NTU Exchange:
What’s it Like?
Written by Roy Brown
Characteristics of NTU
NTU (Nanyang Technological University) is a large campus university that is situated on the western edge
of the island of Singapore. It is the largest engineering university in the world, and is ranked 26th in the
world for technical subjects. Overall it ranks in the top 60 and is climbing, so no matter which subject you
study, you can rest assured that, academically speaking, you are making a good choice. The engineering
subjects are taught in a very similar way to Strathclyde; most have regular lectures and tutorials with the
majority of your grade determined by an end of term exam. The similarity of teaching style helps with
settling in, and allows you to focus on extra-curricular activities without jeopardising your grades; which
is just what you want for exchange! That being said, don’t expect to get a string of A’s without putting
effort in – the class grades are distributed along a bell curve, and if exchanging in your fourth year, you
will be put alongside Singaporean final year students, desperately trying to mark themselves out above
the competition (sleeping in the library and getting grey hairs in their 20’s). Don’t worry though! The bell
curve works both ways, and it’s very difficult to actually fail a class. I spent much less time studying than
in Strathclyde and still got mostly B’s; any rumours that NTU has harder courses are quite untrue.
While you will study in a very similar way as in Strathclyde, your life at NTU will be very different (better).
Firstly, you will live in on-campus accommodation, which is incredibly cheap. One of the deciding factors
for me was that, at about £800 total for the year, the cheapness of accommodation actually meant it
would be cheaper for me to go to NTU than to stay in Strathclyde. Why would I spend £3000 renting a
flat in Dennistoun for a year, when I could spend £800 on accommodation in Singapore, £650 for a return
flight ticket, and have £1550 left over to use for travelling round Asia?! What madness it would be to
stay in Glasgow at such great personal expense!
Admittedly, you have to share a room at NTU; this isn’t really a bad experience at all, and it actually helps
to have a first friend when in such a new place. The layout of the student accommodation facilitates a
great social life; there are around 20 canteens, and they act as gathering points for everyone, so it’s
impossible not to meet, and make, new friends almost every day. Every time you meet up with someone
at the canteen, they will surely bring another of their friends, and inevitably you will get to know a great
number of people, some of whom will become your travelling companions and lifelong pals. The
canteens are based around the Asian ‘Hawker’ style. This means you get a choice of around ten or so
different stalls in each of the 20 or so canteens. I’m actually really suffering withdrawal symptoms just
typing about this… some of the food is so good. You’ll discover some gems, like the curry stall in Can 11,
you’ll develop some bad habits, like eating too much pork from the Yong Tau Foo stall in Can 2, and you’ll
probably put on weight when you decide to eat nothing but waffles one day. Also, the canteen food is
CHEAP. There are not many meals for more than £1.50, and servings are a decent size. I could probably
go on about this all day, but I won’t, because thinking about the Indonesian Chicken kebabs is making my
packed lunch seem even less appealing.
If you’re worried about burning off the extra calories, again NTU comes to the rescue with its great
sporting facilities. How does swimming in the 50m outdoor pool surrounded by palm trees sound?
There’s nothing quite like coming out of a tutorial, and heading straight to the sun lounger…
There is a full running track, basketball courts, football pitch, tennis courts, weights room, gym etc. all on
campus within easy walking distance from your accommodation, so you’ll find yourself without excuses
to avoid exercising. The sports clubs at NTU are very well organised and welcoming. I joined the NTU
road cycling club and the biathlon team; both of which had some great people.
The vast number of student clubs in NTU means that almost every other day there is an event on campus,
and something to get involved in. The international student centre also hosts a relentless barrage of
events, so you will never be lost for something to do, even if you are just on the campus of NTU. NTU
also hosts jobs fairs, and quite a few people I met were looking at summer placements in Asia, so if this
appeals to you, it’s another reason to pick NTU.
There is a bar on campus, called the ‘staff bar’, which is a main haunt of international students; but far
and away the most common places for students to socialise after hours is either at the large hawker
centre right outside the university (which serves beer), or to sit on top of the ADM building with a few
drinks and some nachos.
NTU has a Subway, McDonalds, Starbucks, a pizza place, and several restaurants if you are desperately in
need of something mass-produced or more upmarket. There are tons of places to chill out and enjoy
yourself, and the campus in general is a great environment to study and live in.
Studying and Living in Singapore
Now we come to the biggest difference between NTU and Strathclyde; it’s in Singapore! If you’re reading
this, then you’ve at least got an interest in going to Singapore already, so let me explain what it’s like
being a student in this global-city. The city runs like clockwork; the Singaporeans have taken the colonial
kick-start from hundreds of years ago and extrapolated forward, making their country into one of the
most impressively developed in the modern world. There are all kinds of entertainment, all within easy
reach of public transport, and you will never be bored. Sentosa beach is man-made, but a beach all the
same, and makes a great place to go and relax at the weekend. There is one of the world’s best zoos,
countless high class malls, iconic architecture at marina bay, and a lot of clubbing potential.
The one problem often cited with Singapore by students is its high alcohol prices, which admittedly can
shock the Scottish in particular, being a cheap but thirsty bunch. Mercifully, you won’t be forced to live a
life of abstention; anything but! The high prices are only present if you drink inside a pub, and you will
find that a glorious tradition of drinking outside on the bridge at Clarke Quay has formed amongst
students and expats alike. This isn’t the usual drinking on a bridge you might observe in Scotland; rather,
it is a collection of hundreds of young people, dressed to the nines for a night on the town. You’ll meet
people from the other big universities of SMU and NUS, and will have a much better time than you would
indoors. There are lots of free nights for students which are well publicised, so if you are a party animal,
you need not to tame things down. Especially not on a Wednesday! (you’ll see what I mean when you
get there). Some of the clubs are also very high class; a highlight was a helipad party on top of the 70
storey Swissotel.
Yes, Singapore has a lot to offer, but let’s be real for a minute; you didn’t go halfway across the world to
get 100% in every exam, or to recreate your best shapes from the Garage. You wanted to see something
new, and that is where Singapore really shines as a place to live. You are right in the middle of one of the
most interesting, and most easily travelled regions on Earth. And the cheapest. You get 1 week off per
semester, lots of long weekends, and a 5 week break between the first and second semester. You will
have such a great opportunity to travel, even if your budget is very limited. In the first recess week, I
travelled through Malaysia by train to Bangkok. In the winter holidays, I travelled through Cambodia,
Vietnam and Laos for 5 weeks, and for my last recess week I had an amazing break in the Phillipines with
a great group of people I met in the second semester. If I had done an exchange anywhere other than
Singapore, I would not have had the opportunity to visit so many countries, and for such little cash. It
might seem daunting, but these countries are so incredibly easy to travel in, even if on your own.
Everywhere you will find someone who speaks English, and everywhere you will find transport to your
next location. If I knew then what I knew now, I would have explored even further!
My Experience
I have tried to make this report as useful as possible for a potential exchange student, and as such I
thought it would be good to structure it as I have done; NTU stuff, Singapore stuff, and then my personal
experience. If you’ve read this far, then you are seriously considering going to Singapore, and I am very
happy about this. My original idea to go to Singapore was actually from someone else, who told me he
was dead set on it. He convinced me so much that it was a great idea, I wanted to go myself. Later on,
he dropped out, and I could never for the life of me figure out why. My experience with the exchange
process, the process you are in just now, is that many, many people will be interested, turn up for the
meetings, swear they are going to do it; and then at the last minute, they will pull out. I am telling you
now, DO IT! You will definitely regret staying at home. There is some part of you that wants to go and do
this thing, and if you ignore that voice, it will only grow louder!
I thought the reasons people gave for backing out were valid at the time; but now I realise that 90% of
people judged things wrongly. Many said they didn’t have enough money, but going to NTU actually
SAVED me money! Not only that, but the Alumni fund, and various other scholarships contributed money
for my stay – if you are bold enough to do something different, then people will award you for it! People
thought they would miss home, but believe me, one semester will fly by. If you think you’ll miss home, or
your boyfriend/girlfriend, then at least go for one semester, you’ve got plenty time to hang out with
them afterwards. If you go for a year, you’ll realise how short a year can be.
I’ve always been a bit shy, not too good at making new friends, and a bit reluctant to just ‘go for it’ in life.
I thought this would make it hard for me in exchange, but I was wrong. NTU is set up so that you will find
it incredibly easy to meet people, do things together, and go travelling. Doing a degree is a long process,
and if you’re going to be successful in your degree, and in life, you have to love what you do. If I remove
all of the travelling, forget about all the new friends, and just focus on the fact that I studied somewhere
different for a year; the benefit to my degree and to my enjoyment of life is tangible and substantial. I
have never felt so ready to confront the challenge of fifth year; I bet if I’d have spent last year doing the
same old thing, I would probably be feeling a little tired. Not only have I found a new passion for my
degree, but I have found a new appreciation for Scotland. In the time since Singapore, I have seen more
of Scotland than all my life before it. It changes you!
Now… do it! Do it! Please, please go! Fill out the forms, overcome the fear of the unknown, and go
through with one of the very few things in life that is 100% guaranteed to be an adventure.
If you want to know more about what it was like at NTU, read my blog!
http://www.whenroywenteast.blogspot.co.uk/
And feel free to email me questions:
Roy.brown@strath.ac.uk