Tran Bao Tran, Natalie, is from Vietnam. After completing her Diploma in Business Administration in PSB College in her home country, she was considering Management, Marketing or Human Resource as her long-term career. She did her own research and found that PSB Academy and our partner, University of Wollongong (UOW), have everything she needs, such as good services, beautiful campus, central location, and reliability for both local and international students.

Hence, she decided to come to Singapore to study for the Bachelor of Commerce in Management and Marketing degree course. “It’s quite difficult to find a degree that includes two majors — both of my interests — so this course suits me perfectly,” she recounted. “Another reason I chose this discipline is because it is granted by the top highly recognised university.”

As a graduate of PSB College Vietnam, Tran enjoyed the advantage of having a shorter study time with PSB Academy than in another institute. In addition, Singapore’s location suits her well, as it takes only 1 hour and 40 minutes to fly from here to visit her hometown. She has also found assurance in staying in a country that is well-known for its safety and modernisation.

Throughout the course, she found the theories and lessons not only interesting but also practical. It has enabled her to realise how the theories, statistics and models are linked and facilitate one another. It has also given her the opportunity to gain more skills in businesses and a better understanding of how to deal with the current world’s dynamic environment.

She credited all the lecturers and tutors of PSB Academy and UOW for building up her knowledge and abilities to excel. “The lecturers taught us the fixed systems, but also told us to be flexible and adaptable in the ever-changing world, which is the key of success,” she said. “Thanks to them, I have acquired the knowledge to better predict the industry's current and future directions, be open to changes, and follow the latest trends more easily.”

She was glad that all the lecturers and tutors were always available when she needed their help, even when they were overseas. She recognised that every teacher has their own way of teaching and expression, and even though she could not fit in with a few of them, she found all of them approachable, as they always welcome questions and enquiries from students.

Aside from being able to gain more knowledge since she studied in PSB Academy, Tran found her university life meaningful and energising, as it gave her the chance to learn continuously from her new friends, lecturers, tutors, and even some warm-hearted Singaporeans whom she met.

“Thanks to their support since I first came to Singapore until my graduation, I'm so grateful remembering they were by my side when I faced difficulties in studying,” she said. “When I'm far away from home, they were beside me with my mood swings, as of course growing up is never easy. But when I look back to the 16 months I spent with the school and with my life here, I found out it was more than what I have ever expected.”

Tran has graduated since September 2019, which is one of her achievements that she was proud of. She also considered making new relationships, knowing more about different cultures, ways of behaviour and methods of thinking, as well as having the experience to live and learn in a multinational environment as her successes. Only one month after she graduated, she got a full-time job in Singapore that provided her the wage and the position she desired for, thanks to her highly recognised academic background, apart of her work experiences. She said, “To me, life after graduation from PSB Academy is more about responsibility, discipline as well as practices, but I am doing fine since I have been prepared with the necessary skills and intellectuality when I was in school.”

Her fondest memory of her time at PSB Academy is the time when she did projects and presentations in front of many classmates with her friends. “This memory is most valuable since I love the feeling of conquering new challenges and achieving the highest outcomes with my beloved friends,” she said. “I’m so happy that I met them since my first days in school, and we stayed connected with one another until the end when we graduated.”

“Receiving the education from PSB Academy and UOW has changed my personality, perspectives, abilities, skills and knowledge,” she added. “I have grown to be stronger and more confident, as I learned how to make plans and improve from mistakes. I came to realise how amazing I truly am, and I am proud of myself for being able to complete the curriculum and work tasks and meet the multiple deadlines from the subjects during the course. After winning those challenges, it feels like you are ready for everything that comes your way in the future.”

 (Source: PSB Academy)