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Singapore Kopitiam

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Reply 2780
Original post by GingerGoat
Can anyone give me an idea of what it's like to live in Singapore?
I'm hoping to go to Nanyang Technological University for an exchange next year :smile:


Humid weather. Great for eating & shopping!
Reply 2781
Original post by GingerGoat
Can anyone give me an idea of what it's like to live in Singapore?
I'm hoping to go to Nanyang Technological University for an exchange next year :smile:


Seeing people clad in green clothing and carrying SAR21s / 84mms / GPMGs late at night walking quickly past...
Original post by GingerGoat

Original post by GingerGoat
Can anyone give me an idea of what it's like to live in Singapore?
I'm hoping to go to Nanyang Technological University for an exchange next year :smile:


Singapore is safe and a food haven (please try everything the locals recommend, you won't regret it :biggrin:).
NTU is very big -- some say it's like a country by themselves because it is quite secluded from the town area and the buildings look quite scary. To me, at least. You'll have fun though :smile: People are generally quite friendly!
Original post by GingerGoat
Can anyone give me an idea of what it's like to live in Singapore?
I'm hoping to go to Nanyang Technological University for an exchange next year :smile:


Singapore's a wonderful place to be in. We have good food, good shopping, and quite good entertainment. We may not have the best natural attractions, but we've got good tourists spots. The weather is a slight turn off, it's humid and warm, but I guess that comes with the package. Education here is good, but it can get quite competitive. Singaporeans are known to be especially competitive when it comes to their studies.

I have a friend in NTU, and she gets lost. The place is humongous. It's like a city by itself. But it is a good school. (:

What subject are you planning to exchange in?
Reply 2784
totally clueless abt visa issues :frown:
I heard all students have to take IELTS now or smth?
Is there any truth in that? (The UK Border agency website is rather confusing)
Original post by volante
totally clueless abt visa issues :frown:
I heard all students have to take IELTS now or smth?
Is there any truth in that? (The UK Border agency website is rather confusing)


Yes. As a part of its new effort to cut down on foreign immigration, all non-native speakers -- and this includes Singaporeans, for some reason -- must take a government recognized English proficiency test. The easiest one you can find in Singapore is IELTS. :smile:
Reply 2786
Original post by ofssinfoxes
Yes. As a part of its new effort to cut down on foreign immigration, all non-native speakers -- and this includes Singaporeans, for some reason -- must take a government recognized English proficiency test. The easiest one you can find in Singapore is IELTS. :smile:


May I know when would be a suitable time to take the IELTS if I'm going to start Uni in Oct 2012?

Thanks!
Original post by volante
May I know when would be a suitable time to take the IELTS if I'm going to start Uni in Oct 2012?

Thanks!


Any time, preferably by June 2012. You might want to consider to choose a date that wouldn't clash with your major exam like A2 final or so on.
Original post by volante
May I know when would be a suitable time to take the IELTS if I'm going to start Uni in Oct 2012?

Thanks!


Well, I heard the earliest you can apply for a visa is couple of months before your university starts. So if we assume your semester starts in September, and if we assume you can/should apply for a visa 3 months in advance, that would be mid June. Give yourself a couple of weeks for the IELTS to be scored, and that's the start of June. So yeah, like Nicholasng has said, I think you should take it before June. I'm personally thinking of taking it in April.... Just in case I need to retake it.
Reply 2789
Original post by ofssinfoxes
Well, I heard the earliest you can apply for a visa is couple of months before your university starts. So if we assume your semester starts in September, and if we assume you can/should apply for a visa 3 months in advance, that would be mid June. Give yourself a couple of weeks for the IELTS to be scored, and that's the start of June. So yeah, like Nicholasng has said, I think you should take it before June. I'm personally thinking of taking it in April.... Just in case I need to retake it.


funny though. I emailed my uni and they said they dont require me to take the IELTS since I already have an unconditional offer from them last year.

Is the IELTS mainly for the british border agency rather than the uni itself?
Original post by volante
funny though. I emailed my uni and they said they dont require me to take the IELTS since I already have an unconditional offer from them last year.

Is the IELTS mainly for the british border agency rather than the uni itself?


I also received an unconditional offer this year, which means the university does not require me to do anything to hold a spot for me. But from what I understand (and if anyone can correct me, PLEASE do so), I will need the IELTS to get a visa to study in that university.

So ultimately yes. It's for the borders control, not your university.
Original post by whitelily29
Singapore's a wonderful place to be in. We have good food, good shopping, and quite good entertainment. We may not have the best natural attractions, but we've got good tourists spots. The weather is a slight turn off, it's humid and warm, but I guess that comes with the package. Education here is good, but it can get quite competitive. Singaporeans are known to be especially competitive when it comes to their studies.

I have a friend in NTU, and she gets lost. The place is humongous. It's like a city by itself. But it is a good school. (:

What subject are you planning to exchange in?


I'm planning to study chemical engineering, and they are supposed to be very good for engineering :smile:

I've heard it's also very cheap to travel to near by countries?
How true is this? :smile:
How cheap is cost of living also?

Thanks so much for your help :biggrin:
Original post by GingerGoat
I'm planning to study chemical engineering, and they are supposed to be very good for engineering :smile:

I've heard it's also very cheap to travel to near by countries?
How true is this? :smile:
How cheap is cost of living also?

Thanks so much for your help :biggrin:


LOL It can't get cheaper to go to Malaysia. There's a public bus that runs to a city at the borders from Singapore, and that must cost a few bucks (literally less than 2 dollars).

Some parts of Indonesia is visible from the coast of Singapore, so if you are a swimmer, I bet you can swim there (water is, though dirty, not as cold down at Singapore). Alternatively, you can take a ferry for a little more than 20 bucks.

You can also go to Thailand, but for that, you will need to fly. But there are plenty of budjet airlines available.
Original post by GingerGoat
I'm planning to study chemical engineering, and they are supposed to be very good for engineering :smile:

I've heard it's also very cheap to travel to near by countries?
How true is this? :smile:
How cheap is cost of living also?

Thanks so much for your help :biggrin:


Oh yeah, the chem engineering courses in Singapore are very competitive. (:

Most Singaporeans travel to malaysia at least once a year. Cause it's so convenient and affordable. Other than the public bus that's already mentioned, there are travel agencies that offer one day trips (ranging from about 40 onwards) or a few day trips. If you have a car, that's even better. My dad goes to malaysia almost every month cause a lot of things are cheaper there. Sometimes he goes grocery shopping and comes home with tons of things.

You can also take the ferry to other islands of Singapore, like pulau ubin or st. john's island or kusu island. The ferry to Batam is pretty affordable too. There's also bintan and other indonesian cities.

Singapore's cost of living isn't all that cheap. It's true that there are hawker centres that offer food ranging from 2.50 to 5.00. But that's if you're okay with the heat and the noise. Otherwise, going to cafes, food courts (air-conditioned hawker centres) or restaurants will prove to be costlier. Grocery shopping seems affordable, but I visited America last year and suddenly everything in Singapore seems grossly over-priced. But that's not exactly true. If you're staying in a hostel and can cook, that's a great alternative. If not, NTU is sure to have relatively affordable food centres.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 2794
any singaporeans in the area of coventry? :biggrin:
Reply 2795
Original post by drumma
any singaporeans in the area of coventry? :biggrin:


yes
Reply 2796
Original post by Narev
yes


urself? where are u studying? :smile:
Reply 2797
Original post by drumma
urself? where are u studying? :smile:


Warwick. You?
Reply 2798
Original post by ofssinfoxes
I also received an unconditional offer this year, which means the university does not require me to do anything to hold a spot for me. But from what I understand (and if anyone can correct me, PLEASE do so), I will need the IELTS to get a visa to study in that university.

So ultimately yes. It's for the borders control, not your university.


Should it be IELTS ONLY or is TOEFL also acceptable for borders control ? Can anyone please confirm
Reply 2799
Original post by Narev
Warwick. You?


not yet. but will be going coventry for exchange.

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