University of Rochester – Simon School of Business
Student Report
Name of the University: Simon Graduate School of Business
Exchange semester: Fall / Spring, 2013
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I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
- Nathan Kadar, responsible for the exchange students, is a great resource you should
use to the fullest. He provided information in a timely matter, and respondes quickly
to any questions or concerns you may have. Begin the process of finding housing
before you leave – short-term rentals are difficult to find!
Applying for a visa (if applicable)
- Application through the US embassy in Oslo – begin the process early! Once you have
all of the required documentation, the actual “interview” at the embassy is extremely
quick (2 min talk). Be at the embassy at least an hour before it opens if you schedule
an early interview, the line can become crazy!
Travel
- Many options, but I found it to be cheapest to fly with Norwegian to JFK, and then
take a train from NYC to Rochester (approx. 6 hours). For domestic flights withing the
US, Jetblue is a good option (one way from JFK to Rochester International Airport
costs approx. $150).
Housing
- The only “on-campus” option is short-term rental studios at Goler. Goler is primarily
inhabited by graduate students and visiting professors, so do not be concerned about
endless parties. However, my apartment did not have a kitchen (only a microwave and
a small refridgerator). All in all, however, I would recommend Goler due to its ease,
location (10 min walk from campus), and price (approx $600 a month). For offcampus options, see previous student reports. Note, limited availability, so you need to
apply well in advance to enter in a lottery to get a studio!
Costs
Rent
Books
Food
Transport
Other
NOK 3000
NOK 1000
NOK 5000
NOK 0
NOK 0
Culture and language
- Communication in English. Experience the country at will – but note that there are
weekly assignments, so traveling to e.g., NYC is a challenge during the semester due
to all of the group meetings you most likely will have.
University of Rochester – Simon School of Business
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Simon is one of the top business schools in the USA. With approximately 300 students in the
MBA/MS programs, the Simon School is small in size compared to most other American
Business Schools. Further on, Simon has an internationally diverse student population, with
approximately 50% being Chineese. The great focus on team-study approaches and creative
business problem solving exposes Simon students to enriching interaction with faculty and
fellow students. The school is located at the UofR’s River Campus, a couple of miles south
east of downtown Rochester, and I would not described the environment as very urban.
Overall, the reading material is less than at BI. However, Simon requires weekly assignments
and frequent other reports, presentations etc, so the workload is heavy if you want good
results. Students are also required to participate in class discussions.
Course registration
- Preliminary registration before departure, but possible to switch until 1. October. Note
that the most popular courses become full within hours when registration begins, so be
proactive. Also note that Simon is primarily a school for students interested in finance,
and not marketing. Options for electing e.g., marketing courses is highly limited!
Check out offered courses before applying to Simon!
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
September 18th.
November 28th
December 2th – 6th
Thanksgiving end of
Oct
Other:
Arrival
- A tour of the campus with your fellow exchange students before classes start, and an
orientation day with Nathan Kadar and other exchange students. Arrive in Rochester at
least one week in advance to settle in.
The International Office
- Most information readily available. Do not be afraid to ask!
Promoting BI and Norway
- Unfortunately, there were no event for promoting international opportunities at BI, so
my promotion primarily related to personal communication with my peers.
Social activities
- As Simon is a highly international school, creating relationships with fellow students
was pretty easy. However, it should be noted that the school does not have a strong
“school spirit,” and some may find students to be somewhat “clicky.” Be proactive,
attend social events, which there are many of, and most will find the Simon experience
to be a pleasant one. As exchange students primarily are enrolled in MBA courses
with part-time students with full-time jobs, getting to know full-time students is
challenging. However, there are tons of student clubs that one can join, which is a
good way to get to know full-time students.
University of Rochester – Simon School of Business
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
- Extremely practical, and cannot be compared to the style you are familiar with at BI.
Almost no required academic articles, and limited use of the textbooks. The
curriculum is limited to what you go through in the classroom. Although the workload
is comparable to BI, the level of difficulty (at least based on my experience) is far
below that of BI, due to the schools emphasis on practical knowledge and logical
thinking.
Course materials
- Mostly slides, but all courses have textbooks that are recommened. Due to the limited
use of the textbook, I would not recommend buying all of the textbooks. The library
offers all textbooks for two-hour loans, and you are free to scan the relevant pages you
need.
Exams
- The exam was primarily based on the lectures, so spend most of your time on
understanding the slides and be present in all lectures. Oral participation is important.
Be prepared to tons of group meetings, and the difficulties associated with scheduling
meetings with many different groups (This really requires plannining ahead). Most of
the workload at Simon is associated with these group assignments. Studying for the
midterm and exams cannot be compared to BI – memorization is not required, so you
only really need a couple of days to prepare.
Library and technology
- The library is a great resource, and their collection is massive. In the 2nd floor they
have a room dedicated to graduate students that is somewhat of a hidden gem. Great
for reading.
Description of courses
ENT 422 Generating and Screening Entreprenuiral Ideas
An OK class, but expect plenty of educated guessing and approximation. In retrospect, I
cannot say that I learned anything useful or even in general, but it was a relatively easy course
with mid-to-low work load (which your really need as taking 4 courses is challenging a is
associated with a high workload). No exam, but numerous hand-ins, and a final presentation
of a project you work with throughout the semester. I would not recommend this course.
MKT 414 Pricing Policies
Pricing policies was probably the best course I had at Simon, and is highly recommended!
The professor (Richard Cardot) was extremely pleasant, so the lectures were great. The
workload is medium-to-high, but as a student you learn a lot. The grade is based on 10% class
participation, group homework assignments 30%, midterm 30%, and final exam 30%. Word
of advice, the solution to the homeworks are never as easy as you may think!
MKT 402 Marketing Management
University of Rochester – Simon School of Business
This is Simon’s introduction to marketing, and is as such basic in nature. Although my
concentration is in Marketing, this turned out to be the most work-intensive course at Simon.
4 hand-ins (10 pages each), oral participation, midterm and an exam. Do not expect to employ
your marketing theory from BI, the professor expects you to employ logical thinking and his
own multiattribute model (which all assignments relates to). Do not deviate from his course
lectures! This course cannot be recommended to anybody that has taken a marketing course at
BI. Although it does offer a different perspective to the highly theortically driven perspective
of BI, the high work-load and learning outcome cannot defend enrolling in this course.
OMG 416 Project Management
This course did not live up to my expectations, primarily due to the professor who practically
read off his own slides (although he responded to questions). The workload was medium to
high, with weekly hand-ins, a term paper (5-8 pages) and a 10 minute (!) exam. The learning
outcome was not very high at all, I cannot recommend this course.
Summary
Do not expect to live in an urban area – Rochester is a very small city, and I would not even
compare it with Oslo. All in all, I cannot recommend Simon for students enrolled in the MSc
Strategic Marketing Management due to the highly limited offering of cources in Marketing.
Although the workload was very high, the learning outcome has been far below what I
expected. However, if your concentration is in finance, or if you find finance interesting,
Simon should be considered. From a social point of view, Simon and Rochester is like any
other place – it is what you make of it.