Student Report
Name of the University: Queen’s University
Exchange semester: Fall 2013
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
- When and how did you receive information from the exchange university?
Early May, by Email.
- Any difficulties in preparing (application, housing, contact, courses, etc)?
No
Applying for a visa (if applicable)
For those who need a visa to go to Canada
Apply online, http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/e-services/mycic.asp
The application will be processed in London Office, UK. So maybe you need to send
your passport to London once it’s approved
Travel
- How did you travel to your destination? Any problems?
I booked my two-way ticket on finn.no (travelled with Air Canada both ways) for
around 6000 NOK. I booked 1.5 months before I left, I’m sure it’s possible to get it
cheaper. I landed in Toronto, and took the buses (MegaBus) that takes 3 hours to get
Kingston for between $50. You can also book one more flight to Kingston directly.
Housing
- Was housing provided by the university, or did you have to find your own housing?
1. Apply for Queen’s Community Housing, usually better environment
2. Find houses around main campus (closer), sources of information:
a) Kijiji ads
b) FB group, there is a “Housing” group under Queen’s groups, just check it out (need
queen’s email address). So many houses available, both fall or spring term
-
-
What support did you receive from the school in locating housing?
The school gave a lot of information regarding housing options in the information
package we got in September.
Any special issues or good ideas for prospective students?
I would recommend finding something on the same side of Princess Street (the main
street) as campus is located (around Brock street, Union street etc.)
Costs
- Approximately how much per month did you spend on rent, books, food,
transportation, and other personal expenses?
Rent
Books
Food
3000 NOK
1500 NOK
(total)
1800 NOK
Transport
Other
500 NOK
800 NOK
Culture and language
- Did you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
No
- How were the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
Great opportunities, especially if you get some Canadian friends (in the exchange
program I took, Master of International Business, there were a lot of Canadians in my
class). I took the bus (MegaBus) to Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. Renting a car is
cheap, I went to Niagara Falls and New York by car, but you can also take buses.
However the bus to New York takes at least twice as many hours as by car.
Cultural and social effects from the exchange experience
- How do you think the exchange experience will affect you from a cultural and social
point of view?
Being “forced” to meet and work with people from all over the world was a great
experience for me, and I learned a lot about many different cultures. In the program I
was in there were approximately 120 students (divided in two classes), and with
different courses you got to know almost everyone.
- How do you think the exchange experience influences your future career possibilities?
I think it will be easier both to get a job abroad, and in Norway. Before I went on
exchange I didn’t even consider working abroad, now I’m much more open to it. I
think employers in Norway also appreciate people that have studied abroad, so it’s
definitely an advantage when seeking jobs.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
-
The school and its surroundings (give a short summary)
Kingston is a fairly small city, you can pretty much walk everywhere, and Queen’s
University is located a 5 minutes’ walk from the main street, Princess street. The
campus is huge, you couldn’t miss it. The campus is beautiful with a lot of old
buildings, football fields, and it’s close to the lake. The program I was in and I think
most BI students are, have courses in Goodes Hall, a newly renovated modern
building. It’s close to one of several libraries (the Stauffer library), the gym (the Arc),
Queen’s pub and the international centre.
-
Current faculty divisions and special areas
In my program there were approximately 120 students divided into two classes. As
mentioned the school is huge and as a lot of different programs, I’m only familiar with
the Master of International business program and the MBA program.
-
Study structure
Module 1 has 3 courses, 2 weeks for each. So you will finish them in six weeks
consecutively. Then you have 1 week break. Module 1 has two electives, you may
choose from several courses. I had no final exams in any of my courses; instead there
were several assignments, presentations and class participation that accounted for the
grades.
Course registration
- Were you able to register for courses before arrival?
Yes. But you can change courses before you take the 2nd class.
- When and how long was the period for adding/dropping courses?
Only before you take 2nd class.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
August 31th
September 17th
December 14th
Thanksgiving,
Halloween.
Other:
Arrival
- Was the administration and faculty well-prepared for your arrival?
Yes, there was 2 weeks of orientation before classes started. (Starting September 4th).
- Did the school’s students participate in the reception of the exchange students?
No.
- Describe the introduction week?
There were a lot of information about the exchange program in general, presentation
of the professors, how the courses were, about Queen’s university in general, where
you could buy books, where you could find health services and so on. We got a tour
around campus, and were divided into teams of 8 people to get to know each other.
Many group activities for team building, since you need to work as team a lot later.
The International Office
- Is there an international office?
Yes.
- As an exchange student, did you receive sufficient and relevant information? In
English?
Yes. However we also got some information that wasn’t relevant for exchange
students, for example about a school project (called 901) that only students that are
staying for a year need to take.
Promoting BI and Norway
- What kind of activities were you involved in to promote exchange to Norway at your
exchange university?
Talked a bit about the life in Norway with those exchange students going to BI next
semester.
Social activities
- How was your relationship with native students?
Very good, there were 26 nationalities in the program, and they were all very open to
get to know the exchange students.
- How was the relationship among the exchange students?
Very good. Since the classes were pretty small, we all got to know each other.
-
Is there a student organization, and if so, are the exchange students a part of it?
ETC is an organization all exchange students are a part of.
Are there any special activities and gatherings for exchange students?
The international office arranges a lot of gatherings for exchange students.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
- Describe the teaching style.
Same as BI, regular Power Point presentations. Class participation required.
- Language of instruction? Any problems?
- English.
- Is the teaching primarily practical or theoretical?
- Theoretical, however some of the courses were very practical.
- Did professors use cases, group work or lectures (or a combination)?
- Combination. We had a lot of cases and group work.
- How is the workload compared to that at BI?
- The workload is distributed throughout the whole semester, individual and group
paper; at BI I’m more used to final exams counting for almost 100% of the grade.
- Describe the relationship between professors and students.
- Good. In the smaller classes you get to know the professors well. Many want the
students in class to contribute with personal experiences and so on.
- Describe the relationship between the students in the classroom.
- Very good. The students are a lot more competitive and eager to participate in class
than what I’m used to. Many of the teachers have in class group work so it’s easy to
get to know people during class also.
Course materials
- Describe the course materials used (books/literature, online articles, Powerpoint, etc).
No books, there was a course package that consisted of printed literature, mostly
articles. The lectures (Powerpoint slides) are provided online.
- In which language were the course materials?
- English
- How do you estimate the level of the course materials in comparison to BI?
- The same, the difference is that we didn’t have books.
- Were materials used for detailed knowledge or a broad overview of a subject?
- Both.
Exams
- Was the exam based on the course materials or on the lectures?
Both, mostly the lectures.
- How was the course evaluated (include all that apply)?
o In-class quizzes throughout semester
o Small assignments and/or papers
o Presentations
o Group work
o Class attendance
o Class participation/debates
o Activities outside of the classroom (field trips)
Library and technology
- Do students have easy access to the library and its resources?
- Yes.
- Were computers provided around campus/in the library?
- Yes.
- How is technology used in teaching or to distribute information?
Both teachers and students used power point for presentations. We also had an online
simulation game for one of the courses. Information is distributed to 3 different portals
online, which can be kind of confusing.
Description of courses
Course code & name
MGBL: 801 Business
in Global Economy
Master/
Bachelor
Master
MGBL: 804 Global
Strategy
Master
MGBL: 851
Leadership across
cultures
Master
MGBL: 875 Business
and Management in
Asia-Pacific Region
Master
MGBL 841: Operation Master
Management
Exam form
Approved as
Comments
No final exam.
Assignments
and
presentations
No final exam.
Assignments
and
presentations
No final exam.
Assignments
and
presentations
No final exam.
Assignments,
presentations
and simulation
game
No final exam.
Assignments
and
presentations
Compulsory
Case study,
need class
participation
Compulsory
Writing
cases, and
guest speech
Compulsory
Reflection
about
leadership
Elective
Presentation,
quiz in class,
many
readings
Elective
Interesting
Prof.
Any other experiences/comments about your exchange experience?:
I highly recommend going on exchange, I met so many great people and learned a lot about
myself.