A day in the life at NUS, Singapore

By Reuben Passi, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore

Getting used to the course load and structure of NUS can be difficult at first especially whilst trying to adjust to living abroad! So I decided to break down an average uni day in my life. 

9:00-10:00 – Wake up and get ready for the day. My accommodation is catered for breakfast/dinner so at about 9:30 I go down and have breakfast. More often than not there will be a friend or familiar face also in the dining hall which is a nice start to the day to have a quick catchup before uni! 

10:00-12:00 – Normally I use this to catch up on any work that I haven’t done or do any extra odd jobs that might need doing during the day as I planned my timetable so that I wouldn’t have to have any early starts! 

12:00-16:00 – I am normally in 3 days a week for a few hours (sometimes more/less dependent on the day) but it averages out to 12 hours of contact hours per week. Sadly classes can often be back-to-back which means you do have to rush to eat each class is often 90-100 minutes allowing you a fair bit of time to pick something up whilst heading to your next class. If I am lucky enough to have time for a proper lunch, I will meet a friend at one of the food centres on campus (the veggie stall at The Deck IYKYK) and catch up over some great cheap food. My classes are delivered in a weekly lecture format with bi-weekly seminars across the semester meaning that every other week my timetable is different, but I find this format quite enjoyable as it allows you more free time during the week. 

16:00-18:00 – During this time I’ll often go and pick up an iced coffee from one of the cheap drink stalls on campus (approximately £1.30-1.80) which is truly a lifesaver. Then, I go and study, often in one of the outdoor shaded seating areas due to the heat, for a couple of hours just to make sure I am staying on top of all my deadlines and projects. 

18:00-21:00 – After that, I head back to my accommodation and rest for a bit before heading down to the dining hall for dinner where I often end up sitting for a couple of hours with friends and chatting about everything and nothing before heading up to bed or depending on the day, out for the evening!  

Overall, as long as you keep on top of things, managing a day in the life at NUS is super straightforward and very manageable when you get into a routine!