SEP Report
1. Student Information
Name (as in myisis)
Faculty/Major
Host University
NUS Semester and Year of Exchange
Shimon Seng Hong Jie
Engineering / Mechanical Engineering
University of New South Wales
AY14/15 Sem 2
2. Study at Host University
Please provide information on the academics at your host university:
- Studying or learning culture at your host university. How were classes conducted?
- What did you like most or dislike most about the academics at your host University?
- Advice on module registration and module mapping
The learning is very much self-directed with quite a heavy reliance on Matlab for certain mechanical
engineering modules, e.g. the UNSW equivalent of ME2143 Feedback Control Systems and ME4213
Vibration Theory and Applications. This became a stumbling block in the initial stages because I did
not learn Matlab prior to this exchange and Matlab knowledge was not a prerequisite to enroll in
these courses. However, students who had prior Matlab knowledge did have a significant advantage
over those who did not because there were certain tutorials which were 100% Matlab-assisted. There
were also courses which did not have tutorial classes and thus it became difficult to have a gauge of
where one stood in readiness for the final exam. As lecturers did not upload past-year exam papers,
this made revision difficult. Module registration is done by the UNSW Global Education and Exchange
Office but students are welcome to swap courses during O-Week.
Please list the courses that you took during SEP. (Please take note that the list of modules available to
exchange students at the host university are subject to change. This table merely serves as reference.)
Host University
Module
Course title
code
MECH4305
F&A Vibration Analysis
MATS4004
Fracture Mechanics and Failure Analysis
MANF3100
Product and Manufacturing Design
MGMT2721 Managing People
ECTS
Credit
6
6
6
6
2. Accommodation
What kind of accommodation did you stay in during your exchange (eg. on campus / off campus)?
Would you recommend this accommodation to future outgoing students?
Do you have any other suggestions?
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I stayed on campus at UNSW Hall for the duration of my exchange. This is a part-catered
accommodation (only breakfast and dinner is provided 7 days a week) with shared bathrooms. There
are no gender-segregated floors. The building is a little run-down since it has been in existence for
quite some time. In winter, the room can be a little cold especially in the wee hours of the morning
even with the heating panel switched on. However, the capacity of the accommodation is small
compared to some of the newer residential colleges, which makes for close interaction with almost all
of one’s fellow residents and thus good for making new friends.
3. Activities during SEP
Were there any activities organized by school/student group/external organizations at your host
university which you would like to recommend to other students?
The UNSW Global Education and Exchange Office does have a social activities calendar, e.g. a guided
day tour to the Blue Mountains. It is perhaps a good way to meet other exchange students.
4. Cost of Living
Please provide an estimation of how much money you spent during your SEP?
Please list travel expenses separately.
A$ 8,000 for accommodation and daily expenses.
5. Challenges
Did you face any challenging issues during your SEP stint? How did you overcome it/them?
As mentioned, the hardest challenge was picking up Matlab as the course progresses due to my prior
lack of knowledge in this software. I went for weekly consultation with the lecturer as well as asking
some of the local students for help. I was lucky to make friends with a local student who was
proficient in the software, so I picked up some of the programming language from him and managed
to solve some of the simpler tutorial problems on my own.
6. Overall SEP Experience
Please write one paragraph about your exchange experience and attach some photos that represent
your exchange experience.
SEP is definitely an enriching experience with lots of learning opportunities, both in terms of academic
opportunities and non-academic opportunities. It is not an everyday occurrence that one gets the
chance to study overseas and to meet Singaporean as well as non-Singaporean students who are
studying full-time at the host university, to chat with them at dinner time everyday and to go out with
them on certain special occasions in the host country. Although the initial settling-in stage can be
tough for some, one will eventually adapt more or less to the customs and social norms such that
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daily life takes on a sense of normality. It is difficult to qualify the life experiences gained during SEP in
writing, but this venture definitely had its benefits.
7. Suggestions for future outgoing students
Please share any other suggestions for future outgoing students.
It is advisable to first contact the course lecturer at the host university to find out if knowledge of any
programming language is required prior to selecting the course. Also, it is probably better to read
core modules in NUS since one is already familiar with the assessment and examination system and to
leave only the UEMs for SEP, since these are easier to map as dummy UEMs.
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