Community, confidence and clubs: Jesselyn Chenice’s Transformative First Year at NTU

Studying at NTU was a dream Jesselyn Chenice had held onto since secondary school. From attending open houses to hearing about its culture, she imagined a vibrant and collaborative environment.

Reality did not disappoint when she enrolled in the Double Degree programme in Computer Science and Business.

Instead of facing intense competition, the Year 1 ASEAN scholar discovered something unexpected: a supportive community. Contrary to stories of note-hoarding and fierce rivalry, her peers and seniors shared resources freely, embodying a “kampong spirit” that made her feel instantly supported.

Her perspective on university deepened after facing her first real academic setback. A particularly challenging exam forced her to confront the reality that effort doesn’t always directly translate into results. 

But instead of navigating it alone, she leaned on her community: friends who ordered McDonalds at 2am and studied with her until 5am, seniors who stayed up late to guide her through difficult concepts the day before her Linear Algebra examinations, and hall mates who turned stressful moments into shared experiences in the recreational room. She credited her friends as the reason she survived the Digital Logic module as she was able to ask them for advice.

The camaraderie with her Pioneer Hall mates has been another key part of her university experience. Prior to her arrival, she heard that the hall was boring and full of bookworms. She has since found that it is anything but. Together with her new friends, they work and play hard, and bond through so-called “academic trauma”.

 

Jesselyn playing recreational games with her hall friends

With her bubbly and outgoing personality, she also threw herself fully into student life, joining a wide range of activities from academic clubs to hall committees.

She has joined 12 – yes 12 – clubs spanning business analytics, management consulting and business solutions as well as personal interests like Japanese language and acapella. She is the human resource lead for the Students’ Computing and Data Science Club and is responsible for organising team-building activities . And yet, she intentionally balances ambition with rest, even treating hall activities as structured downtime.

What stood out most, however, wasn’t the opportunities, but the people. Through these shared moments, she realised that success in university isn’t an individual pursuit, but a collective journey shaped by the people around you.

“Chase as many opportunities as you can, and be clear from the start about what you want to get out of university.”

 

Today, she views university as more than just academics; it's a place to explore, connect, and grow into her own person. She hopes to gain as many experiences and friendships out of it, saying “Even though we study a lot, we don’t forget to have fun.”  

NBS Business Analytics Club, one of the 12 clubs Jesselyn has joined

 

Most importantly, she’s learnt that everyone is on a different path, and comparison has no place in a journey defined by individuality. “Know what you want at this stage,” she advised. “You don’t need to know what you want in four years’ time. You can take your time to figure it out.”

In embracing both challenges and community, Jesselyn has found the place where she is allowed to grow into her own person, thriving in the place she can proudly call her second home.           

Story by Htoo Myat Noe