Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

Everybody spoke English and classes were taught in English, however on the Singaporean social scene the majority spoke 'Singlish' which is a mix of Mandarin and English, or simply Mandarin. I mastered the 'Singlish' by the end of my year but Mandarin takes years. I took up Malay as an optional six week course which was interesting and usful when I visit Malaysia on several occasions.

Make sure you get all your vaccinations needed and take Malaria tablets when you are travelling around S.E. Asia. Try and see as much as possible of S.E.Asia and don't feel intimidated by the Singaporeans intense study habits. They are actually very inefficient and you can do just as well by using your time more sparingly. Try and set yourself up a business internship after your studies as there is a lot of great companies with there HQ's in Singapore and the expatriate culture is very different to the student culture so this will add to your experience and make it more valuable.

I started phoning home through my laptop using a headset and the Internet. It was free and great apart from a small delay in communication transmission.

I lived in a very tiny 12th floor room with another Singaporean girl (Marian). There was two small wardrobes, two single beds, two desks and one fan. The washing machines were on the bottom floor and there was no lift to the top floor rooms. There were no cooking facilities so you were forced to eat the canteen food and the bathrooms were shared with no security system on the front entrance.

There is a brilliant night life and club scene in Singapore. Boat Quay is a great place to begin the night having dinner and a couple of drinks. Mohammed Sultan Road is a road lined with top class DJ's and clubs and is the place to be and be seen. My favourite clubs were Zouk and Liquid Rooms. Another good hangout for mid-week parties is Carnigies which is a good international hangout and girlies drink free champagne on Wednesday nights. If you just want to meet some international folks and get some cheap food and drinks then head to the American Embassy on a Friday every fortnight...its great fun. Orchard Road is the place to shop too.