The NS Guide — How to Join Network School
The unofficial community guide to Balaji Srinivasan's Network School in Forest City, Malaysia. Application, housing, fitness, learning, fellowship, travel & 200+ curated guides for builders.
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What is Network School?
Network School is Balaji Srinivasan's "startup society" in Forest City, Johor, Malaysia — 30 minutes from Johor Bahru and ~1 hour from Singapore. It combines coliving, coworking, daily fitness, learning tracks, and community for builders, founders, and remote workers from 70+ countries.
ns.com — Official Site
The main Network School website. Overview, application, and all official info.
Balaji's Original Announcement
The founding vision for Network School — society-as-a-service.
Network School 2025 — v2 Announcement
Year-long campus, 256+ members, fellowship program, and permanent campus plans.
Bloomberg: Srinivasan Builds Crypto Techno-Utopia
Bloomberg's coverage of Network School and the Forest City campus.
What Happened at Network School — Brandon Possin
First-person account from a v1 member. Honest take on the experience.
The Network State — Balaji's Book
The intellectual foundation behind NS. Free to read online.
Application & Joining
v1 received 4,000+ applications from 80+ countries for 128 slots. Monthly cohorts start on the 1st of each month with orientation. Apply early — spots fill fast.
Apply to Network School
Official application form. Two-stage process: initial review, then commitment + payment.
NS Fellowship — $100K Funding
Year-long fellowship with $100K funding. Room, board, gym, meals included.
Fellowship Details — Balaji's Post
4-stage selection: online form, Zoom interview, in-person exam in Singapore, acceptance.
Costs & What's Included
NS Basic (shared room) is $1,500/month. NS Pro (private room) is $3,000/month. Both include 3 meals daily, gym + fitness classes, coworking, all courses, community events, laundry, and a local SIM card. Minimum stay: one month.
ns.com — Pricing Overview
Official pricing tiers: NS Basic ($1,500/mo shared) and NS Pro ($3,000/mo private).
Network School First Impressions — Danny Castonguay
Member's honest take on value for money and what's actually included.
Protos: Crypto Colonists on NS Fees
Critical perspective on NS pricing and what you get for the cost.
Wise — Multi-Currency Account
Best way to manage MYR and SGD payments. Low-fee international transfers.
Daily Life & Schedule
Days start with a 6 AM HIIT workout ("Morning Burn"), breakfast buffet at 7:30, deep work blocks until lunch, afternoon coworking, sports at 5 PM, speaker sessions at 6:30, and sauna + cold plunge in the evening. The calendar is full but never compulsory.
A Day Inside Network School
Detailed walkthrough of a typical NS day — from Morning Burn to evening sauna.
Visiting Network School — PANews
Journalist's visit documenting the facilities, food, and daily rhythm.
NS 2025 Highlights — Parallel Citizen
Community highlights and what a month at NS actually looks like.
Total Health Optimization — Visiting NS
Wellness-focused review of the NS fitness and longevity programs.
Fitness & Wellness (Burn Track)
Three daily HIIT sessions with professional coaches, Bryan Johnson's Blueprint-inspired meals, sauna + cold plunge, and a Combine fitness assessment (push-ups, grip strength, VO2 max, BMI). You earn proof-of-workout NFTs for gym participation. 24/7 gym access.
Bryan Johnson's Blueprint Protocol
The longevity protocol behind NS meals and fitness. Don't Eat, Don't Die.
Nobody Likes Bryan Johnson's Breakfast — Protos
Honest take on the Blueprint meals at NS. Nutritious but divisive.
NS Burn Track Overview
Daily HIIT, Combine testing, sauna, cold plunge, yoga, and community sports.
Whoop — Fitness Tracking
Popular wearable among NS members for tracking recovery and strain.
Learning Tracks & Credentials
NS offers a Power Users track (AI + crypto for non-programmers) and a Programmers track (hackathons on Solana, Ollama, Midjourney). Courses issue blockchain-verified NFT credentials. ~60% of classes are community-organized. 2-3 hours/day recommended.
NS Learn — Official Platform
Browse available courses, microtutorials, and credential tracks.
Solana Developer Resources
NS runs hackathons on Solana. Start here if you want to prep.
Replit — Build in the Browser
Used at NS for code portfolio building. Good for non-engineers getting started.
Cursor — AI Code Editor
Popular AI dev tool at NS. Write code with natural language prompts.
Ollama — Run LLMs Locally
Run open-source AI models on your laptop. Used in NS hackathons.
Community & Events
70+ nationalities, 400+ members. Members self-organize ~60% of activities — book clubs, speaker sessions, sports tournaments, bonfires, Singapore day trips. Major crypto protocols (Base, Solana, Ethereum Foundation, Monad) host events on campus.
NS Events Calendar — Luma
All upcoming NS events, talks, hackathons, and social gatherings.
Host an Event at NS
Apply to host your own event, residency, or hackathon at Network School.
Network State Conference 2025
Annual flagship conference at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. 3,000+ attendees.
NS Events Page
Overview of all NS programming, including residencies and protocol partnerships.
NS Discord
Community coordination, room booking, and daily chatter.
Travel & Getting There
Fly into Singapore Changi (SIN) for better connections, or Senai (JHB) to skip the border crossing. NS provides transport for members arriving on the 1st. Grab is essential for local transport. Malaysia is visa-free for most nationalities.
Reorient — NS Arrival Guide
The best third-party arrival guide. Airport, transport, what to pack, first day.
Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC)
Complete this 3 days before arrival. Required for Malaysia entry.
Singapore Arrival Card (SGAC)
Required if transiting through Singapore. Complete before landing.
Malaysia Visa Check — Immigration Dept
Check visa requirements for your nationality. Most get 90-day visa-free entry.
Grab — Ride Hailing
Southeast Asia's Uber. Essential for getting around Forest City and JB.
Passport Index — Visa-Free Countries
Check if your passport qualifies for visa-free entry to Malaysia.
Housing & Workspace
Members live in converted serviced hotel rooms within Forest City — shared or private. Longer stays get 2BR apartments. Workspaces include NS Cafe (ocean views, tea/coffee), a coworking space with phone booths, a content studio, and a makerspace. Pool with views of Singapore across the strait.
Forest City Overview
The $100B Chinese-built development where NS operates. Mostly vacant, increasingly alive.
Reorient — NS Campus Guide
Overview of the campus layout, facilities, and what to expect on arrival.
Lazada — Online Shopping Malaysia
Amazon equivalent for Malaysia. Get anything delivered to Forest City.
Shopee — Local E-Commerce
Popular local shopping platform. Good for small items and daily needs.
Key People & Speakers
Balaji Srinivasan is on campus full-time. Bryan Johnson designed the fitness and nutrition protocols. The speaker roster includes Vitalik Buterin, Brian Armstrong, Andrew Huberman, Ben Horowitz, and more. Government representatives from Singapore, Dubai, and El Salvador have visited.
@balajis — Balaji Srinivasan
NS founder. Former CTO of Coinbase, former GP at a16z. Follow for all NS updates.
@bryan_johnson — Bryan Johnson
Blueprint protocol creator. Designed the NS fitness and nutrition programs.
@VitalikButerin — Vitalik Buterin
Ethereum co-founder. Has spoken at NS on decentralized governance.
@brian_armstrong — Brian Armstrong
Coinbase CEO. Has visited and presented at Network School.
@hubaboratory — Andrew Huberman
Neuroscientist and podcaster. Has presented on wellness at NS.
@aaboratory — Amjad Masad
Replit CEO. Spoke at NS on AI-first development and building in the browser.
