AY 24-25 year in NUS July 08, 2025
By A student (Biology, HSSP, Brandeis University) - abroad from 08/05/2024 to 05/10/2025 with
National University of Singapore: Singapore - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned a lot of the Singaporean culture and their unique Singlish. I was also exposed to their education system and loved exploring there in general!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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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? |
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| * Food: |
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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
I loved the people I met and my dorm mates. However, I wish I devoted more time to exploration and would have involved myself more with the on-campus clubs. |
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) |
Only breakfast and dinner were part of the meal plan, depending where you were housed. Other housing didn't have any meals and you were expected to purchase meals by yourself. A meal ranged from 5-10 dollars, thus around 150 dollars without a meal plan and excluding other necessities. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | around 100 a week on bare necessities and food |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If able, go to the school canteen or hawker centers and just get the cheapest options. Or try to enter housing with meal plans (the halls of nus, not houses or colleges) |
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? | I wish I read up about NUS's grading and course system more beforehand as well as learned about their approach to important social topics, such as racism and sexism. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
