The bureaucracy begins with the decision to study in Singapore: contact with the FHDW for course examinations (which are largely covered by the FHDW), the application for PROMOS funding, the application for larger ^DAAD grants1, the application for the Better ^Together Scholarship2, the application to the university and, once the courses have been clarified, a learning agreement. It should be clear by then at the latest that a trip to another country involves a lot of organization. Somewhat later, ^BAföG applications3 and the visa formalities for the so-called Student Pass, which caused a few headaches at times, were also processed.

Although we had a few appointments from GOstralia! and JCU to clarify things, there was still a lot to organize for the ^trip4. As soon as the funding and visa were sorted out, I booked ^flights5 and rented an ^apartment6. I also took out personal liability insurance and international health insurance with ADAC. Once the paperwork was complete, I was finally off to Singapore at the end of October!

1 In addition to PROMOS, the DAAD offers other funding programs that can have a significantly higher funding volume.

2 The Better Together Scholarship is an easy way to reduce your study costs by 1,000 Singapore dollars (SGD). In my case, I was put in touch with someone via GOstralia!-GOmerica! with whom I was able to submit the application to JCU. For many, the application could even be submitted during their studies. Friends are worth their weight in gold!

3 BAföG should always be applied for, even if no payment is expected, as BAföG abroad is not the same as BAföG in Germany and the high tuition fees mean that most people will receive something. Then check the decision carefully, mine had the biggest mistakes: there are additional travel costs, increased living costs, your own apartment and a maximum grant of 5,600 euros for tuition fees.

4 One major point of uncertainty that did not seem clear to the JCU until the end was the vaccination regulation in Singapore. Here it helps to look at the regulations yourself and not be unsettled by others.

5 Booking a return flight together is much cheaper with most airlines. In addition, many airlines offer student fares, which in my case included a price reduction of 10%, 10 kg more baggage and freedom to rebook.

6 Apartments in Singapore are expensive, which is why it is common to live in shared apartments/shared flats. To begin with, there is a housing market on the JCU campus where providers present their offers.

I flew with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul to Singapore, where the first little highlight awaited me on arrival: the waterfall at Changi Airport. If you arrive during working days, you can use the university’s pick-up service. As I arrived on a Sunday, I first went to the airport to buy a SIM ^card7 and then took a cab to my condo (apartment block)⁸.

7 Buying is a good point: In Singapore, you can often pay by card and public transport also works with cards. However, you cannot usually pay by card in hawker centers. There are also fees for many cards. Wise worked well for me here. It allows you to transfer money abroad free of charge, withdraw money free of charge, pay with Visa without fees and you can get Singaporean account details.

8 In my case, the costs for the journey to the hotel were reimbursed. So it’s best to ask for the booking link for the shuttle service before you arrive, where you will also be told that the costs will be reimbursed if you arrive on a Sunday.

Living and housing is easy, if often expensive. I lived in a 16-storey condo that came with a pool. This may seem decadent, but it’s common in Singapore given the shared apartment, still reasonable in price and is around SGD 1,800 per ^month9. I also have an MRT station (suburban train/subway) right in front of the apartment and can easily walk to the ^university10.

The domestic arrangements could wait on the first day, which is why I met up with another student for dinner at Marina Bay. With an impressive view, we also talked about financing, because food in Singapore can quickly add up. I spent around SGD 1,000 per month on food and activities. A mixture of self-cooking in the condo, getting food at hawker centers and catering for myself at university events has reduced food costs, while regular visits to restaurants with a wide variety of acquaintances have driven up costs again. Hawker centers are places with various small fast food outlets that offer Indian, Chinese and Western food, among other things, at reasonable prices.

9 When looking for an apartment, pay particular attention to additional fees. For a stay of 3 months, fixed fees for final cleaning and administration can have a significant impact.

10 Train and bus can be used with VISA, MasterCard and EZ-Link cards ([Where to Get – EZ-Link (ezlink.com.sg)](https://www.ezlink.com.sg/get-your-ez-link-card/where-the-cards-are-sold/)), which can be topped up at any 7-Eleven.

The first thing that awaits you in Singapore is the JCU orientation ^week11 . Here, activities and games were prepared by other students and a bus tour was offered, which was not quite as pleasant due to the sweltering heat.

Otherwise, as a city of the rich, Singapore is equipped with everything you can imagine in terms of activities: Beach, club, karting and much more on Sentosa, wetland hike, Art Science Museum and zoo in the Singapore jungle and of course shopping, eating and partying at Marina Bay Sands. Just bear in mind that partying in the club in particular can quickly become very expensive.

11 The orientation week is not compulsory and space is limited. However, as I made some of the best friends there, I recommend registering early!

Accordingly, weekend trips to Malaysia and Indonesia (e.g. Bali) are ideal. Those who like a special thrill can climb the volcano on Lombok or simply enjoy the sun on Bali. As the guidelines for scooters are relaxed in Indonesia, you can choose to get around in this way or hire a private driver as a group – as the costs are very low. Directly bordering Singapore are Batam (Indonesia), which can be reached directly by ferry, and Johor Bahru (Malaysia), which can be easily reached by bus. There were hardly any stops for us here: Hong Kong, Batam, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Lombok, Bali, Bangkok, to name but a few. As plane tickets are cheap due to the short distance, you can often take advantage of this. However, I have also traveled by bus to Kuala Lumpur and by ferry to Batam. You can cut costs considerably here.

James Cook University Singapore is a branch of James Cook University based in Townsville, Australia. What both universities have in common are at least high tuition fees, which are around SGD 10,000 for four courses.

When the orientation week is over, it starts – and when I say “start”, I mean it. The first graded quiz came after just three weeks and the first written assignment after five. Unlike in Germany, all subjects in Singapore have assignments that have to be completed during the semester. That sounds stressful, but it’s not, as the workload is distributed in this way and I only had two exams at the end, each of which accounted for less than 50% of the grade.

The campus is always full, which is due to the required campus attendance of ^90%12. This makes it difficult to find a seat, but ensures that you often see familiar faces on campus. Electricity, water and internet are freely available in the Study Hub and the library. For lunch, you could go to the university’s food court, where Western, Korean, Indian and Chinese food awaits. Oh yes – and of course cheap waffles!

12 International students have a relaxed “compulsory attendance on campus” policy, which means you don’t have to go to university every day if you don’t have lectures.

The best thing about university is the other students. ^Clubs13 are a great way to get to know them better. There is everything from sports clubs such as basketball, badminton and table tennis to psychology clubs.

I attended several, although the basketball club, for example, only met rarely. In the Banking and Finance Club, I was able to acquire one or two Bloomberg certificates and also learn a lot.

13 The clubs are presented at the beginning of the semester as part of a club fair so that you can get an overview and choose the club that suits you best.

In conclusion, I can say that you should really make the most of your time. You don’t always get to Asia, which is why I took time off afterwards and traveled through a few countries. So the trip ends with sending the transcript to the FHDW and the flight home.