Asia Pacific School of Sports and Business

AS a student at the Asia Pacific School of Sports and Business (APSSB), he was always the first to arrive and one of the last to leave.

Frederick Kwan's hard work paid off last year when he became the first APSSB student to be awarded a scholarship by a foreign university.

The 20-year-old received a scholarship from Lincoln University in New Zealand to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree. The scholarship will cover his tuition fees for a year.

The former Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School student scored 19 points for his O levels in 2004 – good enough to go to a polytechnic.

But APSSB, with a current enrolment of 160 students, caught his attention. Frederick said: "The students here are more mature and have working experience."

He was also attracted to the quicker study route at APSSB, a year shorter than poly.

He graduated from APSSB in 2006 with distinctions for both his diploma and advanced diploma in business management.

He was then offered a place at Lincoln University, but deferred his studies until this year to complete his national service.

As Frederick already has an advanced diploma, he will skip the first year of the three-year programme at Lincoln University.

Interactive

He said studying at APSSB was an enriching and intense experience.

He said: "Our lecturers asked many 'What if?' questions. Classes are very interactive and we can stop to ask questions at any point.

"To prepare us for the working world, our lecturers challenged us to think of many solutions – not just one – and apply them to different scenarios.

"Students also challenged each other. You just have to take it with an open heart as your friends will be asking many questions, especially during presentations."

Frederick preferred doing his assignments in school as his lecturers' doors were always open. He also stayed back after classes ended to discuss questions with his lecturers.

For more than three months, Frederick and seven team mates worked on a business proposal for a netball competition involving international schools here.

The lecturers provided guidance at the planning stage, but they were on their own when it was time to turn their paper proposal into reality.

They had to manage the budget, find sponsors and hire professional coaches and referees.

Having been taught to "expect the unexpected", they made contingency plans too.

Frederick said it was worth all the effort put in, as he could apply theories to real situations.

He is confident that the "soft" skills he picked up, like leading by example and expressing his ideas well, will prepare him for future challenges.

Mr Ronnie Lee, the principal of APSSB, said the school is selective in accepting students into their programmes.

He said: "We're only interested in students who are serious about building a career. They must want to carve out a niche for themselves."

Prospective students are interviewed before enrolment so APSSB counsellors can help them plan their career path. Advice is given based on what prospective students hope to achieve in three to five years.

"Due to changing market conditions, what we tell prospective students now and what we tell them six months down the road will be different," said Mr Lee.

He said lecturers go the extra mile to bring in consultants and guest speakers who are industry practitioners to share what is going on in the business world.

He said the school also collaborates with universities in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Mr Lee said: "Our school's philosophy is: Why think out of the box when there is no box in the first place?"