Zachary Gipson, an economics and linguistics senior from the United States currently on an exchange programme at SMU, wrote about the intense academic life of Singapore students. He described SMU as “one of the most competitive post-secondary institutions in the country”, despite being founded only 15 years ago, and noted that “SMU is not for the feebleminded or weak-hearted”. On doing well at SMU, some students have cited that besides keeping up with coursework, consistent participation – asking for help and speaking up – is key.