A beautiful city with unique highs and lows November 02, 2023
By A student (Art History, Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/01/2022 to 11/11/2022 with
Yale-NUS College: Singapore - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned an incredible amount about living in a foreign country and about connecting with the local population. It was worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
This program was challenging and rigorous, while simultaneously providing a safe space to learn and grow in a foreign environment. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Yale-NUS does an incredible job of handling their exchange students and preparing them for their stay. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Our apartments were roomy and well-kept. Housing provided furniture, and took care of all necessary amenities. |
| * Food: |
The food was delicious in some cases though there was the occasional repeat dish that was only ok. This was a pretty typical dining hall experience! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
As an exchange student, you are really integrated into Singapore and its culture! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Healthcare was easy to navigate and very thorough. |
| * Safety: |
Frankly, this is one of the safest cities I have ever been in. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Though it had its difficulties, it was an amazing experience. Also, this program is closing soon and I would definitely take advantage of it again if I had the chance. |
Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
To be honest, Singapore is very expensive. It was tough to live on a student budget here. That being said, the food is free in the dining halls and thus it's mostly personal expenses that raise the cost of living...however personal expenses are necessary to be immersed in the local cultural and food scenes. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I would estimate $150-$200/week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Not really, no. It's a difficult balance, and you should prepare to spend around $30/day while you're there. Even if you don't spend anything some days, other days will cost far more. There are a lot of free activities in Singapore like parks that I would take advantage of. Also, if you're too poor for super nice food, go to the hawker stalls!! The food is often delicious, and it's a better way to be exposed to actual Singaporean culture rather than just tourist culture or expats. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Culture shock is actually real, I didn't believe in it before this. But you get over it quickly if you immerse yourself in the things you enjoy |
