Though I have met several foreign students who are hardworking and impressive, I have met an equal number who do little else but skive. Similarly, there are local students who are efficient workers, as well as slackers who are a nightmare to work with.

The point is, the fact that these students didn’t get housing shows that although they did work hard for their points, other people worked harder. This is the harsh reality of meritocracy. Not everyone can win. Though there may be instances of unfairness or loopholes in the system, I believe that everyone will agree that generally, the system was effective in distinguishing the people who worked harder for their CCA points from those who, well, worked less hard.

That is not to say the problem of accommodation shortage need not be redressed. The need for housing faced by foreign students is a real issue. I believe the OSA has done all it can at the moment, short of building more accommodation sites. As mentioned by someone earlier on in the thread, there is no point lambasting the locals or school authorities. Useful suggestions would be good at this point.

Perhaps the OSA could give foreign students clearer indication on the exact requirements they would have to fulfil to secure housing. They could also work up contracts with other universities or schools who have excess housing (Hwa Chong, Raffles, AC) or smthin.

Insinuating that locals do not work hard for their CCA points or that foreigners should be given unconditional priority even though they’ve already been given 2 years is counterproductive.

http://www.urbantechie.com/property-rental/category/rooms

Fellow foreigners, let’s brave it up and get an apartment (except the ones that really are unable to do so – good luck with your appeals.)

Whatever the case, I don’t get why USP students are treated like royalty. The whole Residence 4 in PGPR goes to them, and it’s possible that many of them don’t even graduate as USP students (because they may not all meet the 3.5 CAP requirement). Also, a good proportion of these students are Singaporeans who don’t do CCAs and live the majority of their time during the semester off campus in the comfort of their homes. So there’s a USP student with two roofs and some foreign student with no roof? That’s very hospitable, now, innit?

I am not a current student of NUS anymore, in fact i am now an alumni member. I recall that during my days , which was a decade ago , it was much easier to achieve an accomodation in the hall. In my opinion , the more intense requirements are also due to the increasing demand with the limited space available.

I am 100% local but i do see a serious need for the foreign students and talents . First , those who have already received grants have to serve their bond her in SIngapore’s labourforce. If you look at the bigger picture , in any large and advanced city , it is a norm to have many foreign talents and foreign students. Our country has such a small populatin base. Yes , bringing foreign talents may cause some of our locals to lose jobs in the short run but bear in my mind that they bring in growth to our economy in the long run. If you may recall , SIngapore itself consists of many foreign talents who are domesticated in SIngapore and decide to call SIngapore their home . Besides there are many checks that the government have placed so that locals do not lose jobs unnecessarily .

If you are insecure right now in the university with regards to the foreign students then you will be far more insecure with the numerous amount of foreign talents that we have in the labourforce.

Lets be objective.

Students have performed their duties as student – by paying the fees, so should the University! If it can’t provide housing, or adequate welfare, or explanations for such mess-up, it certainly deserves the pointing fingers.

I guess it’s only fair to all students that everybody gets an opportunity to stay. There are some local students who have to travel 1:30 to get to school, and international students already get 2 years guaranteed. Come to think of it, the system is pretty meritocratic, and meritocracy is blind towards need. That probably works both ways — you theoretically could get hall stay even if your parents owned a place on Heng Mui Keng Terrence. It’s just too bad that “merit” here rather arbitrarily defined as “CCA points”.

I don’t know about international students being able to allocate more time to studies than a local student; we really don’t have the conveniences attached with homestay such as a family vehicle, and the things that our parents help us do back when I was still in my country. With the freedom (from nagging moms and babysitting) comes the responsibility (to take care of ourself all the damn time, nobody to drive us to clinic one you know).

You have valid points, and I suppose the reaction seems a little immature when compared to other institutions. but there has been a reliance on the system and when it gives way, you cannot NOT expect a certain amount of shock.

as an ex-international student, as you say, you would be aware of the general culture of certain groups of NUS students-not pointing fingers- and should take that into account instead of trying to come off as arrogant and dismissive as you do now.

i do hope students who have not been able to get accommodation can band together once again to rent rooms together. be brave; that’s how the world is.

i know people who arrive in new york and have to stay in the worst places for a while… the world has no place for ppl who want to be comfortable all the time.

(Edited for spelling and punctuation)