My NYP Experience

Interview with Anne Isabelle Van Dee Linde, Skema Business School (France) By Julian Abraham Chua, Diploma in Business Management Every year, some 50 international students come to NYP under the 50 NYP’s School of Business (SBM) Overseas Student Exchange programme. These students come from SBM’s partner universities and tertiary institutions from countries such France, Germany, Finland, USA, South Korea and Japan. myNYP student portal campus reporter Julian Abraham Chua met up with some of these exchange students on their experience studying at NYP, coming to Asia and their interests. In this first of a four-part series, Julian spoke to 22-year old Anne Isabelle Van Dee Linde from The Netherlands who is currently studying at the Skema Business School in France.

What made you choose Singapore over other countries for your exchange programme? Well, we had many options to choose from like the USA, Canada and Australia. I have already been to the States and Canada.  I’ve had always wanted to come to Asia. I have read and learnt about Singapore on television and was curious that it was a big metropolitan city with diverse cultures. I wanted to go and check it out for myself.

How do you find Singapore? Singapore is a big city and very organised in terms of transportation. There is absolutely no difficulty finding your way around. The variety of food available here is also extensive. You can find anything you like here. The people are very understanding and helpful. Communication wise, they are very advanced with technology. Tell us about your experience studying at NYP and in Singapore. When I first came to NYP, I amazed with the size of the campus and the wide range of facilities available. I particularly like the sports facilities available here. The pace of study here is more hectic with lectures, tutorials and assignments. In France, our professors spend more time explaining and discussing the concepts with us. Well I definitely know a lot about Asia and Singapore now. I have also travelled around the region such as Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia. I feel fortunate to be able to travel around, happy that to see the real Asia. How different is it here as compared to France? It is different in many ways in terms of food and the people. I think that Singaporeans are less spontaneous in nature but they are very friendly once you get to know them better. They smile all the time. So what do you do in your free time during your time here? I go to the gym at least once a day. During weekends, I usually go to the cinema, or spend time dining or clubbing with friends. Aside from that, I work for a Swedish media company and I am in charge of one of its websites. I also write online articles concerning energy globally. Have you made any good or close friends? We hang out with the exchange students, who are all very nice.  The locals are also very friendly so I have no problem in making friends with them. What is your favourite food in NYP? Beef stir-fried kway teow at North canteen. Tell us something about yourself that people don’t know…. I am Dutch.  As I study at the French University so I always get mistaken as being French.  Actually, the French and Dutch people are quite different. What best describes your country? I will speak for France because that’s where I live. France is a culturally-rich place with a lot of diversity and different nationalities. It is sunny, with good food and wine.   What would you suggest we do if we ever visit your country? The area where my university is located is strategically located like Singapore. In big cities like Paris, you can soak in the culture and see the museums. In the south of France, you can enjoy the beaches and the sun. You can go skiing during winter time in the mountains. In central France, there is a lot of nature, with big rivers.  It is a good place to hike.  From France, you can also travel all around Europe. It is very near Spain and Italy is only 45 minutes away by car.  If you visit Paris, you can easily travel to Holland and Germany.