Rigorous Program in a Fun City to Explore May 05, 2025
By A student (Economics & data science, Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/20/2025 to 05/09/2025 with
National University of Singapore: Singapore - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Learned more about Southeast Asia and the culture in Singapore.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
On par with Wellesley rigor |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was nice to be guaranteed a single but the room itself was quite tiny and the building felt a little run down. The main problem though was the mold. Several of my friends found mold in their room (on their clothes, on their belongings, on the walls, etc.) in the first couple months of school. I ended up finding mold in my room (mainly on my clothes and suitcases) in the last week in Singapore. The humidity and heat are not a good combo for mold. The school tried to help by bleaching the room but it was not enough. |
| * Food: |
Great study abroad option for people who are halal! Dining hall (and all food centers) have specific halal options. That being said, there weren't a ton of vegetarian options. Each day, there were 5 cuisine options in the dining hall, of which only 2 (the Asian and Indian stalls) had vegetarian options. But the food was generally good! Dining halls provided a nice balanced meal. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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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
Great opportunity to study abroad in Asia for English-speakers! Rigorous academics that present a new way of learning. |
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) |
Singapore is generally quite cheap! Food is yummy and cheap - $3-8 USD per meal at hawker stalls. Restaurant prices are a little cheaper than US prices but most meals are at hawker stalls. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $30 |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? |
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? | NUS does not provide a ton of support in helping exchangers meet each other. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
