Wednesday afternoons off at NUS shaping student life beyond the classroom

Initiative offers more opportunities for volunteering, sports, self-development, friendships

- Gabrielle Chan

First-year students at National University of Singapore (NUS) are more anxious than their seniors, a survey found, but those involved in co-curricular activities (CCAs), exercise or volunteering reported that they were less stressed.

Those who took part in such activities were also more resilient and had a stronger sense of belonging to the university.

These findings are from the latest 2023 edition of NUS' student life and wellness survey, which gathered 8,195 responses from students across 17 faculties. Friendships (58 per cent), hostel life (36 per cent), and CCAs (31 per cent) are key contributors to students' sense of belonging, it showed.

However, those who lack support or rely on social media as a coping mechanism for stress tend to feel more lonely and anxious. They also report less resilience and have a weaker sense of belonging.

This is why NUSOne - the university's latest initiative - was announced, to provide more varied opportunities for students to volunteer, do sports, and invest time in friends, said NUS' vice-provost of student life, Associate Professor Leong Ching.

As part of NUSOne, students, from August, get to enjoy Wednesday afternoons off from 3pm to 6pm to take part in activities outside the classroom. They also get to enjoy a new sports-themed hostel called Valour House, and can expect a better transition to university life with more information on how to apply for courses.

Next up is a review of the university's curricular structure and possibly a "less for more" approach to ensure that students are not overloaded academically, Prof Leong added.

The survey of students had identified academic workload as source of stress.

NUS will work with faculties, schools and colleges to review and recalibrate its teaching, she said, and one possible way is to allow teaching staff to use 12 instead of 13 weeks for teaching if their curriculum fits.