Liew Li Ting

Discover SIM GE Li Ting (holding balloon) and her fellow students in the Diploma in Economics programme in 2012 SHE DIDN’T do well in Economics when she was studying in the polytechnic, but her results changed dramatically when she went over to the University of London. Liew Li Ting, 23, one of the top SIM-University of London’s students in 2014, is joining the exclusive Masters programme at the London School of Economics and Political Science (graduating in July 2015). Economics is generally perceived as “tough” for most students. Fortunately for Li Ting, she studied under SIM’s senior lecturer Mark Harris. “He taught us to understand concepts, not to memorise them,” Li Ting says. “Understanding means to be able to explain and teach Economics concept in my own words, such as ‘diminishing marginal utility’ and other big-sounding ideas.” Hanging out with smart friends A secret to smart studying is to hang out with smart friends, she says. “In my study group I have friends who are much smarter than me in all subjects. We met regularly and we clarify our doubts through active discussions.” In turn, she helped weaker students in SIM Global Education’s Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme. She guided them in Mathematics, and derived immense satisfaction when they were able to understand the subject. The PAL programme was started in September 2013 for students doing UOL’s Mathematics I. Li Ting was one of 28 student leaders under the supervision of Dr Phil Stephenson (PhD, Pure Mathematics), who guided the weaker students. Dr Stephenson is SIM GE’s Head of Assessment and Senior Lecturer. Li Ting was also active in CCA. She was the vice-president of the Accounting Association, a student club at SIM campus that organised informational talks and workshops with presentations by outside external accounting bodies. Being involved in CCA was also a learning experience for Li Ting. “My experience has taught me the importance of team work, time management and long-term goal planning.” Involvement in social enterprise Outside of campus, she volunteered her time in Empact, a social enterprise that provides accounting and payroll service to non-profit organisations. “Each month, I spent four hours doing CPF payroll administration for the non-profit organisations,” says Li Ting. Her long-term goal is to be an economist, doing quantitative analysis in a large organisation or in government. After her experience in the non-profit sector, she is interested in how government policies could improve social welfare. “I hope my studies at the LSE would give me the opportunity to work in the Ministry of Trade and Industry after I’ve graduated.” As a man thinketh For someone so motivated, it is fitting that she subscribes to the ideas in The Secret, a positive psychology book by Rhonda Byrne that asserts that positive thinking can create life-changing results such as better health and riches. The core message of the book, says Li Ting, is the Law of Attraction, or like attracts like. You, as a positive thinker, would gravitate towards other positive thinkers, and your positive thoughts would produce positive results. Although there’s little more than anecdotal evidence to support it, there’s nothing to lose for those subscribing to this belief, which was first proposed by James Allen in his hugely influential book, As A Man Thinketh (1902). The opposite would be to sink yourself into the slough of despondency. Li Ting graduated with a Diploma in Economics (distinction) in 2012 and a BSc (Hons) in Economics and Finance in mid-2014, both from SIM-UOL programmes. - Interviewed & posted online, July 2014