PUBLISHED ONJanuary 12, 2026 7:48 AMBYYeo Shu HuiDennis Chew will commence his undergraduate studies tonight (Jan 12) at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).
The 52-year-old local DJ-actor told AsiaOne in an interview today that he enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Studies course under the university's School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences as a part-time student.
He shared: "I chose this course because it's more relevant to my work and language-wise, obviously my Chinese is better than my English. Also, I have always been very curious about and interested in knowing Chinese history.
"Some of my favourite authors are Chinese and there is always special meaning in the things they wrote, and I'd like to get to know the meaning behind it. I guess Chinese studies is really relevant and something that suits me well."
While the degree programme is a three-year course, Dennis, who graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a diploma in Chinese media and communication in May 2025, hopes that he will be able to graduate within two-and-a-half years with exemptions from the modules he had studied previously.
About moving into the next stage of his academic journey, he said: "It's a mixture of excitement, curiosity and worry. I'm very excited because this is something that I look forward to very much and I'm very interested in.
"I believe being a university student means that the workload is very extreme compared to a polytechnic student. I think everything is upgraded to the next level. I don't know whether I can handle it or not, that's why I am very worried and curious at the same time about how much work I would need to handle."
As a part-time student taking four modules this semester, Dennis will be attending classes in the evening from 7pm to 10pm, four times a week.
He added that this arrangement allows him to manage both his work and studies at the same time — he can go home and take a rest after hosting Love 972's The Breakfast Quartet radio show in the morning, before going to classes in the evening.
This "special timing" that SUSS offers is also the reason why Dennis withdrew from National University of Singapore (NUS), where he was offered a place in the College of Humanities and Sciences' Chinese studies degree programme last year.
"NUS were very supportive when they knew about [my decision] and very happy for me, because they knew that they don't have this scheme that's available at SUSS, so at least I can fulfil my university dream," he added.
With lessons on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, Dennis admitted his schedule would be a bit hectic.
"None of my university mates took four modules. Everyone only took two or three modules... It's okay — bitter first, sweetness comes later," he laughed.
He attended the university's freshmen orientation on Jan 10, which he found "very cute".
Due to limited classrooms on the campus, Dennis shared he would be returning to his alma mater Ngee Ann Polytechnic, which is located just next door, for some of his lessons.
"[The orientation] is an interesting experience, I can see that everyone is really looking forward for the school to start," he said.
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