Singapore_CEMS Report - Verwaltung

CEMS – NUS Singapore Report
One semester at the National University of Singapore
July 2010 – December 2010
Contact:
Moritz Heininger (m-­‐heininger@gmx.de)

Table of Contents
Why NUS and Singapore?..................................................................................................................... 2
First-­‐class education ............................................................................................................................ 2
A safe, exciting and multicultural city.................................................................................................. 2
Singapore is your Gateway to Southeast Asia ..................................................................................... 2
Administrative issues........................................................................................................................... 3
Registration.......................................................................................................................................... 3
Student visa ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Accommodation................................................................................................................................... 4
Bank account ....................................................................................................................................... 5
Expenses .............................................................................................................................................. 5
Insurance ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Academic issues................................................................................................................................... 7
Academic calendar............................................................................................................................... 7
Welcome session ................................................................................................................................. 7
Block seminar....................................................................................................................................... 7
Skill seminars ....................................................................................................................................... 8
Courses at NUS .................................................................................................................................... 9
Career events..................................................................................................................................... 13
Internship/jobs .................................................................................................................................. 13
Life in Singapore ................................................................................................................................ 15
Transport ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Eat and drink...................................................................................................................................... 15
Travel around..................................................................................................................................... 16
Clubbing and pubbing........................................................................................................................ 16
Shopping ............................................................................................................................................ 17
Cultural activities ............................................................................................................................... 17
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 18
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Why NUS and Singapore?
First-class education
Singapore is at the forefront of economic and social development, not only in Asia but globally. NUS, the
national university, offers unmatched exposure and learning through a completely new business faculty
(1 year old building and facilities) and via extremely qualified staff (for example the macroeconomics
professor is Singapore’s Chief Economist).
NUS Business School places a high emphasis on entrepreneurship with some very interesting and
practical classes being taught at the MBA level. I have had the chance to experience a class called
Technopreneurship that was very interesting because of both the guest speakers (entrepreneurs,
visiting professors from Silicon Valley, VCs and angel investors…) but also because of the final project
which was a business plan that was presented to a board of potential investors. This class is a must if
you are visiting NUS since the quality of the students there is also very impressive (double degree
engineers from MIT, for example, were part of this class).
English is widely spoken on campus, but you will also have a chance to learn Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and
countless other languages spoken by the diverse student population. Unfortunately I did not have
enough time to pick up a new language.
Wireless Internet service is available everywhere on campus.
A safe, exciting and multicultural city
Watching people from all over the world, exploring Singapore's bustling nightlife (rooftop bars,
nightclubs, live music…), catching a 3 a.m. meal at one of the legendary food centers, those are some of
the interesting aspects of living in Singapore.
Singapore is an easy city to live in, bureaucracy is kept to a minimum and the size of the country makes
it easy to move around to meet up friends for activities. Some of the biggest attractions are cultural
ones and food has a special place in Singaporean culture because of the mix of ethnicities and as such is
one of the most exciting aspects of the local experience.
Singapore is your Gateway to Southeast Asia
From Singapore, most regional destinations are only a couple hours’ flight away. In fact, traveling to
many of the beautiful islands of Malaysia or Indonesia makes the perfect weekend trip.
Many adventurous students travel to the ruins of Angkor Wat, explore the beauty of Ha Long Bay and go
party under the full moon at Koh Phangan in Thailand. From Singapore, Asia is yours to discover.
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Administrative issues
Registration
As soon as you receive your acceptance at NUS, the CEMS coordinator will send you some emails with
different information, which you need to read carefully. There will be a welcome package, and a set of
usernames and passwords to use for your NUS student system – both IVLE and mySiS (the emails are
very detailed and the process is quite easy to follow).
My main contact for anything related to CEMS or NUS was Justin Eng (mscmgt@nus.edu.sg) who was
very helpful and readily available for any help or suggestions.
Student visa
Some nationalities do need to obtain an Entry Visa before coming to Singapore, you can check that with
your embassy. German students nevertheless can enter the country for one months without a visa. All
students must get a Student Pass after entering Singapore.
The student pass procedure is greatly facilitated by NUS. Below is the exact procedure as cited by the
NUS website:
“For incoming international students, the University will apply for a Student’s Pass Application Number
on your behalf once you are offered admission to NUS. You will then be given this Application Number
via email (as provided in your online application) to access the Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints
Authority [ICA] web-­‐based Student’s Pass Online Application and Registration [SOLAR] system to verify
the accuracy of your information and submit eForm 16 online as part of your Student's Pass application
procedure. Please ensure that you read and follow the instructions carefully in the SOLAR system before
you proceed to verify your details in eForm 16. ICA will review and process your student pass application
once you have submitted the eForm 16. More information on student pass application can be viewed
here.
Once the Student's Pass application has been approved, you will receive an In-­‐Principle Approval [IPA]
letter, which will be given to you during the registration exercise at NUS. If you are from a visa-­‐required
country, your IPA letter will be mailed to your address (as provided in your online application) as it will
serve as a single-­‐trip entry visa when you arrive in Singapore.
Please note that candidates without the IPA will not be granted the Student’s Pass later. After your
registration, your IPA letter will be stamped with the required period before you proceed to convert
your social visit pass into a Student’s Pass.
All incoming international students who are applying for Student’s Pass for 6 months and above are
required to do a medical examination (details will be provided in your offer package). Please also note
that Non-­‐Exchange students are required to read at least 12 MCs worth of modules per semester or
pursuing full-­‐time research in order to qualify as a full-­‐time student and be issued with a Student’s Pass.
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Please note that your offer of admission is conditional upon your successful application of your
Student's Pass. “
Accommodation
This is for most students usually the by far the most time consuming task. As CEMS/Master’s/Diploma
student NUS does not offer you on campus accommodation. They did offer a hostel type of dorm but I
would not recommend you to take it because it is very far from the center (at least one hour) and about
30 minutes from NUS. Also there is no air condition in the rooms , which I would definitely not
recommend in Singapore.
It helps to get in touch with an agent, say how many you are and your total budget and that you are
short-­‐term exchange at NUS (an agent that some friends have used was Grace Lee
gracelee388@yahoo.com.sg).
Facebook is always a great way to get in contact with your future fellow students and this way you can
go on the apartment hunt together.
I got lucky and found an apartment over Facebook. One of the Full Time MBA student’s was looking for
two people to sleep in the master bedroom. Yes, you read correctly. Two people in one with a separate
bathroom. The apartment was in a great condition, only 10 minutes walking or two bus stops from NUS
and it had a swimming pool. Even though I shared a room, I still paid around 400 Euros a months. I
ended up sharing a room with a Finnish guy who was also part of the CEMS program and we got along
really well. Additionally four Indian guys lived with us who were all full time MBA students at NUS and
we had a great time together.
The rent in Singapore is very high so expect to be paying between 400-­‐700EUR/months depending on
your standards
NUS is not in the center of Singapore, but rather on the western end of Singapore. You don't need to live
on campus. Depending on your class schedule you can choose to live in the center (Lavender, Bugis...) or
near NUS (Pasir Panjang, Commonwealth, Clementi, Normanton Park…). There is always a tradeoff. You
have to decide for yourself whether you want to commute to school and live right in the party center or
whether you prefer it the other way around.
After you choose your accommodation along with your flat mates you will need the following:
• First month rent
• One month deposit
• Copy of your student pass
• Sign two copies of the contract (make sure to read the contract very carefully and point out any
unclear clause, some landlords are very strict and picky and it pays to be completely sure of what
you are renting and under which conditions)
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Bank account
Again, here you will have two options depending on your home bank account. Some CEMS students had
already agreed with their home banks to waive the ATM withdrawal fees (Citi, HSBC) and hence did not
need to open a new account in Singapore. Be sure to check with your local bank prior to leaving, it also
pays to tell them that you want these fees waived internationally not only in Singapore (as you might be
traveling quite often around Southeast Asia).
Finally, if you don’t benefit from any withdrawal fee waiver, you can easily open an account at a local
bank. The preferred choices are DBS and POSB or CITI where it literally takes you 5 to 10 minutes, your
passport and a minimum of 500SGD (c.290EUR) to open a short term student account, you can later
close the account for a 20SGD (c.12EUR) closing fee (for an account lasting less than 6 months). CITI has
some advantages in restaurants and bars because you get discounts quite often.
Expenses
Compared to your rent and partying, the other expenses in Singapore are not too high. Transportation is
a bit cheaper than in German: about 1SGD (c.0.6EUR) per journey with the MRT and the Bus, and 10SGD
(c.6EUR) for a taxi ride. Sharing a cab might actually be cheaper than taking the MRT!
Food is really cheap in the food courts, especially on the campus, and you can have a good meal for
4SGD (c.2.3EUR). Nevertheless some restaurants are really expensive! I actually did not cook one single
time because you can get your food cheaper at food courts than buying ingredients and cooking for
yourself.
Travelling is quite cheap too, thanks to the numerous low cost companies operating from Changi
Airport. You can have tickets for as cheap as 50SGD if you book them in advance.
Only partying can be costly, since taxes on alcohol are very high. A drink in nightclub can easily cost
20SGD (c.12EUR) and a concert ticket cost around 80SGD (c.46EUR). Cinemas and museums are a bit
cheaper than in Europe.
My monthly expenses:
Accommodation = 750SGD
Food = 300SGD
Transportation (incl Taxis with night surcharge of 50%) = 150SGD
Concert / Museum / Cinema / Parties = 300SGD
Travel: depends on your travel standard and frequency
TOTAL = around 2000SGD pet month (c.1200EUR)
Insurance
Every international student must take up the compulsory NUS Group Medical Insurance Scheme. The
fee is 58.85SGD (c.35EUR) for each semester. It will be included in the mandatory Miscellaneous Fees of
the student bill on a semester basis. Details of the scheme can be found here:
http://www.nus.edu.sg/uhc/clinic/insurance/local&international.html
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Please note that not all health services are covered by the scheme so you may wish to enroll with a
private health insurance organization that offers services not covered by the scheme (none of us has
done this).
It is advisable to take up travel insurance to cover things such as lost luggage or trip cancellation. The
NUS Group Medical Insurance Scheme does not cover travel to and from Singapore.
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Academic issues
Academic calendar
Be very careful! The first semester starts very early in the year! Don’t plan long holidays during your
summer. The CEMS Block Seminar started on the 2 nd of August, and the normal classes started a week
after that!
You will enjoy 1-­‐week vacation, called the “recess week” or mid-­‐term holidays. It took place at the end
of September. A revision week is also planned at the end of the semester, before the final exams. The
official end of the semester was the 5 th of December, but depending on the classes you took, it could
actually end a lot sooner, I finished on the 18 th of November.
Welcome session
The school has arranged a welcome session for the CEMS students.
Attendance for the session is compulsory for students doing their term in NUS as NUS will be sharing
important information on academic and administrative matters etc. the confirmed business modules
you will be taking in NUS (those indicated in your offer letter are only tentative); procedure for add/drop
of modules, etc.
It is an excellent opportunity to meet the incoming CEMS students and students from the NUS MSc
(Mgt) & CEMS MIM Club and CEMS buddies (see below).
The Master’s Club (Singapore’s version of the PIM&CEMS club) also organizes a social gathering for all
CEMS students after the welcome session.
The role of a CEMS Buddy will be to help you adjust to NUS life, whether it be showing you around
campus, showing you to classes, or showing you where to hang out after-­‐school hours. Conversely, the
Masters Club will hold events for you and your buddies during the term to get you more immersed in
the NUS and Singapore way of life. Some of these events will include attending the local festivals and
trying out some local delicacies.
Block seminar
General information
The Block Seminar at NUS was held from 2 -­‐ 6 Aug (Fall term 2010) in NUS Business School itself.
The daily schedule for the seminar was sent to you via email. There were also be some readings for the
seminar. As part of the block seminar, NUS will be conducting an online self-­‐profiling exercise using the
Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument® (HBDI), a well-­‐established thinking styles assessment tool. You
will receive the instructions to participate in this online exercise via email.
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The participation fee is 350SGD (c.200EUR) per student. Payment is by cash and in Singapore dollars
only.
For students attending the CEMS Block Seminar only, you have to make your own arrangement for
accommodation.
Important: Attendance for the Block Seminar is mandatory and you must complete the seminar before
the start of your CEMS term in NUS or your individual host/home university.
Seminar content
The seminar offered was called “Managing Plurality: Self-­‐Leadership In The Global Organization”
This seminar is built around the perspective that management and organization in the 21st century is
more than ever characterized by multiple rationalities rather than a singular rationality, and such
rationalities are always context dependent. The ‘reality’ of organizational life is never simply ‘out there’
presenting itself in a clear, self-­‐explanatory manner, and thus, management is much more than
acquiring linear prescriptions and systematic solutions.
What better time to introduce this perspective of knowledge and learning than when students are
thrown into a new environment, where, as cultural strangers, they will be forced to question the taken-­‐
for-­‐granted?
Skill seminars
You will have the choice among many skill seminars. You need to validate at least 2 full days (1 ECTS
credit) during your semester at NUS (you can however validate part of them in NUS and the outstanding
credits later in Cologne).
Here are a few examples of skill seminars offered during the fall term 2010:
• Case Interview
• Presenting with Confidence and Charisma
• Ace your Finance Interview
• Workshop on Fund Management (4-­‐Part Series)
• Nail the Interview (3 Part Series)
• Brand Marketing Workshop
• Workshop on Practical Investing (2-­‐Part Series)
• Doing Business in China
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Courses at NUS
Obligations
You will need to take 5 courses during your semester at NUS. You will be able to choose among a
selection of around 15-­‐20 courses, most of which are MBA classes. You will be able to audit many
courses freely.
Workload and assessment type
The workload is very different to the workload at University of Cologne. In Cologne, you have a totally
stressful exam period while the beginning can be quite quiet. At NUS, you have group works every week,
exams every week, presentations every week and several case studies on top. Therefore there is work
constantly and you never really have the feeling to be done with all of your work. Nevertheless the exam
period is quite relaxing. In many classes you do not even have final exams. I took five classes and I only
had one final exam for which I did not have to study for more than a day. It also highly depends on your
choice of classes and the amount of effort you are willing to contribute in team tasks.
Since most of the classes offered are MBA classes, the typical week will be divided into five 3-­‐hour
classes, and the rest of the time will be divided between teamwork and individual work. With that said,
it is very easy to optimize your schedule to have long weekends and time for extracurricular activities.
All class material is available online, be it slides, assignments, readings and videos. The class structure is
also very different from Cologne, as the professor gives a lecture to a class of approx 40 students in a
seminar type room, participation is encouraged and some classes are filmed and can be downloaded
from IVLE.
In terms of assessment, this very much depends on your classes, but there are broadly three types of
assessments:
1. Midterm/Final: For the more classical courses (Economics, Options and Futures, Finance…). These
classes typically have some homework assignments, a midterm exam and a final exam
2. Participation/Final paper: Some classes such as Negotiations are based on class participation and
submitting a weekly journal and the final assessment in the shape of a final paper
3. Participation/Final presentation: Other practical classes (Marketing, Technopreneurship…) take the
form of a midterm and final presentation on PowerPoint (Business plan presentation)
Course examples
The following list of classes are the courses that I took at NUS. Very few specialized classes were offered
to us as opposed to the ones offered at home. However most of the technology-­‐oriented classes are a
must since they capture the whole spirit of Asian entrepreneurship.
You will have the opportunity to attend a lot of the offered classes during your first week at NUS and
you will only need to make your final course choices by the end of the first week. I recommend you to
attend as many classes as possible since it will give you a better snapshot of the course content and
quality.
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Concerning language courses, I have not taken any in NUS. But some other students took Chinese
(beginner level). NUS Business School currently offers the CEMS Test for Business Communication in
English only (you will be notified of date, venue and fee via email).
BMK5000: Strategic Issues in Marketing
Instructor: Professor Ashok Charan
Course description: This course prepares students for the role of Brand Management. It is taught in an
application-­‐oriented fashion through lectures, class discussions, case studies and a simulation exercise;
with the objective of developing critical analysis and problem-­‐solving abilities. It caters for the
‘experience’ of managing brands through a simulation project called Destiny.
Project Destiny, which spans the length of the course, provides for an appreciation of strategic issues in
marketing. It trains and empowers participants to make better use of market knowledge for day-­‐to-­‐day
marketing decisions. Participating teams take charge of an ongoing business for three years, develop
business plans and take marketing decisions to enhance and grow their business.
Lectures cover the key elements of the marketing mix with attention to the management and
development of brands. They are laced with class discussions and case studies to rehearse and inculcate
core marketing and business concepts. The lectures also provide for the understanding and application
of market research.
Course opinion: Mandatory CEMS class. This class can be a lot of work, the marketing game that spans
over the whole semester will have students thinking and strategizing on a weekly basis. The game can
get confusing as students are immediately thrown in the simulation without practice and pushed to
make decisions with tight deadlines. Add to that 3 case studies, a midterm business plan presentation
and final game wrap up in the shape of a management presentation. This course is the closest you can
come to a real job, with data crunching, board presentations, drafting slides and thinking strategically all
combined in one condensed semester. The only minus is that the lectures are quite slow and sometimes
not really helpful for the game which as I said is sometimes very confusing (we have expressed this
concerned to the professor who is working on implementing our comments in further sessions of the
class).
BMA5108: Technopreneurship
Instructor: Professor Wong Poh Kam
Course description: This course is intended for students with a strong interest in high tech
entrepreneurship and aims to provide a hands-­‐on introduction to the entrepreneurial process of
discovering, evaluating and exploiting opportunities for launching and building scalable businesses in
general and technology-­‐ or knowledge-­‐based ventures in particular. An integral part of the course is for
the students to learn about the entrepreneurial process by developing a concrete business plan for a
new venture. The course covers the essential elements of a viable business plan, including the
translation of a business idea into a viable business model that creates, communicates and captures
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value in new or existing markets, developing effective go-­‐to-­‐market strategies, building an execution
team, securing funding, and planning and executing growth and exit strategies.
Course opinion: A must! Professor Poh Kam is very well connected, and throughout the course has put
many of us students in touch with entrepreneurs, angel investors and other industry experts. A priceless
advantage of this class which also ended with the business plan presentation in front of an impressive
panel of VCs, serial entrepreneurs, angel investors and other industry experts. I strongly recommend this
class. The assessment comes in the form of a final business plan submission, final presentation as well as
mini assignments and participation in online class discussions.
BMA5003: Financial Accounting
Instructor: Professor Charles Shi
Course description: The course stresses the theory of accounts, generally accepted accounting
principles, and the interpretation of financial statements. The perspective of the course is that of
managers and investors as knowledgeable users of accounting information.
According to the course outline, after taking this course, students should:
• Have a broad view of the role of accounting in providing information for financial markets.
• Understand the fundamental accounting concepts, principles, the elements of financial
statements, and the implications of management’s judgment and choice in accounting
measurement.
• Know how the principles of accounting may prompt opportunistic behavior by management to
further their own gain.
• Have basic competence to comprehend how accounting numbers are created and to analyze,
synthesize, and evaluate accounting information in the context of concrete business problems.
• Be aware of international differences in accounting and of multinational accounting problems.
Course opinion: If you are a finance or accounting student: do not take this course. I went to the first
session and according to the professor the focus of this course would be on the interpretation and use
of financial information. I hoped to refresh my accounting knowledge and to get further insights on the
interpretation side. Unfortunately this course was very basic and therefore very boring. Additionally I
cannot recommend the professor as he had difficulties to answer many questions, his English is not very
advanced and some answers he gave were just plain wrong.
BMA5004A & BMA5016A: Management & Organization and Leadership in Organization
Instructor: Professor Ho Beng
Course description: This course examined the current and emerging issues and challenges that
managers must resolve. Question the course addressed was: What is management, what are the
theories and controversies? What are the current and emergent issues facing organizations and their
implications on managing? What is the best theory on planning, organizing, ensuring, and leading that
we can use to address current and emerging challenges? What are the practical steps that you can take
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when applying the most appropriate theories? Leadership and Self-­‐awareness. Leadership, mindsets,
change, and emotions. Leadership, teams, and influence. Becoming a leader. Helping others be leaders.
As can be seen from the list of topics that I just gave, the course is divided in two separate parts. The
first part is mainly about management in organizations. You learn with a textbook and you have to do
weekly Multiple Choice quizzes. The second part is a lot more personal and is mainly about leaders and
leadership in organization. As course preparation you have to take several psychological tests online to
test your leadership style, thinking preferences, type of personality and so on. The course then focuses
on the analysis of the results and helps you understand yourself, your strengths and your weaknesses a
lot better. Also you get advice on how to use your strengths and how to work on your weaknesses in a
leadership context. Part of the evaluation consists of a personal mission statement that you have to
write for yourself and that forces you to think deeply about your goals and values in life.
Course opinion: In the beginning I mainly took the course because I could transfer the credit to the
University of Cologne. Also I was very skeptical about the notion that this class was going to be
somewhat of a Psychology session. Also the professor seemed strange to me with his hyper temper.
Nevertheless I have to say that I completely changed my mind and the course turned out to be one of
the best courses that I have taken in my university time. While the first part was a little dull and the
weekly MC tests annoying, the second part was really great because I got to learn a lot about myself.
Also the professor turned out to be a very interesting, friendly, helpful and challenging person. I would
recommend the course to anyone!
BMA5002: Analytics for Manager
Instructor: Professor Singfat Chu
Course description: This course is, as you can expect from the name, highly analytical and focuses mainly
on the various uses of Microsoft Excel. Many fresh graduates start their career as consultant / analyst
supporting the Supply Chain, Marketing, Finance and HR departments to refine their processes i.e.
making them more efficient, profitable and customer-­‐centric. The course aims to prepare participants
towards such jobs by equipping them with a scientific / analytical mindset, that is, informed
management based on data, models and sensitivity analyses.
The course consists of biweekly group assignment, individual exams and a final group presentation.
Through case analyses and their presentations, students will gain exposure to:
• Decision and Risk Analyses i.e. Systematic assessment of Strategies, Risks, and Payoffs using
Decision Trees
• Business Optimization Models i.e. how to allocate scarce resources effectively (e.g. Optimal
Product / Advertising Mix, Revenue Management, Hub Location, BPO, Portfolio Optimization,
Supply Chain Optimization)
• Simulation for hard-­‐to-­‐analyse applications e.g. Cash Balance Management
• Extraction and communication of information from data i.e. exploratory CRM
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• Forecasting via regression (e.g. analytical CRM) and time series models.
Most of the time we worked with several Excel Plugins from the firm Pinnacle that we got to use for free
for a two-­‐year period with the mandatory purchase of the textbook.
Course opinion: If you have an analytical mind, like to work in consulting or any other data driven job,
this course is a must. Besides Technopreneurship, I think this was my favorite class. Basic knowledge of
Excel helps a lot, but is not a necessity. You need to have a laptop that runs Microsoft Windows in order
to participate in the class as the Pinnacle Plugins do not work with the Mac version. I am a Mac user
myself, therefore I installed Windows over a virtual machine on my Mac to run Excel. The professor is
not the most sympathetic person in the world, but the things that he teaches you are of great help for
any future job!
Career events
As a leading Asian business school, NUS receives many local and international companies of various
industries for recruitment presentations. The kind of companies that come to campus are incredible and
nothing compared to the quality and frequency that you usually get at the University of Cologne. Here is
a list of companies that presented in September: Singapore Stock Exchange, Royal Bank of Scotland,
Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Covidien, Unilever, Jane Street Capital, BP, Philips, AT Kearney, Merill Lynch, DBS,
American Express, Procter&Gamble, Nomura. Typically you are notified at the beginning of the month of
all the recruitment presentations taking place with dates, times, venues (most happen at 6pm and you
might have to skip some of your evening classes or part of them).
Some of the presentations also have workshops organized by the companies (such as the BP trading
game), which could lead to an interview for the workshop top performers. As a rule of thumb, the
presenters rarely gather CVs at the end of the session and unfortunately you will be required to apply
online through the regular channels. However it pays to take notes during the sessions so as to use the
information you have gathered in your cover letter later.
You will have to register via email or via TalentEDGE Portal (username and password provided to you)
for each of the career talks, carry your CV and to come in business attire.
Internship/jobs
This is where I have found that NUS lacks effectiveness. Although it organizes many recruitment
presentations by industry leaders, investment banks, consulting firms, audit firms, etc… the end result is
still for the student to apply online or go solo through networking and personal research.
Career counseling and CV critique can be done via appointment with Ms Wang Wai Yee (email:
bizwwy@nus.edu.sg). However seeing her personally has proven quite difficult for CEMS students which
have expressed frustration because of the non responsiveness of the career office when discussing job
opportunities or taking appointments. Most of the classmates I have asked were not very satisfied with
that service or its results.
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There is also no clear platform where opportunities are offered to students.
During our stay, I have noticed that there was a willingness to improve our situation with regards to
internship/jobs (by people like Justin Eng for example), however the problem is that CEMS students are
not held to the same standards as MBA students by the administration and as such any real change
could take more time.
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Life in Singapore
During your stay in Singapore, you will not only experience Singaporean culture but a blend of all Asian
cultures be it in gastronomy, festivals, languages, traditions and much more.
Singapore is significantly more expensive than other Southeast Asian cities, a lot safer, and very
straightforward when it comes to transportation or any other day-­‐to-­‐day issue.
Below I will expose some of the most important aspects you need to be aware of before leaving there
and after you arrive.
Transport
Once you land in Singapore, you have two options for transportation, the MRT (the subway) or a taxi.
The taxis all speak English (some of them better than others), be sure to have your address with you.
The taxi fare will vary depending on time of day. There will be an “airport surcharge” of 3SGD. If you
take the taxi at rush hour (8-­‐10 am and 5-­‐7pm) there is a meter surcharge of 35% and if you take it after
midnight there is a meter surcharge of 50%.
Generally, taxis are quite cheap compared to Europe, average taxi ride is 10-­‐15SGD (c.7-­‐8EUR) for very
decent distances (15min ride), but again it depends on the time of day and your destination
Finally it is important to note that Singapore and Hong Kong are the only places where the taxis are
regulated and as such you do not need to bargain or negotiate. The fare on the meter is clearly
displayed and it is illegal for cabs to overcharge or tout.
For the MRT, you can only take the green line from the airport and you might have to change lines or
switch to bus depending on your end destination. Be sure to prepare this ahead of time. It takes around
1 hour and 20 minutes by public transport to arrive at NUS from the airport because it is located in the
very east of Singapore while NUS is in the west.
Public transport is easy and super efficient (buses and MRT). NUS Business school is served by many
buses but no MRT -­‐ bus 183, 10, 200...
Tip: best website to get around is www.gothere.sg you can prepare all your journeys in advance. It has
proven quite helpful for a lot of us.
Eat and drink
One of the best things in Singapore is Food and Drinks. You will find a huge variety of food: Indian,
Malay, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, “Western”…
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Food Courts: most of Singaporeans don’t cook, but eat at the food court. Different stalls offer a huge
variety of Asian specialties. Once you buy your meal, you meet with your friends at one of the common
tables. Very cheap and convenient. On the Campus, food courts are very good and very cheap.
Restaurants: you will also find a lot of restaurants, offering all kind of food. The prices are then more
similar to what you can find in Europe, especially if you are in the nightlife district (Clarke Quay). Very
good and cheap Indian food can be found in Little India.
Fast Food: Usual fast food can be found all over Singapore (and even on the campus): KFC, McDonald’s,
Wendy’s, Subway, Pizza Hut, … Most of these brands also offer home delivery, which can be useful since
housing can be far from restaurants. 24/7 service is also available most of the time! You will also find
some local fast food chains, like MOS burger and its famous “Rice Burger”
Drinks: Drinks are usually purchased at a specific stall. A large choice of ice teas and iced coffees is
usually offered, along with the delicious Milo (a malted chocolate milk). Vending machines offer
everywhere very special kinds of drinks, such as Aloe Vera drinks and herbal teas. Most of them are very
good. Alcohol is very expensive compared to the rest of the food and beverage. Some local beers are
very refreshing but rather thin compared to German beers, like the Tiger beer.
Travel around
I cannot discuss here all the different destinations that you can visit. If you like backpacking, you will be
in heaven! After all, you are not in Singapore just to study. After all, when do you get the chance to visit
and experience so many different countries and cultures? Here is a list of countries that I have visited,
some of them more than once: Malaysia, Indonesia, Macau & Hong Kong, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam.
Many low cost airlines operate from Changi Airport: Tiger Airways, Air Asia, Jetstar, Cebu Pacific, Zest, …
Register to their Newsletter to be informed of the discounts! You can also travel to Malaysia by bus. It is
fast and very (very!) comfortable.
In Singapore itself, a lot of natural reserve and parks make it possible to relax. A Nickname for
Singapore is “The garden city”. The beachfront is not really “scenic” but you can enjoy cool barbecues
there, and even try some cable-­‐wakeboarding.
Clubbing and pubbing
Most of the nightlife is gathered in the city center, mostly around Clarke Quay (pronounced Klah Key).
Parties are organized in nightclubs by Student’s unions and Expats. Register to the related Facebook
groups to be aware of what’s going on. Best nightclubs are Attica, New Asia Bar & Stereo Lounge.
You can also party in Sentosa, a Singaporean island dedicated to entertainment. A few clubs are to be
found there, like the WaveHouse (where you can surf an artificial wave during your night), or Azura for
very nice beach parties. In December, “Zoukout” festival is held on Sentosa with this year David Guetta
and Tiesto playing.
2 casinos are also available if you enjoy gambling. The most recent one, Marina Bay Sands, is impressive!
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Shopping
Shopping is the favorite activity of Singaporeans. There are hundreds of Malls all over Singapore. The
main shopping avenue, “Orchard Road” is full of them, and of luxury brands. Prices are similar than in
Europe, but higher than in the rest of Asia. Still, you can find good deals, especially for Hi Tech goods at
the Funan Mall, and all kind of goods (really anything you want) at Mustafa Center (open 24/7)
Cultural activities
Singapore is trying to develop its cultural life. The numerous museums are very nice (Asian Civilization
Museum, Singaporean Art Museum, National Museum of Singapore…). But still, there is no exceptional
exhibition, and Singaporeans are not very interested in arts.
It’s quite the same for live music. A few bars, held by Europeans, offer live music
(http://www.timbregroup.asia/) but apart from this, there is not much going on from a musical point of
view. The only place for a kind of “underground culture” is the Substation (http://www.substation.org/)
but again, it is nothing comparable to European cultural life.
You can check TimeOut to know more about the cultural activities in Singapore:
http://www.timeoutsingapore.com/and you can buy tickets online on Sistic: http://www.sistic.com.sg
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Conclusion
I had the time of my life in Singapore and loved almost every minute of it. The people, the food, the
university, the parties and the travels were just great. The Singaporean experience, like any other
experience, is what you make of it. You can travel around or spend your time home. You can study only,
or divide your time between studying and other activities. There is something for everyone and I have
no doubt that you will find what you are looking for there, be it adventure, peace of mind, new business
opportunities, new friends or simply a great time.
I hope you find this report useful, I urge you to contact me if you have any additional question or
concern.
Best regards,
Moritz
Köln, 6 th of January 2011
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