Michael Heneghan-Brennan, a Queen Mary University of London MEng Aerospace Engineering student, travelled to Singapore with the help of GO Summer! and Turing Scheme funding, resulting in an unforgettable experience.

My experience studying at Nanyang Technological University of Singapore made for the summer of a lifetime, consisting of lots of fun and exciting opportunities! I feel I have developed hugely as an individual, building confidence and social skills. With regards to my studies, I branched out into programming and computational thinking, enhancing my understanding of the computer systems used in engineering problem solving.  That being said, I would like to further delve into my experience as a student studying there! 

Having landed on the Friday before classes officially started, my experience started with moving into my campus accommodation: Pioneer Hall. Unlike some others, the building was fitted with lifts and air conditioning. Additionally, a close by bus stop ran orbital services around the campus, and beyond to the local area. Starting out, everybody was scrambling to make new friends, all placed in the same boat of not knowing anybody in a foreign country. This was assisted by both an NTU telegram chat, in which our hall chat became famously tight knit (often roaming around in a group of around 15 people, even adopting people from other halls to join), as well as an introductory tour around the campus (which I am very glad I went on despite the jetlag!). As for my room itself, I had a roommate who also studied in the UK (as an international student), providing a blend of familiarity and new experience – I think we got on very well, but he did have to listen to my yap at the end of every day.  

Of course, being a study abroad experience, there was definitely some academics involved. I personally found that creating a work life balance is difficult in this situation, as people are ALWAYS out doing things – you have to very deliberately pull away and spend time with your studies, and end up suffering from FOMO. Naturally, this balancing is even harder to do when you are still trying to establish a friend group! As for the course itself, I found that it had a variety of assessment mediums much like would be at QMUL – there was no real adjustment required there. Classes were very small, and learning featured lots of interactive activities.  

As for the campus itself, it is much larger than Queen Mary!  Fortunately, a free campus bus was offered to traverse the area, which was handy as my accommodation was on the outskirts. Most classes tended to happen in a building known as the arc on the opposite corner to where I stayed, which in itself was connected to a plaza known as the north spine, and most importantly a café which sells iced lattes as you would get at home. In Singapore, iced coffee doesn’t taste necessarily how you would expect, which is something to keep in mind! Whilst the plaza also had chains such as McDonalds and Subway, I would suggest trying more local foods. Singapore has a culture of large open food halls, which are very affordable compared to eating out in London. Understandably, lots of meals contain lots of rice and noodles, but some British people felt that breakfast options were relatively limited as it isn’t a type of food they would usually have at this time.  

Even though Singapore is quite a small country, NTU is located on the outskirts of it, making travelling to the city centre quite a length procedure if you aren’t using a Grab (their version of Uber – much cheaper, and I’d even say THE most important app for you to get out there). The most practical and economical way to get to the centre would be by taking a bus to the nearby MRT (metro) station, and spending around 60 minutes commuting. An area known as Marina Bay Sands would somehow always be very close wherever plans took us – It definitely felt like a centre of activity. Additionally, it made for a great viewing spot for the weekly fireworks on Saturdays in the lead up to the 60^th anniversary of the country. Additionally, NTU is located near the border with the Malaysian state of Johor Bahru (aka JB), where locals frequently go to do shopping at cheaper rates. Indonesian Islands nearby of Bintan and Batam are popular spots as well to go to via ferry.  

In reflecting over my experience in Singapore, I am immensely glad to have been able to attend. It was entirely made possible by the funding provided by the Global Partnerships and Opportunities Office, as well as Turing Scheme funding – covering my flight, accommodation, admin fees, tuition, and an amount of my day to day costs! As a result, I was able to participate in and enjoy my experience without having to worry about how I would be able to afford to do so.  

Thank you for reading, and make sure to challenge yourself to achieve the most out of whatever you do!