Tiffany Tong

I had never travelled outside the U.S.—let alone the west coast. I saw study abroad as a special opportunity venture overseas with the help of financial aid. I also knew traveling as a working adult wouldn’t be the same as an undergraduate student. I wanted to study in Singapore because I found it to be so fascinating society. It was known to be one of the world’s “best planned” cities—it was clean, safe, and predominately English-speaking and well-educated… all despite being such a young city-state.

Singapore strives for “religious harmony”which I found different about America. There were plenty of opportunities to learn about different religions and even visit some sites. I enjoyed exploring these faiths with people who were genuinely curious to learn more as well.

I was probably the only exchangers who didn’t travel to other countries. I stayed in Singapore due to financial budget and simply because I loved being with the locals. At times, I felt FOMO for not visiting the neighboring countries… but in all honesty I have no regrets. I got to explore so much of Singapore and spend time with people I cherished.

Breakfast at the dining hall, class on-campus, lunch at the campus food courts with a friend, sports at my dorm, visit to an attraction

I didn’t need classes to fulfill any requirements, so I took whatever I felt would help me learn about Singaporean culture. I took Volunteer Workforce, Tourism Development, Economics, Everyday Life of a Chinese Singaporean. The workload was the same as Berkeley. I really enjoyed taking these classes, particularly because the projects allowed me to do local fieldwork.

The people. The late-night conversations. I developed close relationships with the local students, even having a 6-hour conversation with someone. Berkeley just feels so fast-paced, I can’t imagine feeling relaxed enough to have such conversations. But in Singapore, I felt both eager, at peace, and fully present with people.

It made me more open to trying new things back at home and challenging the culture I was so used to growing up.

- Plan early. Apply now before you miss your chance.
- See study abroad as an opportunity to ask deeper questions. These locals know you’re an exchanger. They’re more open to answer your questions.
- When you’re there, make plans. Decide you’re going to do x, y, and z. If you expect things to come to you, you might miss out on a lot of opportunities to meet people and experience new things. It’s easy to let your course load get to you.