Exchange Report

Fall 2015

ADITYA

BBA in Finance and Economics

Monthly Activity Log

July 2015 The first day I arrived in Singapore, I settled my accommodation. Afterwards, I also

catered my basic necessities such as phone SIM card, Ez-link card, bank account, toiletries, bedding, etc. During my first week, I also collected my student pass in the immigration. As I had 3 weeks before the semester starts, I spent my time to explore Singapore with other SMU exchange students. I went to recreational places, such as Marina Bay Sands, Eco Park, Clarke Quay, Orchard Rd, etc. I also went to DreamWorks Animation Exhibition, where we can see the filmmaking process of Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon.

August 2015 In the beginning of August, I travelled to Batam (Indonesia) for 3 days. I took time to try

the Batam culinary heritage. In the Mid-August, I joined the SMU Exchange Orientation. During the orientation, I was told about the basic information about the school system (grading system, course bidding registration, max credits allowance). During the first week of school, there is no assignments or quizzes. Therefore, I spent my time travelling around Singapore and tried renowned Lau Pa Sat Hawker Center. I also visited Garden by the Bay, where you can find various kinds of flowers and plants around the world.

September 2015 Quizzes and Group Projects started to come. I took 5 courses in SMU. All of the courses

require group projects. These assignments took quite a lot of time, but I still managed to travel around Singapore. Aside from visiting touristy destination, I also try Singaporean Delicacies.

October 2015 During this month, I spent most of my time in the library as the mid-term exam started to

roll. Even though I got 2 days off, I still had to go to campus to work with the group projects. I also visited several places in Singapore, such as Arab St, Hawpar Villa, etc.

November 2015 This is the busiest month for SMU students as there were a lot of presentations and

reports deadlines. The local students worked really hard for their assignments. At the end of November, I had a recess week. I spent most of my time preparing for final exam.

December 2015 At the beginning of December, I had finished all of my exams. Finally, my exchange has

come to the end. After my last final exam, I went back to my home country to enjoy my winter holiday.

GeneralInformation

1. VisaProcedures

After you have got the acceptance letter from SMU, you will have to apply the student pass through SOLAR system. When you arrived to Singapore, you will have to pick up your student pass on the pre-selected schedule. After you finished your study in SMU, you have to return the student pass to the immigration at Singapore Changi Airport.

2. Orientations SMU arranged orientation program for exchange student. The orientation is very

comprehensive. It told us about the law and regulations in Singapore, that we have to

comply.During theorientation, the local students alsogivea tour to the campus.As the

campusisrelativelysmall,youcaneasilygetfamiliarwiththeenvironments.

3. Accommodation

I lived off-campus in the Balestier Area. However, SMU also provides on-campus

accommodation. It is very easy to reach the campus as it is located in the center of

Singapore.Youcangettherebybus,MRT,ortaxi.Ifyoudecidedtorentacondonearthe

campus,itwillbequiteexpensiveduetothelocation.

4. CourseRegistration

SMU has unique course registration system. Around 2 months before the semester

starts, youwill begiven the list of courses that canbeenrolledbyexchange students. In

addition,youalsowillbegiven$100e-dollar.UnlikeHKUSTcourseregistrationsystem,you

will have to bid the courses that you want to take.The school will provide the demand

statistics for thecourses.Basedonthat,youwillhavetoallocateyoure-moneywisely to

enroll the courses. The e-dollars given to exchange students is more than enough. I

managedtoget intoallcoursesthat Iwant. Thereare3separatebiddinghorizons.So, if

you cannotget the course in thefirstwindow,you can try tobidon the secondwindow.

Note:SMUusuallyonlyallowsexchangestudents to take4courses.But ifyouhavevalid

reasonstotakeextracourse,youwillgetthepermission.

5. TeachingandAssessmentMethod

SMU courses will typically be assessed evenly by group projects, quizzes, midterm

exam,final exam,andparticipations.The schoolusenormaldistribution system tograde

thecourse.Itook5coursesduringmyexchange:

• ACCT201–CorporateReportingandFinancialStatementAnalysis

Thisisthemostchallengingcourse;ItookinSMU.Thefirsthalfofthecoursewillteach

youaboutdetailedfinancialaccountingprinciples.Thesecondhalfofthecoursewillteach

youtomakeseveralfinancialmodelsandmakeinvestmentrecommendations.Ifyouwant

tobeabletoreadfinancialstatementconfidently,Iwouldreallyrecommendthiscourse.

• ECON103A–InternationalEconomicsA

Thiscourseteachesseveraleconomiststheoriesaboutinternationaltradeandfinance.

Thecontentisveryapplicableandinteresting.However,thisisaheavy-contentcoursewith

alotofgraphandequations.

• FNCE102–FinancialInstitutions,Instruments,andMarkets

Thiscourseteachesabouttheroleoffinancialinstitutionsandinstruments.Thiscourse

isrecommendedforstudentswhowanttoknowthecorrelationamongdifferentvariables

inthefinancialsystem.

• FNCE305–AnalysisofDerivativeSecurities

Thiscoursewillgiveyouprofoundunderstandingaboutdifferentderivativeinstruments

and trading strategies tomake profitable arbitrage opportunities.The Professor gave an

assignment to trade different types of derivative securities using Stocktrak platform. It

givesaverycomprehensiveunderstandingaboutthecoursecontentinreal-worldcontext.

• FNCE307–PortfolioManagement

This course will teach you how to manage portfolio by using statistical approach.

Similar with FNCE 305, the professor will give assignment to trade using Stocktrak

platform.Thegroupthatgetshighestreturnduringtheinvestmenthorizonwillbeinvited

tolunchwithaCEOofawell-knowninvestmentcompany.

6. CostandExpenses*

Activities Expenses

Accommodation 5,200

Airfare 250

Food 2,400

Shopping 800

*inSingaporeDollar(4months)

7. Transportation

Singapore has adequate transportation systems.You can go anywhere by MRT

(similar to MTR), Bus, Taxis, Uber, etc. Unfortunately, exchange students are not

allowedtoapplyforstudentMRTcard.So,youwillhavetopayregularpriceforMRT

andbus.

8. ClimateSingaporeisatropicalcountry,soyouaresuggestedtobringumbrella,raincoats,t-

shirts,andshorts.

9. Health&Safety

SMUprovides clinics for studentswhodonot feelingwell.Youdonot need toworry

aboutsafety,Singaporeisoneofthemostsafetycountries.

10.SocialClubsandNetworking

SMUprovidessomestudentsocietiesthatyoucanjoin.Iampersonallynotjoiningany

ofthose.Inaddition,SMUalsoofteninvitesguestsfromrenownedcorporationtogive

insightofworkinginmultinationalcorporations.

Things to Bring

T-shirt

FormalWearforBusinessPresentation

Umbrella

Wallet

Money

Passport

Transportation 200

Total 8,850

Photos