Anyone been to singapore?

[ScottyB]

I am thinking about going there for study abroad and was wondering if it is a nice place. I know they speak english and gum is illegal.

 

My roommate last year was Singaporean. He said it's only illegal to buy gum, but you can chew it. Or maybe it was the other way around.

Anyway, it's pretty Americanized, like many large Asian cities. Most people speak English as their first language (he did) and they have mandatory military service for young citizens. There are very few colleges there and they're very elite, so many students come to America to study even though it's more expensive.

The government is currently trying to get most of its students to study BioTech. He said that when there's a trend in the employment sector, the government usually pushes its college-aged kids to go into that particular field.

It seems like a really nice place though. In terms of speech and expression, it's a bit more limited than the U.S. though. Be prepared for that.

 

[NickE]

It's a great place - probably my favourite for business trips, either as final destination or as a stopover. Environment is excellent, although be aware that there are a lot of rules etc. designed to keep it that way (some people find it restrictive). No gum is one (excellent), also ensuring that people flush public toilets, don't spit in public etc. It's amazingly crowded, but doesn't feel like it - traffic keeps moving most of the time, unlike say Bangkok. For anyone interested in computers, electronics etc. it's a dream. Sim Lim Square is probably the best place, although Funan is also good. Not just IT stuff, but loads of consumer electronics at excellent prices.

Food is excellent and varied, due to the mix of cultures (English, Indian, Malay and Chinese influences are probably the largest). Plenty of cultural activities, new opera house and so on. Overall, it's safe to walk around at night, eat almost anywhere and do anything LEGAL! For visiting family members etc. there are some superb hotels and Singapore Airlines in my opinion are the best in the world.

 

[SyahM]

It's really a nice place to study. Cost of living might be high but wont be as high as East Coast or West Coast - LA or NYC.
BTW, I'm from Malaysia, the neighbor and the water supplier You'll enjoy the scene in Singapore, the have one of the best public transportation system in the world, but sure, you can buy a car or bike. Usually, the owner of M3, EVO, STi, Skyline and such plan a trip to Malaysia every weekeknd cuz singapore is so small that they have no where to go

If you have more questions, let me know.

 

[Gage8]

i have bunches of friends from there. I think i will make the trek over there some day because they keep inviting me. I hear the food is really great (& cheap). They have every type of food imaginable (yum..yum..)

 

[ScottyB]

Originally posted by: SyahM
It's really a nice place to study. Cost of living might be high but wont be as high as East Coast or West Coast - LA or NYC.
BTW, I'm from Malaysia, the neighbor and the water supplier You'll enjoy the scene in Singapore, the have one of the best public transportation system in the world, but sure, you can buy a car or bike. Usually, the owner of M3, EVO, STi, Skyline and such plan a trip to Malaysia every weekeknd cuz singapore is so small that they have no where to go

If you have more questions, let me know.

Well, I will probably be in a dorm and my school sets things up so I pay within $1,000 of tuition/room & board not including plane fair.

 

[GroovyAsh]

I've been there before. The place is absolutely beautiful. I think they rely heavily on tourists so they strive hard to keep the place clean. People are fined for droping chewing gum on the ground. Also drugs are illegil punishable by death. And wouldn't you know it...drugs aren't a problem over there. Nice friendly people.

 

[TerryMathews]

A good buddy of mine, Mike Fay, went to Singapore in 94. He said he didn't like it there and wouldn't go back.