TRAVEL REPORT – SINGAPORE
National University of Singapore, fall 2015
(Marina Bay / Business District)
423522
1. Preparing for the exchange
After being accepted to NUS by Aalto University there are some formalities to do with the
exchange university. The process for the fall semester exchange program started already in
mid-March when NUS Business School contacted via email. In that email they gave some info
about the applying period, list of business modules and links where you can find useful
information about the exchange program. Even though we were accepted by Aalto, NUS
required us to fill the formal application form for the exchange program. In addition to
general information questions you will pre-select the courses you want to take. Everything in
the applying process was done online and all the necessary documents had to be submitted
only in soft copies. The applying period lasted a month starting from mid-March. The whole
process was really easy; you only need to follow the instructions and make sure you submit
the application form before the deadline.
In mid-June you will receive an email acknowledging that you have been accepted to the
exchange program. That email will also explain how to apply for housing and for Student Pass.
The procedure for Student Pass sounded first quite complicated but if you just follow the
instructions and deadlines you should be fine. You will not get the Student Pass before
traveling to Singapore. During the orientation week, employees from the ICA will organize an
on-campus day when you will hand in all the forms and applications for the Student Pass. The
process also included a lot of different kind of fees to pay so be prepared that it will cost you
around 150 SGD (around 100 euros).
I recommend you to apply for campus housing because most of the exchange students are
living on campus so you will get to know more people. There are two main residential areas at
the campus. I lived at University Town (UTown), which was the newer one and in my opinion
a better place to live than the other. PGP, Prince George´s Park, was the older residential area.
A lot of exchangers were trying to transfer to UTown because it had better facilities and
apartments. The only positive thing about PGP was the fact that it was closer to MRT station
than UTown. The apartments and rooms were really new and clean at UTown but the only
thing that was bothering a bit was that I did not have air-conditioning in my room. Overall I
really liked UTown as a residential area because all the facilities. You can either apply for
UTown Residences (you have your own room but you share the common areas and bathroom
with three roommates) or for colleges (hostel like, own room, toilets down the hall etc). I lived
at UTown Residences, which I liked a lot. You can also live off campus but it is more expensive.
Finnair operates direct flights to Singapore and I decided to book those ones because it felt
the easiest way to travel. I would recommend upgrading the return flight to have a flexible
day of travel because it is almost impossible to know when you are ready with the travelling
after the semester. It would make maybe even more sense to buy only one-way ticket and
then later decide when and from where you want to fly home.
I advise to print all the documents you will receive from NUS and all the application forms as
well. It is also good to print the receipts from different payments. You will get instructions
what documents to bring and how many copies. Follow those rules and everything will go just
fine.
From the Changi airport we took a taxi to UTown. Even though NUS is probably the bestknown university in Singapore and Singapore is the size of the capital area of Finland, taxi
drivers are clueless when you ask them to drive to UTown. Just say near Clementi Road or
Dover Road and they will know better where to drive. You can also take a MRT (underground)
from the airport but I think that after a long flight it is just easier to take a cab. From Changi to
campus it costs around 30 SGD. Even though we arrived to UTown after the official check in
time, we got the keys to our apartments. You need to accept the accommodation that you have
been offered already in Finland and pay all sorts of fees but the actual rent will be paid later in
Singapore.
2. Exchange studies
The orientation week started 3rd of August but exchange students were advised to arrive to
Singapore already 31st of July since the second step of registration was scheduled for that day
(the first step will be done online on July) and ICA had on-campus day also on the same day.
We had a recess week 21st -27th of September. The locals used that one for studying and
exchangers for travelling. Officially the semester ended 5th of December but my last exam was
already 14th of November.
During the orientation week there were different kinds of events organized for exchange
students. You are supposed to register for those events beforehand but usually it was also
possible just to walk in. Even though they had organized all those events, you have a lot of free
time during the orientation week. We decided to skip some of the events and just explore
Singapore by ourselves. However, I would recommend you to participate some of the
activities because it is a good way to get to know other exchangers.
As I mentioned before you will pre-select modules you want to take in the application form.
Aalto requires us to take five courses but you should fill all the ten choices to make sure that
you will get in to five courses. At the NUS Business School orientation lecture you will find out
in which modules you got in. Then you have around a week time to add and drop modules.
The whole add and drop period was a bit nerve-racking because business modules are very
popular at NUS so switching one module to another is quite difficult. If you are early with the
add/drop period you have better chances to switch modules. You should choose modules with
code 2000 (second year studies) and 3000 (third year studies).
I ended up having mostly marketing and management modules. They were okay, but I would
have liked to have some quantitative subjects as well. I had school only twice a week, three
modules on Tuesdays and two on Fridays. Usually you had only one lecture per module per
week. In every module there were at least one group assignment to do and the attendance
was mandatory in most of the modules. You should be prepared to study quite much during
the exchange at NUS but with good time management you will also have time for travelling.
MKT3415 Marketing in a Digital Age, 4 ECTS, Danny Kim
This module was my favorite of all the five modules. Danny Kim, a young man who worked in
the digital marketing team at Google, was the teacher for this module. Danny had a lot of
knowledge about digital marketing and his lectures were really interesting. We talked about
topics such as digital consumers, digital ecosystem, online distribution and online videos.
Usually Danny started the lecture by introducing the topic and after that we had a case
discussion about it. We had a midterm exam (multiple choice) and a group assignment, which
lasted the whole semester. Our task was to do a digital marketing campaign for a selected
brand. Overall the module was quite easy, the workload was okay and I learned quite much
about digital marketing. The lectures were held on Fridays, which was the only negative thing
about the module.
MKT2410A Asian Markets and Marketing Management, 4 ECTS, Dr. Doreen Kum
Dr. Doreen Kum was the lecturer for this module. She was really intelligent and a good
teacher. She questioned old marketing frameworks and put us think outside of the box. This
module was really useful and taught a lot about marketing. Even though it was titled “Asian
Markets” it was mostly about marketing management in general but still it was really
interesting. Dr. Kum had great examples and she really wanted us to learn how marketing
should be done. The evaluation was based on class participation, one group assignment and a
final exam. The workload was quite light. Even if you are not into marketing, I still
recommend you to choose this module, if Dr. Kum is teaching.
MNO2302 Human Resource Management, 4 ECTS, Chew Meng Leng
This module was quite basic HRM course and a lovely Singaporean woman, Chew Meng Leng,
taught it. The evaluation was based on class participation, one group project, one pagers of
each lecture, a short analysis of a HR issue and a final exam. The module was okay but the
topics were so general that some of the lectures were a little boring and therefore the
mandatory participation was sometimes a bit frustrating. I did not find this course very useful.
The professor was really nice and she encouraged us to share insights and comments about
the topics. If you are interested in HR this is a really good 101 course of HR functions, other
wise this module is a bit waste of time.
MNO3303 Organizational Effectiveness, 4 ECTS, Chung Chi-Nien
Mr. Chung Chi-Nien was the professor of this module. His lectures were quite difficult to
follow. Lack of structure and poorly made slides were the main reasons for exchangers to be
slightly confused about the content of the module. He mostly talked about organization´s
structure and linked most of the topics to that. The evaluation consisted of class participation,
three group assignments (two presentations and a debate) and a midterm exam. The midterm
questions were based on the course book. In my opinion this was not a useful module because
I did not learn any concrete ways to improve organization´s effectiveness.
MKT2411, Retail Management, 4 ECTS, Lau Geok Theng
This one was the least favorite module of all the five modules. The workload for the course
was heavy. Every week we had to watch 3-5 video lectures, do quizzes, read two to four
articles and read the course book. During the lectures we had only discussion about the
topics, we had to self-study everything since the professor did not teach us during the classes.
Also the local students were frustrated with the module and the professor. In addition to
weekly assignments, we had to do a group project (create your own retail idea), a shopping
mall analysis, a store analysis, peer reviews and a final exam. Even though the course
formalities did not work and the teaching was poor, I learned a lot about retail management
because of the broad scope of topics we had to study. The professor was not supportive at all
and he kept saying that he is disappointed to us. Honestly, this course was not my cup of tea.
3. Free time and other information
Overall, I would say that the cost of living in Singapore is quite the same as in Finland but
compering to other Southeast Asia countries, Singapore is rather expensive country to live.
The rent of my campus accommodation (UTown Residence, single room) was around 300
euros per month. In my opinion it was a fair price of a campus accommodation. We had a gym,
a pool, sport halls, food courts, shops, multiple studying rooms and restaurants all within five
minutes from the apartments. I really liked to live at UTown, the whole area was quite new
and there was everything I needed for everyday life. If we wanted to go to city center it took
us around 45 minutes, first taking a free shuttle bus to the MRT station and then having a 30
minute train ride to city. I did not mind living 45-minute ride from the city. Most of the
exchange students lived on campus so it was easy to get to know new people. It was also
convenient to live close to the school. In addition to rent, NUS collected couple of
miscellaneous fees, which were around 100 euros combined. Also there was mandatory
literature in two of my modules so I had to buy the books.
(UTown)
One of the best things about Singapore is food. It is cheap and the variety of dishes is amazing.
The most common lunch and dinner places are food courts, where huge amount of different
food stalls offer all kinds of Asian dishes. The prices vary between 2 SGD and 8 SGD. In
addition to great dishes, food courts also offer freshly pressed juices, which are so good. My
favorite food court was Lau Pa Sat, located right in the business district.
The most convenient way to travel across Singapore is by MRT (Mass Rapid Transportation).
The MRT system is really easy to understand and use. The five lines cover almost the whole
island so you can basically travel everywhere by MRT. Try to avoid traveling during rush
hours because the trains are so packed with people. Also do not drink or eat anything at
stations and trains, it is punishable. All in all, the public transportation works quite well in
Singapore. We also used quite often taxis and ubers when moving around. From campus to
downtown it costs around 20 SGD.
It was really easy to get to know other exchange students and make friends at NUS. During the
first weeks there are so many different kinds of events so only by attending those you will
meet a lot of exchangers from all over the world. Most of the exchangers are really friendly
and easy to get to know. Even though it was easy to make friends with exchangers, it was not
the same thing with locals. Singaporeans are really school orientated and thus they do not
usually have time or interest to hang out with exchangers. Business school will assign you a
local buddy who can help out with practicalities during the first weeks. Our buddy ended up
hanging with us the whole semester, which was really great since we learned a lot about
Singapore from her and she had great tips what to do there.
Singapore has a tropical climate with no distinctive seasons so the weather is very hot and
humid all year round. The temperature rarely drops below 25 degrees and short rain showers
are common especially during the monsoon season. Most indoor places are equipped with a
strong AC so carrying a light cardigan with you is a wise decision.
Even though Singapore is a small island, only the size of capital area of Finland, there is a lot
to see and do. First of all, Singaporeans love to shop. Wherever you go, there most certainly is
a shopping center. Orchard Road is the best-known shopping street in Singapore. From there
you can find both high-end brands and mass-market stores. If you are more into culture you
should check the temples in Chinatown and in Little India. Botanic gardens, Gardens by the
Bay and different nature reservoirs are great places to escape the concrete jungle. For those
who enjoy watching cities for high I recommend to visit some of the great rooftop bars of
Singapore. On sunny days you should go to Siloso beach at Sentosa.
(Marina Bay)
(MacRitchie Reservoir Park)
On Wednesdays is ladies night in the bars and clubs. It means that girls will get a free entrance
to clubs and basically a free flow for the whole evening. For guys, Wednesdays are like every
other day. In Singapore girls and boys are treated very differently when it comes to partying.
Girls get these privileges such as having free drinks and queuing in a separate, faster queue.
Since Singapore is right in the heart of Southeast Asia it is really easy to make weekend trips
to nearby countries during the exchange. Great countries to visit are for example Malaysia,
Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Also Hong Kong and Philippines are places
worth going. Low cost airlines such as Scoot, Tigerair, Air Asia and JetStar offer very
affordable flight tickets. Just be early when booking those flights to save some money.
Some tips and facts about Singapore:
 Tap water is drinkable.
 Remember to carry napkins with you all the time. There are none at the food courts.
 Cash is the king.
 There are four official languages; English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil.
 Singaporeans do not speak any of the languages mentioned above. They speak Singlish
(English mixed with the three other languages).
 Kopi means coffee.
 Do not litter, spit or eat chewing gum. You could get a fine for doing those.
 It is not allowed to drink alcohol at streets after 10.30pm
 You have to book a room if you want to swim in the infinity pool at Marina Bay Sands.
 Taste a fruit called durian. It is an experience.
4. Final Comments
I gladly recommend you to apply to NUS for an exchange. First of all, Singapore is an amazing
country and city to live in. It is a safe developed country where you can experience Asian
culture but at the same time live with western standards. NUS is a really respected university
in Asia and worldwide. I felt honored to be able to study there one semester. The campus area
is very cool with all its great facilities. In NUS you can also join all different kinds of extra
activity clubs for example sport, music and theatre clubs. One thing that I would have done
differently is that I would have used more time exploring Singapore and its nearby countries.
Sometimes I stressed too much about school stuff and spent more time at the study room than
needed.
Exchange was really eye opening experience. In additional to gaining educational knowledge, I
learned a lot about different cultures as well. Exchange also made me more independent and
confident. I learned that I could take care of myself in different and difficult situations. It is
important to step out of your comfort zone to learn new things about yourself.