SEP Report
1. Student Information
Name (as in myisis)
Faculty/Major
Host University
NUS Semester and Year of Exchange
(eg. AY14/15 Semester 1)
Tan Hui Wen
Arts and Social Sciences/Sociology
Monash University
AY14/15 Semester 1
2. Study at Host University
Please provide information on the academics at your host university:
- Studying or learning culture at your host university. How were classes conducted?
- What did you like most or dislike most about the academics at your host University?
- Advice on module registration and module mapping
The students have a lot of freedom in terms of managing their studies. Tutors always try to engage
the class during lectures/seminiars and tutorials. They were also very approachable. It is very
common for students to ask questions during classes and lectures. The questions raised can be very
simple and not just the intellectual kind of questions. Hence, it has a very comfortable environment as
students can feel free to ask any questions. The classmates and tutors are generally very openminded and patient.
Year 3 classes are mostly conducted in seminar-style, each session lasts for 2 hours. The lecturer will
go through the content in the first hour and thereafter there will be discussions within pairs/groups.
What I liked the most is that students have easy access to course information and this facilitates selflearning. The tutors are also very encouraging and readily available for help if needed. However, the
course content can be more focused. Some of the lectures slides were either overload with content or
were too brief.
Generally module registration and module mapping is a smooth and easy process. However, students
should be adviced to start early. Simply follow the instructions that will be sent to you.
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Please list the courses that you took during SEP. (Please take note that the list of modules available to
exchange students at the host university are subject to change. This table merely serves as reference.)
Host University
Module Course title
code
ATS
The Global Challenge
1309
Power and poverty:
ATS
International development
2628
ATS
3726
ATS
3638
in a globalised world
Critical social psychology
Global childhoods:
children's rights, welfare
and mobility in a global
context
ECTS
Credit
6
6
6
6
2. Accommodation
What kind of accommodation did you stay in during your exchange (eg. on campus / off campus)?
Would you recommend this accommodation to future outgoing students?
Do you have any other suggestions?
On-campus accommodation - Halls of residence
Yes, I would recommend this accommodation to future outgoing students. It is a good way to make
new friends and know more people in the shortest period of time. It is also safer and more
convenient. However rental on campus would be more expensive compared to off-campus
accommodation, which can be found easily online. The school also offers support and useful advice
for students who are seeking off-campus accommodation.
3. Activities during SEP
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Were there any activities organized by school/student group/external organizations at your host
university which you would like to recommend to other students?
There were many activities organized by the school for international exchange students, this would be
a good way to mingle around and get to visit the places of interests. The details and information are
easily accessible from the orientation programme booklet. The school also sends out emails for
interested students to sign up. Be sure to sign up for their Facebook group to get updates on the
events that they organized for exchange students too. They also have a peer buddy programme that
pairs up exchange student with local students.
4. Cost of Living
Please provide an estimation of how much money you spent during your SEP?
Please list travel expenses separately.
The accommodation fees took up a large part of my total expenses. An estimated amount of money I
have spent is around SGD$8000.
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5. Challenges
Did you face any challenging issues during your SEP stint? How did you overcome it/them?
The beginning of the SEP was still a period of uncertainty as I was still settling down and getting used
to the environment. As I was the only one who went to Monash University, it was abit of challenge as
I have to depend on myself on a lot of stuffs. However, thankfully I met many other exchange
students and international students in the halls and through the orientation programmes. As most of
us are away from home and do not know many other people there, it was easy to mix around and
make new friends. Hence, I would really encourage future exchange students to stay in halls and look
out for the orientation activities organized by the school.
6. Overall SEP Experience
Please write one paragraph about your exchange experience and attach some photos that represent
your exchange experience.
The entire exchange experience is really very fulfilling and enjoyable. Initially, there might be feelings
of fear and uncertainty. However, this lasted for just short while after you get used to the
environment. Even though things may not be all smooth sailing, it is precisely through the challenges
that we learn to grow and understand ourselves better. Throughout the past 5 months, I have not
only seen more of Australia but also learn more about myself. It trained me to become more
independenet, open-minded, daring and be more appreciative of the little things in life. I have learnt
to slow down my pace of life in Melbourne and I certainly do hope that what I have learnt from this
exchange will continue to stay with me. I have also made many new friends in Monash University and
it was really fun to travel around with like-minded individuals. There are a lot of new experiences
throughout this exchange and being able to try them out with the new friends I’ve made makes it
even more meaningful. To sum it up, I really enjoyed my exchange experience!
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7. Suggestions for future outgoing students
Please share any other suggestions for future outgoing students.
I would advice future outgoing students to have some thoughts on what you want to achieve out of
this exchange prior to depature. They should also really treasure every moment of their SEP stint,
even the little things that you do every day. Time really flies so make good use of everyday and do
something fun. It might not be something that is adventurous but simply spending quality time with
your friends, making everyday count. In addition, do try to mix around more with the local students as
well. This would be a good way to understand the culture and people better.
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