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What Students Say 
NUS College in Stockholm Spring 2008 Intake
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"Two words – Stockholm Syndrome.
This program takes you down, punishes you with the myriads of reports, the perpetual battle with internship tasks and school projects, dealing with foreign languages, accommodating to sub-zero temperatures amplified further with the missing of family, friends and home-cooked food only to find yourself waking up every morning yearning for more.
A life-changing experience indeed.” |
Fazli Mansor
NUS Computing
op5 AB |
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"Cutting to the chase:
Wow, Sweden? Yes, cool huh. Is it cold there? Noses have been dropping off. What's the food like? Enough meatballs to feed Indonesia. What do you do there? Pick nose off the floor, work as an intern, eat meatballs,travel Europe, study entrepreneurship from the experts, and learn so much about people who are so different from us and yet so similar. Do you miss Singapore and NUS? I'll have to be dragged onto the plane to fly home, but you can't believe how much more you'll appreciate what we've had all along. So what are you waiting for? Apply for NOC, experience the life-changing goodness for a greater purpose in our home nations."
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Julia Carolina
NUS Economics
3S/Comaea |
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NUS College in Stockholm Fall 2007 Intake
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"Every passing minute is a chance to turn it all around.” Indeed, it's that very moment of sending my application to NOC as I teetered on the verge of uncertainty that sprung me off onto this journey. It has been a ride, I would say, as I have experienced and learnt so many things that would not have been possible without first daring myself to take on this rarely threaded path. I'm glad I'm given this opportunity, and am even more glad to have known so many amazing people who have made an impact to my life. The sheer entrepreneurial passion of my bosses Björn, Anders and Agneta have constantly spurred me to simply 'do it', instead of creating never-ending lists of business ideas. Well, things might not always work out as expected, but at least, NOC has given me a good headstart. Let's hope my first venture Totallyhotstuff.com could attest to the merits of taking the plunge into this awesome programme!” |
Luke Chong
NUS Business
Intern with Kista MedKom Center
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"Three days ago I chatted with the founder of a local startup who is herself a PhD student. There she sat talking to me like an old friend, lending experience, knowledge, advice and even motivation. Not once at all did she project any superiority. This is what I love most about the Swedish culture - people are always willing to help, there is so much humility and such a strong non hierarchical mindset. Just the right catalysts for free flow of ideas and creativity. Also, being in a small startup with a global reach and vanguard technology gives me a fresh perspective on things. Suddenly life is more exciting and purposeful, knowing everyday that I have this wondrous opportunity to make a change together with the all the motivated, smart, creative and dynamic team at SenseGraphics. Someone said that if you're passionate about something, you wake up and go to bed thinking about it. I think I am about to discover my passion in Stockholm. And I thank NOC, SenseGraphics and everyone who made it possible." |
Juliana Ung
NUS Computing
Intern with SenseGraphics AB
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“Just five months ago when I thought of Sweden, only two images come to mind: IKEA and meatballs! That was how ignorant I was about Europe. Five months into my internship in Attana AB, interacting with the locals, and speaking with the many up and coming entrepreneurs in Stockholm; I have broadened not just my perspective, but I have also learnt much about the challenges of developing a start-up, and increased my conscious mind for innovative opportunities and ideas. Now five months to the end of NOC, every minute counts as time is running short for my adventure and growth in Stockhom through NOC. Thank you NOC for providing me these opportunities and challenges. I can't wait for more to come!” |
Tai Xu Hong
NUS Environmental Engineering
Intern with Attana AB
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“Stockholm- a city that overflows with gorgeous looking women, snow & innovation. Jumping from a perfection loving city ( Singapore ) to such a place is indeed a challenge – a challenge heightened due to the distance from your loved ones (despite the popular theory of internet supposedly making the world smaller). But for me, it has been a month of continuous surprises & learning opportunities; a month full of hours, minutes & seconds which I have cherished like never before; a month where I got acquainted with the most knowledgeable and networked person I have ever met (my boss at Result AB); a month that kicked off with a huge wild party organized by my boss to “orient” me & introduce me to the company culture; a month where I have met the most friendly people always willing to help, share some funny moments & make you feel at home; a month that will be etched in my memory forever.. I hope I have more such breathtaking moments in the remaining 11 odd months to come. I cannot help but continuously thank NUS & Singapore for NOC. This program indeed makes Singapore Unique and I am proud to be an ambassador for the city-nation.” |
Mahesh Kumar
NUS Computing
Intern with Result AB |
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NUS College in Stockholm Spring 2007 Intake
“A life-changing, eye-opening adventure strung together with unexpected surprises, amazing experiences, new friends and countless lessons learnt both in and outside the office. Clichéd? Not if you were an NOC entrepreneur like me in Stockholm!” |
Harpreet Singh
NUS Mechanical Engineering |
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“Looking back, I simply can't imagine going through life having not experienced the sheer awesomeness that this program encapsulates." |
Bernice Chua
NUS Arts & Social Sciences |
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“I look back on my one year in Sweden working for 3S and I think, how have I changed?
Ranging from the tiniest of details such as planning my next laundry slot, to more significant issues like preparing for company strategy meetings, I believe that this experience has helped me grow into a more complete and mature person. Most importantly, I feel very lucky to have gone through something that few undergraduates around the world can lay claim to – to have worked in a start-up company 10,000 km away from home for a whole year. My NOC experience has been phenomenal and I will never forget the year I spent in Stockholm.” |
Edwin Koh
NUS Arts & Social Sciences |
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“NCST (NUS College in Stockholm) has enabled me to carve out thinking time daily, keep up on the current events and look outside the four walls. Developing inspirational, motivational and fun global entrepreneurial network might be the easiest accomplishment in Stockholm.” |
Ali Rafi
NUS Electrical Engineering |
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"One would think: to leave Singapore and throw yourself in a totally different and foreign environment (where people converse in Swedish) would be extremely scary. It has been a blast for me! I'm always learning something new everyday! Sometimes, I look around me and feel like I'm in the movies (Harry Potter when we visit the Old towns and Narnia when it's snowing). It is a great blend of a modern city and a vintage town. At Mabtech, where I work, people are extremely friendly and I actually feel like I am contributing to the developments of Immunology. You are really part of the company and your work matters. Furthermore, I get to experience the Swedish working culture (which I assure you is very different from Singapore). You have to apply what you learn. It's hands-on. With great friends around you, friendly (good-looking) Swedes around you, I am sure that the Stockholm journey would be a magical and memorable one. Like a fairy tale come true." ;) |
Cheryl Ng Shu-Ling
NUS Life Sciences
Intern with Mabtech AB |
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"Note to self: Never ever eat ice-cream when its -2 degrees outside! Even if the seniors tell you to!" But seriously, Stockholm has been everything I've imagined it to be so far. It is clean, the people are always at hand to give you a smile, the city is run efficiently and the architecture can take your breath away, or your digital camera space, if you like taking photos as much as me! It has indeed been a terrific opportunity, to be experiencing a totally different culture from the one I have grown so used to back home. It has only been a short time, but already I am adapting and learning so many things, most of which I cannot find in the classroom. As for the NOC program, it is a wonderful opportunity to experience the hustle and bustle of working life, and I can assure anyone that an internship here is nothing like the ones back home. The fast-paced life of an intern in a start-up company is a real eye-opener, and I already feel I am better for the experience.
I will miss home, but I am really glad I took up this opportunity. I have NO regrets. Thank you NOC!" |
Harpreet Singh
NUS Mechanical Engineering
Intern with myFC AB |
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| “Sidec has been amazing, to say the least. Within a couple of days after I started work I've already learnt so much about the company. I've already been through 3 meetings, and they filled me in really intensely. Everybody's really friendly, with some being extremely nice beyond comprehension! The best thing is that they're really receptive to all my questions. Every answer from them is as elaborate as it can get. No matter that its harder for them to communicate in English (compared to Swedish) and it takes time to explain things. All this makes me feel that I'll be well-supported, overcoming the steep learning curve here. I'm really grateful.” |
Ahmad Haikal Bin Mohamed
NUS Life Sciences
Intern with Sidec Technologies AB |
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NUS College in Stockholm Fall 2006 Intake
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“Nothing is comparable to hands-on experience when it comes to learning. For the first 10 weeks of my internship, it has been a steep learning curve for me--I have had the opportunity to experience the thrills of setting up my company, Curictus AB. At 3rd November, Curictus was successfully launched. The whole process of preparing the company for launch has truly been an eye-opener. Most importantly, these experiences have been a great teacher.” |
Alison Wee
NUS Life Sciences
Intern with Curictus AB |
Guanghuang@centre in picture |
"My stay in Stockholm is enriching both work wise and on a personal level. Being immersed in a start-up environment has enlightened me to the truth that starting and running a company is by no mean an easy task. The road to success will never be easy but with resilience, a strong self belief and diligence, an entrepreneur will eventually see the fruits of his/her labor. At SymCel, I appreciate teamwork and learn the importance of staying composed in the face of problems. I am also inspired by the team’s passion and belief in the CalScreener. To be part of this small but highly driven team at this exciting and crucial juncture, I believe there is still abundant knowledge and experiences waiting for me to discover." |
Huang Guanghuang
NUS Mechanical Engineering
Intern with SymCel AB |
Sipei@centre in picture |
"Before joining the program, I always figured that founders of companies had to be young to be dynamic and energetic enough to run a company. I was proven wrong when I joined HLB. The three founders of HLB may be advanced in age but their astonishingly high energy level surpasses mine and completely put me to shame! Despite hectic regular work commitments, they decided to start a company. They showed an amazing passion for entrepreneurship, which has become a personal source of motivation for me. I now conclude that entrepreneurship carries no age barrier; passion and commitment are paramount ." |
Huang Sipei
NUS Chemical Engineering
Intern with HLB Catheter AB
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"I never expected Sweden ( Stockholm) to be very entrepreneurial
at all. Sure, this must be the main reason why NUS created such a program in Stockholm in the first place, but it didn’t hit me until I had a look at the list of innovative things and companies that were invented and started in Sweden: Tetrapak, zipper, dynamite, ball bearing, propeller, safety match, pacemaker and more. Being awe struck, I also started to wonder how come Singapore is never as innovative or entrepreneurial as Sweden despite having constant government backing, funding for entrepreneurship. I guess I will only answer these questions when I return to Singapore and ‘re-experience’ the entrepreneurial culture there." |
Sriram Krishnan
NUS Electrical Engineering
Intern with Attana AB |
Ramkumar@left in picture
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"Two months into my internship here, I have found the company to be dynamic and innovative. What is also striking is the level of focus. The team has a clear idea of what the way forward is and where the company should be. That is very important. In entrepreneurship, the core team is very important. I have found the core team at SenseGraphics to be extremely competent and each individual possesses important skills which complement one another very well when brought together as a whole. I can confidently state that all my colleagues are top-notch.." |
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Ramkumar Shankar
NUS Computer Engineering
Intern with SenseGraphics AB |
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"Blue eyes, blond hair, greenery, midnight sun - this was my first impression of Sweden and it gets better with each passing day. The Swedes are amazingly warm and friendly and adapting to the new environment was a breeze. On my first day of work, my founder told me - entrepreneurship is about going down on your knees and getting your hands dirty. My internship has opened endless vistas for learning and developing my personality - may it be drilling holes, making air filters, developing business strategies, drafting agreements or something as trivial as tidying up and disposing garbage prior to client visits. Wherever life may take me, I am confident this experience will give me a strong foundation and equip me better to face life's challenges." |
Akshay Chandra
NUS Electrical Engineering
Intern with AD Air Design AB |
Leon@extreme right in picture |
"Stockholm is a place of friendly people always ready to help one another. Strangers say “hi” to each other on the street, and assistance is always given generously, with patience and a caring attitude.
On my first day of work, I had lunch with the 2 founders of Digital Diary (now Formpipe Software AB). Although it was only an hour after the initial handshakes, Håkan and Ola, like all other friendly and helpful Swedes, were already so ready to share with me many stories about the company. From the company's beginning, to some of the more significant contracts they have won, and even reasons behind major business decisions. My learning process about entrepreneurship has already started, at a fast pace too." |
Leon Poon
NUS School of Computing
Intern with FormPipe Software Uppsala AB |
NUS College in Stockholm Spring(Jan) 2006 Intake
Jeffrey@left in picture |
"My company assigned me to work with TiFiC (Swedish artificial intelligence-assisted software maker) to develop a technical support system. After spending half a year with TiFiC, I am now bolder about plunging into the unknown. Experimentation and new discoveries excite me and encourage me to explore further. It has also led to a youthful enthusiasm allowing me to dream like a young boy all over! " |
Jeffrey Lim
NUS Computer Engineering
Intern with Columbitech AB |
Rameez@left in picture |
"Since I have been working in a small company with roughly 20 employees, there is always close interaction with colleagues on both the technical/IT side as well as the business side. I took every opportunity to learn from the founders and extract as much as possible from them regarding the business process and start-ups. This will inevitably help me when I embark on my own venture, since I have worked in and seen how a start-up operates internally as well as externally." |
Rameez Akram
NUS Electrical Engineering
Intern with Columbitech AB |
| "I realise that most people overlook the simplest of things. When I first started the internship, one of my founders told me that “even failures are results” when he was guiding me about how I should conduct my experiments. I now realise that this perhaps applies to everything in life, and that the key is to stay positive and embrace failures graciously, as they are just dots which you can later link together and form your path towards success." |
Ken Huang
NUS Electrical Engineering
Intern with HLB Catheter AB |
| Picture taken at Venture Cup 2005/06 in Stockholm in which Ken ' s internship host company HLB Catheter AB was a finalist. The rose on the table in the picture was given to the top ten contestants in the final competition. From left to right: Ken Huang (NCST student) and the co-founders of HLB Catheter - Dr Bengt Källbäck, Dr Håkan Elmqvist and Dr Lars-Åke Brodin.
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"When I first reached Stockholm, I was greeted with the snow and the freezing weather. It was however a fantastic experience since this was my first “snow” experience and having snow fights has become one of our favorite pastimes! The people here are great, nice and humble. I could never have felt more at home than home itself in Singapore.
I am extremely privileged to work in a truly startup company that deals with cutting edge technology. There are only three of us and I work alongside the founder/CTO and the CEO. I learn about the technology from the CTO and discuss business strategies and plans with the CEO. I have a tight work schedule, always swamped with work; but it is a satisfying and wonderful experience. If entrepreneurship can ever be taught, working in such a startup company and helping to build it from scratch is definitely the best way to learn it." |
Chung Pak Wing
NUS Electrical Engineering
Intern with myFC AB
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“I am not very sure how I spend my days because one moment I am enjoying the bright light and the next I am heading back home in the dark, all spent and vainly avoiding the dreadful chore of cooking dinner. But when I go to bed, I recall having rejoiced every moment of the day - precious time spent in gaining deeper insights at Mabtech… trying new things and hauling wild experiments with people who become wild chasing after that unfathomable thing called knowledge…feeling the upheaval of success and confusion of failure…the joy of having known my colleagues a little better….the restlessness of always wanting to do something a little better than the rest and the valuable wisdom stolen from this brimming pool of intelligent and brave heroes.
I thank in my prayers each day that goes by. Hadn't it been for NOC, I would not have this opportunity." |
Priya Issuree
NUS Life Sciences
Intern with Mabtech AB
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“Looking back at my whole year experience in Stockholm, I have definitely learnt much more than I have ever expected. Every single day is a learning quest, filled with challenging tasks and exciting new experiences. I am very grateful for this opportunity, to be surrounded by so many inspiring great wisdom and talents, to continuously challenge myself, redefining my limits, and to take up various roles and responsibilities. The NCST experience has been a multi-dimensional learning journey that has greatly helped me in grasping this seemingly fuzzy world of entrepreneurship, and this journey does not end here.” |
Mira Purwadas
NUS Life Sciences
Intern with Sidec Technologies AB |
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"When light snow starts falling again, or when the sun shines bright on a winter morning, I start to appreciate all over again every moment of being here… to be picking up new things from people at my workplace, exchanging ideas with my fellow friends on the programme, meeting international students along my corridor and in my course, discovering about myself… Even though it's been two months since my touchdown in Stockholm , each day has proven to be (and still is) truly exciting. And right now, I simply look forward to a whole new learning experience when I shift to my new office premises at Uppsala!" |
Chai Jia Fang
NUS Life Sciences
Intern with SweTree Technologies AB |
NUS College in Stockholm Fall 2005 (Pioneer) Intake
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"After spending close to a year interning at Stockholm, one can really look back and reflect on how much new skills and experiences he has garnered: participation in business plan competitions, meeting with customers, going on overseas business trips, managing interpersonal relationships with colleagues, starting a company....Gee would I have experienced and achieved all of these if I were not in the NOC programme...NEVER!" |
Tong Jingyao
NUS Faculty of Engineering
Intern with Elekta Instrument AB |
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"My internship at Attana has reinforced my understanding of specific competencies and strategies that are essential for a start-up. The support and contribution that I make largely depend on new initiatives and market needs. Conventional methods in Sales and Marketing are important but the thought processes behind it are dynamic and far thinking. I believe that immersion in this atmosphere and daily interaction with founders and colleagues is a valuable experience in the context of what is at stake." |
Jacob Thomas
NUS Electrical Engineering
Intern with Attana AB |
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