Singapore or bust: how Indonesian student’s crowdfunding plea shows degree of desirability

For 28-year-old Indonesian professional Evelyn Clarissa Siregar, asking strangers to help fund her MBA in Singapore was a gamble: she knew the request was unconventional but hoped putting her dream out in public might open a door. Instead, her appeal for more than S$100,000 (US$78,000) to fund her business programme at SMU drew fierce online criticism, with some labelling her entitled and questioning her plans. Assoc Prof Sulfikar Amir at the School of Social Sciences at NTU Singapore, said many Indonesian students were drawn to the city state because of its reputation as an elite educational hub and the availability of scholarships from the government, universities and corporations. “Singaporean universities offer world-class infrastructure and educational facilities, which are on a par with, and sometimes even better than, universities in the US, Britain and elsewhere in Europe,” Sulfikar said. “There’s also added value … because Singapore’s culture is relatively similar to Indonesia. Students can still experience warmth, unlike in cold and individualistic Europe.”

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