National University of Singapore (NUS)

Transcription

1 Education Abroad Pre-Departure Information for National University of Singapore (NUS) Table of Contents APPLICATION MATERIALS CHECKLIST VISAS AND TRAVEL DOCUMENTS PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION PENN STATE CONTACT INFORMATION After-Hours Emergency Number ARRIVAL AND ONSITE ORIENTATION On-site Orientation HOUSING ARRANGEMENTS PAYMENT INFORMATION HEALTH INSURANCE ACADEMICS Course and credit information Grading COMMUNICATION LIVING IN SINGAPORE

2 APPLICATION MATERIALS CHECKLIST Since this program is a direct enrollment program (i.e., you are enrolling in this institution like any local student and choosing your classes from the regular selection of classes available to local students), you must complete additional application materials and paperwork in order to complete your acceptance on site. These additional materials are downloadable on the application website. Once you download them, be sure to read the instructions carefully, complete them, and return them by the date indicated. Failure to return them in a timely fashion will affect your acceptance status. Students are held responsible to download all post decision application materials and complete them as indicated. Login to your Education Abroad Application Click on the documents titled: o EA: National University of Singapore Application o EA: Singapore, National University of Singapore Housing Application o Notarized Passport Photocopy Carefully read and follow all directions on the resulting page. Submit all required documents by the specified deadline What happens next? If applicable, your Education Abroad Adviser will send all completed forms and supporting materials (from the checklist) to your host institution for processing. Once your host institution has reviewed the materials, the international office there will be in contact with you (either by mail or by e mail) and will send you further materials (which may include arrival information, housing documents, acceptance of offer forms that you must sign and return to the host institution independently, or other items). Be alert to any mailings (postal or electronic) that are sent to you from your host institution, read everything carefully, and (if you are required to submit any further documentation to your host institution) be sure to respond to this request in a timely way. VISAS AND TRAVEL DOCUMENTS NUS will apply for the entry visa and In Principle student pass approval for all international students on their behalf through the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority s (ICA) Student s Pass Online Application and Registration (SOLAR) system. For international students who require an entry visa to Singapore, the University will send you the In Principle Approval (IPA) letter after your application has been approved by ICA. Your IPA letter will serve as a single trip entry visa upon arrival in Singapore. The IPA letter needs to be stamped during registration before you are able to submit it for Student s Pass application subsequently. For International students who do not require entry visa to Singapore, you will receive your stamped IPA letter during registration. -2 -

3 You may check Singapore s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) website on your visa requirements. PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION ON SITE COORDINATOR: (first point of contact for any problems at host institution) Susan TAN International Relations Office 3rd Storey, Unit Shaw Foundation Alumni House 11 Kent Ridge Drive Singapore Tel: (65) Fax: (65) irottts@nus.edu.sg Website: PENN STATE CONTACT INFORMATION (814) , David Derstine, Education Abroad Advisor (office) (814) , Education Abroad (office) After-Hours Emergency Number (e.g., in case of life threatening accident or illness abroad): (814) , Penn State Police Services Police Services will notify the appropriate EA staff member(s) regarding true emergency calls received after hours The 911 equivalent emergency numbers in Singapore are: Ambulance: 995 Fire: 995 Police: 999 ARRIVAL AND ONSITE ORIENTATION Know What Is Expected You will receive pre arrival materials (in either paper or electronic format, or a combination of both) from your host institution this semester. In order to be well prepared for your program, be sure to read all your pre arrival materials carefully! If at all possible, try to arrive on site on the suggested arrival date. If you arrive prior to that date, you must be prepared to be responsible for your own lodging and meals for any days/nights prior to the suggested arrival date (if your accommodations are not available early). -3 -

4 In any case, do not arrive late for the start of your program! If you arrive late, you may miss on site orientation and registration, and you will start off your experience abroad feeling like you are at a disadvantage. If you must arrive after the suggested arrival date, at least make sure you are there prior to the start of your on site orientation program. On-site Orientation You will have the opportunity to participate in an on site orientation program after your arrival, which typically includes course registration, presentations on your host city and cultural adaptation, and local health and safety information. All of this information is important so be sure to attend your on site orientation program! HOUSING ARRANGEMENTS The housing application is now part of the exchange application (you just have to tick a check box as to whether you require university housing or not on the application form), so undergraduate incoming exchange students will not need to apply for housing separately. NOTE: Make certain you tick the check box on the exchange application to indicate you require university housing while in Singapore. NOTE: You may not hear from housing at NUS for several weeks after you turn in your application. Please have patience as NUS has many applicants from many different countries. You have several types of housing options at the National University of Singapore. The University has six halls of residence (Eusoff, Kent Ridge, King Edward VII, Raffles, Sheares, and Temasek) and 3 student residences (Kuok Foundation House, Prince George s Park, and Ridge View Residences). The most popular option among Penn State study abroad students is to live in Prince George s Park. NUS Residential Services also maintains a database on off campus private rentals in the vicinity of the University. These comprise rooms/apartments in the public housing estates as well as private residential areas. Some of the locations include Clementi, West Coast, Dover, Ghim Moh and Pasir Panjang, all of which are within easy access of the University. The average rental for a single room is about S$300 S$400 per month, depending on the room condition, location and whether it is furnished or otherwise. A rental deposit of 1 to 3 months is normally payable depending on the householder. If you are interested in taking up these offers, you will have to contact the house holders directly to arrange for viewing of the rooms and to negotiate rental terms. Lease arrangements made between you and the householders are strictly private and the University will not be liable for any dispute or disagreement arising there from. Registered students may view the private rental offers at our website: or visit us at OSA for assistance. PAYMENT INFORMATION PLEASE share these basic payment details with your parents if they are paying (in whole or in part) for your education abroad program. -4 -

5 While the Education Abroad office makes every effort to provide you with accurate program costs, institutions around the world determine program costs at different times, it is difficult for Education Abroad to provide actual cost information until shortly before the beginning of a program. You are encouraged to consult your program s budget sheet on a regular basis as it is frequently updated with the most current cost and billing information available. The Education Abroad office is not responsible (or in any way liable), at any time, for late or last minute changes to our partner institutions costs. For the most up to date information please reference your program budget sheet on the Education Abroad: Fall Budget Sheet for EA: National University of Singapore Spring Budget Sheet for EA: National University of Singapore The billable subtotal which includes tuition, technology fee, and our administrative fee will be billed to your bursar account. All eligible financial aid and scholarships will apply to the billable subtotal. The non billable subtotal consists of costs you are expected to incur on the program, but you will not get a bill from Penn State for these items. They are considered an out of pocket expense to the student. HEALTH INSURANCE All students have been issued a comprehensive policy with HTH Worldwide Insurance: Policy No. HM 3015 A 08. Also see information on PSU Education Website under Health & Safety Insurance. Policy information will be ed to each student after he/she is enrolled by the Education Abroad office. In an emergency, call Receipts for medical costs should be submitted to: HTH Worldwide Attn: International Claims One Radnor Corporate Center, Suite 100 Radnor PA USA NOTE: Make sure you print your Health Insurance card and carry it with you at all times. ACADEMICS Course and credit information You will enroll for a full time course load at the National University of Singapore, just like any local student would do. You may choose your courses from the large selection offered in the NUS course catalog; however, you must make your choices during the application process. It is highly recommended that you consult with your Penn State academic adviser in order to ensure -5 -

6 that you are choosing the right kinds of courses to keep you on track for graduation. Per a Penn State Faculty Senate decision, you must remain a full time student while on your study abroad experience. As for credit, you are guaranteed of receiving credit for any courses you take on this program, though you should meet with your academic advisor before you depart to see if they approve of your course selection abroad. While you re guaranteed of receiving credit for these courses, it s up to your academic department to determine how such course will fit into your degree audit. If you select courses on this program that have already been assigned equivalent Penn State course title and credit amounts, then you do not need to do anything. However, if you enroll in any courses that have not previously been assigned such credit or Penn State titles, then you need to send a copy for each such course to our office, along with a course accreditation form, within the first few weeks of your study abroad experience. Please send such materials to: (Course accreditation forms and course syllabi can also be scanned and ed as an attachment) Lorraine Reitz, Records Manager International Programs Penn State University 410 Boucke Building University Park, PA lar8@psu.edu You can obtain the course accreditation form at: National University of Singapore Course Accreditation Form You can find out if your courses have previously been accredited at: Previously accredited courses You will need to scroll to the table titled Singapore, National University of Singapore Grading As with any Penn State course, grades are determined by the student s course instructors. Penn State s Office of Education Abroad records these grades on the student s Penn State transcript. Classes overseas may not be audited or taken on the pass/fail basis. Students should plan to take between four and five courses at NUS. The credit conversion is 4 NUS credits = 3 PSU credits. Science courses that have labs can be converted to 4 PSU credits, depending on the description of the course in the syllabus. -6 -

7 NUS Grade NUS Grade Point PSU Grade A+ A 5.0 A A A 4.5 A B+ 4.0 A B 3.5 A B 3.0 B+ C+ 2.5 B C 2.0 B D+ 1.5 C D 1.0 D F 0 F COMMUNICATION Calling Home To call home directly you must dial 0011, the country code (1 for the US and Canada), and the area code and number. For example, to call the Education Abroad office, you would dial: If you are using a phone card to call home (purchased either here or abroad), consult the instructions accompanying the card often printed on the back of the card for any specific dialing codes or sequences that may be required. Cell Phones Many Singaporean students carry cell phones. Your on site coordinator, study abroad office onsite, or fellow students at your host institution could provide you with more information about the best places to purchase or rent a cell phone in Singapore, if you choose to do so. E mail E mail is a convenient way to keep in touch with family and friends while you are away. You will have access to computer labs on campus at NUS. However, you may find that there are not as many computers available for your use as you would find at Penn State, and you may find that the campus computer labs are not open as many hours as the labs at Penn State are. Wireless access is also available. Cybercafés You will be able to find cybercafés in Singapore. You may find these convenient if you need to use a computer when the campus computer labs are closed. However, you will probably find that cybercafés are relatively expensive. LIVING IN SINGAPORE The following text is taken from At first glance, Singapore appears shockingly modern and anonymous, but this is an undeniably Asian city with Chinese, Malay and Indian traditions from feng shui to ancestor worship creating part of the everyday landscape. It's these contrasts that bring the city to life. -7 -

8 Sir Stamford Raffles founded Singapore on the Singapore River, which is still the heart of the city, encompassing the central business district and the popular entertainment and dining precinct along the quays. Most of Singapore's tourist action is centered around Orchard Rd, Chinatown and Little India. In the crowded streets of Chinatown, fortune tellers, calligraphers and temple worshippers are still a part of everyday life. In Little India, you can buy the best sari material, freshly ground spices or a picture of your favorite Hindu god. In the small shops of Arab St, the cry of the imam can be heard from the nearby Sultan Mosque. -8 -