Last Days in Singapore

By Sofia Roche-Vidaurre, National University of Singapore

A year abroad goes by fast, so this final blog post is to reflect on the academic year and my personal experience.

Although I love Manchester, I will miss Singapore every day. Student life is very different, and I found that overall, the academic level is very strong. I found you needed more study time and project organization to meet the standards at NUS. As my courses had continuous grading throughout the semester, I was constantly juggling 3 to 4 projects at a time. This required more organization and time management compared to Manchester where most of my courses tended to have 1 small project and a final exam. On the other hand, like Manchester, all the professors were extremely attentive and willing to help you with projects and course work. They all have office hours and are very accessible through email. Another positive is that these courses tend to have an APAC (Asian-Pacific) perspective. This gave me a lot of insight into APAC markets, industries and overall business culture which is very different from the west. Not only is this helpful for your own personal formation but it gives you valuable insight into new ways of problem solving and industry perspectives. I strongly recommend you try and network and apply early to internships if you want to stay for the summer. Although most companies will have a language requirement you could still potentially land internships at big multi-nationals.

Now for my personal experience. Singapore was the best option for me, as it was a busy metropolitan country situated close to many other exciting travel destinations. Not only is it the safest country I have lived in, but it was also the cleanest and best organized (buses/MRT). One thing I was not aware of was how small the actual city is, so looking back I wish I had planned more trips for the weekends. There are many beach destinations nearby so try and make the most of your days off by going on long weekend trips to Indonesia and Malaysia. Two places I regret not visiting was Indonesia and Taiwan, the reason being is Indo is so close by and Taiwan has amazing street food. Regardless it is always good to leave some places for next time!

I also want to leave some tips in this blog to hopefully make your time in Singapore easier.

Singapore is always hot -> You will never need a jacket thus do not pack too many warm items. Although if you are planning on visiting China, Korea or Japan in the winter make sure to have at least one jacket and a couple sweaters as it can get very cold.
Plan your days-> As it is very hot and humid mid-day, I found it best to go to the gym and study before 12pm. This worked for me as I was able to get everything done early and relax during the hottest hours of the day.
Show your student pass-> Your visa in Singapore is called a student pass. Since I stayed a full year it qualifies you under the long-term residents thus you can show it and get into museums for free. So just ask and make sure you get the discount if it is available as sometimes museum staff will assume you are just a tourist.
Pick a good phone plan-> You will most likely want to travel around APAC, thus, make sure your phone is not only good locally but also abroad. Most people by sim/Esim cards when they travel but you can avoid the airport hassle if your provider offers international gigabyte add ons to you phone plan. Make sure to research as I chose the cheapest option and I ended up having to block the company from billing me as the app made it impossible to cancel my phone line.
Make local friends-> Although obvious, it is easy to get comfortable with only meeting other exchange students. It can be difficult to get to know people in your classes as they already have their friend groups. But as the semester goes on you will have more chances. I added this because locals know all the best food spots, coffee shops, clubs, and places to visit around the city. So, try and make the effort while you are there!

To enjoy and relax before moving back I spent a full 5 days in Singapore revisiting all my favorite restaurants, coffee shops, museums and more. I went to Lau Pa Sat to have a traditional breakfast and then to Din Tai Fung for amazing Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings). I revisited the shop houses in the Tanjong Pagar neighborhood, botanical gardens, Marina Bay sands and the huge park behind it. I also made one last trip with friends to Sentosa which is Singapore’s main beach. Overall, my year abroad was an amazing experience which I hope anyone reading this also gets to have! <3