In this lecture you have to write an exam and do an independent written work as well as a written group work. You have to do a lot, which is why you should start early to work through everything step by step. The material is clearly explained and the professor gives a lot of important information. He also explains very well and brings many practical examples. The lecture is well structured and you can always ask questions.
The Changing Business Environment
In this lecture you get a good overview of everything that is currently happening in the world, how certain events influence the business positively or negatively and so on. Here you hand in three papers. You have to do a lot of research, get plenty of information and take your time to write the work. At the end of the trimester you also have to take an exam. The professor was very nice and helpful but also strict.
People in Organizations
People in Organizations was interesting and very helpful for me because I haven’t done HR since my bachelor’s degree. I found the material easy to explain and understand. You learn from many practical examples. In the subject you have to write two papers and take an exam at the end of the trimester. If you study and do your homework throughout the trimester, it’s easy to get it all done in the end.
Economics for a Sustainable World
That was my favorite subject. The lecturer was absolutely outstanding. Macro and microeconomics are very demanding subject areas. Nevertheless, he managed to explain everything very clearly, so that everyone was always interested in the subject. You have to hand in a written paper at the end of the term, do a few quizzes every week and at the end you also have an exam.
Students
What I liked most about JCUS is the chance to work with people from very different countries. It is a challenge as well as a very good opportunity to develop personally and to make friendships for life. At the beginning it is sometimes difficult to understand what is important for the different nations and what their working methods look like, but after the second week you get a very good overview and meet people who have similar interests and demands. What many students from Europe do wrong is always traveling with Europeans. In my opinion, that is not the purpose of the semester abroad. One should make friends from India, China, Korea, Malaysia and so on so that you actually develop further.
Leisure
There are endless opportunities to try new and interesting activities in Singapore. The trimester wasn’t enough for me to do everything I wanted to do. This was also due to the fact that I only did two short trips during the trimester. In Singapore, you have to visit Little India, China Town, Arab Street and Gardens by the Bay to see the evening show. It is wonderful. The ArtScience Museum is also a must see. There is also the Bird Park, the Botanical Garden and the Night Safari. There is so much to do on Sentosa that you can spend any weekend there. SEA Aquarium, Tiger Tower, Lake of Dreams, the different beaches, the Marionett and Universals are only a fraction of the places you can visit there. If you want to shop cheaply, you definitely have to go to the Bugis. The bars and restaurants are numerous and you just have to research which clubs suit your interests and when the happy hours are. Alcohol is quite expensive in Singapore.
Due to its geographical location, Singapore also offers the opportunity for many weekend trips during the trimester and longer trips after the stay. During the trimester I was with friends in Kuala Lumpur for three days and in Bali for four days. There are a lot of cheap flights and the hotels there are really cheap. You can plan it well if you can see which holidays there are. After the semester, I went on a big trip with a friend. We have been to Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea and Japan.
Learn more information about Singapore and Asia on beautypically.
Conclusion
In technical terms, I have the feeling that the semester abroad was not very different from the home university. The difference was in how the content was delivered to the students. I did not find the course content very demanding. You just have to have very good time management in order to manage the numerous assignments and group work on time and at the same time to be out and about a lot with friends. During the semester abroad you should not only be at the university all day and on weekends, but also see a lot of Singapore and the area. So I have to say that it is difficult to coordinate everything. But it can be done if you plan everything carefully beforehand.
In my personal experience it looks very different. I learned a lot about myself because people were very positive and always gave me feedback. I also learned to deal with the slightly different way of working my Asian friends. It was difficult to talk to some of them at the beginning because of the language barriers. It should be noted that not all other students speak English as well as Europeans. You also have to deal with people who are much older or sometimes younger. The biggest challenge, however, was the different levels of knowledge.
After all, I can only say that my semester abroad was great and I can only advise everyone to spend a trimester there. You develop enormously personally and culturally. No less important is the fact that Asia is one of the largest markets in the world. Establishing a network there and knowing how the Asians work is very much appreciated by companies.
