AYUSHMAAN DATTA

Singapore Management University

BBA (Marketing and Operations Management)

Monthly Activity Log

I am a third year non local student from India majoring in Marketing and Operations Management. I chose to go to Management University for an exchange semester in Fall 2015.

Singapore, popularly known as the Lion City is a global financial center with tropical climate. It has been consistently ranked as the easiest place to do business and there are many attractions to see there. Singapore Management University, is situated in the heart of Singapore’s Bras Basah district is a public autonomous university specializes in business and management studies.

Monthly Activity Log

August

I arrived in Singapore in mid-August. I chose accommodation in the Evans Hostel in Singapore which is the housing for the exchange students. However, to reach SMU daily, it required a bus which took close to 35 minutes. SMU has recently made available more housing opportunities for exchange students so do keep them in mind before finalizing your housing decision. The month began with orientation activities for exchange students. We were given a tour of the university and a tour of Singapore as well. I attended the Singapore Night Festival at the SMU campus greens which was a wonderful experience of delicious food and great music. I settled in nicely, started attending classes and met my host and exchange buddy for drinks and dinner in Singapore.

September

This was the month that many student societies and clubs in SMU started recruiting for students. I joined the SMU Cuesports Club as well as the SMU Marketing Society to meet new people and involve myself in campus activities. This involved attending talks by seasoned industry professionals. This month, I applied and got a part-time marketing internship at the Lazada group in Singapore. My student visa status in Singapore allowed me to take up a part-time internship. I used this month to explore Singapore – went to Holland Village, , Botanical Gardens and Vivo City. I also used this time to visit my brother on weekends, who is working in Singapore.

October

October began with a series of quizzes, midterm projects and the workload increased rapidly. A lot of time was spent on catching up with the coursework and quizzes. This was also the time when I attended some social events in SMU – such as the Diwali night which was hosted by the Indian Cultural Society as well as Halloween Night which was hosted on the SMU Campus Greens. I also met some HKUST Alumni in Singapore at the HKUST Alumni Meetup in Singapore. It was a great chance to meet some new people of the diverse HKUST community in Singapore and share some memories of the school.

November

The month of the final examinations. I completed my part-time internship and also the group projects. such as I attended the Starry Night which is the end semester party in SMU which was a great experience to mingle with the local students and let my hair down. I also attended a few concerts at Esplanade which is two stops away from SMU MRT. I had 4 final examinations which were back to back so a large chunk of my time in this month was spent preparing for them.

December

I finished my semester with a visit to Universal Studios Singapore at Resorts World Singapore. It was the most wonderful experience and is definitely a must-visit to anyone visiting Singapore. It is truly an enthralling experience; the memory will stay with me forever. The highlight of my semester was the end-semester party at Altimate – which is the highest nightclub in Singapore. The entry was free for SMU students. The views from there were absolutely fantastic and it was the perfect way to end the semester.

Part 2

1) Visa Procedures

After receiving the acceptance letter issued by SMU, you can start applying for the student pass by yourself via the website of Student’s Pass Online Application & Registration (SOLAR). Please read the instructions given by SMU carefully beforehand and follow them. Payment of administration fee of SGD90 or SGD120 based on your status needs to be settled by credit cards. Once you receive it, you need to choose a date to collect your student pass by yourself upon your arrival in Singapore. The venue will be at Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) Building and you can take the MRT there. The pick-up process may take several hours and it is advisable to take an appointment.

2) Orientation Activities

There is an orientation which is organized by SMU before the semester starts for exchange students. Students are required to attend the event in the SMU Administration Building. There is a campus tour which is conducted after that. A hearty meal is provided to all exchange students after that.

3) International Student Service and Activities

During the student pass application period, SMU opens a Facebook group for exchange students which is periodically updated with all the events which are happening in and around SMU as well as some events which are arranged by SMU especially for exchange students.

4) Accommodation for exchange students

SMU has also provided a 3rd party hostel called Evans Hostel for exchange students. It is located at and is a 30 min bus ride to SMU. The hostel provided breakfast for exchange students. What is great about Evans Hostel, is the fact that adjacent to it is Mr Prata, a restaurant which offers a variety of cuisines and also provides a 10% discount to exchange students for lunch and dinner. Another canteen which is pretty close to Evans, is the NUS Bukit Timah Campus Canteen. It is a 10 minute walk and you get to choose from Thai, Chinese and Indian food. 5) Courses

SMU uses a bidding system for its course registration. Each exchange student will be given $100 e- dollars to allocate to the courses that they want to bid for. Exchange students will not compete with full time students as they bid in a different window from full time student. The amount of e-dollars that you need to pay for bidding for different courses varies and depends on the competition, so it is hard to say whether you can definitely enroll in all the courses successfully, especially for those who plan to take five. For me, I managed to successfully bid for 5 courses.

6) Teaching and Assessment Methods

Professors come from varied backgrounds and are highly distinguished. Classes are kept small in size and there is heavy emphasis on class participation. Most courses meet for classes three hours in one week. Classes are structured a lot like UST, assessment is based on a combination of mid-term examinations, group projects, individual papers, and final examinations. However, teaching standards are higher than UST. Some courses require course packets which can be purchased from the University library. Attendance is actively encouraged. There is a need to be regular with courses to secure good grades. For final examinations, cheat sheets are allowed for certain courses so they should made the most of.

7) Transportation

SMU lies in the city center and as a result the transportation is quite convenient there. The nearest MRT station to SMU is Bras Basah MRT station. Its exit B is directly connecting to the SMU’s underground concourse. MRT station is around 8 minutes by walk from School of Economics while City Hall MRT station is about 5 minutes by walk from School of Business. Bus stops are in the vicinity of the School of Economics and School of Accounting. Taking a bus is normally more expensive than taking the MRT in Singapore. You can download a mobile app for estimating the arrival time for next bus on both Android phone and iPhone. Part III Checklist of Items to Bring  Acceptance Letter & documents for student pass collection  Passport  Umbrella  Sunscreen  Flip flops  Summer clothes  Formal attire for presentations  Laptop  Phone  Money & credit card