By Kitty
23 August 2022


My name is Kitty Sun, from University of New South Wales, Australia. So far being on exchange for only 3 weeks, I feel that SMU is the right place for me. The food is awesome, the location is fantastic, the library is magnificent and the people are nice and welcoming.

The thing that overwhelmed me most was the size of the classes and the way the professors teach. Instead of hundreds of people eating silently, listening to a boring speech from the professor, SMU utilizes a more interactive method to engage a smaller group of students. 

The average class size is about 40 students, so it is very easy for students to interact with professors and exchange thoughts. This increases the effectiveness of classes. There are also a lot of readings to do compared to UNSW. 

I thought it was extremely difficult because in the first week, I had about 20 readings. However, it is now the third week and through this time, I feel that I am learning much faster and absorbing more in class.

The second thing that differs from UNSW is the way CCAs operates. In Australia, there are also different societies and clubs for students to join, but students there do not participate regularly. Because every club and society is so big, they usually hold larger scale events and it is difficult to form personal connections with people and there isn’t a sense of belonging.

In SMU, although the CCAs are not that large, they focus on everyone’s achievement and team bonding. For example, I have been attending toastmasters at SMU and I feel really involved in the group and connected with the other students.

I feel really joyful about being here at SMU. Not only do the food and the location attract me, the people play a big part as well.

Kitty, from University of New South Wales (Australia)
 currently on exchange at Singapore Management University (Singapore).

 

 

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