Three important people in my life inspired me to take up this Master’s Degree. Firstly, it was my father Joseph, who was an exemplary educator himself; my wife Shirley, who encouraged me to go for my academic pursuit and lastly, my astute mentor Stephen, a fellow UCD alumnus who was always there to guide me through my career challenges. He was also the one who advised me to sign up for this programme.

The Master of Science programme at UCD was delivered by highly competent lecturers, who had augmented my knowledge in the field of Finance. I believe that the programme has equipped me with the abilities to better adapt to changes and resolve problems. It takes one from being efficient to being effective. The critical thinking developed at this level is not only valuable to my career but also to my family, social network and personal development.

I was working with a Risk Management Consultancy firm before I embarked on my Master’s education. I chose UCD’s Master of Science in Finance as it encompassed both Finance and Business elements that were relevant to my line of work. Furthermore, UCD is a well-recognised University with a leading business school in the world. After completing the programme, I joined a Global Financial Institution with a significant increment.

The lecturers from UCD were a passionate bunch who went that extra mile to help me. I fondly remember them going for lunches with me to guide me through the materials, and I am proud to become a protégé of some professors who are CEOs and consultants to various private and government agencies. This experience was a catalyst to my career transformation journey from a technical role towards a management role. I am now a Director of Technology and Operations at SSON Analytics, and I attribute this achievement to the UCD programme.

As I am interested in financial markets and portfolio analysis, I enrolled for both the 18-month Finance Honours Degree programme with University College Dublin (UCD) at Kaplan, and the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) programme with the CFA Institute. The knowledge acquired from my lessons with UCD complemented my preparations for the CFA examination, which I have passed, and can now progress on to the Level II examination.

The flexible timetable for my Degree studies was very helpful to my career, granting me the wonderful opportunity to also complete my Certified First Aid Instructor and Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment (ACTA) certification courses.

Full-time ACCA student An Nguyen came to know about Kaplan through a friend, who was previously a Kaplan student. “After carefully comparing the different ACCA Approved Learning Partners, Kaplan was my preferred choice in terms of the location, school facilities and lecturers.”

She sees herself taking on a senior accounting role in an established organisation in future. To get there, she attempts questions after each lecture and approaches lecturers for more detailed answers when unsure.

“I look for resources in the library to understand Singapore Tax better. In the exam, I write down my explanations for the examiner, on top of calculation workings.”

She adds, “the Kaplan exam kit is very useful for exam preparation, do not be afraid to ask lecturers your questions as they are the best resource available.”

Zack Lua, a full-time CPA Australia student with Kaplan, scored a Distinction on his first attempt for the Ethics and Governance exam.

He shares that it is crucial to pay attention during class and absorb as much knowledge as possible, which helps to reduce the revision time needed during the exam period.

Zack also made use of travelling time to flip through the study guide. This worked well for him, especially for theory modules like Ethics & Governance.

Most importantly, he suggests trying out the revision exams given. “It is crucial to read through and be as familiar with the study guide as possible.”

Having passed all her ACCA papers with Kaplan, Xu Minwei aims to become a financial planning analyst in the near future.

“Thanks to ACCA courses provided by Kaplan, I am able to readily take on my job, as I can apply my knowledge at work.
Lecturers are really hardworking and experienced and each lesson was prepared with great effort.”

Minwei’s advice to future ACCA students would be to never give up, to seek the lecturer’s help when they are lost, and to make the best use of the exam kits provided.

Full-time NSF and 3SG Qiming Liu has no problem excelling in school while serving the nation, because he believes in staying relevant and competitive in the Accounting industry with ACCA.

“Kaplan has given me many pleasant experiences since I first started in 2015. They are still my preferred learning partner today, as they have a good reputation, awesome lecturers like Mr Marty Windle and Mr Irwin Loh, and are at a convenient central location.” He recounts.

His Kaplan journey has taught him workplace professionalism and strategic leadership, which are essential skills not limited to Accountants. Obtaining an Advanced Diploma in Business has helped to secure his place in a local University in Singapore, where he plans to continue his studies in ACCA with Kaplan at the same time.

It was very challenging to study and work at the same time. Murdoch University offers students the flexibility to plan their study schedules. I can choose the number of modules to study for each trimester according to my work schedule.

In preparation to set up my dream café, I decided to pursue a Double Major Degree in Finance and Management. The latter equips me with the essential business skills and knowledge to set up my café by providing me the skill sets to analyse data, improve financial decisions and provide excellent customer service to my future patrons.