business with a major in Finance in July 2020. Highly driven and goal-focused, Wen Yan made the most of her three years at university and completed her coursework a year ahead of most of her peers! She balanced her heavy courseload with part-time work during the academic terms, while finding time to volunteer, go for an overseas exchange programme and take on a summer internship. Young and raring to go, this newly minted SMU graduate has just embarked on a career in the Financial Services Team at Ernst & Young Assurance Services. |
Unlike the majority of your cohort, you chose to complete your SMU journey in three years. Can you share how you came to this decision?Although the SMU Access - Quantedge Foundation Scholarship could support me for a full four years at SMU, my goal from the outset was to try to complete my university education in 3 years. Why? I believe that an early graduation would give me a head start in my career. It enables me to start accumulating relevant work experiences and build my professional networks.
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If you could sum up your university experience in one word, what would it be and why?
"I learnt how to plan ahead of time to complete my projects early. Besides time management, I learnt how to build effective working relationships with others and to work towards shared goals. These were eye-opening learning experiences that will prepare me well for my career."
Beyond academics, I had an enriching three years outside of the classroom as well. I had the opportunity to represent the school under the Ultimate Frisbee team at an annual Rascal Development Tournament and formed memorable friendships. I immersed myself in a different culture when attending summer school at Sungkyunkwan University in Korea. In addition, I completed an internship with Porsche Asia Pacific, which coincidentally lies within the same building as Quantedge Foundation! The internship gave me a peek into the real working world and allowed me to put my theoretical knowledge into practice. |
Could you share with us some highlights of your life as a university student?
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How was your summer school experience at Sungkyunkwan University, Korea?
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How did your internship with Porsche Asia Pacific shape your career?After my second year in university, I did a finance internship at the Asia Pacific office of Porsche, one of the largest sports automotive firms in the world.
The internship at Porsche gave me a sneak peek into the finance profession and prepared me well for my current career in financial services. |
What advice and tips do you have for your juniors in the QF Scholar Community?Know what your priorities are and what you want out of university. It is important to figure out quickly what you want to achieve in university and work towards those goals. From time to time, take a break and remember not to stress yourself out too much. |