My workplace hires a mix of NUS/NTU/SMU grads. Ministry, but I won't disclose which. My dept mostly has grads from the social sciences/humanities side from all three universities. I guess from where I work, the pro-activeness and the "street-smarts" of SMU grads can't really be applied. Those skills are probably more applicable in the business sector. Surprisingly, its the NTU grads that really shine here. Surprising because NUS FASS is the supposed bastion of Social Sciences and NTU's HSS is only about 10 years old.

But as their (indirect) supervisor, I honestly prefer the NTU grads for their technical know-how. They pretty much know a lot in terms of content. Also, probably due to their FYP-requirement, many of them are quite skilled with stats, can't say the same about NUS grads that are without honours, nor can I say the same about SMU grads, math and statistics somehow just creep them out.

In terms of knowledge about current and recent political climatic changes, relevant to my dept, the NTU grads also come out ahead. I was pretty shocked that one of the SMU grads didn't even know that Burma = Myanmar and that when talking to most Burmese, referring to the country as Burma is more acceptable than referring it to Myanmar since Myanmar is the name that is used by the Junta. So it really didn't matter that this SMU grad had OCIP to that very same country unlike the NTU/NUS grad, he obviously took nothing back other than pictures with cute orphans.

NTU students are also more obedient and thorough. They make really good civil servants. Its not an insult, if you've ever worked in the civil service, or if you're a guy and dealt with paperwork in NS. You'll realise the number of protocols and forms and channels one has to follow in order to complete certain tasks i.e bureaucracy. NTU students can do them really well and at lightning speed after they get used to it. SMU/NUS grads tend to leave several parts undone and try to circumvent protocols. Sure, we ALL know its easier that way, but protocols and rules are there for a good reason. And although it may be a hassle, it is still very much a requirement.

That said, Im sure university students from each university has strengths and weaknesses. It just depends on how they play to their strengths when applying for jobs. Seems to me that NTU grads excel in places where work is more technical, NUS grads excel in academia, whereas SMU grads would do well in places where persuasion and creativity is key. Just my 2 cents.