Meet our inaugural CHS cohort – Alpha Ho

A “beautiful” complement of disciplines

Year 1 CHS student Alpha HO subscribes to the philosophy “too much is never enough.”  With this in mind, he decided to take on the “integrator” route in the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS), where he is reading Double Majors in Chemistry, and Food Science and Technology and a Minor in Nutrition to maximise his learning.

Alpha hopes to become a lecturer or a researcher in food science, so it was natural to join CHS, where he could pursue his academic combination of choice.

Chemistry and food science, Alpha says, “complement each other beautifully.” These related fields not only enrich each other, but also open up more options to students.

Both disciplines appeal to him in equal measure – chemistry for its versatility in understanding the world around us, as well as the food we eat at the atomic scale. And as a polytechnic graduate in food science and nutrition, CHS allows him to further his passion in this area.

Alpha, who has a keen interest in sharing knowledge, also initiated a peer tutorship service last year for Year 1 applied science students in Nanyang Polytechnic who are taking chemistry-related modules.

Here, he shares with us how his CHS journey has been so far.

How is your learning experience so far?

The transition to university life is in itself a learning experience, as the pace is unbelievably accelerated! While I struggle with the content and the associated weekly readings, I am grateful for the support of my classmates and Teaching Assistants who are always willing to help.

I am also part of the Special Programme in Science (SPS) and the NUS-ACS (American Chemical Society) Student Chapter. These commitments, while heavy, are very helpful as I get to know my peers better outside the classroom.

How has the Common Curriculum been?  

The Common Curriculum modules are both interesting and challenging (even painful sometimes ) because I have to venture into topics that I have no background in.

I have cleared five Common Curriculum modules in Semester 1 and will be taking another three modules in Semester 2. These include the three SPS modules, as well as HSA1000 - Asian Interconnections, HSH1000 - The Human Condition, GEA1000 - Quantitative Reasoning with Data, DTK1234-  Design Thinking and HS1501 - Artificial Intelligence and Society.

HSA1000 and HSH1000 were ‘painful’ as they are humanities-related modules, and I last read humanities at GCE ‘O’ Levels. Nonetheless, I found HSH1000 quite fun as we get to explore what really defines a human, for which there is no simple definition. I also revisited literary devices when I took English Literature in secondary school.

SP2273, a Python module compulsory for all SPS students, was also challenging as I have never taken code in my entire life. It took me some time to understand the computer language.

Taking these modules exposed me to various disciplines beyond my major.  Keeping an open mind helped me to enjoy the learning process and not fixate on grades!