One of the coolest and most unique things about SP Jain is the Singapore campus. Some students live off campus because they prefer their own space, or because they’ve found cheaper accommodation elsewhere. But if you’re okay living with other people and you can afford it, I seriously recommend living here.

First of all, the campus is BEAUTIFUL, especially in the early morning or late afternoon when the sun hits in a certain way and makes everything look sunny and fresh. There are studies that have shown people who live in areas where it’s cloudy all the time have higher rates of depression. Living here, I don’t think you could ever be sad because it’s so very lovely. As I write this post I’m sitting on some steps surrounded by grass, enjoying the setting sun and a light breeze. Some mornings I get up early just so I can go and watch the sunlight awaken the campus, lighting up the palm trees and white-washed walls of our school.

I should clarify; we have two main buildings here, Block A and Block B. Block B is mostly for professors and guests, but there are also some neat chill-out rooms for students, a nice air-conditioned library that’s open 24/7, a banquet hall for events and a sunny veranda. Block A is the student hostel; the majority of the six floors are devoted to housing. However, most classes are also held in this building, and there are a bunch of places you can hang out after class or to get homework done.

One of these places is the café downstairs, where you can get all kinds of fun snacks and meals during the day, for pretty affordable prices. Most students favor the waffle bar; you can get a waffle with any kind of topping (peanut butter, cheese, etc) for less than 2 dollars. You can also get healthier snacks, like cut fruit, for 1.50 (all these are in Sing Dollars).

If you feel like a more substantial meal, you can head over to the cafeteria next to Block B, where there are a lot of Indian food options. If you don’t like Indian food, though, you might want to try your luck at one of the nearby hawker centers, or go to the grocery stores at ARC or Anchorpoint. Both these malls are an easy walk (or a two-stop bus ride) away from campus, and are open pretty late. Not only can you get food at these malls, but you can get pretty much anything else you need as well. Toothpaste, laundry soap, clothes, whatever.

Basically, the location of campus is great. If you enjoy exercise there’s plenty of opportunity for that, as well. There are many gyms, pools, tracks and the like less than twenty minutes away by bus or MRT (there’s a bus stop right in right of campus, and an MRT station a short 10 minute walk away near Anchorpoint). If you like hiking or running, there are plenty of paths that you can hop onto from campus, including Hort Park. If you’re okay with going a few kilometers out you can access beautiful views from Mt. Faber point as well as Henderson Waves. If you REALLY don’t want to leave campus, we do have a small gym, a basketball court and a small football field.

The other part of living on campus, besides all the amenities and cool things nearby, is the people you get to hang out with. It can be challenging to live with people from other cultures at first, because everyone is used to doing things in different ways. But you’ll get used to that in no time, and after that it gets really fun. You basically get to live with all your friends, and you can hang out with them whenever. Maybe you want to talk or play ping pong at 3am. Well, as long as you aren’t disturbing anyone else, you’re totally free to do that. I’ve had so many fun times with people here that I wouldn’t have had if we had not been sharing the same campus.

Basically, living on campus in Singapore is a fantastic experience. It makes the transition to living in a foreign country easier because you don’t have to worry too much about finding a place to buy groceries or do sports, and it encourages you to interact with your classmates outside of class. And like I said, the place is gorgeous. Who doesn’t want their campus to be good-looking?  :)

~Kenaia Neumann (USA), BBA14