First Impressions of NUS: Registration, Orientation, Other Thoughts

I. Registration:

On Wednesday at 9 am (Singapore time of course), I officially registered at National University. This procedure (or “exercise” as it is endearingly referred to in NUS-speak) is not to be confused with pre-registration and enrolment. Pre-registration refers to online formalities which I did well before arriving in NJ; the point of this seemed to be downloading particular forms which would be relevant for actual registration. Enrolment is when I actually choose which courses (here referred to as “modules”) that I’m gong to take (or “read”)”. This is something which I have no yet done.

So what was registration, also called “matriculation”? Basically, it was a formal procedure in which I turned in some forms, in exchange for other forms, plus my student ID card. What was the point? I really don’t know. Happily, the whole thing (including the wait) took less than 30 minutes, so it wasn’t terrible.

Following registration, I was asked to report to my department. After about 30 minutes of looking, I finally found it and checked in. I was given a key to my personal letterbox, and told a few things regarding my teaching obligations based on my scholarship. I was told little about course enrolment, but I was told that I would get an email regarding that (which I since have), and I would talk to the department chair at a later date (which now seems to be this coming Monday afternoon).

II. Orientation

Thursday afternoon was the “international student orientation”. More specifically, it was a “briefing session” if you will, giving basic information about adjusting to the university, and to Singapore. The particular session I went to was geared towards international postgrads (as opposed to international undergrads and exchange students). Interestingly, in a room of probably about 300 people, there seemed to be only about 20 westerners. At the end of the briefing, they went through a bunch of different countries to see where people were from. First they went through the Asian countries: easily half of all the students there were from China; probably between 20-30% were from India; perhaps an additional 10% were represented by other Asian countries – Myanmar, Japan, Korea, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia (of which there were surprisingly few), Indonesia (of which there were also surprisingly few), and the Philippines. After exhausting the most important Asian countries, certain individuals in the crowd volunteered different countries that they represented. The first such “exotic” country was Brazil. The Brazilian fellow earned the awe and applause of everyone in the room. From then on, every country was considered exotic, and had between 1 and 5 students: Lithuania, Estonia, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Finland, UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, and probably a few others. When they announced each country, the people from the particular country would raise their hand, and everyone else would clap for them… it was actually a pretty cool scene.

Since there were so few Westerners (and Americans for that matter), it was rather easy for Westerners to meet up and strike a conversation. I met 4 people there with whom I was able to talk for quite a while…. Interestingly enough, all of them (and all of the other western postgrads I have met since) are studying law. The people I talked to even seemed to be more confused about things than I am… which made me feel a bit better.

III. Other thoughts

Of course the actual semester hasn’t started yet… and it won’t for another week. The first day of class is 11th August (next Tuesday), although based on what I think my schedule will look like, I will start on 12th August. The classes I want to take are on Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 6-9 pm respectively (ie, one class is Wed night 6-9 pm, etc). One of these classes is a required class (a graduate research seminar), which is marked on a pass/fail basis. My other obligations (ie, working with my supervisor, helping to teach) won’t start until the next semester. That, combined with the fact this class + the other one I want to take both don’t have final exams, means that this may be a reasonably easy semester (in contrast to Semester II), which, as far as I know, will end on the last day of lecture, or Thursday 12th November, giving me a two month winter holiday. Of course, I’m not going to book my holiday to Nepal quite yet… I still don’t know exactly how timetables and stuff are going to play out. I imagine I’ll know quite a bit more after meeting with Prof. Erb, the chair of graduate studies in Sociology/Anthropology.

How about the campus? Well, it could not BE any more different than McGill. For one thing, the campus is actually quite big, which is surprising for a dense place like Singapore. The campus itself is not downtown, and is actually not particularly near to it. In fact, it is unfortunately not particularly near or convenient to anything – at least not the main campus where I’ll be based. There is supposed to be a new MRT station opening on the edge of campus, which would greatly benefit me, however, it’s not going to open until 2010 or even 2011. The campus itself is sprawling to the degree that McGill students (even at McDonald’s campus) probably cannot imagine. Happily, it seems that the places I will probably most often frequent (the Sociology department, the Central library, and the Yusof Ishak House – NUS’s version of Shatner) are all somewhat near to each other and, somehow, linked by tunnels.

Yes, NUS does seem to have an extensive system of tunnels. However, “tunnels” is probably not the best word, since it’s not underground, or even completely indoors like in the McGill sense. One thing I really do like about NUS, and many parts of Singapore for that matter, is how they use the tropical climate to their advantage. Hallways and walkways in the buildings are largely outdoors, but covered. So one does not have the feeling of being cooped up inside, yet the shade provides shelter from the strong sun, or the (supposedly) frequent rains. However, these walkways, if you will, don’t just provide an alternative route to where you want to go; in many cases, they are they only paths you can use. While there are quite a few roads going through the campus, they aren’t all linked – or at least not in any convenient spot. This means that sometimes the ONLY way to get from point A to point B (without taking a 45 minute detour) is THROUGH buildings. And this does not seem to be quite as straightforward as at McGill: there are lots of twists, turns, climbing up stairs, and climbing down stairs involved, in a process that can only be described as labyrinthine. On the plus side, the campus benefits from the tropical flora which naturally occurs here.

The one really good thing about the NUS campus is the food. Cafeterias, or as they are called here, canteens, are abundant. The choice in food is as good as the quality. Already low prices are subsidised for NUS students. So at the very least, one serious McGill problem is solved.

Other aspects of NUS life, such as campus clubs/activities, and the actual classes themselves remain to be seen. I don’t really know what to expect, but I’ve mostly heard good things, especially from Westerners. Of course, most of the Westerners who come here are on exchange and they’re basically here to party and travel. A greater emphasis has to be on the latter, because the university has some quite prohibitive rules: the entire campus is smoke free; with exception of cafés (such as the Munchie Monkey café at the Yusof Ishak House), consumption of alcohol is not allowed, not even in residence; shorts cannot be worn during lecture; and, I think I mentioned this in my last entry, at least in my residence, when you have guests of the opposite gender in your room (who can’t stay over after 11 pm), you’re door must be ajar. Happily, none of these rules really affect me, except for the alcohol one. But there seem to be ways around it (like, going to the adjacent 24 hr hawker centre), and I’ll only be at that residence for 1 semester anyway.

If I haven’t learnt anything so far, I have realised that this is a totally different place than McGill, to the point where my constant default comparisons with McGill will always fall flat, except in so far as I can point out the stark differences.

I leave you for now wishing you all the best. Stay tuned for another update sometime next week, after I’ve moved into the Boon Lay hostel and have met with Prof. Erb. Until then: be well.