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20 Hacks For Paying For CollegeBecome “College” Financially LiterateThis is the single most important thing your family can do, and most families are not going to do it.Let me begin by sharing an anecdote with you:A couple years ago my adult daughter had two boys about to graduate from high school. She had been working on their college plans for eighteen months. In December before their May graduation, the high school scheduled a financial aid planning session for the parents. I asked if I could tag along.The school had invited in a financial aid officer from a nearby college. In her presentation, she took us through the various loans available. (In my opinion, that’s not financial planning, but the lady did know student loans inside and out.)After the meeting, my daughter—much more of a social butterfly than her old man—must have talked to a half dozen of her fellow parents as we worked our way out to the car.When we got to the car, I looked at her, and she looked at me. At the same time we both blurted out, “This is the first time these parents have thought about this.” Approximately fifteen weeks before their kids were to receive their financial aid awards letters, these parents had done little or no financial planning.Parents need to take the lead on this. With the high costs, uncertain outcomes, and the complexity of the financial aid system, it is too much to expect a teenager to handle.Get these books at your local library:Kalman A. Chany with Geoff Martz, “Paying for College Without Going Broke,” (New York, New York: Penguin Random House LLC, 2016).Frank Palmasani, “Right College, Right Price: The New System for Discovering the Best College Fit at the Best Price,” (Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, 2013).Bonnie Kerrigan Snyder, “The New College Reality: Make College Work For Your Career,” (Avon, MA: Adams Media, 2012).Your parents and you need to become “college” financially literate.AffordabilityChoose an affordable post-secondary education option. I see, what I take to be, a lot of “entitlement” on Quora. That leads to mountains of student loan debt.Hint: One of those three books listed above shows you how to do this.File Your FAFSAThis seems obvious, but twenty percent of families don’t file their FAFSA. If you use the website, it’s a snap.ScholarshipsScholarships, unlike student loans, really are free money. They are described as gift aid. There is no requirement to pay the money back in the future. The aid can come from federal or state governments, colleges or universities, employers, civic organizations, or private sources. Gift aid can be based on the family’s financial and economic status. (This is called need-based.) Or it can be based on academic achievement or other talents and abilities. (This is called merit based aid.)Spending time applying for scholarships and grants makes good economic sense. If you spend forty hours working on an application and win a $1,000 award, you just made $25 per hour tax free. Applying for smaller scholarships makes sense because there is less competition, and it is good practice.GrantsGrants, like scholarships, are free money—they do not need to be repaid. The sources of grants include:· Federal government· State government· Universities and colleges· Private sources including public agencies, quasi-public agencies, private companies, corporations, and foundationsEach of these entities have their own procedures for application. It is important to understand and meet the exact requirements for each specific grant. The financial aid office of your college or university will be a key source of help. Also contact your high school guidance counselor and the local PTA.Improve Your Test ScoresTest scores, i.e. SAT and/or ACT, are an important part of the college application process. Often good test scores can lead to significant gift aid. It pays to take this seriously. Be aware that you are competing with students who started taking practice tests in the seventh grade. There are fourteen-year-old kids who have scored 35 or 36 on the ACT. If you are reading this as a junior in high school, you need to catch up. Set aside a specific period (or periods) of time each week to prepare. Check with your high school guidance counselor on what is available at your school, e.g. practice tests, prep classes, tutoring, etc. Make use of free or cheap materials available online or through bookstores. If your goals are lofty, you might want to consider professional help for preparation or tutoring.Dual EnrollDual enrollment classes let students earn high school and college credits for the same course. Some students go to a college campus—usually a local community college—while others study at their own high schools. Nationally more than a million high school students are taking at least one college class.Earning college credits during high school has a major benefit. College courses are often available at no cost or significantly reduced rates. Planning is important. To get the full benefit of these “bargain” credit hours it is necessary to understand how the hours will transfer to your future alma mater.Finish in FourThe average college student needs 5.1 years to complete a four-year degree these days.Would $70,000 be enough money to motivate you to do some careful planning? That is how much that fifth year of college is going to cost. A year of living and studying on campus at a state university is about $25,000. And, if you had finished in four years, you could have gotten a job and earned $45,000.There are a variety of reasons students don’t finish college in four years, but changing majors is near the top of the list.You need to choose a marketable major and create an academic plan that will serve as a guide through that maze that leads to a bachelor’s degree in four years or less.Advanced PlacementEnter college as a sophomore. It’s not magic. It’s a simple numbers game. If State U costs $25,000 per year, that means it’s going to cost you $833 a credit hour ($25,000/30 credit hours) to become a college sophomore. High school juniors and seniors can take Advanced Placement tests each May for about $89 a pop. With careful planning and lots of studying you can become a sophomore for less than the cost of three credit hours at State U. You must target specific colleges when planning for AP credits. Every school makes their own rules.Community CollegeFifty years ago a four-year traditional college was the “sweet spot.” Today the “sweet spot” is the community college. Community colleges can deliver a college credit hour for less than $150 per hour as opposed to $800 per hour from a four-year traditional college. (Local, state, and federal tax dollars help drive down community college costs, and the community college should be close enough to home to make commuting practical for most students.)Four out of ten students heading to college enroll at one of the sixteen hundred community colleges available in the US. This can be a hard pill for a teenager to swallow. Attending community college doesn’t enjoy the social status of attending a four-year traditional college. You may want to go where your friends are going to school, and it’s normal, upon graduating from high school, to be itching to get a taste of freedom.However, the financial arguments for community college are compelling. Consider attending a community college to complete your basic education requirements. Then, after two years, transfer to a traditional four-year college. (Check to see if the community college you are considering has a Guaranteed Transfer Admissions Agreement with the four-year traditional college where you intend to complete your BA.) If you need to work, community college is more flexible than the four-year traditional college. If your high school grades are a little shaky, no problem. Community colleges have an open-door admissions policy. You can enroll and work to improve your GPA. Save even more money. Two-thirds of students change their major at least once. The tuition rates are low enough at a community college that you can afford to experiment, find your passion, and target a future career.Branch CollegeA branch college is going to cost more than a community college, but it is a price performer. There is less anxiety of “will the credits transfer.” (You still need to verify the details.) The tuition costs at a branch college might be half that of the main campus, plus class sizes are usually smaller. Branch colleges are more likely to have on-campus housing than community colleges.Online LearningAccording to a 2012 study from the Babson Survey Research Group more than 6.7 million students around the country are taking at least one online course. Traditional online learning has been around for some time. Usually the student has the flexibility to access the course at his convenience.Online learning has the potential to reduce costs. A credit hour taken online will be in the $200-400 per hour range. Your online options include four-year traditional colleges, e.g. the University of Cincinnati has over thirteen thousand students enrolled in online courses, community colleges, or online universities like Western Governors University. (I admit I have a prejudice against for-profits, e.g. University of Phoenix, Kaplan University, DeVry University, etc.)Employer BenefitFind employment after high school with an employer who has a college tuition benefit. Live at home. Scrimp and save. Work and study. Grind out a bachelor’s degree worth $100,000 for pennies on the dollar. This is a tough option that will take a long time. It will require a lot of perseverance. Most young people will give up or lose focus. But it can be done.Banks and insurance companies are a good place to start looking for an entry-level job with this type of benefit. Don’t overlook the obvious. Some colleges have a tuition benefit for their employees.Join the MilitaryThe military provides many options for helping pay for college. Many colleges have a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program that will provide full or partial scholarships to those who qualify. Members of the National Guard are eligible for tuition assistance. However, plans vary for each branch of service and each state. (Check the details before you make any commitments.) Active duty and reserve military have a tuition assistance benefit while they serve. The program covers 100% of tuition and fees. Veterans can attend college on the GI Bill. The post 9/11 GI Bill provides veterans with full tuition, a book stipend, and a monthly housing allowance.While there are free MREs, there is no free lunch. Uncle Sam wants you to spend some time in the service of his country in return for helping pay the school tab.Get Help From Your UncleBy that I mean your Uncle Sam. If your parents are paying federal taxes, they may be able to reduce your family’s taxes by as much as $2500 a year through The American Opportunity Tax Credit. Those savings on taxes could be redirected to your college fund.CommuteLiving at home and commuting will save money. Obviously you have to be lucky enough to be within reasonable driving distance to an appropriate college. You are going to miss out on much of the “college experience,” but you will save $5,000 to $7,000 per year versus college room and board that runs about $10,000.Be a CheapskateAre you in college to live a resort lifestyle or to walk away with a BA and minimal debt? If you have the willpower and creativity, you can save thousands. The trick is to differentiate between lifestyle dollars and education dollars. After your freshman year find three like-minded, compatible college friends and rent a bare bones apartment near campus. Skip Chipotle’s and cook at home. Dump your car and car expenses. Rent textbooks by the semester or take advantage of open source code books. Some colleges have book exchanges. Determine whether a smart phone is a need or a want. Buy your supplies at WalMart and Target not the campus bookstore. Take advantage of every student discount, e.g. a no-fee bank account. And skip spring break at Cabo. Does this sound dreary? It depends on your mindset. If you are thinking four years into the future and visualizing avoiding $10,000 in student debt, the money you save will make the payments on a very nice car.Live On a BudgetIn addition to living frugally, make a budget, and stick to it.https://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/college-budget.htmlWorkThere was a time many years ago that you could work your way through a four-year college with a minimum wage summer job and a part-time job on campus. The numbers no longer add up, but in combination with other strategies that paycheck can help minimize those student loans.There is an option on the FAFSA to request a work-study job. It doesn’t cost anything to check this box. Work-study is need based, but it is awarded generously. You make some money, and the earnings have no impact on your financial aid application.Then there is the old fashion kind of work. If you check into a hotel in a college town late at night, chances are the desk clerk will be a student holding down at least one job—including a regular overnight shift—and trying to work through college while napping between classes.LoansAnd last, AND LEAST--loans. In 2016 the average student loan reached $37,000 up twenty-two percent in three years. Twelve percent of former students are in default. Many are just making minimum payments. This is not sustainable.Loans should come with warning labels—like cigarettes.“Taking out this loan is likely to be dangerous to your financial health.”Try to limit student loans to Federal Direct loans accessed through your FAFSA.ConclusionYou will be receiving college awards letters in the spring of your senior year. At that point in time it’s too late to start exploring these ideas. If it is possible that any of these options are going to come into play because of financial restraints, start the research and planning early.

At first I didn’t, or was undecided, but now I do.If you are a PRC patriot, or are uncomfortable with speculation and insinuations, please stop reading now. It’s for your own good.Let’s examine the source in question. Who was this “ex-diplomat”?Bilahari Kausikan was former Permanent Secretary of our Ministry of Foreign AffairsHe has substantial experience in the foreign policy arena. I assume he might be privy to classified information which is withheld from our public.He is no longer a civil servant; he is a pensioner. As such, his views do NOT officially reflect those of the Singapore government.Despite this, his views hold substantial weight and are frequently published in the Straits Times (which, although not under direct govt control, toes the official line and operates under some form of para-state oversight)He has not been outright repudiated by other foreign policy elites (as was the case with Kishore Mahbubani). From this we may infer that his views resonate somewhat with the establishment, or our foreign policy orthodoxyThere are some things which our government cannot publicly/officially state, out of prudence…by which I mean, complicating our relationships with certain powersIt is possible that the government prefers to use “unofficial” means (such as retired civil servants) to clarify or rebut certain narrativesNow let’s examine the substance of his argument.That China exercises influence, pressure and coercion on Singapore, is not surprising. What should be disturbing is the MEANS or the CHANNELS through which it deploys its influence. There are LEGITIMATE channels for interstate intercourse. These include diplomacy, state media, international aid etc. etc. It is entirely natural (whether it is fair or acceptable is a different debate) for Great Powers to leverage their superior political/economic/military resources to make smaller states comply with their wishes, whether through persuasion or coercion.But Bilahari Kausikan’s concern is with the ILLEGITIMATE channels: covert influence operations. These are violations of Singapore’s sovereignty, albeit under the cover of plausible deniability. Influence operations fall under the purview of covert action, which is different from espionage - and far more insidious. Espionage seeks simply to steal information. Covert action is intended to influence events (for example, domestic politics or foreign policy) within a target nation-state to one’s own benefitNow let me be clear: All Great Powers conduct influence operations and espionage. China is no exception. Neither is the US. And Singapore is not exempted from their attempts. Our response has been very even-handed.Examples of foreign interference in the course of history and in SingaporeAn American diplomat once tried to influence the 1988 Singapore General ElectionSingapore Protests U.S. 'Interference' After Diplomat WithdrawnRussia spy claims: US nabs Singapore centre research fellowBut this is not a valid excuse. People who employ this excuse are essentially saying “So what? everyone does it”. To quote the Chinese Ambassador’s response “I would say firstly that every country hopes to gain recognition and support for its development philosophy and foreign policies. In this sense, China is no different.” This is equivalent to arguing that wife-beating is acceptable, because many husbands beat their wives! The issue here is not that China or the US wants our support. The issue is the means by which they seek to procure our support.American influence operations seek to impose a liberal-democratic ideology on Singapore. They are mostly ineffective because American notions of liberalism do not find much resonance among our public political consciousness. Nonetheless, these operations should be exterminated/neutralized whenever and wherever they are detected.But Chinese influence operations are more dangerous and insidious because they seek to impose a CHINESE identity on multiracial Singapore. This is something much harder for our population to resist, particularly because our national identity is so young and malleable. The appeals of ethnicity and culture are primordial and enduring.SPECULATION ON CHINA’S 2016-2017 INFLUENCE CAMPAIGNIn August, Huang Jing was exposed for giving “supposedly "privileged information" to a senior member of the LKY School, so it could be passed on to the Singapore Government. The information was duly conveyed by that senior member of the LKYSPP to very senior public officials who were in a position to direct Singapore's foreign policy”.About 3 months later, LKYSPP Dean Kishore Mahbubani, who previously was a senior MFA diplomat (and presumably has contact with “very senior public officials who were in a position to direct Singapore’s foreign policy”), stepped down from his position. If you go on Youtube and watch the speeches and interviews he has been giving, he has become something of a hype-man advertising China’s rise.I think we can put two and two together.I do deeply respect Kishore Mahbubani. I think he is an intellectual worth reading and worth listening to. I have no doubt that he earnestly, sincerely believes in the views that he propounds. I definitely agree with many of his ideas about the rise of Asia and China. In fact, I will be buying his new book “Has China Won?”. But I also think some of his ideas regarding China lack nuance. Reality is often complex.When Lin Xieyi speculated that Huang Jing was a US agent, this was Kausikan’s comment: “This is the sort of stuff we must expect, intended to confuse the issue. Some of it will come from the seemingly neutral or well-meaning or the naive or from those whom Lenin used to call 'useful idiots'”Ambassador-at-large, Bilahari Kausikan, scoffs at Quora user questioning who Huang Jing is working forKausikan shared more details on the Chinese influence campaign in this lecture, which I encourage all of you to watch:If you don’t have time, I’ll summarize:When Singapore stood firm on its right to state its position on an issue of undoubted importance to us and to the region (South China Sea), the Chinese activated their influence apparatus and went into high gear to pressure the government - our government - to change position…Not all influence operations pose the same degree of risk. The uniqueness of Beijing’s influence operations stems from China’s triple identities. And this prescribes three tracks on which China conducts its foreign policy and influence operations.First, the PRC is a state like any other state, operating within a still largely Westphalian international order… On this first track of state-to-state relations, there’s nothing particularly unusual about what Beijing does, except the unusually assertive assertive behaviour of some Chinese diplomats of late, in countries as far-ranging as Malaysia, the PNG and Sweden.Secondly, the PRC is not just any state, it’s also a Leninist state…and the characteristic modus operandi of a Leninist state is the United Front, which Mao Zedong called the CCP’s “magic weapon”… the main characteristic of a Leninist state is the total subordination of state and society to the interests of the Party, irrespective whether the Party’s interest is internal or external. And as such, the United Front represents a blurring of the distinction between domestic and foreign policies and a significant modification of the principle of non-interference that goes far beyond what is generally considered acceptable diplomatic practice.Thirdly, the PRC is also a civilizational state: the embodiment and exemplar of millennia of the Chinese nation’s history and culture, now rejuvenated…and this identity as a civilizational state finds expression in the work of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office… In plain language, overseas Chinese should identify their interests with China’s interests and work to advance China’s interests. And this represents a deliberate blurring of the distinction made between the 华人 (ethnic Chinese) and the 华侨 (overseas PRC citizens)…Now these 3 identities prescribe 3 tracks on which China conducts relationships. And taken holistically, they create a sophisticated and flexible instrument of influence that is far more effective than the conventional operations conducted by other countries. China’s influence operations are effective because the 3 tracks on which it operates makes it difficult to deal with or even grasp - even understand - in entirety.On the first track of state-to-state relations, the usual tactics of persuasion, inducement or coercion may be deployed as appropriate, whether overtly through diplomacy or covertly through intelligence organizations. But the United Front may simultaneously operate to, for example, emphasize coercion or inducement even as the first track stresses persuasion. And the third civilizational track may conveniently wrap everything up in appeals to ethnic pride…Now the tendency of all governments and in particular foreign ministries is to focus on the first track of state-to-state relations and to want to keep them on an even keel…But this can all to easily lead to Chinese activities on the other two tracks being overlooked or downplayed.[the narrative of China’s absolute rise and America’s inevitable decline] and others were propagated by various means: WeChat with Chinese-speaking populations, social and mainstream media, whispering campaigns, business, clan and cultural associations, as well as conventional agents of influence reporting to Chinese intelligence organizations who cultivate what Lenin called “useful idiots”.It was difficult to pin down the precise origin of such narratives, but the messaging was to consistent, and too insistent, to be coincidental…many Singaporeans did not realize they were being fed oversimplifications and swallowed them whole or played along for other reasons. Businessmen, academics, and others with interests in China were given broad hints that their interests might suffer unless Singapore was more accommodating and passed the messages to the government…Appeals to ethnic pride were made to others. The aim was to instil a fatalistic acceptance of the inevitability and desirability of a Chinese identity for multiracial Singapore and get Singaporeans to pressure the government to align Singapore’s interests with China’s interest.In any case and for whatever reason, the 2016–2017 Chinese influence operation was effective. The pressures on the government were great. It was very difficult to explain the somewhat abstract importance of UNCLOS or the nuances of our position on the South China Sea or the complications of our relationship with China to the general public, to whom the Chinese narratives were more easily understood. And it cannot be denied that ethnic appeals resonated strongly with a probably not insignificant section of our public.It’s clear enough for whom Huang Jing worked. I told you he had dual US-PRC citizenship. In case you don’t know, holding dual citizenship is forbidden in China. Huang Jing today holds a senior academic position in China, apparently without sanction for holding American citizenship.As the only majority ethnic Chinese sovereign state in the region, Singapore is a special case. A majority Chinese Singapore that nevertheless conducts an independent foreign policy may be something of an anomaly in Chinese eyes.This is not the ravings of some conspiracy theorist. This is our former Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs speaking.STRATEGIC NARRATIVESWhat is a strategic narrative? A weaponized story.In its influence campaigns against Singapore, the PRC advances a number of strategic narratives, all of which are, at best, questionable in their truthfulness. Sadly, some of our Singaporean Chinese compatriots sometimes buy into these narratives and even confidently echo them. Now, most of our population is only cursorily interested in foreign affairs and may find such superficial narratives plausible. This must change if they are to be immunized against these narratives.This is a war of narratives. China cannot officially pressure us to choose sides. But they can paint a certain picture through unofficial channels and try to box us into a corner. They can try to tell us “See, this is what you are doing! Stop it!”. When they do that, we MUST push back by painting our own narratives and showing them that “no, actually we’re not doing that. We’re doing THIS”.MYTH 1. Surely as a “Chinese country”, Singapore should “explain” China’s position (on the South China Sea and other issues) to the rest of Southeast AsiaMYTH 2. China is rising and US is declining; therefore we should bandwagon with China. You should get on the right side of history!MYTH 3. If you are not with China, then you are against China! You are an American puppet/proxy, or, if you are ethnic Chinese, even worse - a race traitor!MYTH 4. Singapore has no claims in the South China Sea, and purports to be a neutral/non-aligned country so why is it “taking sides” with the US against China by agreeing with the PCA ruling and hosting US naval assets?MYTH 5. Unlike Lee Kuan Yew, the current PAP leadership under Lee Hsien Loong doesn’t know how to deal with China. Relations were sooooo much better under LKY.Let me proceed to puncture each of these myths in turn, with great pleasure.MYTH 1: We are NOT a “Chinese country”. We are a country that happens to have a majority ethnic-Chinese population that organizes itself on the basis of multiracialism/multiculturalism. This has been fundamental to Singapore’s identity since the days of Lee Kuan Yew, and this is something we must always remember, no matter how many times we are accused of being “race traitors” by our mainland friends. When the PRC tries to impose a “Chinese” identity on multiracial Singapore, we MUST resist.Yes, we share ties with mainland Chinese on the basis of blood and culture. This ethnocultural kinship should be celebrated, not denied (as in the case of some HKers). Our similar cultural programming allows us to understand the Chinese mindset in some respects, to “empathize” with it.But it does not mean we should unreservedly parrot China’s claims to the rest of Southeast Asia. As country coordinator for ASEAN-China relations, our job is to uphold ASEAN centrality; to represent the interests of ASEAN, of our REGION, in dealing with China. It is not to represent China’s interests in dealings with ASEAN. We have no obligation, moral or otherwise, to advocate or support China’s interests. Understanding them is one matter. Supporting them is another. The two are not mutually irreconcilable, but they must be distinguished.MYTH 2: This myth, like many other myths, has a grain of truth to it. It is very ably represented by the speeches and works of Professor Kishore Mahbubani, our former ambassador and an intellectual whom I admire very much. Unfortunately, it is also extremely oversimplified and ignores many problematic nuances.Indeed, China is rising and has been for quite a while. You would have to be blind to deny that. But China’s rise is not going to be linear; it is going to be a long, winding, and fluctuating road. China has many internal structural problems of its own to deal with. From the way some people talk about China in juxtaposition to the West, it makes it sound like the Chinese are strategic masterminds while the Westerners are a bunch of bumbling idiots. Like I said, grain of truth, but grossly oversimplistic. It ignores many of the US’ intrinsic strengths and some of China’s structural challenges.China is rising, but America is NOT in decline, except in relative terms. Militarily it is still pre-eminent in the Asia-Pacific. Its military dominance is receding and will continue to recede in time, as the PLA Navy becomes stronger. China is becoming more and more economically central to our region and the world; depending on which index of measurement you use (GDP PPP, GDP per capita, absolute GDP) it may have already eclipsed the US economy. China is pushing the frontiers of cutting-edge technology like 5G. This process is inevitable.But what is not inevitable is the outcome of China displacing the US as regional or global superpower. This is an outcome that is FAR from certain. It is still too early to tell. The only thing we can say for now is that the regional strategic equation will become more and more symmetrical over time. As with buying new stocks/shares on the financial market, it is too early to count our chickens before they are hatched. Some views on China’s rise (Mahbubani’s included) tend to take the Whig view of history - “up and up and on and on”The Chinese never tire of reminding us that China’s presence in Asia is a permanent geographic fact, while America’s presence is the product of a political calculation. This implies both enhanced threat and opportunity for the rest of East Asia (be nice to us, because you have to live with us for the rest of eternity). And that is true - what is our Plan B if America withdraws from the region? Without America, the balance of power in Asia cannot be maintained. But again, this myth is too simplistic. America’s presence in Asia is not as fragile as the Chinese would like us to think.Asia is burgeoning with growth. In the next few decades the economic center of gravity is going to shift toward the Asia-Pacific. America has an interest in retaining access to this region, in economic and military terms. I do agree that China cannot be contained - it is so interdependent with America that America might as well try to contain itself as to contain China. But we should not underestimate the degree to which America has integrated and committed itself to the Asia-Pacific.MYTH 3: This one I find the most ludicrous and at the same time the most hilarious. Just because I disagree with China’s stance on a SPECIFIC, SINGLE issue means that I must have been brainwashed by western media into being an anti-China dog? Hahahaha.This is what is known as a false dichotomy. It is powerful because these dichotomies do exist, but they are a spectrum rather than a binary choice of A or B. China posits an illusory binary between itself and the West, and forces you to choose between them. If you are not A, then you must be B and ONLY B and nothing else. Substitute A and B with pro-China and pro-US, pro-CCP and pro-democracy, blah blah blah. You get the idea. This ignores all the nuances in between.This myth is also the most insidious and dangerous one because it denies the existence of AGENCY on the part of small states. It denies that small states can ever act autonomously -that anything that we do must be driven by the hidden hand of Great Power competition.Singapore’s policy can be characterized as strategic hedging. I will admit we lean slightly toward low-intensity “soft” balancing against China, but it is still more nuanced than “hard” balancing against China and “hard” bandwagoning with the US.By the way, Singapore is not the only country practicing a hedging strategy. Duterte has recently taken to flirting with China; I don’t blame him, I think it’s a smart move. But he has also increased cooperation with Japan, and he has not abolished the alliance Treaty which formally commits the US to defend the Philippines in wartime. Thailand has grown closer toward China as well, buying Chinese tanks, but it is still a US ally. Even Myanmar: when Myanmar realized in the 2000s and early 2010s that it was growing more and more dependent on Chinese investment, infrastructure etc., what did it do? It initiated a rapprochement with the Obama Administration. Malaysia under Mahathir began to reassess a number of Chinese infrastructure projects in light of its indebtedness to China. The American 7th Fleet still calls at Malaysian ports. Vietnam is probably leaning even further toward the Balancing end of the spectrum than Singapore - the very existence of Vietnam as an independent entity is predicated on thousands of years of resisting subordination to China.So, fellow Singaporeans, do not believe that we are alone in playing this delicate game of power-balancing. That is what China wants you to believe: that we are acting alone and inadvertently as a US proxy, when in reality we are making calculated choices to minimize risk and maximize gain.MYTH 4: Yes, Singapore is a non-claimant state. We have no territorial claims in the South China Sea and we take no position on the claims of Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, China etc. But what we do have is an interest in FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION in the South China Sea (enshrined in international law, namely UNCLOS). We want our merchant ships carrying our imports and exports to be able to transition the South China Sea freely. Trade is the lifeblood of our free and open economy.Now, some mainland Chinese might argue that China has not explicitly threatened the right of freedom of navigation in the area. They are right. China has not demanded we pay a toll or tariff for passing through the area, not yet anyway. Hopefully it never does. But China’s behavior of creating and militarizing artificial islands in the South China Sea has not exactly inspired confidence on the part of Southeast Asian states regarding its future behavior.And in case you think our statement on the PCA’s verdict was somehow “extreme” or “new”, let me read out the statement to you:Singapore has taken note of the Award made by the Arbitral Tribunal convened under Annex VII to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) on 12 July 2016 on the case between the Republic of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China. We are studying the Award and its implications on Singapore and the wider region.Singapore is not a claimant state and we do not take sides on the competing territorial claims. However, we support the peaceful resolution of disputes among claimants in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law, including Unclos, without resorting to the threat or use of force. As a small state, we strongly support the maintenance of a rules-based order that upholds and protects the rights and privileges of all states.Singapore values our long-standing and friendly relations with all parties, bilaterally and in the context of Asean. We urge all parties to fully respect legal and diplomatic processes, exercise self-restraint and avoid conducting any activities that may raise tensions in the region.Singapore supports the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and the expeditious conclusion of a legally binding Code of Conduct in the South China SeaIn other words, we did NOT even explicitly SUPPORT the ruling of the PCA in favor of the Philippines. We simply positively acknowledged the ruling and said that international law is important and we should all respect it. Can that be any less provocative? How could this be construed in any way as “taking sides”? Are the Chinese really so thin-skinned that they object to us even SPEAKING about the SCS issue?Let me remind you that the PCA was the same court that ruled in favor of our dispute with Malaysia over Pedra Branca. So what would the implication be if we supported the PCA ruling for ourselves, but turned a blind eye to its ruling over the SCS? International law for me, but not for thee?Note also that Singapore was not alone: Vietnam, Myanmar, and Malaysia also positively acknowledged or outright supported the ruling of the PCA. Why did we deserve to be singled out for coercion?Non-alignment/neutrality is a PREFERENCE. It is not a solution. Singapore cannot prosper and be secure simply by pursuing a “hiding” strategy of laying low and hoping not to be noticed. I will be happy to elaborate if you disagree. We host the US military because we consider it productive to our security interests (and that of regional security) for America to maintain a regional presence. This is to provide a counterweight to China and give us strategic space to maneuver. It is NOT to contain China or obstruct its rise.And while we are on the subject, we should note that the US military only maintains a purely rotational presence in Singapore. There are NO permanent US military bases or assets stationed here. The naval base which their aircraft carrier uses belongs to us. We should also further note that Singapore has NO formal treaty of alliance with America. In fact it is rumored that in 2003 America offered us the status of a major non-NATO ally - a formal security commitment from the US to defend Singapore…and we rejected them. Now, is that how we would behave if we were really American proxies?“I am non-aligned in the sense that I do not want to be involved in power blocs…but when my security, Singapore’s survival, Singapore’s prosperity is threatened, I cannot be neutral” - Lee Kuan Yew“Singapore has to take the world as it is, it is too small to change it. But we can try to maximise the space we have to maneuver among the big ‘trees’ in the region” - Lee Kuan Yew, One Man’s View of the World, 2013MYTH 5: Kishore claimed that “now that LKY is no longer with us, we should change our behaviour significantly…we should be very restrained in commenting on matters involving Great Powers”. I agree with him that we should be circumspect, pragmatic, even cold-blooded, when it comes to dealing with Great Powers. We must tread carefully.But has there been any fundamental change in Singapore’s policy toward China post-LKY? No. Our relationship with the US goes back to the 1990s. Likewise with China we have always (and I emphasize, we CONTINUE to) promote the engagement of China with the region and the world. China must come to terms with the world order, just as the world order must accommodate China.The Chinese like to grumble about the good old days of LKY and how well he got along with them. Again, they are not wrong. But this is a form of historical cherry-picking, of selective memory. Remember that LKY was one of the only Asian leaders to go up against a CCP-backed communist united front and win. Remember also that Mao’s China issued frequent propaganda proclamations labelling him a “running dog” of the West.Lee Kuan Yew’s views on China were not one-dimensional. They were complex and nuanced. They were tactful, yes, but honest and direct. He did not shy away from political incorrectness.“The Chinese may make a miscalculation…they may become assertive and pushy, which is contrary to their long-term interest, which is to win over the smaller countries in the south to their side” - Lee Kuan Yew, 2011“[My uncle-in-law] had this romantic idea that, you know, [China] is a land of my forefathers. I have no doubts that the land of my forefathers would have brought me down in the world…They (the Chinese) wanted me to contribute [to my uncle-in-law’s manor house which the Chinese refurbished and made into a historic tourist site]. I said no, no, I’m not Chinese, I’m Singaporean, I’m not going to visit the place…I have no romantic view about where I sprang from. I’m very grateful that my great grandmother who was born here decided she’s not going to go back (to China) with her husband because she doesn’t know China…I’m a lucky fellow. Yes, we are all lucky fellows. But the older generation has this romantic idea…I discovered when I was a student in England, that I had more in common with the Singaporeans and Malaysians of other races than with the Chinese from China because they are completely different. Their dress, their manners, their language. They are a different lot, that’s all. They come from a different society. Of course, at the end of the day they are Chinese.” -Lee Kuan Yew, Hard Truths, 2011“That romantic idea of going back to the bosom of your motherland is a delusion. We have become different, that’s all. You can go back to China, you’re still different…If you go to China, I don’t think you will belong. They’ll say okay, we’ll accept you. But look at even the Malayan communist cadres who sent their families and children there…- nevertheless, they were treated differently…You think you’re Chinese , and that you will blend in, but you will not. You are already different. We are already different. Just like the American and the British people, or for that matter, the South African whites, Australians, New Zealanders and the British. The Taiwanese mainlanders and Chinese mainlanders, who have not stayed in Taiwan, yes, they are same stock, same heritage, but had different exposure, different standpoints, different views of the world. Are we Chinese? Yes, ethnically. Can we sit down with the Chinese and really feel part of them? Not possible. Because you speak Chinese? No. Your major premises are in your mind” - Lee Kuan Yew, Hard Truths, 2011“[The Chinese] expect us to be more respectful - you must respect me. They tell us countries big or small are equal, we’re not a hegemon, 不称霸. But when we do something they don’t like, they say you have made 1.3 billion people unhappy … So please know your place” - Lee Kuan Yew, Hard Truths, 2011“I do not see Singapore surviving on the Chinese economy. If we spoke only Chinese, we would not be today’s Singapore. What is the difference if China is ten times stronger? It will make us ten times stronger? No. Our prosperity comes from linkages with the world…the future is the same. We are not Hainan Island. We are not Hong Kong, where they have no choice. We are in the centre of an archipelago of great diversity, with rich natural resources, and the world will come here” - Lee Kuan Yew, One Man’s View of the World, 2013“How can [the Chinese object to the American logistics hub here]? That is crude. If they ask us to stop the logistics base, our answer would be: you can use the logistics base and store your equipment here (so we would host both the Chinese and Americans” - Lee Kuan Yew, One Man’s View of the World, 2013“Singapore is quite comfortable with the Americans being present. We do not know how brash or assertive China will become. When I said in 2009 that we must balance China, they translated the word in Chinese into ‘conscribe’, and there was a big uproar among their netizens, who asked how dare I say that when I am Chinese. They are hypersensistive” - Lee Kuan Yew, One Man’s View of the World, 2013“You have to accept the fact that they (China) are the biggest boy in the neighbourhood. They will not be the biggest in the Pacific because the US will always be there to counterbalance them. But increasingly, they would be able to keep the US away from the coastal regions. That’s a development we have to accept. No more [uncomfortable for Singapore] than for the other countries…It’s even more tricky for Vietnam. We have no conflict of interest with China…we have no such overlapping claims with them.” - Lee Kuan Yew, One Man’s View of the World, 2013CONCLUSIONLet me emphasize again: I see the rise of China as a good thing in the long-term. It is not an ABSOLUTE good, but it is good. China is a FRIEND, even if friends can be pushy at times and we do not always agree with our friends about everything all the time. Singapore and China have no fundamental clash of core interests. Indeed, I think it is possible for our core interests to align with China. Not only with China, but also with the US, India, Japan, etc. Whether or not it aligns with China to a greater degree than with other powers is to be seen, and in large part decided, by China’s own behaviour.But in any case if there is alignment, our lodestar must always be our NATIONAL INTEREST - Singapore’s own national interest - determined by Singaporeans’ own choices ALONE and no one else’s, undiluted by the manipulation of ANY foreign entity. And in case you think I’m only referring to China, go look at our handling of the 1988 Hendrickson Affair.Huang Jing was only one manifestation of this. Foreign powers will continue to attempt to influence our policy. When they stick their fingers into our sovereign discursive space, we must continue to quietly, tactfully, but ruthlessly slice those fingers off.防人之心 不可无

I spent my adult life working in Fortune 100 companies. One of the key things I learned early on was that to solve a problem you had to understand the problem.I’m going to restate the question:“In transitioning from being a dependent adolescent to becoming an independent, i.e. financially self-sufficient, adult how important is college?”A quarter century ago the late Dr. Stephen Covey, businessman, author, and educator, wrote his most famous work, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. These “habits” are just as powerful today as they were twenty-five years ago.In particular when I talk to graduating high school students about college, Habit #2 is foremost in my mind:“Begin with the end in mind.”Usually these young people, dependent adolescents, are just thinking about getting accepted at a good college, or perhaps capturing that desirable piece of paper. My advice is that they think about their post-secondary education choices in the context of how they can become independent, financially self-sufficient, adults.In that light college is ONE of the potential pathways to that goal.Unfortunately educators, guidance counselors, politicians, social media, pop culture figures, and, yes, probably their parents have filled their heads with misinformation. I am going to attempt to dispel twelve of the college myths they are likely to have soaked up.Myth #1 A college degree is the surefire road to middle class, or better, prosperity.Mastering a marketable skill and (probably) earning a credential is the roadway to financial self-sufficiency. In the-good-old-days--fifty years ago--college was the traditional path to accomplish this. If you graduated with any kind of a degree with any GPA, you could waltz out of the college gates straight into a well-paying, entry level corporate job. College in America doesn’t work that way anymore. College today is a speculation. You need to hedge your bets.Myth #2 A college degree is the new high school diploma.This is nonsense. Unlike fifty years ago many four-year degrees are completely worthless in today’s job market. A high school diploma is free. A four-year degree costs a pile of money, and that changes the calculus dramatically.Myth #3 With a bachelor’s degree you’ll make a $1,000,000 more than with a high school diploma.James Altucher and I have written extensively on Quora why this oft stated catchphrase is not true. The problem is that, intuitively, it sounds and feels right. I’m not going to reproduce the entire counterargument, but here are three of the major points:• On the first day of Statistics 101 we are taught “correlation is not causation.” The economy rewards smart people. Smart people go to college.• The data includes lots of people who graduated before 2008. The job world changed dramatically in 2008.• Sometimes the data includes figures gathered through surveys. Guess who responds to the surveys?Myth #4 Go to the best school you can get into.Go to the best school you can afford that is strong in your marketable major.Myth #5 Go to college and explore your potential major.Flip the college decision-making paradigm. Identify a career. Pick your major. Choose the right school.Myth #6 The financial aid office will help you figure out how to pay for college.The financial aid officer works for the college. You have to do your own homework, and it is very complicated.Myth #7 It doesn’t matter what you major in, just get a degree.With hordes of high school graduates rushing like lemmings to the ivied halls there is a huge supply (grads) versus demand (suitable jobs) problem. Half of all recent college grads are under employed or unemployed. College is a competition for a few good jobs. Your major matters.Myth #8 Invest in yourself. A college degree always pays off regardless of cost or the amount of student loan debt.After spending an average of five years studying, fifty-one percent of 2016 college graduates are making $35,000 or less. Seventy percent of these grads have debt—the average being $37,000. Do these statistics lead you to believe these grads made a good investment decision?Myth #9 Your advisor can be depended on to lay out your course schedule and tailor a plan of study.Take responsibility for your course schedule and plan of study. Your advisor is juggling a lot of balls in the air. If he drops one, that is going to cost you.Myth #10 Student loans are “good” debt.In this job market career outcomes are highly uncertain. Student loan debt will “own” you when you graduate. Be very conservative in taking on debt.Myth #11 There is nothing to be done about the escalating costs of post-secondary education.Many of the costs are manageable or negotiable. Become a savvy consumer. Make better choices.Myth #12 Your college degree will get you a job.It will be your entire resume including experiential learning and your contacts that will get you that first good job.I try to give recent high school grads something to think about before they commit to devoting four, five, or six years of their life and thousands of their parents’ hard earned dollars to earning a bachelor’s degree. That four-year degree might be the right credential to get them on their way towards financial self-sufficiency, or perhaps not.Community college is a much less risky and a much less expensive route.Dr. Kevin Fleming, “(RE)Defining the Goal: The True Path to Career Readiness in the 21st Century,” explains where some of the good jobs are:“The true ratio of jobs in our economy is 1:2:7. For every occupation that requires a master’s degree or more, two professional jobs require a university degree, and there are over a half a dozen jobs requiring a 1-year certificate or a 2-year degree, and each of these technicians is in very high-skilled areas in high demand.”Your local community colleges has numerous marketable, technical certifications. Hopefully you can pursue this full time. If your financial aid doesn’t allow that, do your best and go part time. Earn that certification and get a better job. Now layer that certification and get an Associate’s degree. Now you can get an even better job.Other pathways include the military, trade schools, apprenticeships, and on-the-job training opportunities.Notes:Ironically a lot of these college myths weren’t myths fifty years ago. It WAS my college degree that got me my first “real” job. On a whim I answered a newspaper ad and SHAZAM! Sorry, guys. That’s not how it works today.I live two miles from a community college. One of my favorite programs there leads to an Associate’s Degree certifying graduates to install and maintain robots. The maximum cost to earn this degree would be $10,000 however some of the classes are free—government grants. The jobs are full time with benefits--$25/hour. There is one serious problem—very little interest. The class sizes run 3-4 students. There is a mechatronics program at Gateway Community and Technical College in Northern Kentucky. The technology is incredible. The state and local industries have invested millions. They have the capacity to train 200. They graduated 27 students last spring—no interest. Local industries are not happy. Another local school, Great Oaks Community College, has dropped their plumbing certification—no interest.This answer always elicits a few comments along the line of, “It’s not the purpose of colleges to provide vocational training. That’s beneath the dignity of the institutions of higher learning.” To which I respond, “We are LONG past the point where the average family can afford to send ‘little Johnny’ to college to ‘find himself.’”