Experience report
ANR: 287842
Name: Jordie Thewissen
E-mail: j.g.j.w.thewissen@tilburguniversity.edu
Exchange semester: Fall
Academic year: 3rd year
Host University: National University Singapore
Country: Singapore
TOPIC: Admission, arrival, housing
The arrival was not really organized; as the university had received a lot of requests for airport pick up
they were unable to provide this service for everyone. Because of this I had to find my way to the
campus myself. In the first week there were several introduction activities and information sessions.
The university provided me with on-campus accommodation for which I had to apply for in advance.
The on-campus accommodation I received was called UTown residence, which is the most preferable
place to stay for exchange students. In Utown residence you share an apartment including kitchen
and shower with 3 other students. Furthermore the campus provides you with a lot of different
foodcourts and convenience shops.
TOPIC: Location of university/city
The National University of Singapore is located just outside of the city center. The best place to go out
is probably Clarke Quay. As drinks are expensive in Singapore you can find a lot of exchange
students hanging around a bridge in Clarke Quay before entering a club. If you are interested to do
some sports you can join a team of NUS or work out individually in one of the many gyms on campus.
Singapore itself does not have too many things to see, you can have a nice look on the city of
Singapore from the rooftop of the Marina bay sands. Also you can visit an artificial beach on Sentosa
island. Singapore is a whole different city when compared to Tilburg, as it is a whole lot bigger.
TOPIC: Academics
I took the following courses:
- Financial Markets
- Investment and Portfolio Management
- Risk and Insurance
- Public Finance
- ASEAN Economics
I took the above courses as I wanted to specialize into Finance and the first 3 courses were the only
finance courses I got allocated to. Furthermore I took ASEAN economics as I wanted to learn more
about the region I was studying in. I would recommend all my courses depending on a student’s field
of interest. The level of the courses at NUS was comparable with the courses in Tilburg, although
during the examinations a more detailed knowledge was required than in Tilburg. The level of English
is definitely higher in Singapore as it is the nation’s first language. Furthermore the workload of a
course in Singapore was a lot higher compared to the Tilburg. Each of my courses for example
included at least a midterm, a final exam, a presentation and a paper. Overall I was satisfied with my
academic achievements of this exchange semester. The campus of NUS is not comparable to
Tilburg’s campus. It is huge, has shuttle busses providing transport to and from your faculty and has
numerous restaurants, food courts, pc rooms, libraries and sporting facilities.
TOPIC: Social life
There were a few social activities organized by the university, however practice learned that it was
very easy to make friends under the exchange students group. The contact I had with local students
mostly came upon during classes and group assignments. Among the exchange students group I
made really good friendships for which I feel like they could remain a lifetime, however unfortunately I
hardly made any friends with the local students. These were mostly busy studying or lived outside of
the campus. During my exchange and after my exchange I visited many other places in Southeast
Asia. From Singapore I visited: Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Korea and
Japan.
TOPIC: Living costs
First of all as an exchange student outside of Europe I did not receive a grant from Tilburg University.
My parents financed my housing in Singapore, the rest of my expenses were financed through
Studiefinanciering and my personal savings. Living in Singapore is not cheap, the food you can get at
the foodcourts at the university is rather cheap and the on campus housing is affordable. However
going out in Singapore is quite expensive. I spent most my money on travelling and going out. I would
advice future students to save up quite some money and spend it on travelling and other fun activities.
My monthly budget including housing and travelling during and after the semester was approximately
1300 euro’s per month.
Housing: 350 euro
Food: 300-400 euro
Public transport: 30-50 euro
TOPIC: Culture
As Singapore is quite westernized I did not really experience a massive culture shock while on
exchange. However the biggest cultural difference was that in Singapore it was all about money and
prestige. People in Singapore like to show off with their money as much as possible. When going out
the first thing you notice are locals buying tables and showing off with their very expensive bottled
drinks. Even local students participate in this prestige fight. Furthermore another thing that bothered
me was that I felt like the locals were quite discriminative regarding race colors. I definitely think I
learned a lot about my host culture and I improved my understanding of the habits within the Asian
culture. The countries I travelled to around Singapore differed a lot from Singapore in the sense that
they were not as rich and less westernized.
TOPIC: Personal development
During my exchange I learned from other people that there is definitely great cultural differences
among different countries. It was very interesting to notice how various European cultures differed
among each other and the even bigger difference between the European and the American culture. I
would not do anything differently if I had the chance as I had an amazing time! My best experience
was definitely travelling with my semester old friends through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. My
worst experience was that when I came back from recess week I had to study really hard for my
midterms. The travels I made from Singapore and the friends I made in Singapore are things that I will
never forget. The semester abroad taught me that I should be thankful for the opportunities I have
received and try to make the best out of it.
TOPIC: Tips for future students
I would recommend an exchange period to anyone who gets the opportunity. Prospective students to
NUS should bring a lot of summer clothes as the weather always allows for shorts and tshirts. The
university provides you with a list of all the necessary preparation work to arrange visa’s, housing etc.
However to go on exchange to Singapore you need quite some money. Try to have a decent sum of
money you can miss and try to keep an eye on your expenditures during the semester!
TOPIC: A picture is worth a thousand words