'Call me entitled if you want': Indonesian woman seeks funding for SMU MBA“你想说我自以为是就说吧”：印尼女性寻求新加坡管理大学MBA项目资助
An Indonesian woman who got accepted into Singapore Management University (SMU) has sought funding from people online, she said in a Threads post on Saturday (Sept 19).Evelyn Clarissa Siregar shared that she was accepted to the Master of Business Administration (MBA) full-time programme for January 2027, but needs to secure the tuition fees in less than three months."I secured a...
An Indonesian woman who got accepted into Singapore Management University (SMU) has sought funding from people online, she said in a Threads post on Saturday (Sept 19).
Evelyn Clarissa Siregar shared that she was accepted to the Master of Business Administration (MBA) full-time programme for January 2027, but needs to secure the tuition fees in less than three months.
"I secured a $3,000 discount on tuition fees, but no… it's far from enough," she wrote in her post.
She needs $82,480 in total, excluding living expenses in Singapore which she estimates to be between $2,000 and $2,500 per month.
"This post is a request for help," Siregar said. "I am looking for sponsors."
In return, she promises to pay back the amount in skills and experiences that she has — the same skills and experiences that she will refine in her MBA programme
In particular, she highlights her skills in selling IT products between companies and connecting them with Indonesian businesses, as well as content creation.
"If you look at my journey, I always come in at the early phase [of business]," she said, sharing that she has helped smaller companies navigate their "messy early stages".
She added: "Here's one more fact about me: I'm 28, with no husband and no kids. I have absolutely nothing preventing me from soaring higher except for the funding."
Are jobs a privilege?
Her post has been panned, with one user describing her actions as "online begging".
"Online begging but can afford for vacation to South Korea, play paddle, getting drunk, visiting Thailand , Malaysia... the audacity," the user accused.
"Babygirl, make it make sense. The money you spent on entertainment can easily help with your funding if you don't waste it on useless things like clubbing."
The user, like others, also questioned why she has not chosen to work and save up for tuition.
She replied: "Not everyone has that privilege. I am one of them."
Her response resulted in futher condemnation from netizens, who felt that she was trying to "invert the concept".
"The privilege would be to go without working/saving first; to get someone to pay it for you," commented one.
Another lashed at Siregar: "If you do not possess the capability to first secure a job and support yourself, what leads you to such presumption — this overwhelming sense of entitlement — that you assume you are entitled to find a sponsor who will fund your MBA and your living expenses according to your terms?
"Is this level of entitlement even remotely reasonable and truly justified in your mind or is it something you genuinely believe others ought to accommodate?"
'Call me entitled if you want'
Following the backlash, Siregar responded to feedback from the public.
She thanked netizens for their replies and advice, sharing that she has been pitching sponsors via email, setting up meetings with potential sponsors and sending out scholarship applications.
"Call me entitled if you want, but I'm just a girl knocking on every single door to fight for my dream," she concluded.
khooyihang@asiaone.com
一位被新加坡管理大学 (SMU) 录取的印尼女性在周六（9 月 19 日）的 Threads 帖子中表示，她已在网上寻求资助。
Evelyn Clarissa Siregar透露，她已被2027年1月入学的工商管理硕士（MBA）全日制课程录取，但她需要在不到三个月的时间内筹集到学费。
“我争取到了 3000 美元的学费折扣，但是……这远远不够，”她在帖子中写道。
她总共需要 82,480 美元，还不包括在新加坡的生活费用，她估计每月的生活费用在 2,000 美元到 2,500 美元之间。
“这篇帖子是求助帖，”西雷加尔说。“我正在寻找赞助商。”
作为回报，她承诺将以她所拥有的技能和经验来偿还这笔款项——这些技能和经验她将在MBA课程中不断提升。
她尤其强调了自己在公司间销售 IT 产品、将这些产品与印尼企业联系起来以及内容创作方面的技能。
“如果你回顾我的创业历程，就会发现我总是从企业发展的早期阶段开始介入，”她说道，并分享了她如何帮助规模较小的公司度过“混乱的早期阶段”。
她补充道：“关于我还有一点：我28岁，单身，没有孩子。除了资金之外，我没有任何东西能阻止我取得更大的成就。”
工作是一种特权吗？
她的帖子遭到了批评，一位用户称她的行为是“网上乞讨”。
“在网上乞讨，却有能力去韩国度假、打板球、喝酒、去泰国、马来西亚……真是厚颜无耻，”该用户指责道。
“宝贝，说清楚点。如果你不把钱浪费在去夜店这种无用的事情上，花在娱乐上的钱完全可以用来资助你。”
和其他用户一样，这位用户也质疑为什么她不选择工作攒钱上大学。
她回答说：“不是每个人都有这种特权。我就是其中之一。”
她的回应招致了网友的进一步谴责，网友们认为她是在试图“颠倒概念”。
“这种特权就是不用先工作/储蓄，就能让别人替你付钱，”一位网友评论道。
另一名网友猛烈抨击西雷加尔：“如果你没有能力先找到工作养活自己，是什么让你如此自负——如此强烈的优越感——以至于你认为自己有权找到一个赞助商，按照你的条件资助你的MBA课程和生活费用？”
“在你看来，这种程度的权利意识有丝毫合理性和正当性吗？还是你真心认为别人应该迁就你？”
“你想说我自以为是就说吧。”
在遭到强烈反对后，西雷加尔回应了公众的反馈。
她感谢网友们的回复和建议，并表示她一直在通过电子邮件联系赞助商，安排与潜在赞助商的会面，并发送奖学金申请。
“你可以说我自以为是，但我只是一个为了追逐梦想而挨家挨户敲门的女孩，”她总结道。
khooyihang@asiaone.com