Eastern Europe, an Increasingly Popular Student Exchange Destination
Text: Colin Ng
Ask Singaporeans where Lithuania and Estonia are located on a world map, and you are likely to be greeted with a blank stare.
Despite the general cluelessness, there has been an increasing trend of Student Exchange Programme applicants to the Eastern European region.
Amelia Chang, SEP country manager for the United Kingdom, Central and Eastern Europe from the International Relations Office at the National University of Singapore, said demand has far exceeded supply especially in the last two years.
“We usually filled 60 to 70 percent of the slots in the past, but we filled 100 percent of our Eastern European slots for the last academic year,” she said.
Chang however, declined to reveal the exact number of applicants to Eastern Europe and said they could only be revealed to the Ministry of Education.
She said possible reasons for this trend could be students becoming more knowledgeable due to the Internet, as well as positive testimonials from seniors.
While the bulk of applicants still go to traditional countries like the United Kingdom, Letitia Thng, senior executive for international relations in the Dean’s Office, agreed with Chang that competition for spaces in Eastern Europe is increasing.
In fact, Thng said she estimates that only two out of 10 applicants were successful in getting a place at their university of choice.
Although many might find this trend of students applying to Eastern European universities surprising, Chang said this was not unexpected since the IRO has been pushing students to consider Eastern Europe as a potential SEP destination.
Final-year communications and new media undergraduate Elizabeth Yap, an SEP peer advising leader who conducts advisory clinics for applicants, agreed with Chang.
“It is not surprising since Eastern Europe has been promoted as an attractive platform due to its exoticism and lower cost of living,” Yap said.
Many students who applied for a place in Eastern European universities also said the cost of living was a major factor in their decision making process.
Another final-year CNM undergraduate Vincent Wang, who spent an exchange semester in Poland in 2013, said he decided against applying for a place in London, so as to not place an additional financial burden on his parents.
“As much as I wanted to go on exchange, I felt going to Eastern Europe would be a more financially prudent choice,” Wang said.
Wang also said his desire to experience something different further convinced him to apply for a spot in Poland, a sentiment shared by his peers.
“I could always go to Canada or America for a holiday, but how many can say they have been to Lithuania?” asked final-year English undergraduate Amanda Ng, who spent last semester on exchange in Lithuania.
However, the flow of students from NUS to Eastern Europe is not just one way, with Eastern Europeans such as Lithuania’s Goda Pilibaitytė looking to come to Singapore too.
“Singapore is known for their strong academic culture, and the whole South East Asian region is very exotic as well,” she said.
Pilibaitytė also said many believe a stint here would result in more job opportunities back home.
Head of bilateral university cooperation Asta Dumsiene from Lithuania’s Vilnius University, also said an exchange to Singapore was highly sought after by her students, with only one available slot each semester.
“Lithuanians consider Singapore to be one of the most excellent institutions in the world, especially with the excellent quality of studies,” Dumsiene said.
SEP coordinator for CNM Ganga Sasidharan said she agreed with this assessment, citing Singapore’s strategic location and English-speaking population as possible reasons.
Ask Singaporeans where Lithuania and Estonia are located on a world map, and you are likely to be greeted with a blank stare.
Despite the general cluelessness, there has been an increasing trend of Student Exchange Programme applicants to the Eastern European region.
Amelia Chang, SEP country manager for the United Kingdom, Central and Eastern Europe from the International Relations Office at the National University of Singapore, said demand has far exceeded supply especially in the last two years.
“We usually filled 60 to 70 percent of the slots in the past, but we filled 100 percent of our Eastern European slots for the last academic year,” she said.
Chang however, declined to reveal the exact number of applicants to Eastern Europe and said they could only be revealed to the Ministry of Education.
She said possible reasons for this trend could be students becoming more knowledgeable due to the Internet, as well as positive testimonials from seniors.
While the bulk of applicants still go to traditional countries like the United Kingdom, Letitia Thng, senior executive for international relations in the Dean’s Office, agreed with Chang that competition for spaces in Eastern Europe is increasing.
In fact, Thng said she estimates that only two out of 10 applicants were successful in getting a place at their university of choice.
Although many might find this trend of students applying to Eastern European universities surprising, Chang said this was not unexpected since the IRO has been pushing students to consider Eastern Europe as a potential SEP destination.
Final-year communications and new media undergraduate Elizabeth Yap, an SEP peer advising leader who conducts advisory clinics for applicants, agreed with Chang.
“It is not surprising since Eastern Europe has been promoted as an attractive platform due to its exoticism and lower cost of living,” Yap said.
Many students who applied for a place in Eastern European universities also said the cost of living was a major factor in their decision making process.
Another final-year CNM undergraduate Vincent Wang, who spent an exchange semester in Poland in 2013, said he decided against applying for a place in London, so as to not place an additional financial burden on his parents.
“As much as I wanted to go on exchange, I felt going to Eastern Europe would be a more financially prudent choice,” Wang said.
Wang also said his desire to experience something different further convinced him to apply for a spot in Poland, a sentiment shared by his peers.
“I could always go to Canada or America for a holiday, but how many can say they have been to Lithuania?” asked final-year English undergraduate Amanda Ng, who spent last semester on exchange in Lithuania.
However, the flow of students from NUS to Eastern Europe is not just one way, with Eastern Europeans such as Lithuania’s Goda Pilibaitytė looking to come to Singapore too.
“Singapore is known for their strong academic culture, and the whole South East Asian region is very exotic as well,” she said.
Pilibaitytė also said many believe a stint here would result in more job opportunities back home.
Head of bilateral university cooperation Asta Dumsiene from Lithuania’s Vilnius University, also said an exchange to Singapore was highly sought after by her students, with only one available slot each semester.
“Lithuanians consider Singapore to be one of the most excellent institutions in the world, especially with the excellent quality of studies,” Dumsiene said.
SEP coordinator for CNM Ganga Sasidharan said she agreed with this assessment, citing Singapore’s strategic location and English-speaking population as possible reasons.
In response to the increasing demand, SEP manager Chang said the IRO was in the process of sourcing for more potential partners in Eastern Europe.
“There are many factors such as the number of English modules offered and compatibility of academic calendars which we need to consider,” Chang said. “We hope to ensure a diversity of choice for students and partner with universities who can contribute to sustainable exchange development."
However, many students said they would still prefer to go on exchange to more traditional destinations, with safety and language being their biggest concerns.
“When applicants come for SEP clinics, they have this belief that because the Eastern European countries are non-English speaking, they are therefore less developed and more dangerous,” peer advisor Yap said.
However, those who have visited these countries rubbish these claims.
“Lithuania is really beautiful, and I had no problems communicating with the locals too,” said Ng, who spent the last semester in Vilnius University, Lithuania.
Instead, a more prominent issue for those declining an SEP place in Eastern Europe is the lack of English modules available. For example, Vilnius University in Lithuania has no engineering faculty, thus eliminating the possibility of engineering students doing an exchange there.
“As much as we would want to expand, we cannot form sustainable partnerships if our students have no classes to attend,” Chang said.
Nevertheless, CNM coordinator Ganga said despite the increasing number of applicants, there is still a lot of untapped potential especially if IRO finds more partners offering English language modules.
“Demand can only increase,” Ganga said. “For now, it’s more a case of students being unable to go rather than not wanting to go.”
Tags: feature
“There are many factors such as the number of English modules offered and compatibility of academic calendars which we need to consider,” Chang said. “We hope to ensure a diversity of choice for students and partner with universities who can contribute to sustainable exchange development."
However, many students said they would still prefer to go on exchange to more traditional destinations, with safety and language being their biggest concerns.
“When applicants come for SEP clinics, they have this belief that because the Eastern European countries are non-English speaking, they are therefore less developed and more dangerous,” peer advisor Yap said.
However, those who have visited these countries rubbish these claims.
“Lithuania is really beautiful, and I had no problems communicating with the locals too,” said Ng, who spent the last semester in Vilnius University, Lithuania.
Instead, a more prominent issue for those declining an SEP place in Eastern Europe is the lack of English modules available. For example, Vilnius University in Lithuania has no engineering faculty, thus eliminating the possibility of engineering students doing an exchange there.
“As much as we would want to expand, we cannot form sustainable partnerships if our students have no classes to attend,” Chang said.
Nevertheless, CNM coordinator Ganga said despite the increasing number of applicants, there is still a lot of untapped potential especially if IRO finds more partners offering English language modules.
“Demand can only increase,” Ganga said. “For now, it’s more a case of students being unable to go rather than not wanting to go.”
Tags: feature