WANT to study in a cosmopolitan environment after your O levels?

There's no need to head overseas. Singapore is on its way to becoming a Global Schoolhouse, with 150,000 international students by 2015.

In 2007, there were 86,000 foreign students from more than 120 countries.

Many private schools here are melting pots of culture. One good example is the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM).

Its head of regional recruitment, Ms Judy Wong, said that one in four of its 10,000 full-time students is an international student. They are from more than 40 countries and mostly from places like China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar and India.

Ms Wong said it was important for students to learn in a culturally-diversified environment as this was a reflection of today's work environment, adding: 'They provide different insights to one another with refreshing perspectives.'

SIM has three international student associations, for the Indonesian, Vietnamese and international communities. These associations are open to students of all nationalities.

India

Smrithi Shekar, 20, from Chennai, India, is in the third year of her Bachelor of Science in Banking and Finance course

MISSES... firecrackers during Deepavali.

'In India, you can hear firecrackers going off throughout the night. The noise is to celebrate the victory of the gods. People start setting off firecrackers a week before Deepavali and it goes on for two weeks after that.'

HUNGRYFOR... Indian-Chinese food.

'Indian restaurants prepare Chinese food in a completely different way.

'For example, Chicken Lollipop is a dish where the bone is wrapped in foil while the meat portion is roasted and dipped in a sweet sauce. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.'

SINGAPORE HAS...more organised road traffic.

'In India, it's so much more haphazard. I can cross the road wherever I want. Here, people actually use road crossings.'

Philippines

Jhoana Pagsinohin, 19, from Manila, Philippines, is in the second year of her Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance course

MISSES... the nine evening masses (which start on 16 Dec) before Christmas.

'The mass is either at 10pm or 4am. If you attend all nine masses, it is said that you can make a wish and it'll come true.

'In Singapore, there is only one mass on Christmas Eve.'

HUNGRY FOR... grilled chicken intestines.

'These are sold everywhere in Manila. They are quite 'dirty' because it is street food, but I still love to eat them.'

SINGAPORE IS... where everyone removes their shoes when entering homes.

'My family members still wear slippers or shoes into our home here in Singapore, but we mop the floor every day.'

Indonesia

Jaeme Indriwati, 23, from Bandung, Indonesia, is in the third year of her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance course.

MISSES... the Hari Raya atmosphere.

'In Indonesia, on Hari Raya eve, everybody goes out into the streets, walking or driving and singing songs. We get a one-week holiday, but here, Hari Raya is not as big.'

AT HOME... we relax in the countryside.

'In the holidays, we drive about an hour to the farms, which have cafes in the middle of fields. The weather is cool and we have barbecued corn and ginger tea to warm up.

'I took my Singaporean friends there to pick strawberries and ride horses. They were surprised to see that corn grows on stalks!'

SINGAPOREANS... don't talk to neighbours much.

'When I meet them in the lifts, they just stare straight ahead.'

China

Lian Hanli, 20, from Xiamen, China, is in the first year of his Diploma in Management Studies course MISSES... the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) in China.

'It is the most important holiday in China with the most activities lined up. In Singapore, Christmas is more festive than Chinese New Year.'

HUNGRY FOR... Xiamen snacks and nasi lemak .

'Xiamen snacks, like rice-flour rolls stuffed with duck, can't be found here.

'But I like nasi lemak, which we don't have in China. When I moved here, I saw many people queuing at a stall in Serangoon, so I joined the queue and tried it out of curiosity.'

AT HOME... guests sit facing the door.

'It is considered polite for the guest to take the seat across from the door while the host sits to the left or right at the round table.'

Myanmar

Aung Ko Thu, 20, from Yangon, Myanmar, is in the third year of his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance course

MISSES... the Water Festival in April.

'It's very fun. It gets very crowded in the streets for four days as people splash one another with water.The water is to 'cleanse' you of all the things you did wrong in the past year.

'My mum and grandmother will make a dessert of white balls of flour filled with brown sugar for the festival.'

HUNGRY FOR... Mohenga.

'Mohenga is noodles with fish soup and it's our national dish. I can get it in Peninsula Plaza and the taste is about the same, but it's more expensive. It's $5. Back home, it's about $1.'

AT HOME... handphone lines cost a lot.

'My friends here are shocked when I tell them a handphone line and SIM card cost about $2,000 on the market. That doesn't include the phone.'

Vietnam

Vu Dang Khoa, 20, from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is in the third year of his Bachelor of Science in Banking and Finance course

MISSES... Christmas and Chinese New Year.

'There is not much difference in the way we celebrate, but we have longer holidays in Vietnam.

'We get a week off for Christmas and three weeks off for Chinese New Year!'

HUNGRY FOR... Vietnamese food.

'There are many Vietnamese restaurants here, but the food doesn't taste the same as it does back home.

'In south Vietnam, where I live, the food has French, Cambodian and Thai influences.'

AT HOME... the military is not as modern.

'I like to watch Singapore's National Day Parade for the army, navy and air force performances.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on January 12, 2009.