reaganmats

[reaganmats]

5/29 Final Post: Top 10 Tips for Exchange in Singapore

My semester abroad in Singapore was a once in a lifetime experience and I loved every second of it. I met so many people from all across the world, traveled to six countries, learned so much about the business infrastructure in Singapore and Asia, and most importantly made life long memories and friends. I wish I had studied abroad earlier so that I could have done it twice, but I do not have enough time as I will be a senior next semester; however, I highly encourage anyone thinking about studying abroad to do it because you will not regret it. Study abroad really helped me to grow personally, academically, and as a future leader, which the Freeman Scholarship strives to promote. I am so thankful for the Freeman Scholarship and to Mr. Graeme and Alec Freeman as the scholarship allowed me to experience my abroad experience to the fullest.

I highly recommend anyone who is considering to study abroad to consider the National University of Singapore (NUS) as it is one of the top universities in the world, the facilities are amazing, it is very cheap and easy to travel, and the people there are amazing. With that being said here are 10 tips for anyone exchanging at NUS:

1. When applying for housing choose University Town (Utown)! There are five buildings you can live in Utown: Utown Residence, Tembusu, Cinnamon, CAPT, and RC4. I highly recommend Utown because that is where the majority of exchangers are plus Utown has all the food cantines, gyms, restaurants, and activities. If you do not live there you may feel a bit left out.

2. Take modules that are not in the business school at NUS, but still count for business credit in Shidler. To see which classes Shidler gives credit for click here. It is difficult to get business modules as NUS is very competitive and business is a very popular major so taking modules outside of the business school at NUS will be a lot more accessible. 

3. If you plan to travel, I suggest scheduling your classes so that you have Friday and Thursday, or Monday and Friday off so that you have more time to travel. It is not that difficult to do.

4. When choosing groups in your classes, try to be in groups with local NUS students. Your friends might be exchangers and the local students may seem more intimidating, but this will help your grade out a lot. Exchange students tend to slack off and the quality of the work will not be as good as if you were a part of local NUS students.

5. Explore Singapore and travel as much as you can during the first half of the semester because the second half of the semester gets really difficult. Visit Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands, the Jewel, Sentosa Island, and other attractions in the beginning.

6. Make friends with locals. Do not just have exchange friends, but try and branch out to the local students because they are nice and helpful. Some of the best ways to meet them are through your classes or by meeting them at activities through residential colleges like RC4, CAPT, Cinnamon, and Tembusu. 

7. Familiarize yourself with Grab and the Singapore public transportation. Grab is the equivalent of Uber and Lyft and is very useful to get places quickly. The Singapore public transport is very efficient and one of the best in the world, but it does take time to get used to. Just make sure you use google maps and have an EZ Link Card and you will be able to get around in Singapore. 

8. Make as much friends as possible in the first couple weeks you get to Singapore. I would say I met the majority of my friends through the first couple weeks. Everyone is new and looking for friends so do not be shy.

9. TRAVEL! Singapore is in the heart of Southeast Asia, which means flights to Bali, Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, Bangkok, and other popular destinations are very cheap. Tickets ranged from $75-200 round trip. Just remember to keep track of your deadlines.

10. Study smarter, not harder. The professors give an insane amount of information in a short amount of time at NUS. To keep up and prevent yourself from cramming the week of the final or project you should try to review the content for each class 30 minutes a day. It will help you with the content in the long-run compared to pulling all nighters and stressing out the entire week.

I hope people find these tips helpful!

As my final post, thank you to everyone who has supported me through these past five months. This experience really could not have been possible without you all.

Reagan Matsumoto

[reaganmats]

5/22 End of Semester: Last Final, Taiwan, Japan

My semester abroad has finally come to an end :(. My last final at NUS was on May 8th and the following day was my birthday on my 9th which was a great way to celebrate the semester being over. For my birthday I went to Atsuya, which is a Michilen Star Ramen Shop in Singapore and went to the top of Marina Bay Sands Hotel during the night. In addition, I went to the the Tree Top Walk, which was a beautiful hike and view, and ate some Frog Porridge as well. I left with two friends to Taiwan on the 12th at 7am. It was really sad saying goodbye to all my friends that night and made me wish that I couldve extended my semester.

TAIWAN

Taiwan was my last trip with my friends as I went with two friends from NUS and met up with Kristyn, my cousin, and her friends. Although this was my second time visiting Taiwan, it felt like I saw a different part of Taiwan the second time around. I revisited Chiang-Kai Shek Memorial and Shifen, but also explored Taimshu with bikes, went all the way to Jufen, and was able to visit Shilin, Raohe, and Ximendeng Night Markets as well as visiting the hot springs. Almost every day we went out was packed with activities and were constantly on the move, which was great. Meeting Kristyn and her three friends was great as it was a great way to catch up. In addition, we were able to meet up with a friend from Singapore who lived in Taiwan.

Overall this trip enhanced my love for this country as I was able to explore and experience even more of Taiwan’s beautiful country and culture. It was the perfect trip to spend my last time with my two friends who I consider as brothers now. I will really miss Taiwan and anytime I visit this country or see pictures of it I will think about the memories that I have made there. I can confidently say that Taiwan was my favorite place i have visited.

JAPAN

I left Taiwan and arrived in Osaka, Japan on May 17th. Arriving by myself and not knowing any Japanese nor how the transportation system worked was a difficult task, but I somehow was able to make it to Kyoto from Kansai Airport at 1am. Although I did not know the language and constantly got lost and confused with the transportation, I felt like I accomplished so much and explored more of Kyoto than I could if I went with someone. I was able to visit Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Yasaka Shrine, the Gion District, Ginkakuji, Daimonji Hike, Arashiyama, the bamboo forest, and some amazing ramen shops. Kyoto was very beautiful and scenic and probably the only place besides Jufen, Taiwan that I could say matched the beauty of Hawaii. The people there were nice and I met many great people at my hostel. 

I left Kyoto on May 20th for Osaka. Osaka is very different compared to Kyoto as it is considered a little Tokyo as it is a bustling city with tons of buildings and people. I went to the Osaka Castle, Dotonburi, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Shinsekai, and Shinsaibashi. Besides Osaka Castle and the Aquarium, Osaka was a lot of eating, shopping, and admiring the neon lights of the city. I also left Osaka to go to Nara for half a day to visit Nara Park where I fed some deer, and visited Iesu Garden and Todaiji Temple.

Japan was way different than any of my other trips I went on because it was by myself. It was very calming as I was able to go at my own pace and forced me to meet new people. In a way I felt I was able to get to know the culture and people a little bit more because I traveled alone; however, I think I would have enjoyed my time a little more if I traveled with someone though. Personally I prefer people with me and don’t like being by myself which is why. Im really happy that I was able to go to Japan though.

I left Japan on May 21st and arrived the same day in Hawaii. Japan officially concluded my semester abroad and I enjoyed every second of it. I learned so much from my travels and from the classroom and will take friendships with me for the rest of my life. Anyone reading this post, I 10/10 would recommend studying abroad for at least a semester whether it be in Singapore or anywhere else in the world. It truly will be a life changing experience if you open yourself up. Luckily or unluckily I still have one more post before. 

So you all till next time.

[reaganmats]

5/2 Bangkok & Reading Week

The last couple weeks of April was probably one of the most relaxed and stressful weeks I have experienced because one week I was in Bangkok not worrying about anything and the next week I had to study for three finals. The semester is actually going to end in week and while I am excited to come back home it is really sad knowing that I will be leaving Singapore and everyone I have met in Singapore.

BANGKOK

My friends and I decided to make Bangkok an all guys trip as the final hoorah of semester. We were there from April 19 - 23. Like most of my trips Bangkok did not really have much of an itinerary, but this trip was the ultimate definition of just “winging it”. We stayed in a hostel and since there was six of us we actually had our own room to ourselves which was great! We visited some historical sights such as the Wot Pho and the Grand Palace, which was really cool because Thailand just inaugurated their new king. In addition to that we visited a lot of night markets, restaurants, went on a tour of the canal, and visited so many different shopping malls. Bangkok has the most extravagant shopping malls I have ever seen in my entire life. I was in awe of Singapore, Taipei and Hong Kong’s malls, but Bangkok definitely beats all of them out.

Bangkok was kind of like Phuket and Taipei combined together. It had similar stores, shops, and culture of Phuket, but the modernness and infrastructure of Taipei. Also the weather was extremely hot, I believe it was about 110 degrees the entire time we were there. I will never complain about Hawaii weather ever again after visiting south east Asia. Overall Bangkok was amazing. Probably the most memorable experience was wondering and getting lost in the streets of Bangkok for hours. I feel like that really allowed us to experience Bangkok in its fullest because as I was able to actually interact with the locals, see many small shops, and what Bangkok is really like behind the bustling streets and enormous malls and hotels. It really was the ultimate juxtaposition of poverty and wealth because in one moment you were looking at Bentleys and Rolls Royces and the next you were walking by houses that were halfway submerged in the water. I am not eager to come back to Bangkok anytime soon, but it was still amazing and wish to come back again.

Jewel and Goodbye Dinner :(

Singapore has the number one airport in the world and will most like stay that way after spending billions of dollars on The Jewel. The Jewel is the largest indoor free falling waterfall in the world encircled by hundreds of shops and restaurants and an indoor garden and observatory deck to see it all. As soon as I thought Singapore couldn’t impress me even more, it did again with the Jewel. The Jewel is Gardens by the Bay meets Marina Bay Sands meets the Cloud Dome. As you will be able to see in the pictures I attach, it is magnificent as water drops from a ceiling into a bowl. While that might be the main attraction, the shops, theaters, hotels, and restaurants attached it actually justifies spending an entire day at the airport. I have visited it four times thus far and it still amazes me. 

A couple of my friends have already said their final goodbyes as we sent them off on their flights. It is the saddest part of exchange, saying goodbye to people you see almost everyday for five months and then you may never see them ever again. To say a proper goodbye to everyone we had a goodbye dinner at Seasonal Tastes which is located in the Westin Hotel. We went as a group of fourteen people and it was an all you can eat buffet. We chose Seasonal Tastes because it was a nice restaurant with all you can eat seafood, prime rib, and a great variety of other foods to fit everyone’s tastes. It was the perfect dinner as a way to unofficially say goodbye to everyone. 

With the end of exchange almost coming to an end, looking back at my exchange experience I don’t think I would change a thing. The first month in Singapore went by really slowly, but after that it went by so quickly. It seemed just like yesterday that I was trying to figure out where all my classes are but just a couple hours ago I just finished my third final. Sure I have learned a lot academically here at NUS, but I have also learned that I need to challenge myself even more. I thought that I was smart, and had a good resume and future jobs, but after coming to Singapore I realized that there are so many other people who are much more successful than I am and continually trying to improve themselves whether it be academically or just as a person. This exchange has definitely challenged me to be better and aim for higher goals in life. 

Well I still have one more exam left, so wish me luck! And after that I will be off to Taiwan and Japan.  

[reaganmats]

4/11 Phuket & Pre-finals: Semester is Almost Done :(

The past weekend I was able to go to Phuket, Thailand with ten of my friends. Everyone says that traveling in big groups is a nightmare, but honestly I find it to be much more enjoyable because there are so many different personalities and you can honestly never get board. 

While we were in Phuket we stayed at a hotel/motel in Patong, which is the main city in Phuket. It was really great as we were able to walk pretty much anywhere and did not need to call a taxi or Uber anywhere. Phuket is a huge tourist attraction and while there is a lot to do there, we had to be careful to not over pay for things. We stayed in Phuket for a total of three days. The first day we arrived we pretty much just settled into our hotel and explored Patong’s streets. The second day we went to the beaches on Phuket and went to some markets where we had some amazing Thai food. The last day we took a tour out to Phi Phi Island, Kai Island, and couple other snorkling spots, and then went to get a Thai message. 

Overall Phuket was very relaxing and Phi Phi Island and Kai Island probably had some of the nicer beaches I have seen in southeast Asia. However, it was very touristy, the prices were somewhat expensive, and it is honestly not a safe place for people to travel by themselves. Despite that, this was my first time traveling to Thailand and it was a lot different from anywhere else I have visited and I really enjoyed observing their culture. Even if this may be the most touristy part of Thailand, I was still able to talk to many of the locals, taste their amazing food options, and make some unforgettable memories. 

PS - Sorry I did not take as many pictures this trip.

DEADLINES, DEADLINES, DEADLINES, & FINALS

Phuket was honestly a vacation before I had to start worry about all my presentations, projects, papers, and exams. The day I came back from Phuket I had a presentation on Malaysia and three days later my group had to present our fictitious investment portfolio to the class. I had to do a lot of preparation for these presentations before leaving for Phuket and thankfully it all worked out. In addition, I have three papers due this weekend and my finance exam as well. I have learned that NUS will have times where you don’t have a lot of work to do, but you will also have times when it seems like your professors all decide to have everything due at the same time. 

Despite all the stress and deadlines that are coming up I still had to make time for friends as I only have a month left in the semester. Every meal, every interaction, every basketball game, or adventure could be the last time I ever experience that with them. So my friends and I made sure to make the most of our time left as we went to Wild Wild Wet (waterpark), Universal Studios Singapore, National Museum of Singapore, and went to a dance competition that was held at NUS. 

This semester has gone by so quickly even though I have done so much. It is really sad to know that in less than a month I may never see all my friends that I have made at NUS. It is conflicting because I miss Hawaii, but I also don’t want to leave Singapore either. I will try to take more pictures as I have been getting a little lazy with pictures lately, but my next post will probably be about Bangkok in a week.

[reaganmats]

3/20 Recess Week & Week 7: Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore feels like home

Recess Week is also called Reading Week because it is used to study for mid-terms, but luckily for me I had all my mid terms the week before (I only had one!!!) so I could use that week to explore southeast Asia. I was lucky enough to go with Shannon, Freeman scholar, to both Taiwan and Hong Kong with a couple other friends. In this blog I will be talking about my experiences in both countries and coming back to Singapore makes me appreciate it even more.

HONG KONG

Shannon, three of our friends, and I left for Hong Kong on the 22nd of February and arrived in Hong Kong at about 8:30 pm. Our Airbnb was incredibly small. It would not be an overreaction to say that my bedroom back at home was just a little bigger than the Airbnb, but it allowed for all of us to get close. One of the first things we all noticed was the temperature as it was about 58-78 degrees the entire trip which is a significant difference from Singapore and Hawaii an honestly it was great! Hong Kong is a massive city, the largest I have ever experienced, and it was really a unique experience for me. Crowds of people were everywhere, everything was lit up, and the pace of everything was so fast.

Honestly I can’t really name everywhere I went because I am not sure how to pronounce the places and I we kind of just wondered into random areas of Hong Kong. We went to some of the main attractions like Victoria Peak, LKF, Dragon Back Hike, the Rainbow Estates, Ladies’ Market,  and the bay. The most surprising and the best part of Hong Kong was meeting so many different people. Each person of our group introduced friends who were from Hong Kong or who were exchanging in Hong Kong from their home university. So we were able to meet up with Kristyn Fujii and Anna Chen in Hong Kong who are from Shidler, BESTies, and Freeman Scholars. 

Overall Hong Kong was fantastic. The food was great, the city was beautiful, the weather was not humid, and I was able to meet so many people. It was definitely a contrast to Bali where I was constantly on the move and had an itinerary for every day. Hong Kong was a lot more relaxed. To point out some negatives, there is a lot of pollution, the language barrier can be a problem, and it is an expensive city.

TAIWAN

Two of the people who came with us to Hong Kong went back to Singapore, but Shannon, our other friend, and I left for Taiwan on February 27th and arrived at about 11:30 pm the same day. We met up with three other NUS exchange students there and stayed in an airbnb again. We stayed in the city of Taipei and in a way it was exactly like Hong Kong but just smaller. What we didn’t realize was that Taiwan is incredibly cheap! One USD could buy you a good meal and shopping is also really cheap as well.

While in Taiwan we visited Shilin Market, Ninjxia Market, Jiufen, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, Taipei Zoo, Taipei 101 and did some hikes. Shilin Market was the highlight of the trip as Taiwan is known for their night markets. I was able to get about four dishes and a dessert for about $20 USD and there were so many places to shop that had ridiculously cheap clothing. I was also very grateful to have two friends who could speak Mandarin because almost everything was in Mandarin and people spoke very broken English. 

Overall I would have to say that Taiwan was my favorite. I felt like I was really only able to explore Taipei and that there are so many other places to explore in Taiwan that we didn’t even scratch the surface. 

POST-RECESS BREAK

Although I had the time of my life in Hong Kong and Taiwan, I was very excited to be back at Singapore. I realized that besides the humidity Singapore is such an amazing and efficient city that it really trumps everything else. In addition I really missed my friends who I did not travel with and it was great to exchange stories about our adventures.

Now that I have passed the half-way point of the semester, the classes are really starting to get into dense material. I did not really plan it this way, but all my classes really intertwine together very well. My Industrialization of SE Asia and Singapore talks about how those countries got to where they are now, my finance class discusses how countries and individuals invest, and my sociology class discusses the effects of industrialization and capitalism in Asia. Being able to visit Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Indonesia and being able to live in Singapore has allowed me to actually see first hand what I am learning in class. Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are three of the Four Asian Tigers and I was able to see why they were able to grow into the massive financial hubs they are because of their infrastructure and investments in research and development. 

I can complain all I want about how difficult my classes are or how I don’t want to go to class, but its been an amazing experience to really see a different perspective that is not from the US. I will be visitng Phuket, Thailand this coming week and I am really sad that my semester is more than half way done.

[reaganmats]

3/4 Week 5 & 6: Bali, Visitors and Midterms

I haven’t blogged in a while because the past couple of weeks have been incredibly busy and I apologize. I was in Bali, Indonesia from February 8th - 12th, my cousin visited me in Singapore from the 15th - 18th, and I had a lot of projects and mid-terms to catch up on. However, I will be posting by the end of this week about my Recess Break where I traveled to Hong Kong and Taiwan.

My time in Bali was an absolute blast! Going to Bali, I was a little skeptical because I thought that it would be another version of Hawaii, but it wasn’t. I went with a group of eleven people and I can honestly say there was not a single dull moment while we were there as we were constantly moving or enjoying our beautiful Airbnb. My friends and I arrived in Bali on the 8th at 11:30 pm and spent that night getting everything situated. 

Our first official day was Saturday, February 9th, we woke up at 8:30 am with a couple hours of sleep and first went to a beach to do water sports. It was about $50 USD per person to do parasailing, banana boating, and doughnut boating. The beach itself was “okay”, but the activities were definitely fun and unique despite being from Hawaii. Afterwards we went river rafting and saw some of Bali’s most beautiful waterfalls, villas, cliffs, and scenery. Later that night we went to explore Kuta Beach, which is Bali’s version of Waikiki, and experienced some of Bali’s coolest venues. 

The next couple of days we went sight-seeing and visited the volcano, coffee refinery, Bolong Batu Beach, Holy Water Temple, and a waterfall. Overall it was probably one of the most exhausting four days of my life, but worth every second. However, Bali is a tourist trap and was a lot more expensive than anticipated despite the strength of the USD. Even though I loved Bali and had a lot of fun, it made me realize the beauty of Hawaii and how unique it is. 

After returning to Singapore on Feb. 12th and having a mini-vacation, I immediately had to begin studying for mid-terms the next week as Kristyn Fujii ,my cousin, fellow BESTie and Freeman Scholar, came to visit from the 15th-18th. Fellow Freeman Scholar, BESTie, and Shidler student, Shannon Mau helped to give Kristyn a tour of Singapore. We visited some of Singapore’s main attractions that I have seen before like the Merlion, Spectra Light Show, Gardens by the Bay, and Marina Bay Sands Hotel, but we also were able to experience the Flower and Cloud Domes, Haji Lane, and Sentosa Island. 

“Work hard play hard” may be the saying, but for most of the month of February I was just playing hard, which meant that I had to catch up on all the studying for mid-terms. I had to prepare for my mid-term for my FIN 3102, my research proposal for JS 1101, and homework assignments for my other classes. The reason so many things were happening this week was because Recess Week, equivalent to Spring Break, is the week afterwards. I also had to worry about booking my tickets and airbnb to Hong Kong and Taiwan. Overall it was definitely the most stressful week of my exchange so far, but I survived. 

One of the biggest perks of studying in Singapore is that it is really easy to get cheap flights to other Southeast Asian countries. That also means that learning to balance traveling and studying is very important. I feel that it is much more important to study smarter rather than studying harder. If you study for a little bit every single day it will be a lot more efficient than studying a couple of days before the exam or writing a paper. NUS students study weeks in advance so you cant expect to do well if you just study a couple days before. I might be learning how to travel, but I am also learning how to study as well. 

[reaganmats]

2/6 Week 2 & 3: “Studying” Abroad and CNY

After settling in the first couple of weeks and site seeing most of Singapore’s attractions, the last couple of weeks have been more about finding good food spots, bonding with friends, and trying to keep up in my four modules.

I have finally hit the “studying” part of studying abroad, and it has definitely caught me off guard after not worrying about school for almost a month. NUS classes/modules are all on a bell curve, which means only certain amount of students are allowed A’s, B’s, and C’s. This results to a very competitive culture among its students that is very different from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and many US schools. 

All my modules are graded on group projects, participation, and the final exam. For each class I needed to find a group, and luckily I was able to find a groupmates relatively easy for each class. My FIN 3207 class thus far has definitely been the most challenging class as the professor goes through so much material in such a short amount of time and the amount of outside studying and reading to truly master the content is very extensive. 

Despite school starting I have still been able to visit the Botanic Gardens, the Merlion, the Spectra Light Show, ArtScience Museum, Chinatown, and celebrate Chinese New Years (CNY) with family friends. 

I had to take the typical Merlion pick, despite how cliche and common this picture was. Visiting the Marina Bay is always an adventure because there are just so many things to do! On one side of the bay you can visit the famous Merlion and on the other side you have the Spectra light show, Marina Bay Mall, and the ArtScience Museum. 

For CNY I was lucky enough to be invited to a family-friend party in the morning. Since this was my first time celebrating CNY, it was a great experience learning about all the different traditions that are involved. After the party I joined my friends in Chinatown where we were able to experience the festivities that it had to offer.

Exploring Singapore is never complete without the wonderful street food it has to offer. I was able to visit Hawker Centers (food courts) such as Maxwell Center, Old Airport Road, Newton Hawker Center, and Chinatown’s Hawker Center. Many of the places are home to some of the best dishes Singapore has to offer ranging from it’s famous Chicken Rice to Sambal Stingray and satay to just name a few. both Chinatown and Maxwell Center each had a stall with a Michelin star and Newton Hawker Center was featured in “Crazy Rich Asians”. In addition, I had the opportunity to eat Durian. Contrary from belief the smell was actually not that bad, but it still did not taste that appetizing in my opinion. My friends told me that was because the Durian was lukewarm so I guess I won’t be giving up on Durian quite yet.

Anyone who studies at NUS I highly recommend exploring, traveling, and having as much fun as possible within the beginning months of the semester. Although the content of the modules are difficult, most professors do not assign a lot of assignment during the beginning of the semester. While creating my schedule I realized that the majority of my papers, projects, tests, and assignments start to pick up toward mid-March.

[reaganmats]

Week 0 & 1: MOVING IN, REGISTRATION, & SITE SEEING

My first 2 weeks in Singapore have been AMAZING so far! I have never lived on my own; nevertheless, gone to another country before. I have met so many new people, experienced so many different cultures, and tasted so many styles of food. 

I am staying at Utown Residence which is one of the residential colleges students can live in within Utown. If anyone is planning to study abroad at NUS I would highly recommend staying in Utown Residence as it provides everything you would need like food, stores, barber shop, swimming pool, gym, and a lot of fun activities. NUS allows exchange students to check-in earlier, and I was able to check-in on January 7th at 2:00 PM. If you look at my previous post you can see the pictures of Utown.

Registration at NUS is quite different from UH Manoa and most American schools, I highly recommend attending the orientation for exchange students as they will go over the process with you. For Shidler students it is very important that you check the pre-approved classes that Shidler accepts as it will save you a lot of time and stress when choosing classes. It is difficult to get business classes at NUS, but not impossible. Do not let that discourage you from applying to NUS because there are a lot of classes that you can take at NUS that are not within the business school that transfer back to Shidler as business credit.

I am taking:

FIN 3702 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management (FIN 311)                SC3226 Markets and Society (BUS 367F)                                                          SE 3218 Industrializing Singapore and SE Asia (BUS 367I)                        JS1101 Introduction to Japanese Studies

This is my tentative schedule after the add/drop period. NUS classes will typically have 2 hour lectures once a week and 1-2 hour tutorials/labs every other week. However, the business classes will have 3 hour lectures. Only the FIN 3702 was a NUS business class and the rest of them were classes outside of the business school. I used this site to make my schedule. Refer to IVLE for non-business classes and LumiNUS for business classes to check your classes. It essentially is NUS’s version of Laulima. 

If your classes aren’t approved when you apply to NUS you may have to wait till the day classes start to add more classes. The business school starts this process sooner, but it is the same process. As long as you plan ahead and look at the pre-approved business classes you should not encounter too many problems.

I was lucky enough to have family friends or just friends in Singapore who were willing to take me shopping and show me all the good places to eat. Good places to shop include Ikea, Clementi Mall (really close by), and City Square Mall. They have a very efficient transportation system in Singapore so I recommend buying an EZ Link card ASAP which allows you to board the buses, MRT, and even do your laundry. 

The first two weeks at NUS are the best times to travel because classes have just started and there is not a lot of assignments given. I was able to visit the National Gallery of Singapore, the Marina Bay Gardens, Spectra Light Show, Palau Ubin, Marina Bay Sands Mall, Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Little India, Chinatown, and ArtScience Museum. It is very easy and affordable to travel via the bus, MRT, and even catching a Grab (like an Uber). Catching a Grab can be anywhere from $6 SGD to $30 depending on the time and place. 

[reaganmats]

Timeline and Singapore so far

So I have finally arrived to Singapore on January 7th at 12:05 am! I will be talking a little bit more about the flight later on in this post, but here’s a quick list of things that I had to do before arriving to Singapore and the National University of Singapore (NUS). This timeline is more for students who are interested in studying at NUS.

- May 1: submitted my application to Manoa International Exchange (MIX)

- June 4: applied for passport at Campus Center at the UH Manoa (this was my first time leaving America so this was my first passport)

- June 19: MIX informed me that they nominated me to NUS. 

-August 30: MIX sends NUS’s application. 

-October 1: Completed NUS’s application and sent the application to MIX.

- November 11: Received acceptance letter from NUS

- November 16: Bought ISIC card and sent confirmation of purchase to MIX. For NUS you do not need to purchase the health insurance offered by MIX, just the ISIC card.

- November 30: Complete MIX Pre-departure Orientation Online Course and Health Clearance Form.

- December 5: Bought tickets to Singapore. Note that plane tickets to Singapore are a lot cheaper the sooner you buy them. I bought my tickets with a friend from school and it was about $700 for a one way flight on Philippines Airlines.

- December 10: Attended MIX pre-departure orientation.

NUS has a fairly complicated application process and you need to make sure to pay attention to all the deadline and READ ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS THOROUGHLY! NUS will take a while to get back to you about your application and housing, but that is just normal so no need to panic! I would also like to shout out Shannon Mau for helping through the application process or I would have been very lost and behind. 

The flight from Honolulu to Manila was about a 10 hour flight, and from there I had about a 3 hour layover. The flight from Manila to Singapore was about 3 hours and I arrived about 12:00 am on January 7th. 

I was fortunate enough to be picked up by my pastor’s close church friends. I was very blessed that they provided me with a place to sleep after my flight and dropped me off at NUS. Singapore is a very well organized country and the structure of the buildings is quite exquisite. Even University Town (NUS’s dorms for international students) was beautiful.

I arrived to U-Town on January 7th at 2:00 pm and took me about 2 hours to check-in to my room. Within U-Town there were 2  food courts, a gym, a court, a pool, Starbucks, FairPrice Express (convenient store), study room, and a rock climbing wall. I’ve only been at U-town for 2 days so far and I feel like I have only learned about half of what U-town has to offer. 

I have only been to Singapore for a couple of days, and I have made many friends so far and really look forward to the rest of the semester!

[reaganmats]

Thank You Freeman Foundation

Aloha!

My name is Reagan Matsumoto and I am a Junior at the Shidler College of Business studying Accounting and Finance. 

I just want to begin by saying thank you to Mr. Graeme and Alec Freeman as words can not express my gratitude for choosing me as a Freeman Scholar! I will be lucky enough to be studying abroad at the National University of Singapore in Spring 2019. This once in a life time opportunity would not be possible without the Freeman Foundation’s generosity and support. 

Singapore is at the heart of the economic success that Southeast Asia has experienced over the past fifty years and boasts one of the highest GDP per capita, and one of the highest per capita incomes as well. Studying at not only Singapore’s top university, but the top university in Southeast Asia, I hope to bring back with me different perspectives and solutions to some of the top issues in Hawaii. 

I will be departing in approximately three months and this will be the first time that I will be traveling out of the country. There will definitely be some obstacles and amateur traveling mistakes, but I am very excited for this opportunity to go to an amazing country with such a rich culture as Singapore. I would just like to thank Mr. Graeme and Alec Freeman once again for making an opportunity like this possible.

Mahalo!