(National University of) Singapore

I am currently on exchange at the National University of Singapore. The business school here has a partnership with my home faculty — the Sauder School of Business which allows for a great opportunity to round out my university experience. My time abroad is intended to be my last semester of my undergraduate degree.

Why Singapore?

1. Global University
   The National University of Singapore (NUS) has a good reputation. It is the top ranked university in Asia. Internationally, NUS is ranked within the top 20 schools and specially within the engineering/technology and management/social sciences fields (I study in) top 10. 
   *The school has on-campus accommodation and great transportation options. (See next)
2. Location — High Cost of Living
   Singapore is known to be an expensive city. The single biggest expense of going on living away from home (outside of flights) is rent. Most universities offer subsidized on-campus housing, including NUS. I wanted to leverage this discount to live in a place where I would not normally be able to afford to rent. This means that I get to live in a safe, clean city with amazing infrastructure. In Singapore, the living expenses outside of rent are quite manageable, especially since I do not enjoy shopping.
3. Location — Gateway to South-East Asia
   Fights from Singapore (or even Kuala Lumpur) to the rest of SE Asia are cheap, especially with there are sales. It is very easy to take weekend or even weeklong trips to new places each time.
4. Positive Exchange Stories
   Some of my friends and people I look up to have gone to Singapore (majority to NUS) and had an amazing time. From them, I heard about the hawker centres with the variety of cheap food; about the thought-provoking courses, cool places and interesting people on campus. I saw their travel photos as they wandered SE Asia. My friend played ultimate with the NUS team. Other friend went to a conference and launched a global mentorship program. I even know someone who met her boyfriend on exchange. All these diverse and amazing stories mean that I too can carve out my own amazing experience in Singapore.
5. Location — Family Connections
   My uncle and his family live in Singapore. My mom’s childhood friend also live in Singapore. I get a chance to spend more time with my young cousins for the first time. They have shown me around, made home-cooked meals, and helped me get settled in Singapore. My family even has a washing machine where I do all my laundry :P

So in case you have ever wondered why I chose to Singapore now you know! Maybe this will help you too if you are deciding where to go on exchange.

Feel free to let me know if you have any comments or questions.