1,300 SMU students and representatives from 35 universities from around the world convened at the Singapore Management University (SMU) Concourse on 21 January 2020 for the Study Abroad Fair, an annual event to promote the benefits of global exposure and highlight the University’s myriad opportunities for its students.

At the fair, students visited information booths representing universities spanning Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, including SMU partners like University College London, Peking University, Boston University, Humboldt University of Berlin and the University of Melbourne.

By interacting directly with not only international university representatives but also exchange students promoting their home universities as ambassadors, SMU students learnt more about the semester exchange and short-term study programmes available at each university while gaining insights into student life and opportunities overseas. The SMU International Office, which organised the fair, was out in full force to dialogue with the student community, hosting information sessions and fielding questions that ran the gamut of application procedures, scholarships and other matters.

Camyllia Wan Si-Min, a first-year Bachelor of Business Management student who attended the fair, said, “At the Study Abroad Fair, I was able to learn about universities all over the world and the global exposure opportunities I can apply for. Being able to speak with exchange students from various universities opened my eyes to different university cultures and helped to answer the questions I had.”

Touring the fair, SMU Provost Professor Timothy Clark said, “The Study Abroad Fair embodies SMU’s commitment to substantially enhancing opportunities and support for our students to gain their global exposure experience for graduation. We want to make sure that every SMU graduate enters the workforce with a broad intercultural experience, appreciation of different perspectives and a better understanding of what it means to thrive in a global environment.”

Since 2018, SMU has made global exposure a graduating requirement for new undergraduates. Global exposure and its learning outcomes also constitute a part of the University’s new Core Curriculum, which was rolled out in August last year.