Singapore & much more!

By Avineil Jain,
Electrical Engineering, Fifth Year,
NUS, Singapore (Autumn 2017-18)

“The purpose of life after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences” – Eleanor Roosevelt

As truly said by the Former First Lady of USA, I went to National University of Singapore searching for experiences, and boy did I get them!

The Process of Getting There –

Tired of the hectic and infamous 3rd year of Electrical Engineering, I was determined to go for a semester exchange, because I wanted change from insti, and I wanted to travel. I had no preferences as such, but wanted a funded exchange. I applied for the TFLeaRN scholarship for either NUS or NTU, and due to my high CPI, I got selected for NUS! The procedure is a standard one – searching for courses to match, getting them approved by Faculty Advisor and HoD and submitting it to the IR office. For the scholarship application, we had to submit recommendation letters, a statement of purpose and proof of leadership and community service! Managing all of them, I secured the scholarship as well. The scholarship, along with summer internship stipend meant I could live an extremely comfortable life in one of the most expensive cities in the world! The Exchange Programme at NUS is a world class exchange programme attracting 1000+ students from across the world. All the formalities were a breeze, and I was astonished at the efficiency of management from the University’s side!

The Experience that was Singapore –

To be very honest, I did not read about SG much before going. I was positively surprised by the level of development in this tiny island nation. Towering Skyscrapers in the business district, to one of the best public transport systems in the world, SG has enough to dazzle anyone visiting it for the first time!

Diversity –

I landed in SG on 31st of July, and from the first day I started making friends. The friends that I made on the first day turned out to be my closest friends and we were a truly diverse bunch! I met people from almost all countries imaginable in Europe, North America and Oceania! Being one amongst 1000+ exchangers had its own fair share of Pros and Cons, the pros heavily outweighing the cons though. After just four months, I have friends from 15+ countries which is truly thrilling!

Food –

One of the best things I liked about SG was the food variety it had to offer. Thai, Vietnamese, Hokkien, Cantonese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Western and Indian, phew… were the cuisines which were available at almost all the public food courts in SG. It was truly a non-vegetarians paradise, and it would be safe to say, I had more meat in 4 months than I would eat in a year here in India! To my surprise, eating out, especially at Hawker Centres was extremely cheap, with prices comparable to India!

Nightlife –

Singapore has one of the best Nightlife a city can offer! With a wide options of night clubs, and Clarke Quay, the quintessential partying area in SG, it was hard not to dress up and go partying!

My favorite place was Ce La Vi, a club on the topmost floor of the Marina Bay Sands, the famous “3 buildings with ship on top” hotel! Cautionary Note: Partying is super expensive in SG, because of the super high taxes the government imposes on alcohol! Yet it did not seem to have any dampening effect on any of us exchangers!

Campus Life – 

NUS is a truly global world class university. The infrastructure was awesome (An Infinity Pool? Count me in!) and the courses were comparatively much easier compared to the rigor a student has to face doing courses here at IITB, which meant I was travelling and chilling much more than I expected! UTown was the most happening place in NUS, and rightly so with its high-rise hostels, gyms, food courts and eateries

My hostel, Ridge View Residential College, is one of the oldest hostels in NUS, and was simply beautiful! Brick Red walls, towering old trees and big spacious rooms meant a comfortable stay for four months. The mess also had much more variety, with upto 5 cuisines available at each meal.

Travel (Best Part about Exchange? Maybe!)

“Travelling leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller”
Indeed, the words of the scholar Ibn Battuta resonate with me as I gained lots of experiences, and stories to tell with my travels to Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia!

Langkawi, an island in Malaysia, where alcohol is duty free, is a paradise. Lush Greenery and stunning sceneries greet the visitor. The best way to experience the island is to rent a scooter, and explored the unexplored areas on the island. I have special memories with the island as I learnt Scuba Diving here, and became a certified PADI Open Water Diver. The experience of breathing underwater is incredible and quite hard to believe the first time one experiences it!

Borobudur in Yogyakarta is an 8th Century Buddhist Temple, and is a true marvel to experience! Mt Bromo, which is one of the most stunning active volcanoes to visit, is a true delight to watch during sunrise. Our experience in Indonesia was surreal, and Arunabh Saxena can testify to our adventures while riding a scooter in the jam packed crazy roads of Yogyakarta!

Halong Bay in Vietnam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and an awe inspiring spectacle with towering limestone mountains and misty skies. Travelling in Vietnam was sheer delight, and my bucket list includes biking across the country!

My Semester Exchange was extremely fun and an eye opening experience for me. Last few days were quite emotional, saying goodbye to friends who you might meet after many years. The final moments were bittersweet, knowing a journey was coming to an end, but only for another one to start in the future! When I bid goodbye to SG, I knew I was returning a changed person with a completely new outlook to life.

Should You Apply for an Exchange Semester?

I see many juniors in a dilemma when it comes to Semester Exchange. It is sort of true that Semester Exchange is more preferred by Dual Degree Students, owing to strict curriculum adherence and problems of matching labs faced by Btech Students. However, I am a strong proponent for Semex, and would advise every junior to consider it once! If Independence, Travel, and meeting new people excites you, an exchange will not disappoint you. It gives a much broader experience than a University Intern, owning to longer stay and more free time. While some people may have a higher preference for Europe, an exchange even to SG or Taiwan would be a total blast as well!