Double interview: Christina Seow, from NTU to USI and Natalia Rudic, from USI to NTU.

Christine in Switzerland
Christine in Switzerland
Natalia at NTU
Natalia at NTU

Servizio relazioni internazionali e mobilità

15 Aprile 2015

Enjoy the double interview to Christine Seow, an exchange student from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) spending the Spring term 2015 at USI and Natalia Rudic, an USI student enrolled in the Master in Marketing- who spent the Autumn term 2014 at NTU.

Why did you decide to go on an international exchange?

Christine: “The opportunity to go on an international exchange was very precious to me as I had always dream of studying abroad. I wanted to gain a better understanding of a different culture and learn to step out of my comfort zone. Being away from my friends and family for an extensive time will teach me to be an independent young lady, giving me many opportunities for self-discovery and exploration. At the same time, I am planning to take this chance to explore and travel around different countries and cities, gaining more knowledge and first-hand experiences about all these beautiful European cities.”

Natalia: “I decided to go on an international exchange in order to experience a new life and new cultures, to meet new people and to adapt myself to a different university context. Spending a semester abroad before finishing my Master studies, was something that I wanted with all my heart. I have never lived abroad for so long before this experience, so it was for me a great opportunity to open my mind, see new things and grow personally.”

Why did you choose USI/NTU?

Christine: “I choose USI as it was a renowned partner of my faculty, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. USI is highly regarded and it is a popular choice among the applicants. I heard many good testimonials from my seniors regarding USI’s environment and academic structure. There is also a wide range of courses available that sounds very interesting and I am eager to learn as much as I can in USI! Furthermore, with a high standard of living, beautiful scenery and good accessibility to other cities, it was an easy choice to choose Switzerland as my exchange destination. I genuinely feel that an exchange programme in USI will enrich my university experience.”

Natalia: “I primarily chose NTU, because it was located in Singapore, in the beautiful Asian world. In addition to this, I heard that NTU was a prestigious University, appreciated and known all over the world. Before applying I also read some NTU brochures and their university website, which gave me some useful information about the campus, and therefore I decided to apply for NTU. I thought that NTU would help me to enrich my academic studies and to develop a new perspective toward my education.”

What are the main differences between your home University and NTU/USI?

Christine: “USI has lessons in blocks, where lessons can span for a week long, up to 8 hours a day, after which the course will be completed. For a course in NTU, we will have a lecture and a tutorial every week for about 4 months, which is about a semester long. NTU also has a bigger campus and student population as compared to USI, so USI is definitely more homely and spacious.”

Natalia: “USI is a small university, composed of two main buildings, a big canteen, and with a lot of green areas. If you walk around the university in Lugano, you can easily see the same person three or four times per day, which will not happen at NTU, where you always see new faces. Compared to USI, NTU campus can be defined as a small “city”; it has 16 residence halls and several canteens, swimming pools, tennis courts, several huge green areas for the different sports and beautiful gardens for walking. 

Moreover, in order to get from one place to another, you have to take the free shuttles offered by NTU, because the campus is so big that you cannot reach everything by just walking. Both universities have almost the same teaching level, even if classes at NTU (20-30 students per class) are smaller than at USI. As I said, the main difference is represented by the student’s life; at NTU students live and breathe constantly the university environ- ment, especially those who live on campus, and during the semester they rarely go out of the campus.”

What are you enjoying/did you enjoy most about your international exchange?

Christine: “I am very thankful to NTU and USI for this international exchange opportunity, as I am now able to study and live at a place so far away from home, opening my eyes to greater insights. I enjoy making friends from all around the world, and having conversations with fellow exchange students helps me to understand a little more about our different lifestyles. And the best thing about exchange is about exploring new places. I really love visiting and exploring new places, be it within the neighbourhood or in a different city, I never fail to be amazed by the beautiful scenery and architecture of this beautiful country.”  

Natalia: “I primarily chose NTU, because it was located in Singapore, in the beautiful Asian world. In addition to this, I heard that NTU was a prestigious University, appreciated and known all over the world. Before applying I also read some NTU brochures and their university website, which gave me some useful information about the campus, and therefore I decided to apply for NTU. I thought that NTU would help me to enrich my academic studies and to develop a new perspective toward my education.”

What are the main differences between the cities, cultures, people of Singapore and Lugano?

Christine:“Singaporeans have a rather stressful and hectic lifestyle, whereas the residents here in Lugano are more laid back and relaxed. Singapore is a 24/7 city, where you can find shops and restaurants closing at late hours and mostly everything operates as per normal on Sunday, which is seldom seen in Lugano. I feel that residents in here have a greater work–life balance than in Singapore, as Singaporeans are stressed to produce high productivity and efficiency. Singaporeans are generally more conserv- ative due to our traditional Asian values, which might result in our percep- tive differences.”

Natalia: “I decided to go on an international exchange in order to experi- ence a new life and new cultures, to meet new people and to adapt myself to a different university context. Spending a semester abroad before finishing my Master studies, was something that I wanted with all my heart. I have never lived abroad for so long before this experience, so it was for me a great opportunity to open my mind, see new things and grow personally.”