Student Stories: Singapore 2004
Study Abroad in Singapore: One Student's Experience
My main reason for wanting to study abroad at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore was that the university had many industrial design courses which were not available at the University of Maryland . Although, that reason still remains, while in Singapore , I discovered many more reasons to encourage other students to study abroad at NTU. First of all, it was a lot of fun! NTU has a well-established study abroad program in which more than a hundred students from around the world participate. I met people from France , Germany , Australia , China , Taiwan , Indonesia , Ireland , Canada , Mexico , Finland , of course Singapore and many more countries.
The NTU international student center held many on and off-campus events to help students get to know one another and Singapore . This study abroad was my first experience away from my parents and I did not know anyone in Singapore when I arrived, but NTU sent a driver to pick me up from the airport and assigned me a local student mentor, who introduced me to other study abroad students and helped me get acquainted with local foods and shopping malls. I also had opportunities within the first week of my arrival to go out to dinner and nightclubs with locals and other study abroad students. These types of events helped many of the students immediately feel comfortable with the new surroundings.
Singapore has another advantage as a place to study abroad: almost everyone speaks English, so it is incredibly easy to get around. Since many of the top television shows are imported from the United States , it is easy to communicate; however, many Singaporeans are known to speak what they call Singlish, which is a mix of English, Malay and Hokkien (a Chinese dialect). This odd English derivative might take some getting use to at first, but after about a week, it will be easier to understand.
Finally, the best reason for visiting Singapore is that not only are there many places to see within the country, but it is also close to many must-see Asian countries like Thailand (my personal favorite), Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Borneo, and Malaysia. Flights to these countries are relatively cheap (~$150 round trip), so many students went outside Singapore for the weekend, many even arranged their school schedule so that they had no classes on Fridays or Mondays. The beaches in these countries are more beautiful in real-life than the footage people have seen in the movies. Places to visit within Singapore include the Butterfly Park in Sentosa, several orchid gardens and parks throughout the country, the Singapore zoo (possibly one of the best zoos in the world), Bugis (great for cheap shopping), Orchard Road (great for more expensive shopping), Little India (as an Indian, I can say it really feels like you're transported to India when you're there), Esplanade (they have some free and cheap shows), chocolate buffet at the Fullerton Hotel, Little Malay Village, China town (great especially around Chinese New Year), Equinox Hotel (the tallest building in Singapore), and many more.
I am glad I went to Singapore not only because I got to take classes that helped me in getting my current internship, but also because I got to see amazing sites (watching the sunset at Maya Bay in Thailand is unforgettable), meet some amazing people (I have made friends around the world so I always have a place to stay if I ever go to any of their countries), and make some amazing memories.
Click here to see more pictures from Singapore!
