NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
NUS BUSINESS SCHOOL
STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAMME
Evaluation & Feedback Form
Name: Ler Eng Kiat Ivan
SEP Semester: S1 04/05
Host University/Country: University of California, Berkeley
Questions:
1. How does the host university differ from NUS?
-
More culturally diversed
More interactive
2. What strong points does our School have compared to your host university?
-
More structured
More knowledge based
Familiarity
3. What strong points does your host university have compared to our School?
-
More interactive
Focus less on tests and exams
4. What expenses did you incur at the host university for one semester?
Estimated Breakdown of Expenses:
Items
Airfare (Return Ticket)
Travel & Health Insurance
Accommodation
Food
Books & Stationery
Clothing
Miscellaneous (Eg: Local transportation, phone calls, postage,
student visa, medical report)
Others (Eg. Extended stay, airfare for tour of neighbouring
states/countries, etc) Please specify here:
Total
Estimated
Expenditure (S$)
1500
500
7000
500
200
200
800
6800
17500
5. Please type a THREE to FIVE page report of your personal experience in the host
university.
a) Your overall experience overseas (initial cultural shocks that you encountered, lifestyle,
about the university, academic aspects)
b) What you learned from the exchange program
c) Your advice and suggestions for future exchange students designated to go to that
university
The moment I stepped into the San Francisco International Airport, I knew a
whole new journey awaited me. The weather was cool and it felt like any air conditioned
buildings in Singapore. The only difference being that the whole of California felt like an
air conditioned place.
Me and Sunil, fellow bizader, reached San Francisco at noon on the 20th of
August 2004. We managed to get our buddies (assigned to us by the Singapore
Association of UC Berkeley) to pick us up at the airport. We owed it to them to get
settled down in Berkeley so quickly on the first day that we arrived. We settled stuff like
internet access, phone cards, accommodation, food and understanding the neighbouring
areas.
The first few days were the adjustment period to the weather, the accommodation,
food and the way of life. We stayed in a place called the International House where
almost 50% of the people are from overseas on exchange program. It certainly helped in
the sense that everyone was new to the surrounding and it was easier to make new friends.
The diversity in culture was a real eye-opener. I get to meet friends from parts of the
world I never dreamt of. Countries such as Columbia, Peru, Brazil were just some of
them.
I encountered many culture shocks during my initial stay. One of the most
memorable was how Americans greeted each other with a “Hi, how are you?” The funny
thing was they do not really mean to know how the person was doing literally and thus
they don’t actually require you to reply them with an answer.
The lifestyle in US was much more relaxed and slower pace than in Singapore.
This may be in part due to less things to do because of the unfamiliarity. We spent the
nights drinking in pubs and chilling out. During the day, we would go to San Francisco
which is a one hour bus ride from Berkeley to tour the area. That was before the school
started.
When the school term started, work began to pile up as the time goes by. It was
common to find ourselves working past the midnight. The interesting thing was we only
did one presentation for the whole semester, whereas in NUS, we would have at least 10
presentations for one semester. They focus less on tests and exams but more on projects
and class participation.
There are many lessons to be drawn from this exchange experience. Firstly is the
independence. It is not easy for one to step out of his comfort zone to a totally new
situation. It really helps to train the independence and less self reliance on other people.
This is particularly important to a Singaporean who had always been pampered at home
and the comfort of familiarity. The second reward from this exchange would have to be
the many friends that we have made. It is really amazing how fate brought all of us
together from different parts of the world.
My advice for students going there for exchange would be to go with an open
mind and to embrace new cultures and new experiences. They should go there at least
one week before the school term so that they can fully settle down and can start school in
a better frame of mind. Friends are very important especially when you go to a faraway
place and hence they should know as many people as possible to make the exchange a
more enjoyable one.