NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
NUS BUSINESS SCHOOL
STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAMME
Evaluation & Feedback Form
Name: Tam Yong Wei, Alvin
SEP Semester: 2004/2005 Semester 1 (Fall Term)
Host University/Country: York University, Schulich School of Business, Canada
Questions:
1. How does the host university differ from NUS?
Unlike the various faculties of NUS which are very closely-knitted, the Schulich School
of Business (SSB) appears to be very independent of all other faculties and for most of
the time; we were associated as SSB students rather than York University’s
undergraduates. The locals whom I have spoke to also recognizes students from SSB as
somewhat different from students of all other faculties of York University. Besides the
academic staff and teaching styles, the one greatest difference between SSB and NUS
would be the physical environment in which students are able to work, study, play and
live in. Vast spaces of greenery and the SSB’s modern architecture makes it a very
conducive environment to engage in our academic commitments.
2. What strong points does our School have compared to your host university?
Our NUS support staff is definitely a notch above SSB’s staff in terms of effectiveness
and efficiency. When assistance is needed or queries are made, responses from NUS’s
staff are generally fast and helpful, not to mention that NUS takes pride in providing the
best for her students. For instance, our BBA career office has been much more effective
than SSB’s attempt to organize career talks, workshops (such as resume, mock interviews
seminars etc). From the feedbacks that I have from SSB students, I feel that in NUS,
everyone is given a chance to strive for internships, part-time jobs and career
opportunities etc which was lacking in SSB. I.T. wise, I feel that the extent of
“connectedness” in NUS is far more sophisticated than SSB’s system and that it is more
user-friendly too.
3. What strong points does your host university have compared to our School?
In terms of students-run activities and events, York University always have a host of
programmes lined up every week for students everywhere and this makes the campus
extremely lively. The extent of initiative shown by the array of student bodies in York
University also appeals greatly to a culturally diverse student population. Besides,
students have a greater say over matters concerning the curriculum, administrative
matters and such, which shows that York University really empowers the students to
make decisions on their own and their desire to groom them to be independent academics.
4. What expenses did you incur at the host university for one semester?
Estimated Breakdown of Expenses:
Items
Estimated
Expenditure (S$)
Airfare (Return Ticket)
1882
Travel & Health Insurance
600
Accommodation
2200
Food
2000
Books & Stationery
600
Clothing
300
Miscellaneous (Eg: Local transportation, phone calls, postage,
500
student visa, medical report)
Others (Eg. Extended stay, airfare for tour of neighbouring
450
states/countries, etc) Please specify here: Touring around
Canada
Total
SGD$8582
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
Please refer Appendix A for report.
APPENDIX A
When the recruitment call from the SEP office came, I was in the second semester
of my 2nd year studies, and once again, the Dean’s office was encouraging every business
undergraduates like me to take on the challenge of a study stint in an overseas university.
Throughout my years in NUS, I would have probably seen that “SEP recruitment” mail
many times but frankly, did not think much about it. Then, I must admit that I had very
few ambitions, was change averse and besides, it seems like a high risk move too. I had
to consider the facts of: “what if I fail to pass all my modules in the host university, or
what if the modules taken were deemed not mappable and will I have the financial means
then to go through another semester in NUS? Will I lose out? What are the opportunity
costs to me?” These are all very genuine concerns that I harboured for a long, long time
which soon, I became too lazy to answer. The glass was always half empty for me.
Regrettably, whenever SEP calls for students to make the move, I used to simply tap the
“delete-mail” icon.
But this time round, it felt different. As I poured through the details of the mail, I
started to realize that this was a privilege that not many students can enjoy, and besides,
as I neared my final year of studies in NUS, it suddenly dawned on me that I still did not
know what I wanted to do. It was definitely a struggle but finally, I saw that I really
wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and attempt something different,
something that happens only once in a lifetime, and something that I can look back in
reminiscence of that one wise decision that I have made. That was then that I decided it
was time for me to venture out of the “sheltered” educational system of Singapore and
attempt something new, something radically unique. Without battling an eyelid, I penned
this down in the application form: “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not
absence of fear." My decision to embark on this exciting adventure is primarily to
challenge myself, to overcome my personal fears and to rise up as a highly independent
individual. I also wanted to be someone who is adaptable to changes and one who can
truly embrace diversity with grace. So here I am, blessed with an opportunity to share my
study exchange experiences with readers of this report.
I have chose to spend the next one semester in York University, which is located
in Toronto, Canada; in the North York region to be exact. Their faculty of business is
called the Schulich School of Business (SSB) which in 2004, was ranked 14th amongst
the “Top International Schools” ranking, published in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
And this ranking is ahead of Harvard, Berkeley and Cornell, falling just behind Columbia,
INSEAD and Stanford. SSB was also placed 9th among North American business
schools and 6th among non-US schools. That really boosted my confidence in knowing
that our partner universities of NUS are all highly reputable and will definitely provide a
world-class education programme for exchange students alike. Curriculum wise, SSB
addresses what we know as “modules” as “courses” and similar to NUS, every course
taken is corresponded to credits required for graduation. “Sectional” classes, as we call it
in NUS, are much bigger in attendance in SSB and one would not be surprised to find a
class to comprise of up to 35-40 students. Notwithstanding this fact, classes are always
highly interactive between lecturers and students, and one prominent trade of the students
are that they themselves seem to have a wealth of working experiences which granted
them the foundation to participate and contribute effectively to the on-going class
discussions. It is easy to pick up a handful of students from amongst the class who are
running their own businesses or have played significant roles in established multinational
companies before. The lecturers that I had for all of my five courses were all very
experienced in their previous field of specializations and it was an extremely enriching
experience to learn from these professors as they bring into the class tools of practicality,
not mere theories. Students are already expected to know theories hence, I must say that
the learning curve for me was pretty steep as I had to understand and catch up on what
the lecturers were saying, since the materials were all in the Canadian context. But by the
end of second or third week, most exchange students were more or less able to go with
the flow of their teaching styles and it was only then, that I was able to learn much more
then before.
Since I was in SSB during the Fall Term, which spans from September to
December, I had the opportunity to experience summer, autumn and winter in a
university which has no qualms about providing vast, lush greenery and spaces to
students, making it an extremely therapeutic encounter to be in SSB. Furthermore, SSB
has just completed their new multi-million dollars building which is designed to closely
resemble an office tower and commercial space. This goes on to serve the purpose of not
wanting its students to feel stifled by the monotony of everyday school life which I felt
was very beneficial to exchange students like me who wanted to reside and learn in a
radically different environment. Surprisingly, as much as I prepared myself for the
culture shocks that I was expected to experience, I didn’t! Looking back, I believe that
one of the reasons why I felt so comfortable in Toronto even though I was thousands of
miles away from home is that the locals here were all very accepting and to think that
Singapore was culturally diverse was to seriously undermine the presence of Canadians
from all races and regions of the world! Comprised primarily of immigrants from Asia,
European and Middle East countries, it immediately felt like Toronto was indeed the
melting pot of all cultures! It also helps that over one million Chinese live in Canada, and
half of them actually live in Toronto.
It will definitely take some getting used to a new system here such as modes of
transportation, banking and food but the most important point to note is: Do not rush! Do
not rush into doing things that you have no knowledge of especially when money is
concerned. It sure is frustrating when all prices quoted in all Canadian stores are before
15% taxes. This can really set you back quite a bit if you do not know where the cheapest
places to source products from are. What I have learnt is to always ask the locals who can
always tell you the little knick-knacks of doing things faster and cheaply too. Therefore,
it helps to have a buddy during the stay in SSB though sadly, my buddy did not show up
until two weeks into my stay in Toronto where by then, I had already figured out where
most of the things I needed were. Also, downtown Toronto is quite compact and the
streets are laid parallel and adjacent to one another akin to block of squares, hence,
waiting for the train or streetcar may take longer than walking. Besides, one has to be
prepared for the higher costs of transportation in Toronto too. A single trip on the bus via
subway trains can costs as much as SGD$2.50 regardless of the distance traveled. That
said, I think that the costs of living in Toronto is also much higher than Singapore so be
prepared to pay up to 3 times the price of a meal as compared to our local hawker fare.
Surely there are times of ups and downs throughout the semester of exchange but
at the end of the day, the greatest reward that I have achieved out of all these months of
hard work and fun was simply the friends that I have made; Canadians, Koreans, French,
Hong Kongers, Italians, Germans, Australians, Dutch and many more! This is definitely
something that I cannot buy to experience if I had chose to stay in Singapore. Even fifty
years down the road, I would not regret the fact that I have decided upon this path of my
life in NUS and indeed I truly thank God for the wonderful semester of studies, adventure
and friendships forged in Canada, a choice that should have been made earlier!
Below are some pictures taken during my exchange: