Choosing between NUS and Tsinghua as an international student. Need honest advice.
Hi everyone,
I’ve gotten into NUS for Computer Engineering and Tsinghua for Global Talents in Science and Engineering. Both are obviously top-tier schools, so I’m not really stuck on prestige anymore. I’m trying to decide where I’d enjoy my life more as both a student and a person living in the country.
My current feeling is:
China / Tsinghua wins as a country experience.
It feels less boring, more adventurous, and more unique. China seems like there would be far more to explore, more cultural difference, more travel, a real push to learn Mandarin, and just more new experiences overall. China as a country is also headed in a much better direction than most of the world (including SG). They are leading and bound to only become more dominant in the future.
Singapore / NUS wins as a student experience.
It seems more flexible and practical. English-speaking environment, more freedom to do work in form of internships, monitised side projects, freelancing/ agencies, etc, better access to international opportunities and programmes like NOC, where students can spend a year abroad in entrepreneurship/startup ecosystems, etc. I don’t think Tsinghua has an equivalent in that sense.
So I’m trying to eliminate one of my fears:
I would appreciate if you could either convince me Singapore is not as boring and annoying (I honestly think the weather and size of the country might be the scariest part of all this lol) as I have been led to believe, or help me understand whether China is not as restrictive for foreign students as I’m worried it might be.
The second one matters more to me. If I find out that foreign students at Tsinghua can still earn, explore opportunities, start businesses, try running forms of projects (freelancing, personal, etc), create monetised apps, or even earn through content/brand deals legally and realistically, then I would consider Tsinghua much more seriously.
I also have one major social concern about Tsinghua. I’ve heard that international students can be treated worse or in general not nearly as well socially, partly because it is easier to get in as an international student than as a native student. I don’t know how true this is today, especially with newer English-taught programmes like GTSE as the culture may have changed. I’m also South Asian / Indian, not East Asian or Southeast Asian, so I’m wondering how much that affects integration socially both in and outside university too.
Would really appreciate honest input from people at either school, especially international students at Tsinghua or NUS.