During her MBA student exchange term at the National University of Singapore (NUS), Maria Talat, an MBA '26 candidate, dove into a new academic environment, explored the region, and learned as much about herself as about Singapore. In the reflection below, Talat shares three lessons from her time abroad – why the classroom was worth crossing the world for, why a place can be excellent and still not be yours, and why discomfort is part of the value.
1. The classroom was worth crossing the world for
Academically, the National University of Singapore (NUS) gave me more than I asked for. I picked my five courses around where business is going. Three ended in distinction and two in merit.
The one that changed my thinking the most was Asian Business Environments. It showed me how deliberately a government can shape an economy, and Singapore was the case study outside my window. Managing People with Data and Gen-AI in Marketing and Sales kept it hands-on: real datasets, real artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Design Thinking balanced the tech with creativity, and the faculty tied it all together. They were experts on the region who kept their doors open and were extremely welcoming, even to a visiting exchange student.
My proudest work came from Sustainable Web3, Gen-AI and Metaverse through a group project testing AI models for bias. It turned responsible AI from something I'd read about into something I measured. NUS was so far ahead on AI adoption that I started testing various tools for my own work, including recruiting.
Then there were the people. We were 26 strangers from different countries who became a small family by week three. Add classmates from across Asia, and every group project felt like a mini-United Nations.
(Photo above) Maria Talat with fellow students at the National University of Singapore. Maria is at the back in the photo on the left, and second from left in the photo on the right
2. A place can be excellent and still not be yours
Most people I’ve spoken to who have visited Singapore rave about it. While I don’t share the same enthusiasm, NUS made it absolutely worth it for me. There was plenty I loved, especially the sense of total safety day or night. After 43 countries, I know how rare that is. Singapore is also an unbeatable base for exploring Asia. I took myself to Bali for a term break and routed home through Guangzhou for a couple of days.
For context, I unfortunately spent my first few weeks unwell in Singapore, so the famous food scene never got a fair shot from me, and that one still stings. Homesickness also crept in, for my mom and for a real Canadian winter. What got me through were the late-night calls during which my mom kept my spirits up, a few cohort hangouts, and plain stubbornness. I refused to waste the term because I realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Still, what dazzles most visitors is what distanced me. To me, the city felt curated rather than lived-in. I shivered through lectures, melted the moment I stepped outside, and learned that the rain there doesn't warn you before it arrives or leaves. Add the prices, and the lizards, which I thought I'd left behind in Pakistan. Travel has taught me that my heart leans toward messier, rawer places, and Singapore is anything but messy. That says more about me than about the city.
I’ve learned that fit is personal. Singapore works beautifully for millions of people, and NUS worked beautifully for me. However, the city itself and I just never fully clicked, and that's a me thing, not a Singapore thing. I'm glad I found that out by living it instead of wondering forever.
3. Discomfort is part of the value
My recruiting season ran on Toronto's clock, which meant coffee chats and interviews in the middle of the night. One morning, part-time work, recruiting chats, and interviews left me with only two hours of sleep. I fell asleep on the bus and then dozed off in class for a few minutes – a first for me and probably my lowest point during the exchange. In hindsight, exhaustion, the weather, and a head full of recruitment were probably why Singapore fell short for me.
Strangely, my most tired months were also my most productive. Free stretches went into building my portfolio, working on projects, and those midnight calls. I sharpened my story and landed where I wanted to be: public service. That is the lesson I lean on. I adapted, did some of my best work, and grew in a place I didn't fully enjoy.
Would I tell another Ivey MBA student to do it? Yes. Go, struggle a little, and come back different. The academics and the classroom experience alone justify the trip. The bigger reward is finding out who you are when everything familiar is a world away.
(Photo above) Maria Talat, second from left, dining in Singapore with friends
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