Comments about Nanyang Technological University from Past Participants

for more complete comments, please check out the binders in 1055 BIF

Useful Advice

"Singapore is an amazing place to study!  It is perfect for traveling since you can get direct flights to almost anywhere in Asia.  Also, since it is so safe it is a nice place to come home after crazy backpacking adventures.  By studying in Asia, I met many students from other countries, such as Sweden, Italy, and Canada, because they felt that going to Europe was too close.  Many friends studying in Europe said they only met other Americans.  I would also recommend that students build a relationship with their professors early on in the program so that they can keep on top of course work and inform teachers of their traveling schedules so they can get some leeway in work." - Nandini Bhat, Spring 08

"Experience was awesome.  Unforgettable, life changing.  I'd recommend to define what it is your objectives are before you go and act accordingly.  In other words, if you're afraid of clamming up without having the comfort of familiar faces/places, Europe may be a better fit.  If you're looking to expand your horizons, learn about Asian culture, get a good grip on global business and become an international citizen.... go to Singapore and utilize your time there to the fullest.   Meet as many people as possible-- the relationships you build will change your perspective on the world and may really benefit you in the long-term.  On a scale of 10 (being the best), I'd rate Singapore as a 10." - John Dillon, Spring 08

"The most valuable thing I learned was how to treat and react to people differently. America is a country with several different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. I learned that as an American I cannot treat everyone as an American. I must respect their culture and differences and treat them accordingly. My overall experience was unforgettable. I made friends from different parts of the world. I experienced a different culture. And I learned things about myself that I did not know existed. To my fellow future study abroad students:  just have fun and enjoy it while you can. It is an amazing experience." - Tyeisha Spruiell, Fall 07

“Overall it was a great experience. The people are friendly and helpful. There was never a moment while I was in Singapore that I did not feel safe. If your hall is offering hall orientation while you are there, I recommend taking part in it if you want to get to know some Singaporeans. Also, get a cell phone, prepaid is reasonably priced and you can buy a simcard and phone at just about any shopping center. Also, Singapore is next to Malaysia and close to other countries as well. It’s a perfect location for short weekend trips Traveling is pretty cheap. To put it as simply as I can: Everyone should go to Singapore.” – Jenna M. Smith, Fall 06

“Singapore was a new start for me. It was a new environment, a new culture, and essentially an unknown to me. Singapore was the place I discovered myself. On a scale of one to ten (where one is rated the lowest) I would rate my study abroad experience a ten. The first few days were the only times I ever regretted my decision to study in Singapore. After the first initial adjustment period, the time went by so quickly that there are still sites I never got around to visiting in Singapore. Looking back at my experience, studying at NTU was by far the best decision of my life.” – Susan Ly, Fall 06

Location

"It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.  I’m very, very glad to have gone to Singapore for the exchange.  Not only was there a lot to do in Singapore itself but it was very easy and cheap to travel around to Southeast Asia.  Its proximity to other countries allows you to take short, weekend trips and gain exposure into various different cultures.  Traveling is relatively cheap compared to the US & Europe. The weather was nice all year round and I got to experience a unique blend of cultures that make up this small country.  I met a lot of great people and learned so much that can’t possible be taught in a classroom. Singapore can get really hot and humid.  The NTU campus is a bit isolated from the rest of Singapore but public transportation is easily accessible (from 6 am – midnight). " - Ektaa Bhatia, Spring 09

"Nanyang had the most intimate and beautiful campus of the three colleges in Singapore.  It resembled a resort, complete with a pool, tennis courts, and an on-campus bar (a hang-out for exchanges).  Since it was a campus, there were more events to participate in (International games, salsa club, etc...) and students bonded better.  Buses were easily accessible. Location of the University was far from town (20 minute bus ride to subway, on average 1 hour from everything).  After 11:00pm the subways stop so you must take taxis back, which can get expensive.  Also, the campus is hilly, so have good knees! " - Nandini Bhat, Spring 08 

"Disregard the propaganda about Singapore being too strict for Westerners... it's very friendly and fun.  Oh, and get in shape.  You don't want to embarass yourself on the beaches of a tropical island with excess flab." - Joh Dillon, Spring 08

"Singapore was a great location because it was close to many other Asian countries. It was also very cheap to travel to different countries around Singapore which was convenient.
There are no seasons in Singapore, so it’s like 85 to 90 degrees everyday." - Tyeisha Spruiell, Fall 07

“NTU has a really nice campus. Much of Singapore is high rise apartment buildings, but there are flowers all over campus, as well as some open space. Singapore is extremely clean. I rarely even saw a piece of paper laying on the street or sidewalk.”

“NTU itself is completely outside of the city. Even though NTU is outside of the city, Singapore has great bus and mass rapid transit systems. Even though NTU is far you can get downtown in probably 45 minutes to an hour. BUT…trains and buses stop running after midnight, after that you have to take a cab to get anywhere.” – Jenna M. Smith, Fall 06

“Singapore is an amazingly beautiful city-state about the size of Chicago. It is a perfect place to go shopping and to travel around Southeast Asia. It is a great hub for travel, especially with budget airlines that operate out of Changi Airport. However the university is located on the western side of the island, which is roughly about an hour from the city and two hours from the airport if you take the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT).

“While I did not find the location of NTU to be bad, many of the national students complained about it since the western part of Singapore is less developed and the military does train near the university. Also, to note, it is very humid in Singapore and the city-state experiences haze during the fall since it is near Indonesia.”
-Susan Ly, Fall 06

Courses

"The Accountancy courses, although tougher, were taught in a manner that was very similar to UIUC and can potentially transfer back for credit.  Accountancy courses required a greater time commitment than at UIUC- classes were longer and focused more on group work which required you to be on campus for meetings.  All exams were written. Also, as tough as it may be, don’t put off class work until the last possible minute.  All exams are written and count for 50% of your grade.  If you think you won’t be able to keep up, don’t take tough Accounting classes." - Ektaa Bhatia, Spring 09

"Course were similar in difficulty to U of I.  Less homework, more weight on midterms and finals.  Teachers were very helpful and texts were well written." - Nandini Bhat, Spring 08

"The good thing about the courses was that you would only have one or two classes a day. They are pretty much like the courses at UIUC i.e. lecture, discussion. The classes were pretty competitive and challenging. My finals were worth 40%-60%. Most of the time I would not get a grade back from the graded assignments. Most of my classes I did not know how I was doing in that class before I took the final. Also, my classes were between 2 to 4 consecutive hours. The grading scale is a lot different than at UIUC." - Tyeisha Spruiell, Fall 07

“The people at both the college of business (NBS) and office of academic services are very helpful if you need help with changing courses once you’re over there.”

“The main thing about courses at NTU that I did not like was that I had no idea how I was doing in the courses, throughout the whole semester. I had one large paper/project for each class, along with a final exam. I went into all of my finals not knowing how I did on any of the projects. Also, as a ‘heads-up’, my finals were worth 50-70% of the final grade.” – Jenna M. Smith, Fall 06

“When I was at NTU, it felt like I was never in classes even though I took 16 hours. The reason for this was probably that they were one after another and were in blocks of time. The classes are very similar to classes at U of I: lecture, discussion, and lecture/discussion for the smaller classes. The earliest class started at 9:00 am and there were conflict exams since you are not allowed to enroll in a course if it has a same exact time as another course.”

“I found that the worst thing about the classes was the grading. The final exams (all written) were weighted more heavily, around 50-60%. The rest of the grades included participation and papers/projects, and sometimes a midterm. Further, NTU does not have a point scale and the professors will only tell you if you get an A, B, C, etc, even if they say a midterm is worth 20% of your grade. Additionally, all projects are group work and usually involve a written report.” – Susan Ly, Fall 06

Housing

"Dorms were really similar to ones at UIUC – double rooms with common bathrooms & facilities like computer lab, study room, kitchenette, etc.  Living in the dorms provided opportunities to meet locals and other exchange students.  The dorms were really cheap compared to UIUC prices. There was no air-conditioning and no elevators." - Ektaa Bhatia, Spring 09

"Dorms were large and clean.  There were two dorms (3 and 16) which were newer with A/C." - Nandini Bhat, Spring 08

“I lived in Hall 12. My hall was pretty comparable to dorms at Illinois. It’s really hot most of the time, but there are ceiling fans in the room, which makes it not seem so bad.”

“I didn’t really have any major problems with housing. I requested a Singaporean roommate but I ended up not having one. I would’ve liked to have had a roommate.” – Jenna M. Smith, Fall 06

“NTU has 16 resident halls. Some halls are air conditioned while others are not, while others also have bigger rooms or even have semi-private baths. I lived in Hall 5, which was good because of its location. It was quite close to the business college and was near the last bus stop on campus that goes to the nearest shopping mall and the Boon Lay MRT station.”

“However, I do admit that I hated Hall 5 during my first week in Singapore. First, I hated the heat and Hall 5 was one of those that did not have air-conditioning. Further, there were not screens on the windows so bugs would come and go in my room. Moreover, Hall 5 is located near the PIE-the Pan Island Expressway, which was always loud and noisy. After the first week passed though, I got use to the living condition.” – Susan Ly, Fall 06

Costs

"I spent pproximately $25 USD a week.  Food on campus was very cheap but eating out was a bit more expensive. During the semester I spent approximately $200 USD on texts.- Ektaa Bhatia, Spring 09

I spent about $70 a week on food and $100 for the semester on texts. - Nandini Bhat, Spring 08

"I spent roughly $50 to $75 Singapore Dollars on food per week and $130 to $150 Singapore Dollars on textbooks." - Tyeisha Spruiell, Fall 07

Useful Websites

• www.tigerairways.com
• www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Singapore/Singapore-1495679/TravelGuide-Singapore.html
• www.wikitravel.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

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