Experience report
Name: Elisa Oh
E-mail: elisa_tjes@hotmail.com
Exchange semester: spring semester
Academic year: 2014-2015
Host University: SMU
Country: Singapore
TOPIC: Admission, arrival, housing
How was your arrival organized? Did someone pick you up from the airport/station? Was an
orientation or introduction activity organized? How was accommodation organized? Does the
university provide you with accommodation? What kind of accommodation does the
university provide? Did you have to book your accommodation in advance or did you have to
search for a place to live after you arrived?
SMU told us to arrive no later than the 26th of december because of the risk of not being
able to pick up your ICA cards. You need the ICA card to get your SMU schoolcard. That's
why the day after Christmas I was on the aiport ready to fly to the other side of the world.
When I arrived I got picked up by my uncle and aunt but there are trains/buses and taxis
Luckily I could stay with my family but other exchangers book a temporarily hostel before
they find an apartment with other students or move straight into the Evan hostel. That is the
hostel SMU provided. If you choose to stay at Evans you'll meet a lot of other people easily
but the downside is that Evans is quite far away from school. I stayed at Evans and
eventhough I had to commute everyday for at least 1 hour (from and to) it was a great stay.
To be honest, the only thing I cared about was that the aircon in my room worked because it
gets hot.
SMU organizes introduction events and has buddy programmes but make sure you do not
forgot to apply before the deadline.
TOPIC: Location of university/city
Please describe the city you lived in. Where is the university located in the city? What is the
best place to go to eat/drink/dance/do sports/etc.? What are interesting things to see and do
in your host city? What was different than in Tilburg?
SMU is located in the center of the business district. If you are thinking of grey buildings,
skyscrapers, shopping malls and a lot of people you're right. The environment felt fastpaced, after all it is a metropolis, but SMU tried to incorporate as much green as possible.
At first it was confusing and difficult for me to find the right building since all the buildings
look so much alike. SMU has an ''underground campus'' that connects all the buildings. This
is great if you want to avoid the heat.
The best place to go out is Clarke Quay and pre-drinks at the Clarke Quay bridge. Sadly,
you can't buy alcohol anymore after 22.30 so I don't know how this will affect the pre-drinking
at Clarke Quay. One important thing is that they have dress codes you should obey if you
want to get in the club. This is mostly meant for men. No shorts and slippers!
Wednesday night is free entrance for ladies and if you get there early enough: free coupon
drinks! This is a blessing since alcohol is expensive in Singapore.
SMU provides a free gym and swimming pool for all their students. If you like you could also
join one of the many sports clubs.
I would recommend going to Pulau Ubin, Kusu Island, Sisters Island and the Macritchie
Reservoir. Singapore has a lot of great hiking trails you should definitely try out.
As for the restaurants and shops: Go to Haji lane, Bugis, Chinatown, Marina Bay and
Orchard road.
Last but not least, ask a local to take you to a hawker center and let them order for you.
That way you get to taste the best authentic dishes.
TOPIC: Academics
Which courses did you take and why? Which courses would you recommend? What did the
courses add to your program at Tilburg University? How does the university compare to
Tilburg University concerning the level of the courses, use of extra material, level of English,
workload, etc.? Overall, were you happy with your academic achievements during your
exchange? Please describe the campus of your host university.
I took the courses: Law of international trade, Ethics and social responsibilities, Introduction
to civil procedure and Principles to taxation of international business transactions. I would
say the teaching method is similar to a ''werkcollege'' in Tilburg. Every class is taught in a
room with no more than 50 students. I would not recommend Introduction to civil procedure.
The material taught is extremely dry and boring. The rest of my chosen subjects were
interesting. My professors were all very nice and passionate luckily and considerate towards
exchange students.
SMU focuses a lot on the soft skills which is why they have group presentations, individual
presentations and class participation. This was something I wasn't used to in Tilburg but I'm
glad I could experience a different teaching method.
TOPIC: Social life
Which social activities organized by the university or students? Did you have contact with
local students? Did you have contact with other exchange students? How did you get along
with the local students and other exchange students? Did you travel to other
places/countries during your exchange?
SMU has a buddy program where you get paired with another SMU student. I would strongly
recommend joining this program. The alumni program is similar to the buddy program but
the difference is that you get to hang out with SMU alumni's. I did not get to join this program
because I forgot the deadline. I heard from other exchange students that you go on trips to
the zoo etc. And they organize events where you get to socialize with everybody.
I had two group presentations where I was in a group with local students. Although, I heard
horror stories from other exchange students I had a pleasant time. You just have to be
flexible and go with the flow. Try to do things their way so you get to experience/learn
something new.
Try to travel in the beginning of the semester when you have relatively more time. Later in
the semester you will have paper deadlines, group presentations etc. I travelled mostly after
the semester because I wasn’t going home until the end of July.
TOPIC: Living costs
How did you finance your exchange period, apart from the grant you received from Tilburg
University? What were your living expenses abroad like compared to Tilburg? What did you
spend most of your money on? What would you advice future students to spend their money
on? Please outline your approximate monthly budget whilst on exchange: housing, food,
textbooks, etc.
I find Singapore expensive compared to Tilburg. Your accomodation is what you will spend
most of your money on. If you are not too picky with food then it is very cheap. You can buy
dinner for less than 10 SGD at foodcourts. Do not buy new books. Just borrow them in the
library or buy secondhand. You can ask the TA for help.
If you can wait with shopping until the Great Singaporean Sale in June/July.
TOPIC: Culture
Did you experience culture shock while on exchange? How would you compare your host
culture to your own culture? What did you learn about your own culture while on exchange?
What was different about your host culture than you expected? What did you like and not like
about your host culture? Do you feel you learned a lot about your host culture, and if not,
what would you like to learn more? How would you describe your host countries culture? If
you travelled to other cities/countries during your exchange, were they different than your
host city/country, and how?
I did not experience culture shock in Singapore. However, there are some major differences
I would say. There is a big focus on accomplishments and being successful. That's probably
why the local students are very serious about their academic career. I have been told that
there is a lot of pressure to achieve good grades, graduate from a local university and get a
good job. A fellow exchange student from the USA wrote a couple of articles on Singapore
and his observations. He writes about academic life in Singapore, the odd laws like
jaywalking, the compulsory military service etc. Here is the
link:http://dailyorange.com/writers/zachary-gipson/.
A big advantage of Singapore is that it has english signs everywhere anywhere. You dont
have to despair if you do not know any Mandarin because you will be fine. In other asian
countries I have visited that was not the case. A lot of (train/metro/bus) maps were in the
native language and asking for directions in English was also a lot harder than in Singapore.
The most breathtaking views I have seen are in Bali and life there is vastly different from life
in the Netherlands or Singapore.
TOPIC: Personal development
What did you learn from the people you met during your exchange? Would you do things
differently if you had the chance, and what would you do differently? What was your best
experience, and what was your worst experience? What will you remember for ever about
your exchange period? What was the most important lesson you learned about yourself
during your exchange period?
The things I would have done differently are:
 Immediately staying at Evan Hostel instead of at family
 Travelling more in the beginning of the semester
 Also going on a trip alone
 Drop the course introduction to civil procedure and take another instead
I met people from all over the world and learned so much about different cultures in a very
short time. That made me
TOPIC: Tips for future students
Would you recommend an exchange period? Would you recommend your host university?
What should prospective students bring with them/leave behind? What preparation is
required for going on exchange to this destination? Was there anything you should have
done in preparation that you didn’t do?
I would definitely recommend an exchange period in Singapore at SMU. You get to
experience an Asian country but without the language barrier. Prospective students should
leave behind their winter clothes. Maybe bring one more formal outfit for presentations. You
should bring your summer wear.
Try to stay longer after your exchange so you have time to travel around in Asia.