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Chemistry with a year in Asia

11 replies

BlimeyO · 02/07/2024 06:21

Hi everyone
Any recommendations for chemistry undergraduate courses with a year in Asia, and experiences of a year in Singapore or China?

TIA

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TizerorFizz · 02/07/2024 07:52

@BlimeyO You probably need to trawl through the universities and see where they have partner universities. No doubt some have Asian ones.

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TizerorFizz · 02/07/2024 07:59

Eg Bristol has a partnership with Singapore.

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BlimeyO · 02/07/2024 08:06

Thanks, we are looking through course details and making a list.
I meant to more specifically ask if anyone has direct experience of the year overseas and whether it had been useful.

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TizerorFizz · 02/07/2024 08:45

@BlimeyO Not for chemistry, but DD did for a MFL degree and several of her friends did for Engineering degrees. They went to very high ranking unis and DD certainly found it beneficial to go to a uni. Others did work such as language assistant work.

Apart from the fact DD had to go abroad, it’s a hugely enriching experience in so many ways. A very close friend went to a very prestigious uni in France for engineering and it’s definitely been beneficial to have that on the cv. I also think it says a huge amount about a student that they have got out of their comfort zone. Assuming they aren’t from the country they are going to!!! It’s a great learning experience, promotes self reliance and introduces the student to new ideas and, of course, friends. Going to another high ranking uni is never a bad thing. Suits the most confident of course! Having a chance to explore another country is also a huge plus. Always adds a further dimension to a job interview!

Many unis go in y3 but some might be y4. Might depend on type of degree too. I cannot comment directly on Asian unis but the general benefits apply I believe.

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SandyIrving · 02/07/2024 10:05

Edinburgh has options for Chemistry (MChem only) in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea. The usual -places not guaranteed and competitive based on results.

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poetryandwine · 02/07/2024 10:42

Hi, OP -

I was the Study Abroad academic advisor for my STEM school for a while. My uni partner with NUS and require that students be on at least a 2.1 to go abroad. It’a relevant to this story that we are highly ranked in subject.

The only student who flamed out during my term was on a solid First when he applied for NUS, the first (and only) student from my School to go there. He said the workload was unreal. It broke him.

In turn, students from Singapore who come to us cannot believe how light the workload is - they are talking about the UK rather than my School or uni (COWI possibly excepted in my discipline but even that isn’t clear).

Similarly Chinese universities impose a huge amount of structure on undergraduates. When Chinese students have trouble in the UK (and of course the good ones do not) itcis often because they cannot adjust to the freedom. How much that structure

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poetryandwine · 02/07/2024 10:46

Apologies for premature post

How much of that structure applies to international students? I would want to know ahead of time, and as a student I would need to think carefully about whether I could handle it

Finally, I will note gently that most universities will not send a student to their home country. So a Chinese or Chinese Singaporan student could probably not take this route. However I see no reason that a British student with this heritage could not

Best wishes

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Malbecfan · 03/07/2024 21:17

DD2 studied Natural Sciences at Leicester and had a year abroad in Japan. Due to Covid, the 1st semester was done online from the UK, but she finally got a visa in March 2022 and was able to spend 4 months out there. She studied some science modules, but also things such as History of Modern Japan. It was the making of her in terms of her resilience and self-confidence.

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EwwSprouts · 03/07/2024 22:12

The brother of a friend of DS studied chemistry at Manchester which included a year in Singapore. Was delighted to secure a place working in Singapore after graduation.

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indigoemerald · 05/07/2024 23:13

Agree that the standard of work required for STEM subjects at most Asian universities can be a shock to UK students! The university I used to work at sent very academically capable physics/maths/chemistry students to universities in Hong Kong and Singapore, and they often found it very challenging to keep up with their peers.