Thomas Matthew Wood

Host University: National University of Singapore
Year of Study Abroad: 2010-11

Where did you live? Would you recommend it?

I stayed at Prince George's Park Residences (PGP) which I would certainly recommend. It has two canteens which sell delicious and cheap food, a well-stocked shop and sports facilities including badminton courts, a gym and basketball courts.

You get into the university via the free shuttle bus. Local bus services run from stops close to PGP and it's very easy to get where you want to go by bus once you work it out. I stayed in a Type C room which had a fan and I lived in a flat of twelve students with a shared kitchen, toilet and shower.

I would recommend saving money by not going for air-conditioning, you get used to the heat! My flat was a really fun place to be and I made lots of friends among my flatmates, who were from all over the world.

Which department(s) did you study in?

I studied in the History Department (as that is my degree) but I also took classes in Political Science and Language departments.

How does the workload/classes/teaching styles vary to Sheffield?

I would say that if you take the same number of modules as you would at Sheffield, the workload is about the same. With history modules, the breakdown of marks between exams, essays and tutorial participation is roughly identical, as are the contact hours.

Classes for tutorialS tend to be bigger - up to thirty people in a two-hour tutorial.

Another thing worth mentioning is that Singaporean students generally tend to be less vocal in class tutorials than students at Sheffield, though this obviously depends on the class and that is of course from my own perspective.

What did you do for fun at the weekends and during the holidays?

Getting around Singapore is cheap and easy, whether by bus, MRT (Singapore's underground system) or taxi.

Clarke Quay is the traditional exchange student nightlife area, but it can get wearing after a while and is generally expensive compared to a night out in Sheffield.

Going to the cinema is a cheap night out as it is half or a third of the price in the UK.

Eating out is cheap and there are many places to choose from. Three of my favourites spots would be Little India, Joo Chiat Road for Vietnamese food and steamboat and Golden Mile Complex for delicious Thai food.

Singapore has a local football league, the S.League, and tickets are cheap. Don't expect Premier League standard by any means, but it's generally exciting to watch.

There are many tourist spots to hit, which you should do at least once but again they might get wearing after a while. The exception to this is the luge ride on Sentosa, which never gets boring!

During my holidays I travelled quite a lot, spending a week in the following countries: Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and Korea.

Pick your travel buddies well and I would recommend small groups to be honest as it makes everything easier, from booking tickets to finding places to stay. Do your homework on the internet to find the best places to stay and the best things to do. I managed to get travel tips for the countries I visited from friends I made at NUS that were from these countries - this was extremely valuable.

Above all stay safe, travelling is great fun and as long as you don't do anything stupid, smile a lot and know at least how to say please, thank you and sorry in the respective language and you should be fine!

Did you join any societies or clubs?

I joined the NUS Cuesports society as I enjoy playing pool. It was a lot, lot cheaper than playing pool in Sheffield and it was a great chance to make lots of Singaporean friends. It was a great experience and I would highly recommend everyone to join a society or sports club as NUS's facilities are fantastic and it's good to make local friends.

Describe the University/City/things to do

NUS is a pretty big campus and you do need to use the shuttle buses to get around, walking is too hot for most people.

The library facilities are fantastic and the library staff are very helpful.

Cheap and delicious food is available around campus from different stalls and canteens, though they do get very crowded at lunchtimes. All stalls do takeaway so that gives you another option if you want to take your food elsewhere.

Sports facilities are great.

Regarding getting stuff sorted such as classes, admin and so on, I would highly recommend going in person to the respective office. Email correspondence is slow and the computer system can be a nightmare at times. If you turn up at the right place with all your details and ask specifically what you want to know, get or do (and be polite and smile sweetly of course) then it usually all works out OK!

Could you give any travel or immigration tips?

Travelling to Singapore is easy and getting your Student Pass is fine, so you don't need to worry about that.

Travelling around Singapore is easy and cheap - get an EZ-link card (which is like an oyster card) which you can use on buses and the MRT (Singapore underground system).

There is a great website called gothere.sg which use useful for planning your journeys around Singapore.

For travelling in holiday time or at weekends, make sure you have the correct visas, use the internet to find deals and places to stay and generally do your homework. Go with a group of people who you know you can stand being with for a week, try not to do anything stupid or offensive and always be polite and friendly. You can't go too far wrong!

Could you give any advice or tips to a student preparing to go or tell them anything you wished you knew in advance?

Bring a hoodie or jumper, you will need it for the freezing cold air-conditioning in the library!

Invest in a good pair of flip-flops.

Eat lots of delicious food and don't be scared to try new things.

Make the effort to make Singaporean friends, it really makes your year abroad so much more special.

It is the done thing to call male taxi drivers, food vendors and so on uncle and females respectively auntie if they are older than you (above 40 is a rough starting point). This sounds very weird at first, but it's considered both respectful and friendly.

Learn some Singlish (local Singaporean slang)! If you can wish your Singaporean classmates jiayou (good luck) before an exam, explain that something is jialat (pretty bad) and ask them if they want to makan (eat) with you in the canteen, then this can help in making friends.

Would you say it is cheaper or more expensive to live than Sheffield?

The accommodation is much cheaper, so go for the cheapest option available to maximise your spending money.

Food is a lot cheaper and a lot tastier - eat in hawker-centres and family-run restaurants rather than shopping mall food courts.

Transport around Singapore is again very cheap.

Alcohol tends to be the same price or higher as a general rule and it's pretty extortionate if you buy drinks in clubs (so don't!). The price of clothes depends on brands and where you buy it - Bugis is a good place to shop for cheap clothes.