SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY
EXCHANGE SEMESTER:
FALL 2012
Currency SGD to NOK ($1 = 4.8 NOK)
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
SMU is located in the center of Singapore, and the school is made out of five
different buildings or schools (School of Business, School of Law &
Accountancy, School of Economics and Social Science and School of
Information and of course the library). The schools are quite close to each
other and they are all connected with an underpass/concourse. In the
underpass you also find the food court where you get all kind of food, some
simple shops, 7 eleven and cafés. The school also offer free workout at SMUs
own gym. For students who want to do other sports there are plenty of
alternative student organizations.
Visit www.smu.edu.sg to get a ‘virtual guide’ of the campus.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
The international office at SMU send you a lot of information and you should
read it al carefully to make note of all the deadlines you must remember. The
school also provides you with all the information you need to proceed the
online matriculation. To begin with it might all seem a bit overwhelming with all
the information, but after a while it all makes sense.
Visa Procedure
You must apply for a student visa. This you do online through the
immigration’s webpage. You also have to pay an application fee for this. The
process itself was very easy and quick. Around beginning of July you get an
email where you have to sign up for an appointment at the ICA (Immigration
office in Singapore) to pick up you Singaporean ID. This can be a bit time
consuming – and you should expect it to take at least 1 ½ hour.
Academic Calendar
The academic year starts in mid August and ends the first week in December
– depending on your final exams. You are given one recess week in October
and another study week before exams in November.
Housing
This year SMU offered student housing at a hostel called Commonwealth. I
did not stay at this hostel because it was quite far away from the school
(approx 45 min by public transport) and it was quite expensive (approx SG$
700). I chose to stay at the Pearl Hill Hostel. This was located in Chinatown
and I payed $ 500 for a triple room and shared bathroom. The housing in
Singapore is quite expensive, and this is one of the cheapest places to stay.
To get to SMU from this hostel is 20 min by walk or 7-10 min by bus. The
hostels standard is quite simple. There are normally several SMU students
here a long with other Asian students and interns.
Most exchange students went together and rented an apartment for the
semester. Between 4-8 persons was normal and you should expect to share
the bedroom with one more person. The ongoing rates for the apartments
were $ 800-1100 per person. Normally this also includes a swimming pool
and maybe a sports area. Many students met up at either Inn Crowd Hostel or
Sleepy Sams Hostel the first week of August to find roommates and
apartments together. You should also follow the SMU Facebook page for
information about housing and general things.
Costs
The housing in Singapore is probably the most expensive part of your stay.
Public transport is cheap and so is food. A lunch/dinner cost normally
between $ 4-6 and the fares on the subway is between $ 0.7- 3. In general I
spent about $ 10 a week. The alcohol and night life on the other hand is
expensive and you can expect Norwegian prices. Cover charge on most of
the nightclubs and expensive alcohol. Nevertheless, if you’re tactical arrive
before 23.30 and get a stamp for free and you can enter the rest of the night
on that stamp. Wednesday is also ladies night and the ladies get drinks and
entry for free. It is therefore suggested not to choose course on Wednesday
evening or Thursday morning.
Flying from Singapore is also quite cheap, so most exchange students travel
around during the weekends. You can fly most places close by for 150-200
SGD.
The prepaid sim cards are also quite cheap and cost around $20 for 6 weeks.
The International Office
I got all the information I needed from the international office. They also
arrange a mandatory matriculation/information day for the students. Here they
answer many of your questions about choosing courses, SMU and
Singaporean culture.
Social Activities
How is your relationship with other students?
The Singaporeans study a lot. Already the first week of school you see
them sleeping on the desk in the library. I found it difficult to get any real
Singaporean friends because they are caught up in their studies. Anyhow,
in group projects you normally be friend with the locals and you get to
know them better.
How is the relationship among the exchange students?
The exchange students are a big group but also easy to get to know
people. Normally they travel together and go to parties together. The
Helipad, One Altitude and Attica are some of the clubs they normally go to.
Is there a student organization, and if so, are the exchange students a part of
it?
There are several student organizations and in the beginning of the
semester they promote themselves at school. I did not attend in any of the
organizations and didn’t hear of any that did. Nevertheless, I think some
did, but that the organizations were mainly consisted by local students.
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience
Studying in Asia has been a very good experience for me. Singapore itself is
a city with a lot of different cultures and even though it was difficult to get to
know many of the Singaporeans I got to know a lot of Chinese, Japanese,
Malay and Indians. Since I was living in Chinatown I got to experience the
poor people of Singapore up close. And you can see how Singapore lacks
social safety net and how difficult it can be to survive. The Singaporeans are
very business orientated, and my impression was that money was the most
important thing. They believe in delayed gratification. They are also highly
competitive and many are disappointed if they get less than an A for their final
grade.
ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
Most of the courses are held in seminar rooms with one professor and appox.
50 students. The professor is the one that decides how you are grades. For
example your final grade can be divided like this:
35% Group Project (20% presentation and 15% report)
15% midterm (multiple choice)
10% Class Participation
10% In Class Quiz
30% Final Exam
If you want to know the different subjects/professors grade and build up their
courses, read the Course Outline carefully (published 3-4 weeks before
arriving in Singapore on www.smu.edu.sg - course catalog).
Most professors grade Class Participation with 10% meaning you should
participate during the lectures. You should also try to choose some subject
that do not have final exam to ease on the exam pressure.
Work load
In general it is a heavier work load than back home because you get graded
all the time. There were parts of the semester with a lot of work, especially
before recess (because of midterms) and before the last study week. In the
week 12/13 most final group projects are due along with group presentations
in most courses. Expect it to be a lot of work during these times, but the rest
of the semester is ok.
They also say that it is quite difficult to fail if you hand in all the projects and
participate in class.
Library
The library was my home. It is located on four stories with a lot of space
available. There are regular desks, discussion areas and comfy couches on
the different levels. The library also provides research help desk, so if you
want help to research a topic they help you out.
Courses:
The choosing of courses can be a bit of a hassle. The first round was mid July
and you can chose the courses you want. But you have to be quick because
the available spots run of quickly. Be sure to read all the information and do
some practice rounds before it starts.
If you are still missing some courses after this round, you can choose more
courses through the BOSS system. This is a bidding system where you get
virtual dollars and have to bid for the courses you want. This can also be a bit
complicated so be sure to read the instructions before starting.
When you choose your courses I suggest you try to squeeze them in on two
or three days. That way you can travel during the weekends. Still, I will not
suggest to chose three courses in one day since this is extremely tiring.
In most classes participation is also mandatory and some fail you if you are
frequently absent.
MGMT 102 – Strategy
This course was mandatory from BI and was very good. We had cases during
the lectures and did one group project where we could choose any company
we wanted to analyze. The course is very all rounded and relevant.
FNCE 201 – Corporate Finance
This course is about corporate and capital structure. The course is based on
general finance knowledge and is very informative and theoretical. I found the
course to be quite difficult because of the language barrier. Since I did not
know any of terminology in English which made it more difficult. We had one
midterm, one final exam, a couple of group cases and a final group report.
COMM 101 – Management Communication
This course was very useful. It focuses on writing different letters: formal
letter, delivering negative messages, persuading letters and also an oral pitch.
And the course does not have a final exam, but if you skip classes more than
three times you will automatically get an F.
ECON102 – International Economics
International Economics is a mix of macro- and microeconomics. For my
course we had one group presentation combined with an individual report,
small midterm and one final exam. The course is relatively simple if you
already understood the macro- and microeconomics from BI.