When I started applying for exchange, I had no idea where I wanted to go. I built myself an Excel model to try and weigh up different factors that I cared about. I looked at data about the universities and asked a few people I knew for recommendations. The National University of Singapore (NUS) came up on top by quite a way.

I had a lot of different reasons for wanting to go on Exchange. I wanted to see new things. I wanted to meet new people. But, the main thing that was appealing was the academics. NUS is very well known. It's ranked top eight in the world ¹. I wanted to prove to myself and employers that I can compete at that level.

On top of that, it's in an amazing location. Singapore is beautiful and very warm. The opportunities you get to go around the region are also amazing. I knew I'd get to travel around Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia and Bali if I went there.

The academic style was generally like Bath. I felt quite well-equipped. The exam style and the knowledge I needed were all similar to what we learnt here. There were some differences, like more class participation. This is important for your grade, so it matters that you're active in class and you're contributing. I found myself really enjoying that approach. It's been good for my confidence.

In Singapore they speak Singlish, a creole of Malay, English and a lot of different languages from the region. It was easy to understand everyone and to get along with the locals.

My accommodation was amazing. I lived with a mixture of students. In my flat there was one other exchange student, two locals and one South Korean student.

The place itself had air conditioning, which is absolutely vital in Singapore. It was five minutes from the gym, ten minutes from the University, and two minutes from a massive eating hall. I was in UTown, which is effectively a whole city of students, all of whom were extremely ambitious. It's fulfilling socially because you're never alone - you're constantly eating, exercising and working with the great people you've met.

One of the best things for me was that I went on exchange to NUS with four other people. As you might know, it's hard to go up to a group of people if you're just one person. If you've got one or two friends with you, you can integrate with another group more easily.

I think the most memorable moment was something that happened almost immediately after I arrived. I met a few new people and we went to a second-hand store and bought a Frisbee. A small group of us started playing with this Frisbee on the large green next to our accommodation. Within about 15 minutes, we had 40 more people playing with us.

Because I met so many people, it made it easy to find my people. That moment was really formative for me.

I also joined NUS Stage, which is a theatre society. I love theatre kids. They're outgoing, easy to talk to and always have something interesting going on. At NUS, they're also extremely ambitious and talented. Stage training teaches you a lot about talking to people and presenting yourself.

The best thing about the experience was meeting a group of people who are similar to me. They're interested in the things that I'm interested in. For instance, I am in love with Microsoft Excel. I met other people who also love Microsoft Excel.

It gives me confidence to know that there's someone out there I can talk to about the things I love.

While I was confident with my career situation before I went, the people I met in Singapore gave me a real push. They were ambitious and outgoing. All of them were interested in finding something to do for work that made them happy. That pushed me to apply for more ambitious roles. I'm going to do an internship at Amazon next and a lot of that was because of the people at NUS spurring me on to put my energy into my goals.

My advice for a student thinking about going on exchange is to do it. Go as far away from England as you can. Singapore worked so well for me because all the people there were thrown in completely at the deep end. I think the further you go, the more interesting people you'll meet. Those are the people who are looking for something completely different and are willing to explore and take risks.

When you're far from home you can instantly recognise people who need to meet new people and so you can make a lot of friends that way.

Also, get in touch with as many students who've been on exchange as you can. The University has a lot of knowledge about sending people on exchange. If you can talk to someone who's been through the application and knows what it's like, it will definitely help.