Studying Abroad in Singapore - Guest Blogger Molly Chamberlin

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Posted on March 12, 2014 by Jess Callinan


This semester I decided to study abroad in Singapore. It was a decision I made very last minute, at the start of last semester, but I'm very happy with the choice I made to pick up and go. When you hear people talk about their study abroad experience, they'll often use phrases like "It's the best thing I've ever done," and "I learned so much about yourself," and while I agree with these statements, I think the phrase that I would use to encapsulate my experience is, "I felt the entire range of human emotion." And that in itself is the reason I would encourage others to go. What I mean by this, is when you leave the country completely on your own, you will have things thrown at you that you've never experienced, good and bad. Since you left alone, the only person to really share those experiences  with is yourself. You'll feel excited, awed, lonely, confused, proud, and so much more.  You'll learn to handle your money better and how to speak slower so non-native speakers can understand you. You'll learn to love talking about America and your culture and you'll feel so happy when people come up to you can ask which state you're from because they can tell you're American by your accent.

 I came to the National University of Singapore to study Chemical Engineering. I'm in a Reactions,Physical Chemistry, Heat and Mass, and a Materials Science class. In most of them I am the only exchange student and by the nature of the country, the only Caucasian. As I am from Northern Indiana, being a minority is something I have rarely experienced, but am happy I got the chance to. That being said, I live in a dorm with other exchange students. On weekends we've traveled all around Southeast Asia. I've been to Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Hong Kong. Because we travel so much, keeping up with studies is imperative during the week. At the equator, it's sometime hard to motivate myself to pick up a textbook, but it's another thing I'm learn abroad. Asia is teaching me to be a better student. Thanks Asia.

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