Should I do an exchange to Singapore?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I posted a while back regarding doing a University exchange to Finland. Unfortunately for course compatibility reasons, this school is not an option. I am now looking at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. I have ZERO experience/knowledge of Asian culture and am rather unsettled about living there for some 8 months. I don’t like Chinese food…I have no clue what student life is like over there.

Perhaps we have some people from Singapore on this board? I’d like to get a better understanding of this country. Should I be worried, or would it likely be a very positive experience?

(Oh, I’d be taking a year of electrical engineering, FWIW).

2

I have Singaporen family. I visit every year or so.

A few scatttered points:

– Singapore is hot and humid. I’m Australian, so I’m used to dealing with warm weather, but Singapore is one step up on the ladder of discomfort. I’m not sure what the weather is Ontario is like, but I’m guessing you won’t be accustomed to extreme heat and humidity.

– Singapore is crowded. If you don’t like wading through noisy throngs of people, don’t even bother. From an Australian perspective, people aren’t very open and friendly to strangers – don’t expect great customer service or strangers smiling or nodding to you in the street.

– Singapore has fantastic food. I’m a bit disappointed you don’t like “Chinese food” (FWIW, there isn’t one school of cuisine called “Chinese”) because most people really enjoy eating in Singapore. In fact, for many it’s a highlight of their visit; the quality, affordability and diversity of food in Singapore really is incredible. It’s not just “Chinese food” (by which you probably mean Cantonese); there’s Indian, Malay and a host of others. Heck, there’s even a Burger King, KFC and Taco Bell on every second corner, if that’s what you like.

– Singapore is famous for shopping. It’s a national pastime, really. If you like shopping, you’ll always have something to do in Singapore.

– Singapore is close to Malaysia and the rest of south-east Asia. It’s possible to take day-trips or weekends away to explore the region. Don’t look on this as 8 months in Singapore–rather, as 8 months in a very diverse and exciting SE Asia.

– Singapore is intensely urban, but it’s quite a pretty city. Nothing in the way of natural features, but the infrastructure parks and gardens are beautiful. There’s no litter on the streets (huge fines). The electric train system (“MRT”) is one of the best in the world; it’s really quite superb.

– Singapore is very orderly society, bordering on oppressive. Not so great from a civil liberties point of view, but from a law-abiding visitor’s perspective it makes for a peaceful, low crime environment. It’s possible to wander the steets late at night–there’s always plenty of people about, and little to fear.

– Singaporean culture is very family orientated. You may suffer from some loneliness. OTOH, if you’re in a university environment, there should be some mechanisms to deal with this.

– Despite the high density living, there’s a lot of sport in Singapore. Soccer, tennis and swimming clubs are popular, as are gyms.

– Singaporean students are generally a studious bunch. Competition to enter Singapore’s main universities is INTENSE, and kids work extremely hard to get there. Expect a high standard of teaching and a multi-cultural faculty.

That’s all I can think of for now. To answer your question, I’d be worried–but at same time, expecting a generally positive experience. That is, if you’re going to be open-minded and patient about living in a foreign place.

3

I was born in Singapore but have since moved to the great southern land to live. Jervoise summed up living in Singapore pretty much to a ‘T’ so I am just backing him/her up.

  • If you attend a Singaporean University, expect to study hard, and at the same time, expect to be “spoon fed” and “minded” much the same way you were “minded” while in high school. In some universities, Lectures and Tutorials are compulsory, if you don’t attend you don’t sit the exam (ie. fail), regardless of how smart you are.

  • South East Asian food and fruits are like nothing else in the world. You won’t find lemon chicken or chicken and cashews in Singapore, it’s not that kind of chinese food (though you could find it if you really wanted to) as Jervois said there is malay, indian, chinese, and more importantly, there is food that is a unique blend of all the above. Once you’ve tried the unique food only found in SE Asia, everything is will taste very very bland.

  • Being a foreigner in Singapore will not be a problem. Foreigners/tourist are a dime a dozen and you won’t stand out or anything like that (although in University you might). In general, Singaporeans aren’t racist or discriminatory, they don’t look at you and think “Oh, there’s a white/black guy.” White/black/yellow just doesn’t occur to them (most of the time). English is understood by just about the entire population, albeit they speak with a funny accent.

  • Culturally, it won’t be much of a culture shock. You are only staying for 8 months and the “surface culture” of Singapore is fairly modern and cosmopolitan. You won’t have to worry too much about proper etiquette, traditions, taboos, etc, as you would if you were to go to a more culturally isolated country like Japan. General western courtesy, politeness and civility will be ample.

Have fun.

4

I’m in Singapore and studying in a University here, so I hope this helps you.

General Singapore info:

As mentioned before Singapore is hot, muggy and you can expect rain off and on throughout the year.

As an exchange student, you will probably want to explore the place. Well, you’ll be done with all of Singapore in about two weeks, leaving you with tons of time to go around Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia etc, all of which are right next door, very accessible, and financially undemanding (relatively speaking).

If you enjoy an urban lifestyle (pubbing, clubbing, eating out, shopping, hanging about malls), you’ll fit right in.

You mention you don’t like Chinese food. That’s not a very big issue because Singapore has something for everyone, when it comes to gastronomy. However, if you’re on a tight budget, this might be a slight problem; you might need to cultivate some taste-buds for Chinese food. On the whole, however, you’ll be able to manage if you learn to adjust just a bit. Just for your information, Western food stalls on University campuses generally tend to serve variations of fish and chips, chicken cutlets, spaghetti with gloppy sauce, pork chops and stew.

As for racism, if you’re White, you needn’t worry. People will love you for your skin colour. (This is where I disagree with Vaeth…racism is very alive here; it just happens to be very subtle.)

Student Life in a University here:

I’m at the National University of Singapore, not Nanyang Tech, so there might be some differences between what I tell you here and the reality you will find. On the whole, though, it’s probably about the same.

You will have lectures where, depending on the Professor’s whims, attendance may or may not be taken. From what I hear from my engineering friends, almost half the engin lecturers persist in taking attendance during class.

You will also have things called tutorials. These involve a bunch of students (about 20-odd) being taught either by a Master’s /PhD student or the lecturer him(her)self. For these sessions, you’ll probably be given a worksheet of problems which will be discussed in class and you will be assigned homework.

The lecturer will tell you precisely what book to buy and articles to read, and most likely you’ll also get a neat bunch of class notes done in powerpoint. More often than not, you will be able to ace your exams even if you don’t read a word beyond the prescribed syllabus. Education, unfortunately, is synonymous with spoonfeeding here.

The opportunities to indulge in extra-curricular hobbies are manifold, and should be taken advantage of, IMHO. Sports, the arts, clubs and societies…it’s all there, and is an essential part of the student experience here. You’ll meet a lot of people this way too.

I can’t think of anything else off the top of my head, but feel free to email me if you have any specific questions.

5

I’ve only spent 4 days in Singapore, about 5 years ago, so you have to see my information in this light.

Singapore is great if you like food, and bars. Plenty of places catering to the expat community, especially around Boat Quay. I personally really liked Chiimes, an old convent converted to a restaurant plaza, for lack of a better word. Great atmosphere for outside dining at night.

The people are pretty friendly, if somewhat reserved. Expect every sentence to end in the word “la” - especially from Chinese Singaporians. :slight_smile:

I found the general atmosphere to be somewhat restrictive. You really feel like you’re in a police state - and you are. Depending on the level of authority you’re used to at home, you might not be as affected as I was, but I was glad to leave the place after a few days. Mind you, I’d go back there for a couple of days in a heartbeat, I love it. I just don’t think I could live there, to be honest. No offense to our Singaporian Dopers, of course. To each his own.

6

No. It would be hell.

Think about it: 80-90 degree temperature all year round, humid, verdant, on the ocean, near some pretty cool beaches in neighboring countries, an amazing array of very tasty cuisine from around Asia and the world, no cheap beer, most of the population is bi- or tri-lingual (and most speak the Singapore brand of English), college kids that like to go wild, everyone tanned, drop dead gorgeous women. Naw, I don’t think you should go.

7

What China Guy said. Terrible place, what with all the good weather and food and beer and travel. And there are too many gorgeous women.

8

If you can handle the weather (and don’t underestimate the effect of having the same hot humid sticky weather day in day out, no seasons), and the censorship (Mr. Bean gets cut for TV screening to give you an idea), go for it.

DP (3.5 years experience in Singapore, glad to be back in Europe)

9

Excellent, thanks for that info. Hot girls are always a nice plus :slight_smile:

10

Knowing what I know now, if I were given that chance at your stage, I would leap with both feet. Many rules there, but they are generally ones I don’t break anyway.

11

Oh, if you go: don’t try and smuggle any chewing gum into Sing. It’s illegal there.

Yes, that’s right. No gum available (well officially) in the entire country. Had my pack confiscated at customs - I forgot I still had a pack in the front pocket of my backpack. Got a stern talking to by a rather intimidating customs character. He believed it was an honest mistake, though.

And then: drugs. No. NO. Don’t try to smuggle even a GRAM of marijuana into the country. They’re downright medieval when it comes to drugs. I’m not saying that’s good or bad, per se, but the same amount of weed that I can happily carry across customs in my home country will get me hanged in Singapore. Trust me, it’s happened to countrymen of mine. Since Canada is also a tad more liberal in the MJ department, I figured I’d add this little bit of info.

12

i am singaporean and you’re free to ask any questions (that’s not about me - i’m shy) if you still have any after the excellent posts so far. i don’t really know much but i’ll answer what i can.

IMHO

about weather: i don’t really think it’s that hot, but then i’m used to it. you might want sunscreen or something, because i notice tourists are usually red.

about food: you’ll need to be adventurous if you want the better ones. the common airconditioned food centres in the shopping centres mostly tastes the same, pick the ones with a queue. (Taco Bell is not popular here, i can only think of one outlet left.) there is no need to tip, all charges will be added to your bill.

about drinks: coca cola is made from sugar.

about shopping: if you only see foreigners in the place, then it’s probably a bad place to shop.

about gum: you’re not allowed to import and sell gum, but you can openly chew them.

about drugs: yes, no drugs allowed. i’m not certain about this but you might want to take care not to take any before coming here, as having them in your system is also not allowed.

no offence taken, i’m just curious. i’ve heard this a couple of times from foreigners on the net, and i honestly am not sure i understand, sheltered as i must be. what am i missing out staying in singapore? off the top of my head i can only think of guns and casinos, what else? hope i’m not hijacking too much, if so someone clue me in and i’ll start a new thread.

13

About girls in Singapore: yes, an abundance of gorgeous girls/women, but hopefully you define “gorgeous” as fair and quite skinny with long straight hair, 'cos that’s the majority of what you’re going to be seeing. :wink:

aasna - my Singaporean friends (from university in London) were a very focused bunch, especially in terms of their grades. Do you find much difference in styles of learning (academically) between those who attended university in Singapore and those who went abroad?

~ purplycow (lives in Kuala Lumpur, a little north of Singapore)

14

Regarding Coldfire’s view on chewing gums - the rules about it is that you cannot import but you can chew it. So if you somehow found some gum and chewed it, it’s not an offence.

The weather here is horrible if you are not used to it. You will find yourself sweating easily, and the weather could be sorching hot or rainly at a moment notice.

There are all kinds of food in Singapore, beside Chinese cusine. Japanese foods are popular here as well as western food. Famous western steakhouses include Jack’s Place and Country Manna. There are also fast wood - Burger King, MacDonalds and KFC, to name a few. If there’s one thing good about Singapore, it’s that it’s hard to run out of variety of food to eat. There are French resturants, Indian foods, Malay foods and many more.

Being a student in Singapore, well, is kind of blah. I have no idea about unverisity life here, because I do not go there, but Singaporeans are indeed study-holics. And sadly, it’s just blunt memorisation of fact and little inspiration.

Some posters comment about oppressiveness of the country. Well, as long as you have nothing to hide, there’s really nothing to fear from the police. Just be sure to bring your identity paper when out alone in rural areas (and I mean really late, like 3am or 4am). At any rate, policemen are polite as far as I see, not as corrput as other countries. In fact, if you walk out on the street with a “Singapore Sucks!”, I think no policeman will stop you.

However, policemen are big on public order. As long as you don’t make a display of yourself, hold up the traffic and cause great distress among the people, nothing will happen to you.

Anyway, it all depends on when you visit Singapore. Now, long hair, tattoes, pierced ears, revealing clothings, display of affection in open – are normal more or less in Singapore, among the younger generation.

I agree that customer services in Singapore sucks, compared to other countries, but you don’t have to tip. In fact, don’t tip is the rule of the norm. Maybe that’s the reason for the poor service, but I digress.

As for Asian culture, there’s no need to worry too much. Singapore is westernised, at least among the younger generation. You may find a blend of western and Eastern cultures at the same time. You will find most Singaporeans on the street aloof and cold, but in my limited experience, they are more or less polite when approached. It’s just that Singaporeans are not as spontaneous as westerners, that’s all.

As for making friends, here’s a few tip - speaker slower at the beginning - some people find it hard to understand accent. I have no idea if our accent is all together easy to understand, but it’s bad form to go “harh” over and over again (“Can you repeat that” will do). And for gosh’s sake, don’t complain about the ‘strange dialect of English’ Singaporeans have. Every average Singaporean knew that there’s something wrong with Singaporean English, and there’s no need to point it out :-D. At any rate, unveristity students tend to have higher standards of English. If you are really stuck for conversation ideas, just ask about guys about their National Service (complusory militiary obiligation) experience.

Guess that’s all

15

Having lived in different countries, one of which being Singapore, I got the same feeling as Coldfire that Singapore was a police state, or perhaps better described as a “Father knows best” state (for you people who play Jennifer Government). However, I admit that I am having some difficulty at the moment listing specifics for Shijinn.

Perhaps the government’s censorship of so many things has something to do with it. I believe that movies, books, news/speech and possibly the internet to some extent, may be censored by the government in one form or another.
Also the way the government enacts laws without much consultation of the populace’s feelings may be another factor (knowing that public protests are highly unlikely perhaps for the reason that the public feels such protests would be futile). What is allowed and not allowed, what is ‘acceptable’ and ‘not acceptable’, seems to be determined by a few people in high positions rather than by the populace.

Perhaps yet another factor could be the sheer number of rules governing every action. I get the feeling that Singaporeans don’t litter not because they were brought up with the morals/values that such action is not good, but because they don’t want to get fined SGD$500. Similarly, my personal feeling is that Singaporeans flush public toilets after they use it not out of courtesy or respect for the next user, but because they will get fined SGD$200(?) if they don’t. The list goes on.

As I mentioned above, I am having difficulty listing specifics. I guess, to me, it is just a general feeling/perception of not having as much civil liberties each time I visit Singapore, which I admit may also be affected by biasness and/or prejudice. Maybe someone else can give a more accurate answer.

–Vaeth

16

Things have changed, though slowly. Recently the government has been know to back off on touchy issues due to the public’s feedback.

The censorship of Internet is there (I know about it) but I never encountered it. People are free to speak what they will and voice their opinons, though it is best not to go overboard. Actually, it is the views of many people who posted on the Internet that caused an in-depth investigation of how a solider died while during service (result: training guidelines were not stick to). The public does know how to protest; through other means, of course.

I don’t know, but I think the media is loosening up too. There’s no problem with Manhunts and Miss Universe here for a long time, and “Are You Hot?” too appeared on the screen. Recently, the Censorship board allow movies to have 2 ratings, so a R(A) show would run for a few months, followed by a P(G) version of the show.

The only big “untouchable” topic, I feel, is politic. Oh, the common grandfather can sit at the coffee shop and talk about it all day long with no mishap. But if you have political standing, then it pays to watch how you say. The government can pretty accept “what” you say. It just the ‘how’. In the late 1990s onward, I don’t recall anyone for punished to for stating his political views or ideals. However, attacking main government officials may draw you some fire, as some has learnt.

I read about the history of Singapore durings its infacy during the 1960s to 1980s period and admit it is a bit hard-handed. But so far now, beside the stiffing society norms here, I don’t think Singapore is that restricted as before.

17

LostCause’s from singapore? :waves: :slight_smile:
about littering, i don’t litter because the place is usually clean and there is always a dustbin in sight wherever you go. i’ve never heard or seen anyone caught for litter yet, it’s just another fine law that no one pays any attention to.

about flushing, IIRC the fines are targeted at the management of the building instead of the user, it is their responsibility to keep the toilets in an acceptable condition for use. i always flush, simply because it is disgusting not to; however, half of the time there is no need to because it’s automatic.