Details

• Singapore
• MAWiRe-21
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

The application process at WU was very easy, no need to prepare too much. The onboarding process at SMU was a little complicated, simply because there was way too much information and hard to keep an overview. The most stressful was probably the visa application (because the felt lack in overview) and bidding process at SMU to get into courses. For bidding most important is looking at the minimum bids in the last years and bidding at least this amount. I stressed a little too much about the apartment situation, most companies such as Cove only have offers for the next 3 months, no need to worry about it before then. I would also really recommend getting Revolut and also a physical credit card before leaving.

2. Accommodation

I was advised against looking for accommodations through agents or on Facebook and rented a room from Cove, which is a popular company that rents out apartments/rooms mostly to expats or international students and I can recommend to others. They do have a good customer service and also reasonable offers. I had a pretty small room, shared kitchen and bathroom, pool and gym in the condo (pretty common in Singapore), walked to Uni for 15 mins and paid $1450 a month (still very expensive, but about average I would say). Many other exchangers also rented through Cove or the Assembly Place, which is also recommendable. Locationwise I would recommend getting something in River Valley, as it is pretty close to Uni but also possible to walk home after going out or getting drinks in the evening - Public Transport stops at night and Taxis are rather expensive. When it comes to safety there is really nothing to worry about.

3. Academic life at host university

Academic life was really cool, campus and everything with it is great. There are two libraries, which are both very nice and there are also learning commons which are open 24/7. There is also a food court called Koufu or other food stalls that have very good food with reasonable prices (about $5-6 a meal). The gym is also ok, but does close at 8 on weekdays and is also closed at the weekend - which is why I used my home gym more. There is also a small swimming pool one can use. Courses overall were very interesting. It is nearly impossible to fail a course, locals say the worst grade they heard someone getting was a C (grading is A to F). In my experience it is hard to achieve an A/A- though due to the curve grading, which means for example only the best 20-30% get As and locals students do work very very hard for exams. I heard from other exchangers that local students are apparently prioritized too when it comes to giving out A's due to academic pressure they have in Singapore. Teaching style is pretty similar to WU with midterms, presentations etc.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport is ok, but one still in general has to walk a lot in my opinion also because it stops at night. We got a Public Transport card from SMU which was rechargeable, one can also tap in/out with Apple Pay or other payment cards. Safety is really no concern at all in Singapore, never felt even a little unsafe, but on the other hand there are a lot of rules to follow which one should be aware of, such as no drinking or eating in public transport or also where/when to drink alcohol, smoke etc. In general there is very much to do/see in Singapore, it's very nice spending some weekends at Sentosa and I would also recommend doing the treetop walk. SMU has a huge variety of sports clubs/societies, which were presented at a fair at the beginning of the semester. They take those clubs very seriously, I had to audition for a dance club and they did have attendance policies (not that serious for exchangers though). I would definitely recommend doing some, such as dancing/judo/swimming/bands/etc - there is really everything and great to get to know some locals. But good to keep Singaporean climate in mind, for me running outside - even at night - was impossible, even though usually I am not too sensitive about heat. For cheap drinks Boat Quay is where you go (any bar, same prices) and for me a subscription for aentry, which is a guest list app, was worth it.

6. Testimonial

It was definitely one of the highlights of my life so far and an experience I would do again in a heartbeat. Exchange life in Singapore is very easy thanks to the overall safety, the amazing variety of food in hawker centers, and the great campus and course offerings at SMU. Overall, I really enjoyed academic life, even though it was not a priority for me at first. The highlight of my exchange, however, was definitely traveling to other countries in Southeast Asia with people from all over the world whom I met in Singapore. I managed to travel to five countries during my time there and made memories for a lifetime.