Any grad school student at NUS here?

[Hugo_R]

Hi,

I recently applied at NUS and really hope to get accepted, however in the meantime I have started to look at living accommodations and am looking for opinions of people who might have been in the same situation and have experienced the same situation first-hand.

It seems that the only choice as a graduate student for NUS's residential services is the double twin bedroom hostel at the rate of $1,687.50 + $1,593.75 for first and second semester and a "On inquiry" for vacation time. Considering it's graduate school vacation time sounds like an oxymoron, and I assume it simply means summer semester. I guess I would estimate it at a total of 4500 SGD for a year of residency sharing a bedroom with someone, and 2 other people. However internet is included and could help with getting a social life.

The second option is to get either a very small apartment close'ish to school but haven't really found a price-range looking at the classifieds here, any advice on finding more information there?

The third option is to go with roommates, seems like I can expect 600-800 SGD per month or so for this option.

So these are my 3 options, I don't have a precise question here except does anyone have any experience with these options?

[xtasy010]

Cost wise option 3 is the best one. The NUS Offcampus accommodation system https://aces01.nus.edu.sg/prjvao/jsp/ocDefault.jsp is a good place to start but you need a student ID to login.

[Hugo_R]

Wouldn't option 3 be more expensive than option 1? Though I do think it's worth the difference in order to not share my bedroom with someone else.

[xtasy010]

Yea slightly, you also save on travelling time/cost and staying on campus is convenient in other ways as well. Food is subsidised and you have easy access to all sports and other facilities. Thats said there are places available walking distance from campus.

[irvine]

Option 1 sounds good. Being a graduate student, you'd be
1) in the library a lot
2) meeting with supervisor
3) meeting with classmates
4) going to class
5) working on campus (if there is)
6) wanting to save money
7) going to town for party not everyday

[wcs]

The trouble you may find with option one is that there are not enough rooms available for graduate students on campus so you might be forced to do option three.

In Singapore undergraduate freshmen have priority for on-campus accommodation. So if you are a graduate student, even though you are not from the country and know nothing about it, does not mean you will get a place on campus.

In many cases it is the first to apply who get the space in the hall. For undergrads a points system based on grades and community involvement is used. Perhaps apply for option one for the first semester and then consider if you want to continue on there. It is cheap and convenient, but you lose privacy of course!

[Hugo_R]

Well there are graduate students halls.

Perhaps as some of you are suggesting Option 1 at first then ponder option 3 once I am there would be a wise choice.

Thanks for the advice everyone... now onto waiting for the results of my application

[taxico]

i will be a grad student in NUS next year, enrolled into a Master of Clinical Investigation course.

if your grad course is for a few years, i would go with option 3.

additionally, like mentioned before, no guarantees you'll get option 1. halls/PGP residences suck in general. rules rules rules. small too.

if you're taking a short term course, then i hope and pray you get option 1.

[Hugo_R]

It's for a PhD so I'll be there long enough to care about which option I take

As suggested I will apply for option 1 see if I get accepted or not, and look for option 3 while at the dorms... if I don't get into the dorms then I'll need to find a roommate.

I will have most likely have a 2B motorcycle license, so I'd have a pretty decent range of option not needing to be as close to the MTR.

To be noted I've not yet been accepted, results aren't out yet.

[taxico]

good call on the 2B license - i wanted to recommend it but didn't know if it was appropriate.

i bought a 150cc manual shift vespa for $300 to use when school starts.

a full tank o' gas is about $6-$7 and when the weather gets better after monsoon, i expect i'll be running through 2 tanks a week.

road tax is about $50/6 months, and these vespas just don't die or breakdown much, even with minimal maintenance.

it's a blast to be on a scooter! and your rent rates will fall if it's farther away from the train station.

also, internet access (the 3G sort) is quite decently priced. i think 20 or 30 bucks a month.

don't live on campus!

[wcs]

i bought a 150cc manual shift vespa for $300 to use when school starts.

As an aside, where did you find a vespa for this price? I spend this amount on cab fares to NTU in my first month here!

[Hugo_R]

good call on the 2B license - i wanted to recommend it but didn't know if it was appropriate.

i bought a 150cc manual shift vespa for $300 to use when school starts.

a full tank o' gas is about $6-$7 and when the weather gets better after monsoon, i expect i'll be running through 2 tanks a week.

road tax is about $50/6 months, and these vespas just don't die or breakdown much, even with minimal maintenance.

it's a blast to be on a scooter! and your rent rates will fall if it's farther away from the train station.

also, internet access (the 3G sort) is quite decently priced. i think 20 or 30 bucks a month.

don't live on campus!

Why not a 150cc motorcycle? More good looks!

I am currently driving a 50cc scooter and a 650cc motorcycle in Canada... I wanted to get a 250cc kawasaki ninja but I don't think I will be able to get one seeing that foreigners start on a 2B.

[x9200]

i bought a 150cc manual shift vespa for $300 to use when school starts.

As an aside, where did you find a vespa for this price? I spend this amount on cab fares to NTU in my first month here!

I would try some workshops inside Bukit Merah Lanes cluster. There is one guy there specializing in Vespas and judging from what I saw in front of his shop there must be some scooters there around that price End of BktM lane 1 IIRC.

[taxico]

i bought a 150cc manual shift vespa for $300 to use when school starts.

As an aside, where did you find a vespa for this price? I spend this amount on cab fares to NTU in my first month here!

everytime i saw an old guy with a vespa that didn't look too shabby, i'd ask him if he wanted to sell it, and if so, for how much.

c:

i guess it's like picking up girls, you have to try many times before getting lucky.

[taxico]

Why not a 150cc motorcycle? More good looks!

I am currently driving a 50cc scooter and a 650cc motorcycle in Canada... I wanted to get a 250cc kawasaki ninja but I don't think I will be able to get one seeing that foreigners start on a 2B.

i've always been more partial to scooters as they are smaller and drivers here know that vespas are slow, and won't tailgate you excessively. (welcome to asia!)

personally, vespas are a classic! magical sounds and feel. taller than other scooters, and seem to never go out of style.

i assume the 50cc is your moped? the 2 stroke ones are fun, especially when opened up and modified! i had a pimped out yamaha jog that would do 85k! c:

you won't find many 250cc ninjas here due to the licensing structure, so you might find it difficult getting a baby ninja.

love the baby ninja, especially the looks of the new (???) face lifted one. got my license on the uglier sibling.

the 150cc motorcycles in singapore don't really look anything like the sportbikes i am used to riding overseas (zx6r -> r1 ->r6). skinny tyres, plus they may have been trashed to bits by the previous owners.

RS125s are ridiculously priced here. nice though, on a 2B.

traffic being what it is (start/stop), if you wanted a practical big'ish bike, you can consider a 180cc or 200cc (evolution) piaggio X9 - plenty of storage, 3 disc brakes (2 front, 1 rear), and large'ish presence.

similar maxi-scooters with less braking power include the aprilia atlantic and the piaggio x8. then there's the kymco grandink (korean) that is apparently so-so.

as long as you've had your canadian (full) license for 3 years (or more), you'll get a full class 2 in singapore. check out the singapore bike forums (google it) for a sticky.

and in that case, you can consider getting a "real" bike straightaway!

ride safe.