Student Report
Singapore Management University
Fall 2014
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
I received my first email from SMU in the middle of March. It contained a lot of information
including a thorough Students guide with everything you need to know in the beginning of the
process. You should prepare yourself for receiving a lot of information from SMU. They send
out a lot of emails with a load of information in each of them. It´s important to read every
email as they will clarify most of the things you will wonder about during the process. It was
a lot of information to take in, but it will most definitely help you out.
Applying for a visa
I applied for visa online. Some of my fellow students thought it was complicated. I thought it
was pretty straight forward. SMU sent me guidelines on how and when to apply. It costs
about 500-1000 NOK. When you get to Singapore you will need to go to ICA (Immigration
Office) to get it. I advice you to book a time early, maybe your second or third day after you
arrive, as it will take at least one full day, and once you´re done with it you don´t have to
worry about it anymore and can focus on getting to know other exchangers and spend time
with them in the beginning.
Travel
I booked my flight before I received my final confirmation as I was pretty sure I was going to
get accepted. I searched for cheapest flights and booked Qatar Airways through Momondo.
SMU advised us to to arrive in Singapore 6th August. I arrived 3th August to make sure I had
enough time to meet the other exchangers and find accommodation. I recommend to get there
around 4-5 days before the recommended date. Make sure you book a bed at Green Kiwi
hostel early as it will get fully booked and it is the best place to meet other exchangers in the
beginning. This is where I met my roommates and a lot of other people I ended up hanging
out with during the exchange. I had some trouble finding the place after a long flight, but if
you just look it up online and bring a map or something it should not be a problem. I stayed
there for 7 days. Do not be afraid of booking too many nights, a lot of my friends booked
longer than they needed, but when they found an apartment they just asked if they had to stay
at the hostel the rest of the booking, but they got a refund and a smile instead, just saying.
Housing
SMU does not provide housing, but they did send us an email with information about
recommended long term hostels and other residential housing, as well as contact information
for recommended agents. I decided to find private accommodation with exchange students I
met at Green Kiwi. I met most of my roommates already the first night, we got along great
and started to look for apartment together. I had already decided that I didn´t want to live with
any Norwegians and I recommend you to do the same. Nothing against Norwegians, but I
believe you will get a much more interesting experience if you decide not to. In my apartment
we were eight in total from six different countries with 50/50 guys and girls and it worked out
great.
Personally I didn´t look for apartments, because my roomates had already booked some
viewings. They looked online through sites like Propertyguru and such. We were at 4-5
different apartment viewings before we decided which one to get. We went one for a newly
renovated four bedroom at City Square Residences. Each of us paid 950 SGD monthly.
Utilites came on top of this, it was just based on our usage so it wasn´t a set amount, but
usually it was between 400-600 SGD, divide that by eight and it´s not so bad. We also signed
a subscription for internet, I don´t remember how much it was, but it was not expensive,
maybe between 10-20 SGD a month. As for description of City Square residences, I think you
have read enough reports about it, but it includes a huge swimming pool, two tennis courts,
bowling alley and a karaoke room. In other words, it was doable.
If I had to say something negative about living there, it was the guards. A lot of them were
really nice and friendly, but it was more the rules that were at the condo. If we were to bring a
guest to our place, they had to sign in, so you can imagine it wasn´t easy to throw parties
there. We didn´t host any parties ourselves, but we there were some exchange students who
did and they got into a lot of trouble for it. One time the police arrived, and the parties weren´t
that crazy, but some of the guars, and especially the manager were really strict. We also had
some trouble with access cards. You need it to access the front gate and the door to your
building. You can enter without if you sign in at the guard house and call the guard from the
intercom when you are at the door, but we had to wait maybe one month before we got the
cards, which was a bit frustrating.
Another big issue, probably the greatest drawback, was the law. There is a special law in
Singapore which doesn´t allow anyone to rent a condo for less than six months. Some
students were thrown out because of this mid semester and had to find themselves a new
place. Our agent and landlord was smart and they wrote in our contract that we were to stay
there for six months, and then they added something about if we wish to leave earlier we
could if there was special reason. I do not remember what she wrote. My point is, be aware of
this and make sure your lease agreement is tight. If you want further information about this I
would advise to look it up online and check what information is up to date, maybe something
has changed when you go there.
Costs
Rent
Books
Food
Transport
Other
NOK 5000
NOK 200
NOK 1000
NOK 500
NOK 1000
I´m sure it doesn´t come as a surprise that Singapore is an expensive place to live. Rent and
alcohol is what you will probably use most of your savings on. Food is very cheap and
extremely delicious, eat out every day, it is definitely worth it. We used to buy drinks and
have preparties at the bridge in Clarke Quay, this was much cheaper than buying drinks at
pubs and clubs. However, a new law has passed, which bans all public drinking in Singapore.
I read this in Straits Times which is the most read local newspaper after I got back to Norway.
I guess you are just unlucky. You can still survive though, there are going to be enough
preparties to take part in so don´t sweat about it. Other than that, clothes were expensive so
unless you really look forward to go on a shopping spree in orchard road, bring the clothes
you need. Including formal wear for presentations at school. Lastly, there is two casinos in
Singapore. If you like casinos you should check them out. One is at Marina Bay Sands and the
other one is at Sentosa. I´m just going to give you a warning, the minimum bet is pretty
expensive compared to places like London, Barcelona and Amsterdam. Example: roulette
minimum bet was 10 SGD.
Culture and language
A lot of the student reports I read before I arrived in Singapore said they had problems
understanding the local take on English, called Singlish. I did not, it´s a funny and cute accent
with words from Chinese, Malay and Indian, a lot of the locals will automatically speak a
little less Singlish when speaking to exchangers. If you are worried about not understanding,
you shouldn´t let this be what makes you not wanna go to Singapore. The professors I had
was mostly foreigners, one from Italy, one from USA and another from USA/Egpyt. So
understanding in class wasn´t any problem either.
Today, Singapore is one of the richest countries in the world. The island is more or less
devoid of crime and poverty. When I visited Singapore, I always felt like I visited the future,
like what Manhattan should have become. The city is modern, spotless and perfect.
But this appearance of perfection came at a cost. The country is a bit soulless. Everything is
designed and catered for financial gain. There’s no history, no identity, no deeper values, no
deeper respect for individuals beyond money and productivity.
And so, ironically, what is most impressive and admirable about Singapore, is also what is
most depressing about it. It was so driven by necessity to become financially indispensable
that it sacrificed its cultural identity in the process.
Each cultural trait has advantages and disadvantages. And the more extreme the cultural trait,
the more extreme the advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it’s often the most apparent
and obvious aspects of each country’s culture that is both the best and the worst about that
country.
Culture for Singaporeans often means food. Make some local friends and go out and eat with
them. To meet local friends I think the best way is to join a student group, there are lots of
different options including sports, food, culture and even boardgames. There is a day in the
beginning of the semester which is like the recruitment day at BI so keep a lookout for that.
Another way to befriend locals is during class. Singaporeans aren´t that outgoing, at least not
until you befriend them. I´ve read that a lot of exchange students had trouble making friends
with locals. It is not that hard though, it is totally up to you and what you do to make it
happen. Just walk up to someone during the break and strike up a conversation, all
Singaporeans are friendly and will most likely think it is interesting to talk with you.
However, it is most unlikely that they will take initative, so if you want local friends, make it
happen yourself. Think about it, exchange students who come to Norway, how many of them
do you approach and try to be friends with? We don´t even speak the same language.
Singaporeans speak English, take the opportunity to make friends for life. You might learn a
thing or two about yourself and the way you view the world.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
To get a nice view of the school you can just google it and look it up on youtube. The same
goes for general information about it, you can also check other reports. However, I will give
you some insight about my personal experience from the scool. It is central located, so it is
very nice to have central accommodation as well. It is only 2-3 stops with the MRT if you live
around Farrer Park (where City Square Residences is located).
The school has several different buildings. All my classes were held in the business school
(LKCBS). All the buildings are connected with a concourse, meaning underground level. This
is where the food court and book shops are as well. There is also a nice library there, but there
is a known issue with students “chopping” seats, that means that people will reserve seats by
placing a sweater and some books there even though they are not present. Since so many
students do this the library will feel like the library at BI as it is during the exam period in the
fall, at least during the busiest hours. There is also a swimming pool at the roof of the
administration building, I went there a couple of times with some classmates between classes,
that was absolutely refreshing. Remember to try the local ice coffee, it is a killer during the
heat. And personally I didn´t really fancy the regular coffees they made, especially in the food
courts.
Course registration
I got all the courses I wanted. Three in the first round and my last curse in the second round.
Therefore I didn´t have to go through the BOSS system, which is the bidding system for
courses. I recommend you to note the dates for when the registration opens, and log in
beforehand and make sure you understand and familiarize yourself with the site. Look up the
courses you want and understand how you add them when it opens. You will have to stay up
until around 3-4 am maybe because it opens globally in Singapore time. Do not use a mobile,
use a computer. I heard from lot of people that they had trouble with the system and so on and
they had to take courses they didn´t reall want. If you do not want that, make sure you read
absolutelt everything SMU sends you, they send you a lot of information so go through, it is a
reason why the send it to you. Do not underestimate this. Good luck. After my first week I
realized I didn´t really like my professor in one of my courses. Therefore I logged on to the
BOSS system and went all in for the same course, but a different professor. Luckily I got it.
The add/drop period ends after the first two-three weeks or so.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special
events/holidays:
Other:
03 August
10 August
Mid November
Late November
Diwali, no classes
Recess week for
travel
Arrival
During the introduction week there will at least be one introduction day. This day we had
presentations from staff as well as students. It will give you some nice insight about what you
can expect, I recommend attending this day. There will also be a tour around campus with a
current student as well as some social games to get to know other exchange students.
The International Office
International Office had a meeting with all students going outside Europe, this meeting was
very helpful with a nice Q and A session at the end. I also booked an appointment to get some
guidance to where I should go. I felt like I could get better guidance. It felt like it wasn’t for
my best personal interest, but for BIs interest. They recommended not to apply for schools I
showed interest in because it was not many spots available on those schools, even though I
had a GPA of A and felt like I could basically pick anywhere I wanted to go. I talked about
London, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia, they recommended me Hong Kong and
HKUST, but I ended up in Singapore based on my own research, with a lof of help from the
student reports of course. I recommend you to use International Office for guidance, but be
clear about what you want and keep in mind that it is your exchange, and only you can really
know where you feel like applying.
Promoting BI and Norway
They did not have any exchange fair as we have in Norway. I participated for SMU during the
exchange fair at BI though.
Social activities
To some extent I have covered this aspect at different parts of the report. There are lot of
opportunites to have a rich social life during your exchange. Make sure you go to the
recruitment day in the beginning of the semester. You will most likely have some group
projects with some native students so here you will have the opportunity to interact with them.
If you want closer relationships with native students it is your responsibility to approach them.
I have covered this earlier in the report. I was an active member of the Squash team which
was really nice. I was interested in different activites as well, like basketball, volley and
football, but their practice times didn’t fit my schedule.
When it comes to partying there is an organization hosting a lot of parties for exchange
students. This organization is not involved with SMU in any way, but this is where all the
exchange students went to party. It is called SingaporeUni. Some of my roommates were
ambassadors and always got a lot of free drinks and free entrance. If you want to become an
ambassador you can try to approach the people in charge during the first events and befriend
them. It is up to them if they want you to be an ambassador or not of course. A lot of the other
reports have covered the subject of partying so you can check them out as well.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
The teaching style is really different. Most of all because of the small classes with around 3040 students in each class. This results in a lot of interaction between the students and the
professors. Participation is actually a part of the grading in most classes, it was in all my
classes. I expected the classroom environment to be more formal than it actually was. I was
surprised by how informal my professors were, but that may be because they weren´t from
Singapore, but they were foreigners like me. Even though they made jokes during classes all
my professors excelled in their field. In all my courses I had group projects, presentations and
reports. The workload was heaver than BI, but it really depends on what course you take and
how much effort you put into it. It is a lot more deadlines because of how you are graded. Not
like usually one exam counting for 100% at BI. I thought this was refreshing, but also
sometimes stressfull. Just keep your head straight and you will do fine though.
Course materials
In most classes they used powerpoints as the general material during classes, but this was
supplemented with articles they posted online in the student portal called oasis. In one course
we had a strategy simulator game called globus which was both fun and educative.
Exams
The exams were mostly based on the lectures, the professors organize the lectures to prepare
you for the exam so there is no hidden agenda or anything shady going on there. The courses
was evaluated with final exam, this was written in some courses and oral in some others.
There was also small quizzes in class and small assignments. Furthermore there were
presentations and contintiuosly group work. Class attendance and class participation was also
a part of the evaluation.
Library and technology
I have described the library earlier in the section about the school. When it comes to
technology there is a fair amount of computers available to all students. There are also
printers available. You pay with your EZ link card, which is your public transportation card. It
is fairly cheap to print at the university. This was basically all the technology I used.
Description of courses
Course code
& name
MGMT 102
Strategy
Master/
Bachelor
Bachelor
Exam form
MGMT 105
Current
issues in
business,
culture and
society
FNCE 201
Corporate
Finance
Bachelor
No final exam,
three hand ins and
a final
presentation
Bachelor
2-hour written
exam, closed
book
MAND 201
Mandarin
Bachelor
One final oral,
one final written
2-hour written
exam
Prerequ Approved
Comments
isites
as
None
Mandatory
If you want a funny and
instead of
good professor. Choose
Strategi at BI Adel Dimian
None
Elective
Interesting course, free
lunch, nice teacher, nice
to have this course to
make the workload
“easier”, but still a really
good and fun course
Check
Mandatory
Awesome professor
Oasis
course within called Gennaro Bernile,
for
my major
challenging, but not too
updated
challenging, highly
recommended
None
Elective
Very interesting course,
funny in the beginning,
but it get´s difficult. If
you actually want to
learn the language you
have to put in a lot of
hours besides showing
up for classes, which
will be hard since so
much stuff is going on
during your exchange.
Still recommended.
Summarize of my experience during exchange
My exchange semester in Singapore has probably been one of the best experiences in my life.
Not just academically, but socially as well as personally. You will meet so many different
personalites from different cultures from all across the world, and each and every one of them
will have a different story to tell. Listen to them, learn from them and tell them your stories.
You will grow as a person and a it will most definitely shape your view on the world. It
inspired me to do new things, be even more open minded than I was from before and it feels
like a whole new world has opened for me. BI is a really nice school and Norway a great
country, but it´s like you live in a little box, and everything you know and all the people
you´ve met are in the same box. Break out of that box and you will suddenly find yourself in a
different reality, with different shapes and different colors. I want to embark on a similar
journey again, there is absolutely nothing holding me back except for my mind. If you love to
travel, try living in a different country, it´s a totally different experience you should not miss
out on. I do not regret my exchange semester, I would do it all over again.