by Elliot Thomas
I completed my first exchange to Italy when I was in year 10 in 2015. It was the biggest learning experience of my life so I was ecstatic when I found out I could go on a second exchange, this time through the University of Newcastle.
In my last year of high school, when deciding what university to go to, I desperately wanted to go to Singapore to study a combined degree of engineering and medicine. However, I was so excited for Newcastle’s new course, medical engineering, that I chose to stay local. My dreams to go to Singapore were not over though and I made plans to go to Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in semester 2, 2019. This was one of the best decisions of my life. UON sweetened the deal again with a GE3, Global Engineering Education Exchange, scholarship and the New Colombo Mobility Grant.
I arrived in Singapore at the start of August. It was like an American college experience, moving out of home and living on campus in a completely new and different place. I had so much independence. On my first day, there was a welcome address to all the exchange students. I met up with a friend from Newcastle and met some new people too. There were 1300 exchange students! The next day was the start of a 4-day long weekend for Singapore’s National Day. There was a military parade and fireworks. The day after, I went on a beach hoping tour, meeting new friends from America, China, Germany and Australia. Although the beaches don’t compare to Australia, it was a beautiful day and I was more than a little sunburnt!
My first day of classes was daunting. I got lost on my way to the lecture theatre and it wouldn’t be my last time getting lost. The campus was huge! There were supermarkets, hairdressers, optometrists, 2 gyms, fast food and over 10 food courts scattered around the campus. When I eventually made it to my lecture, the professor was friendly, approachable and at the top of his field. I meet more exchange students, studying the same courses as me, this time from the UK. There was so much diversity.
The delivery of lectures and tutorials was different from Newcastle and I needed to readjust my studying style. Some lectures were given entirely online and I needed to complete tutorials as homework before classes. There was also a larger emphasis on exams and less continuous assessment. I think I’ve grown to appreciate UON’s style of grading.
NTU also had a clubs and societies open day where clubs had stalls to show you what events they held and what being a member would entail. I joined the wine appreciation society, tennis club, research society and Earthlink, an environmental club. These clubs were a great way to meet new people and stay busy. During the semester I went on a two environmental camp, learning about different ecosystems and seeing more of Singapore. Learning about the mangroves and their importance to all ecosystems was amazing. I also played tennis weekly with new friends, went to wine events where I would taste new wine and food and assisted with a research project on the availability and effectiveness of treatment for mental health on campus.
I was also lucky enough to undertake an internship when I was studying at NTU. I reached out to one of my professors, an ophthalmologist (eye specialist), about seeing his labs and current project. After seeing the exciting work that was happening at his lab, I offered to volunteer weekly, throughout the semester. For the internship, I was labelling the layers of the eye on a B scan. Although it wasn’t very exciting work, I knew it was a great opportunity to be in a medical research environment and to make new contacts.
While in Singapore, I also had the opportunity to travel. I went to Malaysia 3 times and Thailand. One of the most memorable experiences was in Sarawak, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo. I went to Sarawak during the mid semester recess with Harley, my friend from Newcastle and Gloria, our Chinese friend. It was such an amazing experience, hiking in rainforests, swimming under waterfalls and seeing orangutans in their native habitat.
I also had the opportunity to attend some exciting events. I went to the UON Alumni in Singapore Event and the International Conference on Biomedical Engineering (ICBME). The Alumni event was amazing! It was held at Raffles Hotel, the first hotel in Singapore, and I was able to see friends from Newcastle from the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment. The conference was also a good learning experience. It was the first conference I’ve attended and although parts of it were beyond me, at a post doctorate level, it made me excited for my future in medical engineering research.
My exchange to Singapore is something I will never forget. I made so many friends, experienced other cultures and was able to learn and grow as a person along the way. Thank you Newcastle University for making it possible.
Global Traveller 