Even if you have traveled before, spending months on end in a foreign country may be very different from what you have usually experienced. This article hopes to address some of the possible concerns you might have, and help you think about how you want to live overseas. Please note that not every domain requires a preference. It is completely valid to be ambivalent about certain things. (Note: It’s completely ok to not know what you prefer! While we try to keep information below as accurate as possible, there will inevitably be some subjectivity. Feel free to reach out to seniors or do your own research specific to your personal situation.)
The following is split into 3 parts:
Living Environment (geography-related concerns)
University Environment (campus life concerns)
Potential Dangers and Fears
Part 1: Living Environment
Rural vs Urban
Your wider environment can have implications for your experience. One important aspect is the rural vs urban dichotomy.
In general, you can almost always expect your foreign location (rural or urban) to be less dense than Singapore. Singapore is exceptionally dense and populated. For reference, in French, city centres are called «centre-villes»; but Singapore is an extremely large city, called «hypercentres», and my French friends like to tell me Singapore is probably a «hyper-hypercentre». That is to say, a “city” overseas is not a city in the sense we are used to.
The “city-ness” or “urban-ness” of your surroundings usually translate into differences in the variety of shops, restaurants, cultural life, outdoors life, and exposure to non-school people. For instance, if your school is in a big city (e.g. NYC, London), it will probably not be unusual to see others roaming about near your university to access services or go to work nearby. If your city is tucked away quaintly in the suburbs/rural areas, you might see more of the same shops and less non-university people, which could be a cosier setting. If you are near the city, you might have more opportunities to watch city performances, theatres (which are distinct from your university’s productions). If you live in the more rural or suburban areas, you might be more involved in campus life, or have more access to nature and outdoor activities, such as hiking, rowing and skiing. You might enjoy the energy and hubbub of the city, or you might enjoy the general tranquillity further from the city. Or maybe you would enjoy both!
Other practical concerns about urban vs rural would also depend on how often you venture off-campus. In general, most universities are fairly self-contained. The basic necessities that you might need (e.g. food, utilities, groceries), if not already provided by your university, should be accessible within nearby travelling range. However, depending on the lifestyle you want to lead, you might enjoy travelling to nearby big cities, which may require some hours on the train. Most people stay within their university community and whatever’s nearby, and don’t travel frequently to the big cities; but if you are the type to crave big cities, then you might want to keep distance and transport in consideration. Conversely, if you are in the big cities, you may be hours on the train away from nature; so if you enjoy hikes, maybe you want to be in a more rural location.
It is probably difficult to pin-point the exact space in the rural-urban spectrum that you identify with or will be comfortable with. In fact, most of the time we adapt to our surroundings, and grow from these experiences. However, knowing the potential differences might be a helpful consideration as you envision your university life, particularly the kinds of things you wish to do when you are not studying.
Hot vs Cold
This is probably obvious, but Singapore is very hot. That means for many of us, going abroad to certain areas could be very cold. But, some places are less cold than others, and others are less hot. Weather might be a consideration if you are particularly sensitive to the climate.
A good way of imagining the spectrum is comparing the West and East Coast in the US. In the US, the West Coast (e.g. California, Washington) is typically sunny all-year-round, very dry, and has little variation in temperature across the seasons. Meanwhile, the East Coast (e.g. New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania) experiences the four seasons as continentally depicted – falling leaves, snow, flowers, and heat. These two coasts could be a good model for thinking about climate in general from other countries too. Some people like the all-year sun, while others find the sun too boring, preferring the seasons. People survive in both environments obviously, and there are ways to adapt. A cute saying I love is “There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” Even then, the climate of your university’s location could sometimes make a surprising difference – both on your moods (e.g. seasonal depression, which does not affect everyone but for which you can get special SAD lamps if it becomes a problem) and on the range of activities available to you for that season.
Part 2: University Environment
Housing
How integrated do you want your living experience to be with your academic experience? Where you live more or less determines the rest of your school life outside of classes.
A critical differentiator between universities is the opportunity of on-campus residence. Some universities highly publicize the residential college experience (e.g. Oxbridge and many US universities), or on-campus housing. This is because your on-campus residence could form a large part of your social life. It is always helpful to check out universities’ “Campus Life” webpages to find out about “Housing,” which of your schooling years on-campus residence is guaranteed, and whatthe selection criteria (if any) for getting on-campus housing are.
On-campus residence takes many forms, but typically you live in a building that is affiliated to your university to some degree, alongside other students from your university. The residence community differs from university to university. Usually, the universities that offer on-campus residence for all three or four years of university will have more communal activities within the residence. In many US and UK schools, on-campus housing is guaranteed at least for the first year, or they give you close-to-guaranteed priority for housing in your first year. In subsequent years, if you do not live on-campus, you will live off-campus.
Off-campus means a residence near campus, but technically not on campus-owned grounds. You typically find friends to rent an apartment with. Off-campus does not cut you off from campus activities, but you usually will be slightly further away. Finding off-campus housing may be daunting initially, but knowing that there are years and generations of students before you who have gone through the same process means that resources are generally available for you to find housing. For example, there may be specific house-hunting websites that different universities/towns use, or you could explore social networks and inherit an apartment from a senior who is graduating in the next year. Note that even if on-campus housing is guaranteed for all your university years, it is possible for you to opt-out and choose to live off-campus as well (e.g. maybe for cost reasons). This is a choice you will likely make closer to the middle of your university years when you have a better sense of what the community is like.
Extracurriculars
The most interesting thing about studying overseas is that extracurriculars are no longer compulsory. It is weird because it actually means you can study all day long and do only that. You do not have to join any single club if you do not want to.
There are many clubs available. You could use this as an opportunity to try things that you have never done before or are difficult to do in Singapore. You could join pre-professional clubs to maybe give yourself a leg-up in future job pursuits. Because extracurriculars are not compulsory, the people who are in your club are probably in it because they want to. Conversely, it also means that there might be flakey people, because nobody is checking attendance rigorously. Explore your options when you arrive at your university and this could be an important place where you’ll find like-minded friends and form deep networks. The extracurriculars scene (e.g. how active people are in them) will vary widely between universities, so you might want to ask seniors to know the specifics.
Food
Not much to say. Your university may or may not have dining, and the food may or may not be good. You can find more information about this, probably under “Campus Life” and some sections like “Hospitality” or “Housing and Dining.” Honestly, even if food is bad, generations of students have lived with it, and have found ways around it. If dining is not guaranteed by the university, it might be helpful to find out from seniors what the projected food expenses are (e.g. cooking or eating out), since you have to eat. Groceries and restaurants will also be available nearby most of the time, no matter your location. The diversity of food may depend if you are in rural or urban settings. In general, larger cities have better Asian food. In general, food expenses will also be greater overseas than in Singapore.
Part 3: Potential Dangers and Fears
Social Support Network
Will I have friends? Chances are, yes. That is not to say it will be easy to find friends. In fact, it is normal to feel lonely in your early university years. Living overseas might make the social problem more acute, since you are further away from home and probably your close friends (note that studying locally probably brings its own set of transition issues as well; just think about your transition from primary school to secondary school, or secondary school to JC; overseas is not dissimilar, but more intense).
I too wish I can give you magic tips to find friends, but maybe the extensive self-help books on socialization show that it is not that easy. Friendship problems will always exist. Living overseas may have an additional cultural barrier. My best tip is this: know that you are not alone. You are probably not the only one feeling this way. Everyone is new to this. People want to make friends. A pro-tip from someone I know is to “Just say hello.” I’m not sure if everyone is comfortable saying hello to strangers (I sure am more awkward), but sometimes awkwardness is okay. We are humans. You perhaps just have to believe that you will make friends, and –whether by joining clubs and attending random activities that seem fun to you– give yourself a chance to do so. Don’t feel pressured to be “social” in some recognizable way. You also don’t have to be categorically amazing and please everyone. Nobody has quite the same social life and all social activities are opt-in.
Safety
Under this ‘Safety’ umbrella I am going to throw all things scary like guns, drugs, violence, racism and crime. I wish I can guarantee you completely that no harm will ever befall you (truly!), but I can’t. My advice is really to think about it rationally and realize that it’s a probability game. The probability of you dying is probably small. Some regions may have a higher probability of crime than others. Most perceived probabilities are greater than in real life because such news make headlines and are sensational. The lived experience in a town can also be very different from what is suggested by the statistics. We highly recommend talking to seniors about this.
Always be careful, but also don’t get overly frightful. There are countless students who study overseas each year. Granted, living overseas is almost definitely a riskier endeavour than living at home in Singapore. Just take steps and adopt good ways to reduce your risk – do not walk in dark alleys at night, avoid deserted places, travel in groups etc. Talk to seniors for advice and to gauge what the real probabilities or risks are. They have survived. They will have the experience to help you also stay that way, and thrive.
All the best! Also, living overseas is a highly subjective experience, so please do not hesitate to sign up to talk to a WahUniversity senior.
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