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 Multiple workshops in various fields to help applicants sample their desired diplomas. 
Prep sessions to ace the application process available

SINGAPORE, 17 May 2021 – The first of its kind, the NYP EAE Festival is a fully online experience where students and parents can interact with lecturers and try their hands at courses in preparation for the Early Admissions Exercise in late June.

The Festival kicks off with NYP’s popular Parents’ Webinar – helmed personally by the polytechnic’s Principal & CEO – on 29 May. It then continues with a series of online workshops and sessions for the entire month. There is also a how-to session specifically for parents who want to help their teens find their interests and passions.

Principal & CEO of Nanyang Polytechnic, Ms Jeanne Liew, says: “Despite the continuing uncertainty around the COVID-19 situation, it is still important to give students and their parents more opportunities to understand their post-secondary options and help them navigate the EAE process. So, we moved everything online in this first of its kind Festival. Students will be able to interact directly with lecturers while getting a sense of how the disciplines they are interested in are taught at NYP.”   

Introduced in 2016, the EAE is an aptitude-based admission exercise. Instead of grades, admission is at the discretion of the polytechnics when applicants demonstrate aptitude and passion for the subject. Participation in CCAs, Advanced Elective Modules (AEMs), applied subjects, workshops or work attachments can all be considered as merit and evidence of interest. Once offered, the student need only score the minimum requirements at the O Levels. From its inception, the EAE has since grown in popularity with a record 15,400 students applying for it in 2020. Some 6,200 were eventually offered a place.

This year’s NYP EAE Festival features the following:

• Parents’ Webinar (on 29 May): Helmed by NYP’s Principal and CEO, Ms Jeanne Liew, a veteran educator with more than 20 years’ experience at various polytechnics under her belt. She shares which students do best in a hands-on teaching style, how the poly education scene has shifted. Parents are invited to an ask-all Q&A at this session. This Webinar also gives participants the option to do a break-out, to an NYP School¹ of their choice, where more questions are answered.    
• Taster Workshops (from 02 to 11 Jun): Participants can register for more than 20 workshops to get a taste of the disciplines they are interested in whether healthcare, engineering, IT, design, applied science or business. These workshops are held at an introductory level, and prospects do not require pre-requisite skills to participate. Among them include programming an app – yes, online, with the trainer; building a lighting system for an aircraft; and, following a day in the life of healthcare workers.
• Prep Workshops (from 04 to 25 Jun): Understand the difference between the 600- or 1,000-character write ups, how to prepare an ideal portfolio, and how attending workshops can help demonstrate your interest with the interviewers.
• Discovering your Teen’s Potential (runs on 04 and 12 Jun): The Education & Career Guidance (ECG) session is meant to walk parents through the process of helping your teen understand their interests and aptitudes.

 Visit https://www.nyp.edu.sg/eae for more information. Registration is required and spaces are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

The EAE has been a boon for many students: Muhammad Syahiran Bin Mohd Azlan would not have gotten into his dream course, the NYP Diploma in Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics if he relied on his academic results at the O Levels.  He scored 18 points then, while his peers admitted via the JAE score single digits. But with his passion and interest, he blossomed.  During his NYP journey he travelled to Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences in Germany as a Research Assistant and went on a learning trip to Chengdu. He graduated with a 3.96 GPA and will be reading computer engineering at Nanyang Technological University after his full-time National Service.

Tan Shee Teng also gained admission to NYP’s Diploma in Banking and Finance via the EAE. The Year Two student currently holds a 3.86 GPA and credits the EAE for giving her a fresh start: “I found myself feeling more confident and motivated to do well.”

¹ NYP has six Schools: The Schools of Applied Science, Business Management, Design, Engineering, Health & Social Sciences and Information Technology.