Singapore—Our “Gateway to the Globe”
Visitors often describe Singapore as “Asia 101” —a “soft-landing” for those who are visiting the Asia-Pacific region for the first time. Cosmopolitan and modern, Singapore society today is a multitude of languages and dialects, cultures and norms, cuisines and lifestyles representing the Asian region and, most importantly, the Asia of the 21stcentury.
Without natural oil, gas or water resources, the island nation is a mere 700 square kilometres (about the size of Chicago), yet Singaporeans today enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world —with GDP income per capita estimated to surpass that of Canada, Japan, or Switzerland for 2011 (per www.cia.gov).
The city state has come a long way in a short period of time—having developed from a swampy British colonial port for trade between India and China in the early 1900s, to an independent nation in the early 1960s, to a leading Tiger economy in the 1990s, all the way to the cosmopolitan metropolis it is today. In the last 45 years or so, successive governments have invested intensively in education institutions and teacher training to nurture the only natural resource available on the island: the people. Today, Singaporean students in primary and secondary schools consistently rank among the world’s top scorers in UN sanctioned tests.
As a global city with a track record of intellectual achievement, the island-nation provides an immersive, inspiring environment for students to excel. The society of five million today includes some of the world’s foremost academicians and researchers, with many electing to stay and raise their families here. It also has a thriving arts and cultural scene which is lively and vibrant. All of this makes for a “living laboratory” to attract researchers, academicians and students from across the world.
Life in Singapore is well-balanced, and there is a wide variety of sporting activities and events all year round. All parts of the island are accessible by public transport, which is renowned for its efficiency, and accommodations are affordable and modern. It is well connected both internally and externally: telecommunications and broadband accessibility within the city are efficient, and ports and airports offer outstanding connections and logistical assistance. And if you love to eat, Singapore will leave you—and your stomach—breathless.
See below for links to more information regarding the “Gateway to the Globe” that is Singapore.
Your Singapore
Contact Singapore
International Enterprise Singapore
“We are proud to work with Yale University to develop a distinctive new liberal arts program that will help shape the development of higher education in Singapore, Asia and beyond. This strategic partnership will pioneer a form of education much needed in a globalized world in which Asia will play an increasingly central role.”