If you had applied for the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) programme and are in the process of the company interviews, you’re in luck! An ex-NOC student, Yu Shibin, will be sharing his personal experiences with you, and hopefully giving you some tips and advice on how to proceed from here on with your NOC journey.
(Photos Courtesy of Shibin)
Shibin is a year 3 Mechanical Engineering student who had completed his NOC in Israel last year with a company, Powermat, which focuses on developing wireless solutions.
Why did you choose to go for the NOC programme?
I think most people feel stuck in Singapore and it’s always good to go out and see how the world it’s like. I felt like it would be good exposure for me, plus I’ll get to see how the market operates on a global scale. I’ve always wanted to try out startups myself so the NOC experience would definitely value-add for me and allow me to spend my time in University wisely.
How was the interview process like?
During my interview, there were three panellists, and you would have to let them know your choice of country as well. After that, the school would either provide you with the company list or you would have to source yourself. I was very fortunate to be given a company in Israel, and I was also the first batch of NOC students to be sent there, so I had a blank canvas to work with.
Were there any challenges faced?
Language barrier was probably the greatest challenge for me because in Israel, English was their second language and I had to learn Hebrew myself. I would find new words to learn everyday on the bus, and it was really difficult. I also tried to learn a new programming language myself during that period but it was really challenging with the workload and thus I had to put it on hold due to lack of time. Most of the time, I would clock barely four hours of sleep. Furthermore, I had group projects with teammates who were on exchange in USA, so we had to deal with the time difference and do Skype calls at around 2-3am till 5am.
What’s the most memorable incident or event that you remembered during your NOC journey?
(Photos Courtesy of Shibin)
I think staying at my colleague’s house was the most memorable for me. My peers didn’t do this, but I still went ahead because I wanted to experience and learn more about their culture. On hindsight, it was a good choice because my colleague had a passion for running as well, so we would go running together at the tracks near his house and up the mountains. I would go over to his house after work, and the next morning, we would go for 10km runs. He would tell me the different routes in the mountains, like secret pathways and etc. I was also introduced to his family members, and I even celebrated festivals with their family.
(Photo Courtesy of Shibin)
Once, I met his parents and their grandchildren, and it was an interesting experience. My colleague was also a very wise man and taught me a lot of values.
(Photos Courtesy of Shibin)
Another interesting experience would be staying in a tent in the desert in Jordan. The scenery was spectacular.
Any advice for students who would be going for NOC?
(Photos Courtesy of Shibin)
I think being overseas puts you in a unknown situation most of the time, and this helps you become more aware of your surroundings. You have to learn to manage a lot of things yourself. For me, I would precook my meals daily to save up money, as accommodation was already $800 per month.
(Photos Courtesy of Shibin)
I also travelled every weekend to know more about the country and experienced things you don’t really get to experience in Singapore, such as surfing, as the waves were really great there. Be sure to also pack enough clothes for the six months or one year – consider the difference in climate! Medical fees are expensive overseas, so I would recommend bringing your own medication and vitamins.
(Photos Courtesy of Shibin)
Something I would recommend too, is to visit their borders. That’s where you would experience the reality of border conflict, and not just read about it in the news. I signed up for border tours with my friends, and we got to visit danger zones and even saw an empty missile. We were told that shortly after we left, riots broke out at the place we visited. I also went to the Paris riots. You don’t get to experience such things in Singapore, as we’re a relatively safe country. Such experiences open your eyes to how differently people around the world live, and the dangers that they face (that we don’t).
(Photo Courtesy of Shibin)
“Feel the fear and do it anyway!” – Yu Shibin
We hope Shibin’s sharing has given you a peek into the NOC programme and how being an exchange student overseas would be like. You could also check out https://enterprise.nus.edu.sg/educate/nus-overseas-colleges/why-noc to read more about the NOC programme and how to apply. To all students starting their NOC programme this July, may the odds be in your favour and enjoy! (:
