Student Report Simon Fraser University
Fall 2013
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
I found the application process to be somewhat time-consuming, but never stressfull, due to
the guidance from the International office at BI and emails from SFU. SFU regularly sent
emails about progress regarding the application. Also, one of the International student
advisors sent me a draft of my schedule at one point. Always ask the SFU staff if you have a
question, they are happy to answer.
There is no trouble with VISA, as you don’t need one to stay in Canada for more than
six months. This literally means that all you need to get into the country is your passport and
your reason for entering, which in this case would be the letter stating that you have been
accepted to SFU.
The travel takes a long time. I traveled Oslo-Stockholm-Chicago-Vancouver, which
takes 13 hours excluding time at the airports. It basically took almost 24 hours to get here,
including travel to/from airports and waiting for flights. But I do know that more expensive
tickets could get you here faster.
Housing is probably the most important thing to consider before you arrive. I chose to
stay on campus, and I would not only recommend this to others, I would say it is essential for
social and academic well-being. I do not know off any exchange students that stayed offcampus.
Costs
- Approximate cost breakdown;
Rent
Books
Food
Transport
Other
NOK 3750
NOK 500
NOK slightly
cheaper than
norway
NOK paid
for by
university
NOK
The price level in Vancouver is said to be the highest on the North-American continent. Still,
for a Norwegian traveller, it is cheaper than home. But be aware of what kind of
neighbourhood you eat or shop in. It should not surprise anyone that the more “upscale”
resturants and stores in Vancouver are more expensive than their comparables in Norway.
Correspondingly, the student prices and low-price stores are cheaper than their Norwegian
counterparts. I believe this is a symptom of a different wealth-distribution than we are used to
in Scandinavia.
Regarding costs, my final advice is to avoid Nesters Market, which is the only grocery
store on campus, as it is severly overpriced compared to WallMart in nearby Lougheed.
Culture and language
Language will inevitably be an issue for exchange students, but I would not say it caused any
problems. It causes misunderstandings from time to time for sure, but nothing serious. As a
Norwegian, you are most likely a lot better in English than many other exchange students. It
should be mentioned though, that the huge population of not ethnical Canadians and
international students on SFU have varying English skills.
The possibilities to experience the country and the culture where fairly good. But take
note that this university is isolated outside the city, which results less interaction with the
society in the city. Also, the heavy courseload could be a restraining factor.
ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The School is located 45 minutes with public transit outside of the city center. It is, compared
to Norwegian standards, a huge university, with closer to 30 000 students. It teaches a wide
varity of studies, on all levels. The Uni. is known for it Criminology courses, which
supposively is very good. Also, the Beedie Business School is ranked as one of the best in
Canada. Some publications rank it as number 10, others as top 3. It really depends on where
you seek information. To avoid confusion, let me explain that when referring to the Beedie
School of Business, it is just referring to the faculty of business at SFU.
Course registration
Course registration happened at early june, after guidance given by emails from SFU. This
was not a problem. Courses can be added and dropped during the add and drop period by
talking to the staff at the Business faculty front desk. The add/drop period ended at October
the 10, but you are highly recommended to sort out your courseplan long before this. As not
all courses follow books, the safest way to keep up is to attend the lectures from the start.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
27/aug
3/sept
3/ dec
3-13/dec
Canadian
thanksgiving,
remembrance day
Other:
Arrival
The introduction week was a very good way to meet fellow students, especially other
exchange students.The week is characterized by the fact that most students are fresh out of
high school. Therefore, most of the participants were 17-18 years old. To me, these students
did not give the impression of being very mature. Alcohol was not seen on any public events,
as the age limit for drinking is 19 years. The exchange students organized their own nighttime events.
The introduction week was very valuable, both socialy and in terms of prepearing for studies.
The International Office
The international office at SFU are very thorough with informing you about anything that
might be of interest. The hardest part is to actually filter out the parts that are relevant to you.
They are friendly, and questions are encouraged.
Promoting BI and Norway
I participated in an exchange fair where we ran a Norway/Denmark booth. Here, people could
come and ask questions about exchange to universities in our countries. This did not take too
much effort, but was a useful experience. Recommended.
Social activities
The relationship among students was friendly and pleasant. A lot of social activity centered
around the on-campus pub, where both Canadian and exchange students goes to pub nights
and arranged partie.
There were several organized events for international and exchange students. As I did
not attend very many of them, it is hard to tell too much about how it was. All in all, the social
experience was very good. Canadians are very friendly people, and the mentality amomng the
exchange students was coherent to this. There are several events for exchange students
running every now and then at SFU.
ACADEMICS
In the classroom
The teaching style is different from home. You are expected to participate, and to be
prepeared at all times. I would say I have had all kinds of lectures during my stay here. That
includes everything from a standard BI-style lecture, to presentations, including roleplay, and
sometimes doing graded work in class.
The workload at SFU is much heavier. If you have ambitions to perform at top level,
you would have to work more than at BI.
But still, I want to mention that the courses here are for the most part not technically
harder than the ones at BI. You are just expected to read more and solve more problems to
ensure your continued learning. The expetion though, is Investments, wich was a very
technical course.
Course materials
The course material are varying, some courses employ the canvas online system for
distribution of articles and other material. Others only use books. As the books are more
expensive than in Norway, I would recommend to find out which books that will be useful
and which will not, in order to avoid unnecessary expences.
Evaluation
As part of your final grade in a course, SFU employ written final exams, mid-term exams, inclass quizzes, small assignments and/or papers, presentations, group work, class attendance,
class participation/debates, and at one occasion activities outside of the classroom.
The Library was under renovation during my stay, so I believe the old, gloomy feel it
had will be improved soon. Generally, the school and library is well-equipped with computers
and printers. Places to study are located randomly around the school and in the library. The
design of this might cause some frustration.
Description of courses
I took 4 courses during my semester, with a total of 13 candian credits that translates to 26
ECTS.
BUS303 Business society and Ethics, 3 credits
This course gave me interesting new insights in the ethical aspects of decision making
processes on a managerial level. I would recommend this course because of its interesting
content, but also because of its high level of student interaction.
BUS346 International Business, 3 credits
This course focuses on what strategic decisions that needs to be made when establishing a
business in another country. The course basically did not add very much knowledge for me.
The professor whas not very impressive.
BUS314 New Venture Finance, 3 credits
This course was very interesting. It focuses on how to raise capital fo a new venture, and
what that adds value to a start-up company. The professor was a rather young businessman
with several ventures on his back. The course was not too difficult, but the students in that
class a very high academic level.
BUS315 Investments, 4 credits
This course was highly mathematical, and demands a lot of work. My personal preference is
that this course is not ideal for students that might want to do traveling and such during the
semester. This course requires several prerequisite courses that is not a part of the first two
years of the BI bachelor of business administration degree.
Final note
Going here was for sure the best decision I have made so far during my education. My
perspectives on further education, work and travel have all been changed. Meeting people
from so many different places has been a brilliant experience. After talking to students from
other places, you definitely get a feeling of having much more choices just what Norway can
offer. I have met friends from several countries that I am looking forward to visit later.
Socially, being the only Norwegian in the exchange program over here was all good fun.
From an academic pont of view, this semester was probably not the most relevant so far in my
degree. But the experience gained from using English as working language, especially in
groups, was highly valuable!