A Day in the Life at NUS Law

One of the highlights of my exchange year has been studying at the National University of Singapore’s beautiful Bukit Timah Campus (BTC). Formerly called Raffles College and commissioned back in 1919, it now home to the law campus of the biggest university in Singapore

A typical day on campus looks like this:

07:00 - 07:40 - I wake up at my accommodation in UTown - Tembusu Residential College - and head down for breakfast (usually a croissant and juice to start the day).

07:40 - 08:20 - I go over to the UTown bus stop to take the free university shuttle to get to the Bukit Timah Campus, a 40-minute drive away from Utown.

08:20 - 09:00 - I arrive at BTC and head to the C J Koh Law Library, where I look over my notes for the reading that I have done for my 9 am seminar.

09:00 - 12:00 - I attend my Regulation and Political Economy class; It is a three-hour interactive seminar, with breaks in between.

12:00 - 13:00 - I eat with fellow exchanger friends at the Summit - the food court at BTC. My favourite lunch meal is the Sichuan spicy noodles!

13:00 - 17:30 - I get back to studying at the Law Library. Currently, I am working on a proposal for my research essay for my Regulation class and doing some pre-seminar reading for my Strategies for Asian Disputes class, an intensive module that I have three times a week.

17:30 - 18:30 - I head back to the Summit and get myself a cup of iced tea and dinner - Chicken Rice with vegetables - as a well-deserved break before class starts again.

18:30 - 21:30 - I attend my Strategies for Asian Disputes class, where my classmates and I work on preparing a presentation ahead of our assessment. Since there are only three other exchange students in our class, this has been a nice opportunity to get to know a few postgraduate and international students as well.

21:30 - 22:00 - I take the shuttle bus back to Utown together with a few other exchange students who just finished class.

22:00 - 23:00 - I shower, indulge in some late-night snacking with friends in my suite and get ready to sleep!

This is a very general description of what my most busy days at campus may look like. On the days where I do not have class, I prefer to stay within Utown to study in the central library or inside one of our campus’ many computer rooms.

Studying law at NUS has been a fantastic way for me to explore the complex relationship that exists between different jurisdictions. Thanks to my studies, I have been able to observe how traditional forms of law and policymaking relate to the shared needs of Asian states.

(Fun fact: BTC has its very own campus cat, who has become a dear friend of mine).