Exchange Report

I didn’t really prepare much for the exchange semester, because in the end it’s something you just have to experience yourself. The only real advice I can give is to buy light clothes in advance. Singapore is extremely hot and humid. I basically didn’t wear jeans at all and lived in linen clothes. Also, don’t bring leather accessories. My leather belt and wallet got mouldy over time because of the humidity.

Most students I got to know were living on campus. The probability that you won’t get accommodation on campus is very low. However, the application process can be very short notice. I only received my confirmation for on-campus housing two weeks before leaving for Singapore. Accommodation on campus is very cheap (around 500€ per month, depending on where you stay), especially compared to off-campus rent prices. On campus accommodation is often in walking distance to your classes. If not, NUS has its own free busses to bring you around the campus. It is located 45min outside the city center. And Singapore is very safe, no matter where you are. Everywhere are cameras, nothing goes unnoticed.

A lot of student life happens on campus. There are many activity clubs you can join and very cheap food courts, so hardly anyone actually cooks. Academic effort really depends on the courses you take. As a rule of thumb: if a course description sounds hard, it probably is; if it sounds easy, it usually is very easy. My courses were very easy, but easy courses don’t guarantee an A because business courses are graded on a bell curve. Courses in other departments often use a fixed grading system (like my politics courses). Teaching style is similar to WU.

The cost of living is cheap as long as you stay on campus. You can get a big meal for around 3€. However, life on campus can become a bit dull over time, partly because of very strict rules (no alcohol on campus, for example). Life off campus can be very expensive. Restaurants are pricey and a pint of beer at a normal bar starts at around 10€. You can live cheaply if you want, but if you need variety, expect a higher cost of living than in Austria. Over time, everyday life in Singapore can feel a bit monotonous. Singapore is an authoritarian country and there is a strong sense of being told how to live your life. The city is not very vibrant for its size, and there is surprisingly little street life considering there are around six million people. That said, there are still lively places and good clubs. Overall, I still really enjoyed the city, and being in the exchangers bubble makes life feel much more vibrant.

I loved it. I loved the people I met, the experiences I had travelling in Southeast Asia, and the new perspective I gained on SEA culture. It was the best time of my life so far.