July 5, 2009
NUS undergrads cry foul
By Lee Xin En
While SMU (left) has a mandatory 10-week internship requirement for its students, NUS does not require its law students to serve such attachments. -- PHOTO: SMU
SOME National University of Singapore (NUS) undergraduates are fuming after being denied internship places at the large law firms this year.
And they are fingering the rival School of Law at the Singapore Management University (SMU), which they believe has tied up with several law firms to reserve places for its own students.
One disgruntled second-year NUS undergraduate said last year's batch of NUS law students had applied as late as March and still got internships at the top law firms during their school break last month.
The student and at least 10 of her classmates applied in January this year, but were not given offers at any of these firms.
While they say their grades and previous internship experience are comparable to that of their seniors, they believe that SMU students have allocated internships within these firms as 100 per cent of this year's cohort got internship places.
'It is greatly unfair to book places at a firm and deprive other students of open competition,' said the student, who did not want to be named for fear of jeopardising her future internship chances.She had to settle for a month- long internship at a smaller firm.
'Internships are important. We often get offered pupillage places at the end of our internship, so not doing an internship may mean not getting a pupillage offer,' she said.
While SMU has a mandatory 10-week internship requirement for its students, NUS does not require its law students to serve such attachments. That is another reason why NUS law students believe SMU secures internship positions for its students, or they may not be able to graduate.
SMU's associate dean of external relations and practice assistant professor of law Rathna Nathan confirmed that all 116 students from its pioneer batch obtained internships during this school vacation from May to this month.
But she denied that the school has arrangements with firms to allocate spots for its students.
Read the full story in The Sunday Times.
NUS undergrads cry foul
By Lee Xin En
While SMU (left) has a mandatory 10-week internship requirement for its students, NUS does not require its law students to serve such attachments. -- PHOTO: SMU
SOME National University of Singapore (NUS) undergraduates are fuming after being denied internship places at the large law firms this year.
And they are fingering the rival School of Law at the Singapore Management University (SMU), which they believe has tied up with several law firms to reserve places for its own students.
One disgruntled second-year NUS undergraduate said last year's batch of NUS law students had applied as late as March and still got internships at the top law firms during their school break last month.
The student and at least 10 of her classmates applied in January this year, but were not given offers at any of these firms.
While they say their grades and previous internship experience are comparable to that of their seniors, they believe that SMU students have allocated internships within these firms as 100 per cent of this year's cohort got internship places.
'It is greatly unfair to book places at a firm and deprive other students of open competition,' said the student, who did not want to be named for fear of jeopardising her future internship chances.She had to settle for a month- long internship at a smaller firm.
'Internships are important. We often get offered pupillage places at the end of our internship, so not doing an internship may mean not getting a pupillage offer,' she said.
While SMU has a mandatory 10-week internship requirement for its students, NUS does not require its law students to serve such attachments. That is another reason why NUS law students believe SMU secures internship positions for its students, or they may not be able to graduate.
SMU's associate dean of external relations and practice assistant professor of law Rathna Nathan confirmed that all 116 students from its pioneer batch obtained internships during this school vacation from May to this month.
But she denied that the school has arrangements with firms to allocate spots for its students.
Read the full story in The Sunday Times.
