Many people were surprised when I, an international student at KI, decided to apply for exchange studies. There were several reasons why I decided to spend one semester abroad. First of all, I am originally from Poland which does not differ much from Sweden in terms of culture and climate. Thus, moving to Sweden for my master studies was not that challenging for me. However, the diversity of my class at KI piqued my curiosity about more distant parts of the world. Both students from Singapore and Swedish students who travelled to Singapore during their bachelor studies encouraged me to visit the Lion City. I realized that doing my exchange studies at one of the world’s top universities, the National University of Singapore, would be a good opportunity to gain work experience within biomedicine that would enrich my future professional life. Another advantage of choosing Singapore as exchange semester destination was a quite easy computerized application system. As the collaboration between NUS and KI is well established I received lots of good advice from KI international student coordinator while planning my exchange.

Even though Singapore is located in Asia, it is not too exotic for a European. You don’t even need to get any vaccinations before going there. You will receive a good introduction about practical healthcare issues and other formal issues from International Officers at KI. On the other hand, you should look up some information about the neighboring countries if you’re planning to travel around before coming back to Stockholm.

International students are asked to arrive in Singapore at least a week before the semester starts. There are several reasons for that. Firstly, during the introductory week, NUS officials help with applying for Student Pass and explain course registration. The application process takes about two weeks and you cannot leave Singapore during that time. Otherwise your Student Pass application will be cancelled and you need to apply again on your own which might be a bit problematic. Secondly, you need to adapt to the time zone, climate, food and culture. When you think about Singapore as a country, you think it is small. But when you think about it as a city which is a home to 6 million people, you might be overwhelmed and have troubles getting around. And last but not least, if you are planning to do a research project during your exchange semester, it would be a good idea to go to your lab to get to know the supervisor, colleagues and the facility before the official project starting time. I would be much easier to make any changes to your project, courses or housing if you come before the semester starts. The introductory week is also a good opportunity to meet other exchange students. You can meet new friends and explore Singapore together in your free time!

Financial part of the exchange at NUS is pretty clear. All the fees are clearly stated in the application. The major costs you would need to consider are housing, food, transportation and leisure/travels.

Housing: If you want to keep the living costs down and socialize with both Singaporean and international students, make sure you apply for a room on campus. Meal plan comes together with housing which is very convenient.  In general, cost of student housing in Singapore is similar to Stockholm. Much depends on your needs and way of living. In case you are aiming for a luxurious apartment, there are plenty of flats you can share with other people. Costs would be significantly lower than apartments of similar standard in Stockholm.  You can find some offers on easyroommate.com.sg!

Food: Forget about your IKEA lunch box and the microwave oven! Singapore is a paradise when it comes to food options and prices. Lunches and dinners are also very important parts of the local culture. If you eat in local canteens and food courts your lunch should cost you around 5 SGD, which is less than 30 SEK! Dinners are a bit more expensive. I recommend trying local hawker centers which offer a variety of cheap local food.

I stayed on campus. My first room was in a residence hall. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this kind of accommodation. Although it is one of the cheapest housing options, it is not adapted to international students. They are home to Chinese freshmen students and all activities are directed towards them. Exchange students might find themselves a bit lonely. Fortunately, I managed to switch my housing to residential college in the University Town. And the University Town is the place you want to live! It consists of several residential colleges, a graduate residence, big and modern library, canteen and a new recreation center with a pool on the rooftop! Most of the international students stay at the Graduate Residence. It consists of air-conditioned furnished student flats.

There are no big differences in teaching methods between NUS and KI. Class work consists of lectures, assignments, and group presentations. Teachers are very helpful and offer extra office hours if you need. The only noticeable difference in lectures is that students try to avoid discussions. Teachers know that problem and they try to encourage the students to share their thoughts in classroom and ask questions if they do not understand the topic.

Well... they speak English in Singapore but you might have difficulties understanding it. At least at the beginning! Then you will get used to different accents and mixing English with Chinese. Some bookstores even sell English-Singlish dictionaries! 

Do not worry too much about language though. They use proper English at school and other institutions. Ordering food in local places of Little India or Chinatown might be a bit challenging though.

It’s all about food! While in Sweden you meet your friends for a fika in the afternoon and drinks in the evening, Asians value lunch and dinner get-togethers. Lunch is a great opportunity to get to know your classmates and coworkers. Dinner, on the other hand, is a more official event. Singaporenas are very particular about their dinners. They put a lot of effort to decide on the cuisine and restaurant. And there is a lot to choose from! They will be very happy to take you for ‘the best in town’ chicken and rice, sting ring and chili crab.  

There is an active social life on campus as well.  Browse through the university website and look at the announcement boards. You can register for many sports and interest clubs. University organizes some events for international students and you can use this opportunity to meet other exchange students and explore Singapore together. There are also parties and trips organized for the exchange students at NUS. You stay up to date with them through social media, such as Facebook.
When it comes to night life, there are lots of clubs to choose from. Most of them are located in the very center of the city and designed in a western posh style. There are special student nights in some places and all the exchange students tend to gather there.