E-mail: edward.kerkhof@gmail.com
Study Program: Master Human Resource Studies
Exchange semester: Spring
Academic year: 2014/2015
Host University: Singapore Management University (SMU)
Country: Singapore
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please, describe:
 The school and its surroundings:
 please describe the city you lived in;
 where is the university located in the city?
 please describe the campus of your host university
 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?
 Current faculty divisions and special areas
 Number of students: graduate and undergraduate; number of exchange students
 Study structure
As my Exchange was my first experience in Asia, I opted for a more 'safer' choice for my first
time, as English the major language spoken in Singapore. Singapore is an incredibly safe,
well and populated city. A big city, that is. A big city where a lot of cultures are present and
socializing with one another, whether you are in touch with Indians, 'native' Singaporeans,
Chinese or Malay people, this mixture of cultures is what makes Singapore so interesting.
Singapore is a 'living' city, there is always something to do either in the centre of town or on
the outskirts. A lot of people call Singapore 'Singabore', but I definitely do not agree with this.
Almost every week, I've done something different.
SMU is located in the centre of the city, near the Dhoby Gaut MRT station. The campus itself
is largely located underground. Yes, underground. There, the entrances to the faculties can
be found, as well as a large food court and university offices and some shops. Some of the
best places to eat are the Little India district (definitely check out Komala Vilas!) and the many
hawker centers around in the city centre. The best place to go drinking is at house parties! As
of April, there is a curfew of 22.30pm which does not allow you to drink publicly in the city
centre, so good luck with that.. Interesting things to do are ofcourse the Marina Bay Sands,
the Gardens by the Bay, exploring Little India and Chinatown, but it also rewards to spend
some time outside of the city, such as the area near Changi Airport (nice relaxing area) and
the MacRitchie Hiking Trail. The difference between Singapore and Tilburg is immense. In
temperature, in culture, in communication, in ways of working. A whole different world. But
very welcome, though. A lot of people are very friendly and would like to help you out with
stuff. Reserved, but kind.
I had courses at a multitude of faculties, namely the SMU School of Social and Behavioral
Sciences, at the School of Accounting and at the Lee Kong Chian Business School. This does
not imply that a student is 'part' of a certain faculty, but it defines that most courses of the
specific areas, such as business, economics, etc, are given in certain 'schools' which are the
buildings on campus. In total, SMU counted about 450(!) exchange students alone, which is a
lot! As such, there are always things to do with people. I lived together with 5 others and had
a lot of contact with a lot of different people every day.
SMU counts:
•
7,541 full-time undergraduates*
•
1,257 full-time and part-time postgraduates*
* As of 5 Sept 2014. Retrieved from SMU website.
SMU was established in 2000, and as such it is a very young university. But has access to a
lot of resources, good professors and facilities!
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
 When did you receive the pre-arrival information from the host university?
I received the information about 1,5-2 months before departure. Lots of documents and
things to arrange, but the outgoing exchange team of SMU did an awesome job of
guiding everyone.
 Any difficulties?
Not at all.
Visa procedure and arrival
 How long did it take you to arrange your (student) visa (if relevant)?
Overall, it took me about a month to arrange my student visa. OGL (outgoing team SMU) sent
all the necessary documents on time and with clear instructions.
 How much did you pay for the visa (if relevant)?
I cannot remember specifically, but I think it was around ~80 euros.
 How was your arrival organized?
No arrival pickup whatsoever. OGL had some standard dates set which you had to attend
(pick up student card, for example). The search for housing is also something that we had
to do ourselves.
 Did someone pick you up from the airport/station?
No. I went to a hostel for one week before I found an apartment with other people. SO I
had to discover the MRT for myself as well, but the people at Changi Airport are very
friendly staff.
 How was the reception at the school?
Informal, lots of Exchange students. There was a whole Éxchange day organized where
there was an introduction by OGL and some students had to introduce themselves as
well. OGL was very welcoming and was always available for questions.
 Was the administration and faculty well prepared for your arrival?
Yes, they were aware of different universities, cultures, etc. Also the organization of the
Facebook page really helped!
 What problems, if any did you encounter?
No real problems at all.
Orientation/Introduction activities
 Was an orientation or introduction activity organized?
One introductory day with a speech from the chairman, one of the OGL board and some
games to get to know other people and have some informal chats.
 Did the school’s students participate in the reception of the exchange students?
I recall some SMU students or alumni coming on stage for a short speech.
 Did you have a student mentor/buddy?
Yep, there were e-mails sent out before arrival to participate in a buddy program. Really
helpful and overall really nice people!
Housing
 How was accommodation organized?
I booked a dorm bed at The Inncrowd in Little India one and a half week in advance.
Great, quiet hostel. In the meanwhile, everyone was looking for accomodation through
the Facebook group. SMU does give out some contacts for brokers or housing agencies,
but in the early days, a lot of people use these so be prepared for some stressy moments
here and there. Evans hostel is also an opportunity provided by SMU, but this is far away
from SMU and the city centre and I did not hear stories too well about it (boring,
expensive, breakfast not that well). Another option could be the yo:ha accomodations.
 Did you have to book your accommodation in advance or did you have to search for a
place to live after you arrived?
Search for a place after arrival. The Evans Hostel is done on first-come-first-serve-basis
though, and this e-mail will be sent out some time in advance before your arrival.
 What kind of housing does the university provide?
No dorms on SMU whatsoever. The university does give out the option of Evans Hostel
but no university property is rented out whatsoever.
 What support did you receive from the school in locating housing?


A couple of lists with agencies/brokers.
Were you satisfied with your accommodation?
Yes. I lived with 5 others at Wilkie Road 68 through contact with ERA agency (Steven
was our broker). We paid S$ 700 per month. For that we had a relatively spacious
apartment in the city centre (10 mins walking to SMU, Dhoby Gaut MRT and Little India)
with access to a swimming pool. Apartment itself was not that luxurious, but livable.
However, I slept with 2 other Dutch guys in a bedroom, with 3 seperate beds and 2
closets which was doable, but not enough (one guy had way too much clothes with him).
2 other guys also had 2 beds in a bedroom and 1 guy lived in his own (small) room, but
he paid S$800. Internet connection was good. Large fridge and enough room for
groceries. We ate at home once though.
Any special issues or good ideas/useful websites for prospective students?
You will be approached by some housing sites prior to your arrival on Facebook,
probably. These can definitely help. Make sure your agent broker is with a reliable agency
and make some copies of ID's.
Living Costs
 How did you finance your exchange period, apart from the grant you received from
Tilburg University?
Extra money from parents, working a lot in the past few years, savings, gift money from
family.
 What were your living expenses abroad like compared to Tilburg?
I did not calculate my spendings, but rent is definitely higher than in Tilburg and you get less
'worth' for rent. Food is often cheap, groceries are a bit more expensive, travelling is often
cheap, alcohol is expensive. Expect to pay around €10 for a beer in a club, so that is why we
often went pre-drinking.
 What did you spend most of your money on?
Probably rent and travelling. Buying clothes in Singapore is definitely possible and some
stores (Uniqlo, for example) are affordable. But you can buy cheaper clothes in Thailand,
Indonesia and Vietnam anyway, so why bother?
 What would you advice future students to spend their money on?
Travelling!
 Please outline your approximate monthly budget whilst on exchange:
 Housing
S$700 (€450)
 Food
S$3-S$6 for a meal at the foodcourt. Additional S$30 per month for 'housing
groceries'.
 Transport
You're gonna use the MRT a lot! But it is fairly cheap. I cannot remember how many
times I charged my MRT card, but probably once every 1,5 month with S$30-S$40
should get you there.
 Books
I pad S$40 I believe for a total of two manuals, of which one I did not even need.
Printing out assignments, manuals, etc, is certainly doable and also cheap to do at
SMU.
 Miscellaneous
Drinking is always depending whatever you want. Travelling as well but last-minute is
not cheaper in Asia! Around 6 weeks in advance booking would be ideal. Check
kayak and skyscanner for the good deals. And AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines (it's safe, I
survived!) and other airlines are also cheap. If you want to go to Malaysia, taking the
bus is often cheaper.
Academic Calendar
 Arrival date & introductory week





I arrived on the 24th of December so I celebrated my Christmas in Singapore. The days
after, I collected my student visa at the ICA (Lavender MRT) and my SMU pass. The
introductory day was on the 30th of December. NYE tip: we celebrated NYE at Hotel Jen
on the rooftop for about S$25 including two drinks and went on to Clarke Quay
afterwards. I can't believe, however, that Singapore denies alcohol after 22.30PM on NYE
so be informed on that.
First day of the semester?
6th of January I had my first class!
Last day of classes?
My final class was on the 2nd of April but my exams were on 15 and 23 April. Quite late,
since a lof of people were already done halfway April. If you don't want a late exam, then
don't choose Business Processes.
Mid-term break?
Recess week was from 23th of February until the first of March.
Examination period?
Stated above. Runs from beginning of April until the end of April.
Any special events?
Some courses do not have a 'real' exam but often have a final presentation to be made or
a final paper.
The International Office
 Is there an international office?
 Who is responsible for incoming exchange students?
OGL is the International Office and is responsible for the exchange students.
 How does the international office function?
Very well, knowledgeable and swift responses on a lot of questions. In Tilburg, I often emailed them and often got my answer within a day!
 Are you satisfied with the information provided to you by the international office?
Yep. Very hands-on and knowledgeable persons.
Exchange promotion
 What kind of activity did you take part in to promote exchange to Tilburg University at
your exchange university?
Exchange evening, communicating with others, buddy talks.
Social Activities
 Which social activities are organized by the university/students for exchange students?
SMU is crazy of social activities. Sports, dancing, certain activities clubs, there is
something for everyone. You get spammed every day by offers of for example biking
tours, language classes or meeting up to watch films together. Make use of these!
 Is there a student organization for international student?
There is one, although I do not remember the name. You'll definitely come across it in
your mailbox, though.
 Did you have contact with local students?
Ofcourse! You speak to some every now and then, but I had the most contact with my buddy.
In one class, I often spoke to some locals and went to do stuff with them. However, most of
the local students are reserved and do not have a high image of foreign exchange students,
since their grades do not get transferred most of the times.
 Did you have contact with other exchange students?
Ofcourse! With around 450 exchange students at SMU alone, you come across familiar
faces every day!
 Did you travel to other places/countries during your exchange?
During my Exchange, I travelled to Malaysia (Malacca and Kuala Lumpur), Bangkok and
Java. After my Exchange I travelled to Bali, China (Beijing and Shanghai), Hong Kong
and Sout-Vietnam for 1,5 month (in total).
Culture and Language
 Did you experience culture shock while on exchange?
Definitely. Suddenly, you're in this surrounding where everyone talks a different language,
where there are a ton of different norms and values and the feeling that you're
somewhere new. The first couple of days, I was quite homesick but that feeling changed
after a couple of days while I met other exchange students and my accomodation came
together as well. After that, no real culture shock again but you do get surprised a lot of
times by the differences in culture (even between Asian countries, especially when you're
based in Singapore). Currently experiencing reverse culture shock.
 How would you compare your host culture to your own culture?
Singapore is some sort of perfect world. Everything is arranged, there are tons of malls
around and everything that you need is widely available.
 What did you learn about your own culture while on exchange?
Especially when we went travelling to other countries, you begin to value the things in the
Netherlands a lot. When walking through the slumps in Jakarta, that really began to delve
in. You hear people bitching about stuff in the Netherlands a lot (internet not working,
public transport, etc, etc) but really, we have a really nice society where most of the stuff
is arranged and good.
 What was different about your host culture than you expected?
Singaporeans are really, really ambitious people! A lot of Singaporeans also have a
lot of money, you see a lot of people walking around in the latest fashion, with big
smartphones and whatnot. Also, Singapore actually has a lot of culture as well. Check out the
National Museum at least once! I was there when Lee Kuan Yew (former Prime Minister of
Singapore) died and that got the country in a really emotional state.
 How would you describe your host country’s culture?
Reserved but hospitable once you get to know the people a bit more.
 What did you like and not like about your host culture?
I liked the immense diversity of cultures that are present in Singapore. What I liked least
is hard to tell. You get used to the place a lot faster than I expected because everything is
so arranged. We never had to wait for a taxi or metro and everything was very clear. The
only downside is that it's so expensive, but hey, at least you get a really organized city
back for it.
 Do you feel you learned a lot about your host culture, and if not, what would you like to
learn more?
Yes. Especially the passing away of LKY (Lee Kuan Yew) made quite the impression and
that triggered me to learn more about Singapore. I read a TIME interview with the man
and I visited the National Museum and I asked locals about him to understand their
opinions.
 If you travelled to other cities/countries during your exchange, were they different than
your host city/country, and how?
Very different. Singapore is probably one of the very few countries in South-East Asia that is
very, very rich and organized. Indonesia and Vietnam, for example, offer way more nature,
history and cheaper stuff. It's good to get a change of country every now and then. China is
undescribably different than any other country so far. So many people, very little people
speak English and if they do then most of the times you're dealing with someone trying to rip
you off. Very nationalistic.
 Did you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
Nope
 Did you follow language courses during your exchange?
Unfortunately not, although I heard that the Mandarin class was very good.
 Did you follow the Erasmus Intensive Language Course?
Nope
Personal Development
 How do you think the exchange experience will affect you from a cultural and social point
of view?
The exchange was a real eye-opener to me. I came there on my own and met so many
different people and I learnt so many things that it's too hard to name all of them. Just the
aspect of internationalisation and to get a view on the world, that is the first and foremost
consequence of going on exchange.
 How do you think the exchange experience will influence your future career possibilities?
I have definitely thought about an international career and the fact that have done an
exchange semester abroad will definitely help in that regard.
 What did you learn from the people you met during your exchange?




I learned a lot of things.. sometimes it's good to stop for a second and actually look at the
world around you and to be aware of the fact that you're in another place. Or if you feel
emotional/angry, let it stop for a second and leave it rest. Try to see things from another
person's perspective very well.
Would you do things differently if you had the chance and what would you do differently?
No, I think I have done everything that I would like.
What was your best experience, and what was your worst experience?
Best experience was probably with a roommate of mine in Indonesia and explore Java.
Did so many things and the nature was so nice. Another good experience was surprising
my now-girlfriend in Shanghai. The worst experience was probably the first day in
Singapore where I really missed my family and I was kind of doubting my decision.
Luckily it became better afterwards. Another bad experience was when I was in Beijing
and I got totally lost at the train station looking for my train to Shanghai and nobody could
point me in the right direction of where to go. Eventually I ended up at a random ticket
counter but that took me half an hour or so.
What will you never forget about your exchange period?
Travelling through SEA (South- East Asia), China, etc, on my own. Meeting new people
every day. Getting lost in the city and finding your own way back in the middle of the
night. Happened both in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur.
What was the most important lesson you learned about yourself during your exchange
period?
Try to see things more from another person's perspective. Help another person out every
now and then. Think about what you really want to achieve in life. Most important: get out
of your comfort zone and try scary things.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Academic level at a host university
 In what language(s) are the courses offered at a partner university?
All are in English.
 Did you follow any courses taught in the language of the host country?
English is the main language of Singapore, so yes.
 Which courses did you take and why?
Business Processes, which is kind of a crash course Operations Management because I
thought it would give me a bit more background in the operations of a company. It did
give me that, but I expected way less numbers. I also followed Design Thinking and
Innovation, which is a course taught with methods from Stanford University about the
method of Design Thinking, a specific method on being innovative. I also followed the
course Management of Product Development and Innovation, which includes cases on
innovative products and ends with a final paper/site on innovation.
 Which courses would you recommend?
I would recommend all courses that I followed, however I am not very good with
statistics/maths so Business Processes was kind of hard for me. I still finished it with a C,
though.
 How would compare the academic level at your host university to the academic level at
Tilburg University (e.g.: level of the courses, use of extra material, level of English,
workload, etc.)?
Lots and lots of group assignments. Prepare to meet with two groups at least once every
week and to give a lot of presentations (singaporeans like dressing up, I think it's
overrated). Difficulty of courses is like the level at Tilburg.
 Is the teaching style primarily practical or theoretical?
Teaching style both picks inspiration from theory and practice. However, no large hearing
classes but small groups of ~25 with intensive guidance from student assistant and
professor.
 What teaching method is practiced by the host university: case studies, group work,
seminars or lectures (or a mix)?
A mix of case studies, group work, both seminars from field experts and small group
lectures.
 How would you describe the relationship between the students and the teaching staff?

Very informal. Professors always make some sort of small talk and are in for jokes.
Professors respond to e-mails more frequently than Tilburg as well, bonus points.
In general, were you happy with your academic achievements during your exchange?
I am glad that I fulfilled everything when it comes to Business Processes, since that was
the only course that I was not good at. For Management of Product Development and
Innovation, I had an A+, however, which I am definitely proud of.
Exams
 What types of exams did you have to sit?
Two of which one was a case study (Management of Product Development and
Innovation) and one was a mix of multiple choice and open ended questions exam
(Business Processes). For Design Thinking, we had to design a presentation on the
subject.
Other
 Can students easily access the library and its resources?
Yes. In fact, the library has a card entry system where the students have to put their card
on a scanner in order to get access to the library. Great system! With your SMU pass,
you also enter small work group rooms or lend out books/materials.
 Were there public computers available on campus/in university buildings?
Yes, but not a lot! SMU has a lot of working places that are suited for laptops so I strongly
suggest taking your own laptop with you. Besides that, a laptop is also great for travelling
and in your apartment. --> Prepare for noisy Asians even in silent areas!
Description of Courses
Please list all courses you have taken at the partner university in the form below:
 Course title and code
MGMT 319 Management of Product Development and Innovation
MGMT 318 Design Thinking and Innovation
OPIM 201 Business Processes
 Course level (BA/MA)
All BA
 Prerequisites, if any
Nope.
 Form of exam
Open case study exam for MGMT 319, final Presentation and groupwork for MGMT 318,
final exam for OPIM 201.
 ECTS credits you have obtained in total:
Obtained all courses, resulting in 24 ects
 Comments: Relevance, Difficult/easy, Practical/theoretical, Enrolment problems
I did not find Business Processes that easy, but I am not very good when it comes to
numbers and mathematical stuff. That said, SMU has a lot of group assignments, as said
before.
Example
Course
1234 Finance
Prerequisites
None
Exam
Written
ECTS
6
Comments
Mid-term, many
assignments
Please fill in all the courses you have taken
Tips for the future students:
 Would you recommend an exchange period?
YES. Definitely (if you can afford it) go on an Exchange semester!
 Would you recommend your host university?



Yes. SMU is a very friendly university where you can learn a lot. It's also in the center of
town, close to an MRT stop and good quality classes and professors.
What should prospective students absolutely not forget before going on exchange?
- Credit card
- Camera
- Enough money
- Emergency numbers of your banks, embassies and family.
- Check your vaccines
How can they better prepare before going on exchange to this destination?
Watch some videos about life in Singapore, read up on the history of Singapore a bit. I
did not have any expectations and just went along with it, which was also fine.
Was there anything you should have arranged before departure that you haven’t?
I think I did everything I could (at the time).