University of Wisconsin–Madison

Singapore: Gwen Rian

Program: National University of Singapore Business Exchange, Spring

Gwen’s Major: Finance, International Business

How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?

A woman in a blue shirt points to a sign that says "The Southernmost Point of Continental Asia"
Sentosa Island, Singapore

I found that the course evaluations were much less structured. For example, the only details for papers would be a couple of sentences of description. There are no rubrics or clear cut expectations of what students should do. This was a struggle for me since I am used to having these rubrics to rely on, so this semester required more creativity than I’m used to. A major reason for this format is because classes are curved, so they will only give top grades to students who come up with a way to go above and beyond the description. For essays, remember what you learned about what makes a good argument even though it will not be explicitly stated (i.e. elaborating on nuisances)!

How did your identities impact your experience? What advice would you give to students with similar identities who are considering a similar experience?

As someone who does not look Asian (main communities in Singapore are Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Arab), people often mistook me for a tourist. People asking me if I was a tourist and staring at me when I was in smaller parts of the city made me self conscious and feel like I didn’t belong. At times, this discouraged me from exploring certain places I wanted to see because I felt I stood out too much. Although this is something a bit uncomfortable to overcome, just know that people are mostly just curious and interested in knowing about your background, and will be very excited to know you are studying there from the US!

A woman smiles while holding grilled squid and sitting next to a drink in a plastic cup
Lunar New Year – enjoying some thai tea, grilled squid, mango rice, and grilled fish at Gardens by the Bay

What is a custom, food or tradition from your host country that you are taking forward? 

Celebrating Lunar New Year, Holi, Songkran, and Ramadan in some way! Although predominantly non religious, Singaporeans enjoy celebrating holidays traditionally belonging within and outside of their community. The NUS housing team and campus staff made sure to include students in these traditions, so I am looking forward to repeating some of the activities I took part in while I was in Singapore!