by Sofia Roche, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Going to a new university is a big change. It’s kind of like starting as a Yr. 1 and having to get used to a new campus, learning styles, applications and much more. The positive side is NUS is extremely organized and everything you need will be communicated to your through you NUS email.
Continue reading “Day-to-Day at NUS”
By Emma Phillips, Singapore Management University, Singapore.
If you are ever studying, working, or travelling in Southeast Asia, then one trip you absolutely must do is the Ha Giang Loop. It consists of four days riding through Northern Vietnam witnessing beautiful panoramic views and the opportunity to spend time with many of the locals. What more could you want?
By Ruohan Zhang, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Today, I am going to share the experience of starting the exchange at NUS in Singapore…
Continue reading “NUS Beginning The Exchange”
by Sofia Roche Vidaurre, National University of Singapore, Singapore
The first thing that stands out about the city is the abundant nature. It is great for those who enjoy walking around metropolitan areas while having the option of getting lost in nature. The famous Gardens by the Bay is a mix between the futuristic Super trees and Cloud Forest, providing a sanctuary of greenery and tranquility. And only 30min away by public transport there is beaches on Sentosa Island to enjoy hotter tropical days!
Continue reading “Living in Singapore!”By Aaminah Azoor, Nangyan Technology University, Singapore
Here are my top 5 things I wish I knew before I went on my study abroad!! I hope any potential study-abroad students find this helpful!
If you liked this, follow my YouTube channel for more: @aaminahazoor !!
By Emma Phillips, Singapore Management University, Singapore.
Since I have now been in Singapore for over six months, here are some of the things you should be aware of when you arrive.
By Emma Phillips, Singapore Management University, Singapore.
I have now been in Singapore for six months, so I have had time to reflect upon the application process. Here are my top tips for anyone who is moving to Singapore, and more specifically attending SMU.
By Emma Phillips, Singapore Management University, Singapore.
With exams and the first semester coming to a close, one of the main things on my mind was the fact that after spending every day with new friends from all over the world I would have to say goodbye to a large majority of them.
Here is how we spent one final week together on the most spoken about Indonesian island, Bali.
By Emma Phillips, Singapore Management University, Singapore
Time in Singapore is flying by. Before I knew it, we had reached the mid-term mark and it was time to travel to Vietnam for recess week. Here are the highlights.
By Emma Phillips, Singapore Management University, Singapore
I have been in Singapore for just over a month now and time truly has flown. August and the start of September have brought many opportunities. Here is what I’ve done, how I met people and my highlights of Southeast Asia so far.
When I began this adventure in January, this was not at all how I envisioned it ending. Coronavirus and government recall meant that I had to leave sunny Singapore very quickly. Whilst the government recall, the pain of getting a new plane ticket and, leaving all my new friends behind was not how I envisioned it ending, I can’t say it hasn’t been memorable.
My time abroad has not only allowed me the opportunity to travel and have amazing new adventures, but stretch and challenge myself. I will never forget the amazing views of sunrises in Surabaya, rainforests in Laos, and lanterns in Taiwan. However, for me it was the people who made my experience so amazing. I never thought I would make such important friendships so quickly, and yet we’ve already planned our New Years celebration together! People often joke that you “find yourself in Southeast Asia”, and I definitely found the best group of friends. People who I would quite literally jump off a cliff after, and people who immediately agreed to finish my checklist with me on my very sudden last days in Singapore. I feel extremely lucky to have shared amazing memories with these people, and I know this is the first of many adventures for us!
I also feel that Singapore has made a lasting impact on me. I am more spontaneous and willing to take risks, to plan a trip on Thursday night and leave Friday morning. It has broadened my horizons by allowing me to take risks and grow. I know I can travel alone and live on the other side of the world and it not end in mass disaster. Living abroad has made me more independent and self-sufficient. From organising my own VISA, to navigating boarder crossings at night, it’s safe to say that I definitely learnt a variety of life skills!
Whilst my time in Southeast Asia was cut short, I wouldn’t trade my experience, or the friendships I made! (And don’t worry I’ll be back there next summer for a new adventure!)
FROM A STUDENT WHO ALMOST DIDN’T GO
To those students going abroad in Semester 2 just as I did, the long wait between receiving your placement offer and that eventual flight out can feel endless. There were many times I found myself frantically trying to recount why I’d wanted to go abroad in the first place – the initial excitement now wearing off and the reality of the wait ahead sinking in.
But as a student who DID go, and who found herself lying awake on one of her last nights at the National University of Singapore, thinking – almost alarmed – about the fact she’d nearly cancelled her placement; here are the five things I wish I knew before studying abroad, which would have made that wait easier.
1. There really is nothing quite like studying abroad
There’s summer travel, sure, but being in a foreign place and living like a local with a stream of new friends at your disposal, and plenty of pastoral and financial support? Now that’s something I could do with more often! While abroad I became so aware of how unique this experience was. Having the support from a university (particularly in a pandemic) in this process was invaluable, and knowing I had assistance should I have run into difficulty mean’t I was able to enjoy the experience so much more fully. It’s an opportunity I would recommend to anyone, and one I feel sad I won’t be able to replicate again.
2. Your university friends won’t move on without you
This is the hard part. Many students worry about this! Although you’ll be gone a long time and life can get busy, stay in touch with your uni friends. Find out what’s happening back home and share with them what new things you’re trying. When you come back, if you find you’re not as close to some people as when you left – that’s okay! It’s a normal part of life! But those core people really do stay with you. My study abroad came as a time where I felt my social life was peaking, I was growing closer to new friends, and I couldn’t see why I’d ‘ruin’ a good thing. All I can say is: take the plunge! It feels crazy in the moment, but a second semester in Manchester, although fun, never really could have challenged and enriched me like a semester abroad did.
3. A little bit of uncertainty does you good
Studying in a foreign country can seem incredible daunting. New people, new routines, new food – but if anything, being abroad made me so much calmer and far more adaptable to unfamiliar situations – without me even realising it! There are moments you feel homesick, or caught unawares, or out of your depth – but they pass, and leave you a little bit more resilient each time. There’s no growth without a bit of challenge.
4. You’ll learn to become a tourist in your own city
It really did take spending three months studying 10,841km away from home to remind me how thrilling it is to be a tourist. When I returned that summer that feeling stayed, and I found myself really taking in the places I grew up in, but seeing all the usual details I’d usually miss. Even the most mundane things fascinated me whilst abroad – all those little cultural differences we aren’t even aware of. Coming home, I paid more attention to them and more so in my final year at Manchester.
5. You really won’t stop talking about it when you come home
Everyone always jokes about the gap year students who talk non-stop about the time they spent abroad – but that’s for a reason, and it’s going to become you! Your friends might roll their eyes, but so many little things back home home will remind you of what you miss about your time abroad. It could be an inside joke no one understands, or an insatiable craving for those amazing paratha in the uni canteen you now need to replicate, or being able to sit outside on warm evenings with friends now scattered across the globe. These things stay with you, and although sometimes missing them hits hard, I really do feel so lucky to have something to miss!
