Orsolya Fricska: My CEMS exchange semester in Singapore

It was almost one year ago that I was facing the challenge of having to decide my CEMS exchange destination. Now, it is the beggining of November, I am sitting at one of the outdoor study zones of campus in my flip-flops and shorts, with a view on a swimming pool and tropical plants. I got the chance to pass my exchange semester at the National University of Singapore, the leading university of Asia.

The campus is located in the western part of the state-city and has a size that I have never seen before; there are four lines of shuttle buses making sure that you arrive in time to your lecture, to one of the eight different libraries, to the sports center, to the university museum, to the arts center or to your dorm. Just like the country itself, campus life is highly regularized: the whole area is non-smoking and alcohol-free, shuttle buses are punctual and you can leave your personal belongings wherever you want to; you will find them at the exact same place hours later.

CEMS courses require a high level of class participation, self-learning and independent research as well as many group projects throughout the semester as we have no exams in the very end. This implies a relatively high level of workload.

However, together with the 23 other cool cemsies from all over the world, we have always found the moments and days off from campus life: this meant weekend getaways in Indonesia and Malaysia, discovering the night-life on the rooftop bars of Singapore, chilling on the beach of  Sentosa island with its imported white sand, discovering cultural diversity in Little India, China Town and Arab street or enjoying the light show at Gardens by the Bay.

These places, people, insightful classes with inspiring guest speakers generated unforgettable memories and learnings that I will be happy to share in the future.