Reserapport - KI-student
Lärosäte: National University of Singapore
Utbildningsprogram: Biomedicin
Utbytesprogram: INK
Termin: Vårtermin 13/14

Innan avresa

Many often say that their exchange semester was a life changing experience, but until its your turn to be the lucky one, this isn't anything you can properly relate to. For this reason I decided it was my time to experience an exchange semester, and I wasn't disappointed. I wanted to go somewhere summer never ends and was therefore grateful for being accepted to the National University of Singapore.

After being accepted there were many administrative agendas, but the coordinator at KI was really helpful. You will also receive a lot of emails from the partner university but don't hesitate to email back to the coordinator whatever questions that comes to mind. Beware of that the semester starts a bit early in Singapore and the last exam needs to be written in Singapore but this is something that the coordinator at KI can help you with. 

There are a few thing that you can start with immediately after being accepted. Vaccinations, actually only Hepatits A and B are recommended for your stay in Singapore but if you want to travel around in South Asia (Highly recommended) other vaccinations may be considered and you can get advise from your vaccination center. You also need to search for supervisors as soon as possible since this can take some time. My recommendations is to search at the web side for A*star (http://www.a-star.edu.sg)  which has a great extend of research areas and both partner universities (NTU and NUS) in Singapore offers the possibility of a research position at A*star. Prepare an Email to send for professors at each department and give a short description of yourself and admiration of their particular research. Keep in mind that you may need to send a request to more than one professor. Take your time to really read about their research field, you don't want to end up working with something that do not interest you for one semester. 

If you are not considering staying at campus, you may also want to contact a agent for your living situation. We were four people that wanted to stay together outside campus and therefore we contacted a few agents from http://www.propertyguru.com.sg. It may be a good Idea to first go through your requirements for your apartment with your agent pre-arrival, making sure you are on the same page. 

Be aware of that the insurance from KI does not cover everything and you may need to get and complete insurance elsewhere. Also, be sure that your phone isn't looked to any specific opporatior since you will be using Singtel or another type of prepaid phone card in your phone during your stay. 
 



Ankomst och registrering

The registration day at NUS is in the beginning of January and you may want to settle down before that. We arrived at Changi airport 2-3 days before the registration day and took a cab to a hotel were we spend the first period of our stay. We spent a lot of time in the hotel and studied for our exam but we also took some time to go apartment viewing with our Agent. Simultaneously, we prepared for the registration day at the university, since a lot of paper work is needed (check all the information given to you by email). You may receive a lot of emails about details that you have to be aware of and print out to take with you. We actually took a cab to get to the campus on the actual registration day, but you can also travel to NUS by train. NUS is located on the yellow circle line, Kent Ridge station. 

After a while, you need to purchase a MRT card. Go to nearest MRT station and buy a MRT card that you load with an certain amount of money. There is no monthly travel card as in Sweden instead they use the British system, you pay for your travel by registering your card when geting on and off the train/bus. I traveled a lot by train/bus and estimated my monthly MRT expense to be approximately 50 S$. To make your travels easier by calculating time, distance and so on, I can also recommend you to download different apps, such as, Singapore MRT maps, Singapore cab etc. 

Ekonomi

Before leaving, your highest expense is the vaccinations and your flight ticket. I got vaccinated for Typhoid, Japanese encephalitis and hepatitis A & B and all in all I payed approximately 4000 SEK, together with the flight ticket to Singapore that ended up on 6000 SEK. Other than that you also pay a small school fee in the beginning. 

While in Singapore the most important thing is to travel with a lot in your bank account. The first month will be expensive. You often pay a deposit which is one month rent, you pre-pay one months rent and a commission to the agent. All included you pay 2,5 x rent at once. Nevertheless some extra expenses, such as, deposit for your internet and so on may be added. On the other hand, Singapore is not more expensive than Sweden and there is no hidden costs. If you can handle Stockholm without going bankrupt you can easily handle Singapore. Food is really cheep (10-30 SEK) and you eat out almost everyday. We ate breakfast at home but lunch and dinner out. 

It is very difficult to open up a bank account in Singapore and therefore we used ICA-banken student, which allow you free cash withdrawals and this was really convenient. But you need to be aware that the total amount you can withdrawal for one day from the ATMs is 900 sing dollars and for the first days may need more at once. 

Boende

Accommodation in Singapore is really expensive and will probably be the biggest expense during your stay. We were four people staying together and payed 3600 S$ every month. One way to go is the stay at campus but there are rules that may not suit you if you are traveling with a friend. We were four people wanting to stay together and therefore it was worth the cost. Properly discuss with your landlord about what is included in your rent and agree upon cash payment (since you won't have a bank account). Also, if you only rent until the middle of the month make sure you won't need to pay for a whole month. 

We lived a bit far from the center (Boon Lay, Green line) but it was still really convenient to travel by train to the city or university. It may be reassuring to know that Singapore is a really small country and taxi is cheep so it doesn't really matter were you stay. However, it has a very tropical climate and thereupon we found it kind of nesseccary to have pool, which almost all condominiums have. Condominiums are more expensive than state residents and also include more extra spaces like tennis cours, swimming pool, gym ect. which state residents doesn't have. Further, you may also want to settle on the monthly electricity bill with your agent (remember they are there to help you and not the landlord) since electricity can be expensive due to air conditioners. 

It was difficult to arrange for internet in the home since almost every company wants you as a costumer for one year. Finally we found a company called ViewQwest. ViewQwest didn't have any fixation period, instead we payed a single amount of almost 3200 SEK in deposit and a monthly cost of 80 SEK. All this information is of course if you want to live outside campus.  

Studier allmänt

Singapore has a somewhat different culture than Sweden. In the official working place there is a clear hierarki and discipline. Therefore, it is important to be just observant in the beginning, obtaining a feeling of what the underlying principals are in your lab. In Sweden it isn't necessarily strange to talk to your professor as a coworker, but this is not really the case in Singapore and you should respect their principals. Also it may not be mandatory to wear long pants in the lab but you should consider wearing them anyway. On the other hand it is really relaxed at the university campus and not at all different from e.g. KI 


Kurser under utbytet

Kurser motsvarande termin 6 på KI
Since I was doing my bachelor thesis in Singapore, I mostly spent my time in the lab and once or twice a week at some seminar. In the beginning it was something really new and I felt kind of disorientated even though KI prepare you well. But after a while you will get more familiar with the routines and procedures. Different labs have different standards and it is a almost necessary to document every procedure in the beginning since you will mostly be doing the experiments by your own after a while. 

Språk och kultur

English is the first language in Singapore and almost everyone both speaks and understands English, no matter age. However, it may be difficult to understand the different dialects in the beginning. This is something you get used to real fast. Singapore is a mix of Europe and Asia. Hence, you won't necessarily feel disoriented in Singapore and it won't take long until you feel at home. Singaporeans are very friendly and accommodating people. They love food from all over the world, thus a typical gathering is at some restaurant or food court "hawker center". 

Fritid och sociala aktivteter

It is somewhat difficult to get in contact with other students if you are not taking courses and spend most of your time in the lab. However, this doesn't mean you won't meet Singaporeans. You often meet a lot of interesting people heading out on the town. If you really want to meet students anyway I can highly recommend U-town, which is a university town/ campus for students at NUS. U-town is located a bus stop from NUS and you can easily get there with NUS campus buses. There is a great gym, swimming pool, great study areas and restaurants located in U-town. 

Singapore has a lot to offer and you can for instance go to Sentosa, which is an amazing artificial island were you can play volley boll or just hang out on the beach. Clark Quay is a street with a lot of restaurant, bars and clubs and is often crowed at weekends. Singapore also contribute with an amazing view which you can enjoy from several roof tops, such as, Marina Bay sands night club (Ku De Ta) or 1-altitude. 

If you have the budget I highly recommended you to travel since it's cheep to travel to nearby countries with Tiger airline. For instance you can travel to the phillippines within 4 hours and for only 1200kr or Bali for only 500kr. I can also recommend you to complete your diving certificate if you don't have it already. Gill Divers is a PADI certified diving center  located in Clark quay with amazing instructors. We spent two afternoons with the theoretical part in Singapore and went to Malaysia over a weekend for the practical part, all arranged by Gill Divers. All in all it costs 3000 SEK which is far less from what it costs otherwise 





Sammanfattning

In hindsight, I really miss Singapore and can remember my Singapore-time as one of the best so far. It is a great experience to live in an country far from Sweden, with a different culture. Foremost, working/studying in a different culture is an extremely developing experience. If I would get the change to do it all over again I would and if you are hesitating... Don't!