Before embarking on your education here in Singapore, you might want to fill yourself in on some snippets of information about the city.
Singapore is often known to international visitors as ‘Garden City’ because of its clean environment and the plentiful greenery all around the island. Aside from being a Garden City, Singapore is a unique country with a melting pot of cultures, and a population made up of people of diverse cultures from different walks of life. The country is sometimes viewed as a world class city because of the mix of unparalleled elements it possesses – stable political and economic climate, comprehensive range of modern amenities, and low crime rate.
People and Multicultural Society
A multicultural society with a rich heritage, Singapore is predominantly made up of four different races – Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians. This unique blend of cultures arising from the multifarious races is further augmented by the presence of expatriates from around the globe, thereby making the city one that can be truly considered cosmopolitan.
Stable Economy
Having a fairly stable economy which has been experiencing steady growth, Singapore has been leveraging on its financial stability to gradually move towards developing itself into a financial hub on top of being a key regional trading centre. Also home to one of the world’s busiest port, the country has gradually become a sterling location for foreign investment. Its stable and fast growing economy puts the country in a decent position to reassure both its residents and international visitors of its social stability and positive economic outlook in the long run.
Weather
The temperature in Singapore varies between 24 to 35 degrees Celsius throughout the year. The year round tropical weather makes it advisable for you to wear summer clothes.
Getting Around
There are three main modes of transportation that will help you get around Singapore.
MRT
Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) or SMRT in short, is the main train service provider in Singapore. It provides the local populace with a fast, reliable, safe, comfortable, and economical form of transportation to key locations all around the island – each ride may cost between S$0.95-S$2.21, depending on the length of the journey.
Bus
Another option to consider would be public bus services which are also convenient and comparable to MRT rides. Bus rides cost about S$0.60 and higher. Students (up to tertiary levels) studying in mainstream government schools can purchase special passes to enjoy concessionary rates on all public transport services (Bus and MRT).
Taxi
Taxis provide a more comfortable, yet more extravagant alternative to MRT and buses. There are over 15,000 taxis in Singapore which are available 24 hours a day for booking, with rides that cost $3.00 and above. These taxis can be conveniently flagged down or hired at the many designated taxi stands at key locations.
Necessities, Facilities and Amenities
Public facilities and amenities such as shopping centres, polyclinics, places of worship are all made conveniently accessible to its population to facilitate their daily needs.
Food
Singapore earned its well-deserved reputation as a ‘food paradise’ from the assortment of different cuisines including those of Chinese, Malay, Indian, Western, Japanese, Thai and Korea, that are commonly available locally. The general cost of a meal is between an affordable range of $3 to $5.
Telecommunication
The telecommunication network is very advanced in Singapore, where mobile phone services, rates and subscriptions are affordable. With wireless internet access made available at all libraries and some public areas, and free short message services provided by some companies, communicating with your family members and friends has never been this affordable and convenient.