As the oldest tertiary institution in Singapore, NUS has always been known as one of the most prestigious universities both regionally and globally. One of the most notable things about my exchange semester is the academic rigour of their engineering and computer science courses. Compared to SUTD, NUS places a strong emphasis on one’s theoretical foundation, which could be extremely demanding sometimes. For instance, the Robot Mechanics and Control class I took was mathematically intensive with tedious calculations which one would not be able to excel without a solid understanding and proficiency of the mathematical fundamentals. I also chose the course Data Structures and Algorithms, but it was taught in C++, a coding language that I had absolutely no background in. It took several weeks of intensive coding practice and additional effort before I was able to follow up with what was taught in class!
One course I really liked in NUS was on Abnormal Psychology. I first gained my interest in the subject from attending the Introduction to Psychology course by Prof Quin in SUTD, which made me choose to explore more in Abnormal Psychology. Interestingly, the course not only provided theoretical understanding of the various psychological disorders, we were also taught on the importance of empathy and how to communicate and treat patients! Most of my course mates in this class aspire to become clinical psychologists, so attending lessons which them was really a special experience!
Unfortunately (or fortunately), the courses I took in NUS did not offer many project-based components unlike what we have here in SUTD. Nonetheless, I think it was a very refreshing learning journey attending lessons in an environment outside of SUTD.
