SMU25: A Look Back in Time with the Class of 2008

From haunted classrooms to glass towers: Trace SMU’s evolution from humble beginnings to city-campus powerhouse as our writer Helene dialogues with a special guest, Aedan Lai, of the 4th SMU Cohort.

We all know SMU for what it is today – its glittering glass façade, air-conditioned linkways that direct to 2 MRT stations. The university at the heart of Singapore’s bustling CBD area. But few have experienced SMU’s humble beginnings in its fledgling days. Once, the school was a temporary occupant of colonial-style buildings at Evans Road. On a Tuesday afternoon at lunchtime, I had the honour of sitting down with a member of SMU’s earlier batches to reminisce about his undergraduate days.  Few can claim to have lived it, rise from a collection of container classrooms to the bustling city campus it is today, but Aedan Lai, a member of the fourth cohort, remembers it all. He had never planned to be an SMU student, for his journey commenced only after other doors closed. Despite this, he recalls with warmth how he revelled in being a part of something new. 

SMU was seen as a very new university. Back then, the internet wasn’t as advanced, so people couldn’t really see branding beyond the website or by physically going down to campus (then at Bukit Timah). It was somewhat inaccessible, but he thought the prospect of SMU held a hint of excitement since the university had yet to form its own identity. Back then, while the school was new,  its Wharton namesake allowed his corporate father to view SMU as a viable launchpad for Aedan’s break into the same world he inhabited. 

The interview was casual–only 1 to 1 due to the lower demand back then. The professor simply asked about Aedan’s interests and if he could explain the business aspects of it. His interest was theatre, so he hypothesised what it would be like running a theatre company, considering costs, hiring, writing, props, etc. The professor wanted to see how far he could think through a business area outside his actual experience. He was the perfect embodiment of SMU's "Be Different" slogan: a student with a deep passion for theatre who made the pragmatic choice to study business. I point out that his current career in communications, in fact, has a significant overlap with his theatre passion—self-expression, and he acknowledges this with warmth. 

He has an interesting experience that the current batch of SMU students would never comprehend (spoiler alert: SMU is too bustling and populated for ghosts, which enjoy deserted places). There were actual gravestones dotting the grounds of the Botanic Gardens surrounding the Evans Road campus.  The container block there was used as an immersive scarehouse for orientation. His first time there, he was scared out of his wits by the incredibly realistic atmosphere, and the girls in his turn were all screaming.  However, upon leaving the scarehouse, he noticed several groups just walking back to their rooms. His orientation group leader was uncharacteristically quiet the next day. It turned out that a student in the scarehouse had a supernatural encounter involving a ghostly hand reaching for her Pocky snack behind a curtain. Because of that, everything was immediately shut down to circumvent further hauntings. This was evidently a core memory for him, as he narrates the experience with much mirth. 

Some of his fondest memories of SMU were how he started out not knowing a soul, but managed to forge friendships that lasted well beyond the first semester. The school was really a blank slate for him, as most of his junior college peers attended other universities. He made his first 2 friends in a Logic class. Another memorable experience was dressing up as a beagle mascot for a team-building module (yes, the current Leadership and Team Building module has existed since the dawn of SMU…) and being unexpectedly  “kidnapped” into a statistics class on another level of the building for fun. A student who saw him just really wanted to entertain her class by showing off someone in a costume.  

The downside? Food options were scarce. There was one eatery at Evans Lodge which hungry students frequented between classes. For Aedan, though, most meals were sourced off-campus at places like Newton Circus or Bukit Timah Coronation Plaza. This stands in stark contrast to SMU today, where food options on campus are a few minutes’ walk away from our seminar rooms. If that isn't sufficient, a plethora of various dining establishments for students to choose from–everything from budget caifan to Italian cuisine - exist within the vicinity of the city campus’ area. 

Back then, there was no SMU X–industry experience in modules was on a more informal basis, unless the professor had an industry partner come in to propose a plan. Opportunities for students to interact with real-world professionals were few. Looking back, he wishes he had more such opportunities. “ It's good that programs like the Navigator's Programme now exist, so students can speak with professionals about industry experiences. Mentoring Circle is another, providing peer-to-peer support where juniors hear from seniors who have interned or interacted with the industry. Encouraging and increasing these opportunities is definitely good—it helps corporates present themselves, students learn about real-world company problems, and apply classroom concepts to actual lessons.” The most invaluable skill he cultivated from SMU’s industry-geared curriculum, however, was the ability to engage in critical discussion, a discipline he admits he is still mastering. SMU's pioneering seminar-style format, a departure from traditional lectures, went beyond fostering more active engagement during class. It forced him to learn the art of articulating a viewpoint and engaging thoughtfully with others, a foundational practice that has proven essential long after graduation.

SMU’s move from Evans Road to Bras Basah eventually took place, and the changes were stark. Aedan admitted he did not enjoy the change–the spanking new School of Business resembled a soulless glass-and-concrete building, a far cry from the colonial architecture and organic surroundings of Evans Road, which he had grown accustomed to. Libraries and study rooms were in high demand as the cohort size expanded, and booking facilities required long-term planning. You think a GSR in SMU is hard to book? Our seniors truly had a harder time than us–Aedan recalls that they had to book the facilities 2 to 3 weeks in advance to secure a slot. Furthermore, the year was 2008, when the great financial crisis struck. His batch, fresh from Evans Road, was a tight-knit, collaborative community figuring out life and ambitions in a new university together, but competition intensified amongst the new batches of students. Everyone in his year of graduation soon became spurred by the pervasive fear of being unable to secure a good job, and this competitiveness still defines SMU’s hustle culture today.  

As someone who oversees the employment of interns in his company, he observed that SMU students do tend to be more outspoken and forward due to the constant practice of participating and presenting, though universities like NUS and NTU are catching up. He's even in touch with our generation's lexicon (yes, he’s heard all about "brainrot") and sees a paradigm shift towards freer self-expression, which may explain the stronger communication skills we possess. He also appreciates how SMU has expanded beyond its original business school; the inclusion of disciplines like information systems, social sciences and law has most definitely broadened the curriculum and fostered greater diversity within the student body, enriching campus life and perspectives. 

A minor gripe he has about present-day SMU is that the city campus, unlike the sprawling grounds of other universities, lacks a true “home” space. There’s no dedicated enclave for students to retreat to as their own, unlike the past campus at Evans Road. The city campus is constantly in flux, pulsing with the endless ebb and flow of vehicles and people. Tourists wander the district, office workers hurry past. This transient environment shapes student culture, for many at SMU are, in fact, members of the so-called “go home club”. Many amongst the student populace just show up to attend classes, then quickly disperse to other pursuits beyond school. Inevitably, the university’s focus on industry-readiness and its convenient location would attract such a demographic– uninterested in the more traditional communities other universities offer, forged by communal living in a hall/residential community. 

Today, as SMU turns 25, his experience stands as a testament to how far the university has come. Beyond producing entrepreneurial mavericks and corporate high flyers, the early batches have truly embedded a core DNA of industry-readiness, critical discussion, and a resilient spirit which continues to define the school.