Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Singapore- the perfect study abroad experience Past Review

By (The College of William and Mary) - abroad from 01/03/2012 to 05/06/2012 with

National University of Singapore: Singapore - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was incredibly worthwhile; I gained an increased familiarity with other cultures and patterns of thinking, and I ended up learning more than I could possibly communicate in this space.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Excellent resources available at all times, excellent professors, but the rigor of the courses was not particularly high. Grading was harsh, but assignments were few and far between.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

After a bit of a rough orientation period, the

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

On-campus housing is quite nice, but the majority of the dorms do not have air-conditioning, so beware! Otherwise, perfectly adequate quarters, decent food, and fairly interactive hall culture.

* Food:

The hall food is not great, but other food is easy to get in Singapore, and it is absolutely fantastic and super cheap. The faculty canteens are amazing.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Housing

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 40-80 USD
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Alcohol in Singapore is very expensive, so you can limit your expenditures quite a bit by cutting back on drinking and making use of various student and reduced-rate nights if you do go out. Food otherwise can be found very cheap for very high quality.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The opportunity to travel widely outside of school
  • The range of interesting courses offered
  • THE FOOD
* What could be improved?
  • The halls could put forth effort in integrating spring semester exchange students
  • The class sign-up process could be made more clear
  • The level of academic rigor could be improved
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Mandarin Chinese is of little communicative use in Singapore- stick with English.