Perfect Jumping Off Point Past Review
By Alice_6276 (Plan Ii, The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 08/06/2012 to 12/08/2012 with
National University of Singapore: Singapore - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
While I might have some complaints, overall the experience in and around Singapore was amazing. It was a great combination of an accessible educational experience and a fascinating and diverse region. I learned so much about so many different cultures, as well as what it means to be an American in many different contexts. This kind of exposure puts a lot in perspective. It has challenged me to take a new approach to considering the effects of my way of life on a larger scale. It was absolutely worthwhile, and I can't wait to have more experiences like it.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I took classes in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences which I think were less rigorous than other classes offered at NUS and less rigorous than their counterparts at my home university. I felt like less material was covered and there was not enough emphasis on individual inquiry or group discussion on topics. The bulk of emphasis was generally on the final exam, none of which were particularly comprehensive or even particularly challenging. Perhaps I did not take the right classes, but unfortunately my choices seemed a bit limited as an exchange student. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I did not have many dealings with the program administration, but I do remember being a bit confused at the beginning of the semester exactly which office was meant to be helping exchange students.The whole system, especially online, can be quite confusing when registering for classes and trying to contact administrators. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in Prince George's Park in a Type A room. While I was very glad to have my own bathroom and air conditioning, the building was overall very poorly maintained and not very well managed. My walls were molding and the hall kitchen was fairly useless. Shared bathrooms were not adequately cleaned. Also it could be a pain getting to class from PGP as I mostly had to use the shuttle bus to get across campus and it was often over crowded and didn't run according to a logical schedule. But the food options at PGP were great, as is it's proximity to the MRT station! |
| * Food: |
Great and cheap food all over campus! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Unfortunately I felt like it was a bit difficult to integrate with local students in my classes. All of my classes had quite a few exchange students in them and we tended to get lumped together. But that's to be expected I guess. If you're really outgoing you shouldn't really have any problems, most local students I met were very friendly! Another barrier was that most local students seemed to live in halls or off campus, whereas exchange students tend to live in PGP or Utown. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
Food and housing ended up being comprable to my home university. But other things like toiletries, clothes, and of course travel expenses made it a bit more difficult. Also most things to do in Singapore are quite expensive - on many occasions I had to forgo a social outing because of budget constraints. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100? It varied a lot depending on if I was traveling. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save your money for trips out of town! Going out in Singapore is expensive and not nearly as fun as going on amazing trips! Book flights as early as you can to get the best deals on budget carriers! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That a semester flies by fast, so take advantage of every single opportunity to meet new people and see new places. Also, sunscreen costs $20 a bottle in Singapore, so bring some from home. |
