Name of the University: McGill University
Names of the students: Ola L. Svalheim and Kristine Moen
Exchange semester: Fall 2011
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The school is the oldest university in Montreal and was founded in 1821. McGill enjoys an
excellent academic reputation, and was listed among the top 10 universities in the world in
2011.
The university has two campuses, 11 faculties and more than 36000 students. The downtown
campus, which is where the management faculty is situated, is in the heart of downtown
Montreal just at the foot of the Mount Royal. McGill is a university with students from 160
countries; in fact almost 19% of all students are international either as exchange or fulldegree students. 70% of all students are undergraduates and 22% are graduate students.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
We received our info package for McGill in the start of July, something that was a bit last
minute when it comes to planning the exchange. However we did get part of it digitally about
a month earlier through BI’s exchange office.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
There was no problem procuring a student visa for Canada. It is not necessary to apply for a
visa beforehand, the entire process takes place after arriving at the airport, however make
sure you have the papers required by Immigration Canada.
We ordered our tickets online from www.aircanada.ca and flew via London (Heathrow) to
Montreal (Dorval).
Academic Calendar
I arrived 25th of august, but I would recommend getting there a little earlier to get to settle
before school starts, which is 1st of September. This usually starts with what they call a “frosh”
which is a three day party similar “fadder uke” in Norway.
It is important to note which date is the end of the add/drop period for courses which is the
period where you can change your course portfolio.
The last day of class was the 6th of December, the earliest possible exam date is 7th and the
latest is the 22nd.
Reception
The administration and faculty was well prepared for our arrival. After a couple of days at
school they gathered all the exchange student to inform us of our duties and upcoming
important dates.
At the first meeting we were invited to several receptions at the school where we were
introduced to the faculty staff and some of the members from the student society.
Housing
We rented an apartment in an area called Mile-End/Plateau. This is an affordable area close
to the school. We were three people sharing one apartment for 2300 CAD per month. If you
want to live closer to the school/downtown you should look up “McGill Ghetto”
There are some student apartments close to the school but these are hard to get, however,
you will get some information about these when getting the information package
Costs
The cost of living is lower than inI Norway, however textbooks cost about the same.
The International Office
There is an international office at the school, however we mainly contacted the faculty’s own
exchange representatives located in the faculty’s main building, the Bronfman building.
This is where you go if you have any questions related to your exchange, most importantly
may be when changing courses within the management faculty..
Exchange promotion
During the semester there was two exchange fairs, one was arranged for the entire school the
other one just for the management faculty. We attended the first one, but was never notified
about the second one.
Social Activities
The relationship with the other students was good, everyone was very friendly, its easy to
keep in contact with other students, as everyone is eager to meet new people.
Several activities are arranged, such as trips to other cities as well as parties by MISN (McGill
International Student Network). This also makes it easier to contact with other students who
are in the same situation as you.
There are several clubs you can join while at McGill you can check out the student socuety’s
web page at ssmu.mcgill.ca or attend the fair at the start of the semester where all the clubs
are represented to recruit new members.
Culture and Language
The main language in Montreal is French, but almost everyone also know English, as they are
part of the bilingual county Quebec. When at school all information is in both in English and
French, this is not the case in convenience stores etc. but this was never really a problem as
most people are relatively good in both English and French.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
All courses are taught in English, some courses are available in French. The level of
study is relatively higher at McGill compared to BI. McGill University has the highest entry
requirements in Canada and this is also reflected in the level of study. Depending on the
course there usually is a mix of cases, papers, assignments, presentations and projects in
addition to midterms and finals, usually though not all of them in one course. The reading is
quite similar to BI (depending on the course level), but the amount of work during the
semester is higher. In a lot of the courses they expect you to hand in individual and group
assignments and they often count around 10%-20% of your grade. The relationship between
professors and student is good, the classes are usually small (from 30-80 students), and you
will also be graded by participation in class. In some classes you will have to contact different
companies and have oral presentations. Therefore, the teaching situation is more practical
than at BI and you will learn more than just the theory. The faculty truly is there to help you
with anything you might need and they are always helpful.
Required Literature
The required literature is in English and is either a textbook or a course pack where the
professor puts together articles and cases for the course. The literature is used for both
detailed knowledge and a broad overview depending on the course. At the mid-terms, McGill
expect more detailed from the literature. On exams you are expected to have a rather detailed
knowledge on the literature.
Exams
As your grade usually consists of a mix of instruments, there is not necessarily a final
exam in each course. The finals usually weight between 30%-60% depending on the
workload during the semester. Usually grades are given on the assignments, participation,
midterm and final paper or final exam. Assignments are normally done in groups and are
relatively easy as you are free to discuss with both professors and other students. Midterms
and finals are relatively more difficult as you normally are expected to have quite detailed
knowledge. A score of 49% and below is considered fail and thus the grading can be tougher
than at BI.
Other
McGill are currently working with a new library, located in the management building, which is
expected due to be in use during the summer of 2012. There is also a main library located
next to the Management building, but it tends to be filled up. All students have access to all
the libraries, and the main library has a section that is open all day and night during the whole
year. And you will also be able to access the Management building 24/7. Most libraries are
open 24 hours in exam times. There are many computers in all the buildings and students
have access to all of these. Instead of BIs blackboard, McGill uses Minerva. At Minerva you
will get your fees, and to pay them you must either have a Canadian bank account, or go to a
bank where you can withdraw money and pay the fee there.
Description of Courses
FINE 342 Finance 2:
The first part of the course takes a look at different types of securities that
companies can issue or trade. Building on the first part we analyse financial decisions made
by companies – raising capital, paying dividends, managing risk, etc.
MGCR 382 International Business
An introduction to the world of international business. Economic foundations of international
trade and investment. The international trade, finance, and regulatory frameworks. Relations
between international companies and nation-states, including costs and benefits of foreign
investment and alternative controls and responses. Effects of local environmental
characteristics on the operations of multi-national enterprises.
ECON 319 Economic crises
This course provides an introduction to economic and financial crises. It draws on lessons
from “ancient” and recent historical episodes, and also discusses the crisis of 2008-09 as well
as some likely future crises.
MGCR 331 Information Systems:
Introduction to principles and concepts of information systems in organizations. Topics
include information technology, transaction processing systems, decision support systems,
database and systems development. Students are required to have background preparation
on basic micro computer skills including spreadsheet and word-processing.
It is a first year course where you are assigned both group projects and individual
assignments. There is one mid-term and one final.
MGSC 402 Operations Strategy:
This course is mainly aimed at students who intend either to manage or consult for operations
in the manufacturing and service industries. While many of the topics are informative for
senior managers, the primary focus is on preparing junior operations managers to take
effective actions.
MRKT 355 001 Services marketing: a course with one large group assignment with two
presentations and one midterm. In this project your group will have to contact a company and
do interviews and meetings. A part of the group project is to do a case study during the
semester, but there is no final. Oral participation is counting.
MRKT 365 001 New Products: A course with a large group-project with an oral presentation
in the end of the semester. You will have to do two individual papers and two mid-terms, but
there is no final in the course. Oral participation is counting.
MRKT 455 001 Sales Management: You will get a team assignment with one other class
mate. In this project your group will have to contact a company and do interviews and
meetings. There are two mid-terms and no final. Oral participation is counting.
Names and e-mails:
Ola L. Svalheim Ola.L.Svalheim@student.bi.no
Kristine Moen
kristine.moen1@student.bi.no