Name of the University: York University, Atkinson Faculty of Liberal Arts &
Professional Studies
Names of the students: Vibeke Thorsen Egaas and Ulrikke Johansen
Exchange semester: Fall 2010
1. ACADEMIC INFORMATION
General Information about the School
Atkinson Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies is part of York University,
which has about 50.000 students. The campus is located in North York, about an hour
of public transit from downtown Toronto.
There are about 400 graduate students and roughly 50 of these are exchange students.
However, a large part of the remaining 350 students have backgrounds from different
countries than Canada. There is little interaction between the graduate and
undergraduate students, but that is no different than at BI. We found the work amount
smaller than at BI, but on the other hand a little more time consuming.
The Teaching situation
All classes are taught in English and Norwegian students should not have any
problems with the pace of the professors or class discussions.
Compared to BI you will have to expect more class participation. You will be part of
an MBA program which means that all your classmates will have no less than two
years of work experience. The students are expected to apply their experiences to the
theory taught in class. Hence, the teaching is more practical oriented than what you
will be used to from BI. However, you may be surprised by the lack of theory based
argumentation and theoretical backup of a statement.
The teaching style depends largely on the professor, but there is in general a mix
between cases, group work and lectures. There is much focus put on group work and
presentations. The professors are interested in getting to know you and they will know
you by name after only a few weeks. The professors are very helpful and most of
them can be called by their first name, much like in Norway. There is always some
joking around in the classroom, both in the breaks, but also during the lectures.
Canadians don’t take themselves too seriously, they may however seem a little
reserved (like Norwegians), but they are very open and nice once you to get to know
them.
As mentioned, the workload should not scare a master student from BI, but some
assignments can be very time consuming even if the difficulty level is not very high.
At the MHRM program there is only one lecture per course per month, which means
that it is expected that you are prepared and have done all the readings ahead. We
took 3 courses which is the minimum requirement from BI (18 ECTs), and found that
this was more than enough if you want some time to travel and explore Toronto and
Canada as well. Maximum workload the program allows are 2 courses, so if you want
to take 4 we recommend you check out the possibilities. Make sure to sign up for
courses as soon as possible as the classes fill up pretty fast. It can take quite some
time before you receive the acceptance letter, so it can be a good idea to contact the
university to check the opportunity to sign up for classes as soon as they have handled
your application.
Required Literature
All literature is in English and the level of the language is no different than from what
we are used to at BI. Depending on the course, they may use books to a larger extent
than we do in Norway. We found that the articles used were rarely the typical
academic article with statistics and research, but more the typical Harvard Business
Review type. The books are very easily read, almost to the point where it’s frustrating
because of too much repetition. All required readings are expected to be done before
class, as much of the class discussion build on rather than repeat the readings.
You will be expected to come up with specific solutions to a problem rather than a
recommendation, to a much larger extent than in Norway. Exams are based on both
literature and lectures. Lectures are mandatory.
Exams
Exams are conducted differently from class to class. However, in most classes there is
a mix between class participation, some assignments (group assignment + individual
assignment), a presentation or two and in some cases a final exam or a final project. It
is not very hard to pass, but it is not easy to get an A+ either.
Other
When we worked at York we used to read at Schulich where the library is kind of
similar to BI’s, just smaller. However, there are several libraries available at York
campus and you will always find a place to read. The library at Schulich does not
have a zone which is completely silent as the silent area is not separate from the rest
of the library, but the standard of the library is high. You will have to register a few
times to get all accesses, but that shouldn’t take too long and once you have it is very
easy to use. There are some computers available at the library, but they are even
slower than the ones at BI. There are also very few printers, the printers are quite old
and it takes time to print out something.
Description of Courses
Both of us took Human Resource courses at Atkinson. We both had the same three
courses. Be prepared that the other students have much more practical experience that
they very much like to share. Also as students in the Organizational Psychology and
Leadership program at BI we do not have much knowledge about how concrete HR
practices works in organizations. We tried to contribute by challenging the theories
and looking at strengths and weaknesses on the theories from the readings, which the
rest of the class actually valued because it challenged their thinking as well. Don’t be
afraid to contribute even though you feel you can’t contribute with the same practical
understanding.
GS/HRM 6400 Organizational Change and Development
Just about any organizational change requires an understanding of the impact on
Human Resources. This is why HR practitioners are increasingly being called upon to
assist organizations with efforts to adapt to new business realities. HR professionals
can play a key role in both the creation and implementation of organizational change
strategies. This course is intended to offer insight into the nature of organizational
change and the challenges of facilitating change. It provides graduating students with
skills to integrate organizational theory and practice to facilitate the adaptation to
environmental influences.
The course is very practical and based on an active learning model, which means that
it is required of the students to participate in class discussions. The instructor’s role is
to assist the students in making a connection between academic theories and business
realities. For each class the professor would group students into groups of two, and
you have to come up with discussion questions which you present for the rest of the
class. There was also one business case for each session which was discussed in class
by grouping students into groups of 4/5 where the different groups looked at different
problems from the case, and then presented it. You would learn some interesting
aspects in this course, but we felt there was a little bit too much focus on only a
couple of theories. In this course we had one session (Sunday) each month during four
months.
Evaluation:
Developmental Log: Reading & Real Life Reflections
Organizational Change - Group Case Study (Report & Presentation)
Self-Reflection on Change – Individual Paper
10%
40%
30%
Class Participation
20%
TOTAL
100%
GS/HRM 6100 Staffing Organizations
This course explores important research findings and contemporary issues related to
the staffing of organizations. The overall framework used to guide the analysis of
effective staffing procedures and processes is derived from the model of
organizational entry: recruitment, selection, orientation/induction, socialization,
personnel retention, and turnover/ labour wastage).
This is a more theoretical course, as the topics are more concrete than the more
abstract themes in organizational change. However, there are a lot of class
discussions, both in groups and for the whole class, so be prepared and make sure
you’re active during the sessions. This year was a little different than expected for this
course, as a new professor had to take over half-way through the course. The two
professors were very different, one of them being very rigid in the way of teaching,
and the other being more free and having very open discussions. But then again, there
was a little less structure for the last sessions because it was hard for the “new”
professor to overlap with what the other had started. As this was a bit more theory
focused the participants were not as hung up in talking about their own experiences
from their organizations, so class participation is somewhat easier for a BI student in
this course. You learn a lot of interesting and useful thing about recruitment and
selection, so if this is of interest for you we would recommend this course.
We had two sessions each month (Friday+Saturday) during two months for this
course.
Evaluation:
Individual Essay:
35%
Group Project and Presentation
25%
Individual Confirmatory Assignment (Take home exam)
30%
Participation
10%
TOTAL:
100%
GS/HRM 6800 Global Mindsets and People Management
This course explores issues related to global mindsets and people management
(GMPM), and look at how organizations should combine HRM and
internationalization. The course covers four broad topics related to GMPM; Global
Business and Global Expansion, Global HRM as an enabler, performance enhancer,
and integrator, Global Mobility and Movement, and Global Talent
Management/Global Leadership Development/Global Career Management. As global
business makes up an increasingly amount of international trade, it’s important to
learn about how global business work and how to incorporate HRM practices in a
global business.
This was a very interesting course with a lot of interesting readings and discussions.
The professor started the first sessions with teaching about internationalization
processes, and further advanced it by incorporating more and more HRM related
issues. There is an emphasis on critically reviewing theory and applying theory to
practice, so there is a lot of case analysis- which a BI student should be familiar with.
As with the other courses, there is a lot of case discussions, both organized by the
professor and open discussions from class participants. We were only 6 participants in
this course this fall, so it was quite intense. However, it was a very informal and
intimate atmosphere, which we found beneficial. Before each session, the professor
group students into groups of 2 and you are to solve a business case which is to be
presented in class. You are expected to participate actively in discussions when there
are others presenting, and are evaluated both as a presenter and as a “panel”
(audience). We would strongly recommend this course. We had two sessions
(Friday+Saturday) each month during two months for this course.
Evaluation:
Case Study Presentation (Pairs)
20% x 2 (cases)
Class Q&A Activity 5% x 4 (the whole class will act as the Q&A panel)
Course paper (Individual)
25%
In-class participation and cases
15%
TOTAL:
100%
2. PRACTICAL INFORMATION ON THE SCHOOL AND THE EXCHANGE
EXPERIENCE
Information before you left
Once the university has handled you application, they send out an Acceptance
Package with a lot of practical information regarding the school, log on information to
your account (where you sign up for courses, view grades, etc), and your student visa.
As mentioned, it make take some time before this package arrives in Norway, so it
might be a good idea to contact the university via e-mail so that you can sign up for
courses as soon as possible. We didn’t receive our package before June/August, and
hence were not given the opportunity to choose courses, but had to take the ones that
had available capacity. The international relations office at BI can probably also
answer a lot of your questions before departure.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
As a Norwegian citizen you don’t have to think about any visa, you can stay in
Canada for six months without one. It is important that you bring your letter of
acceptance (student visa from the acceptance package) as you will have to show this
to the security guards at the emigration office at the airport in Canada. You might also
experience to get a lot of questions about your stay, but these are very standard
questions and we had no problems with this. If you have another citizenship, then you
must contact your embassy and get acquainted with the visa procedures.
Academic Calendar
As you probably will be a little jet lagged it is a good idea to arrive a few days before
the introductory week begins. If you want to travel and experience Canada/USA, it
can also be a good idea to arrive f.ex one month early to get the time to do this – time
flies when you’re on exchange Our calendar looked like this:
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Arrival date: September 1st
Orientation for graduate students (mandatory): September 2nd
Welcome meeting: September 8th
Orientation for exchange and international students: September 9th
First day of the semester: 8 September (Our first class: September 12th)
Last day of classes: Around December 12th (Our last class: December 18th)
Examination period: December 12th – 23rd (Our last due date: January 7th)
Any special events
- Some religious holidays as well as Thanksgiving – very good breaks for
travelling (October 9th – 15th )
- Halloween October 31st. Make sure to carve pumpkins, dress up in
Halloween costume and buy lots of candy for the kids!
- Nuit Blanche: A whole night of art exhibition around Toronto. Usually
about 1 million people in the streets – the exhibitions are spread around the
whole city, and there is food carts everywhere. All bars and clubs have
extended opening hours.
- In the end of August to the beginning of September Canada National
Exhibition is being held at the exhibition place in Toronto. It is the largest
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fair in Canada. The main event is the air show which draws a big crowd.
You will hear the noise over the city several days ahead when the pilots
are rehearsing.
Santa Claus parade is held downtown during December
Reception
Our contact person upon arrival was Debbie Jamieson who works at the
administration at the HRM department (Atkinson faculty). She contacted us before we
arrived about books and course material, as it is expected that you have read all the
articles and book chapters before the first lecture. It can therefore be a good idea to
arrive some time before the first lecture. All books and collections of articles for the
HRM courses were free of charge, and Debbie even printed out all the articles we
needed. She is very helpful and will help you with all your questions both before and
after arrival.
Atkinson is not very good at hosting social events for their MBA students, so we
strongly recommend you to take part of everything else York offers in the beginning
of September. We received an e-mail with the dates of these welcome and orientation
meetings - make sure you get this information. The orientation day for the exchange
students is a good opportunity to make friends, so try to socialize as much as you can
on this event. You might experience that there are a lot of undergraduate students, but
that shouldn’t be a problem. Schulich (The business school faculty) is more like BI
when it comes to frosh week (Fadderuker) and other events, so try to check out the
availability of these events and try to join in. A good idea is to check if any students
from the marketing program are going on exchange to Toronto, because they attend
Schulich. Establish contact, and hang out together to get the best of the whole school.
Housing
The International Relations Office is very helpful when it comes to the
accommodation, especially if you don’t want to live in the student residences. They
had a contact person that provided us with offers that best matched our preferences.
There are employees at York working especially as housing coordinators, so contact
York for help.
You can choose to live in the student residences on campus or stay downtown like we
did. We highly recommend staying downtown as you get a more sense of living in a
major city, meeting more Canadians, and are close to everything that Toronto has to
offer. When living on campus you need to take the subway, as mentioned, about 1
hour to get downtown, and the subway only go until 1 o’clock at night. The campus at
York is not like a regular “American campus” with a lot of things happening all the
time, and the area feels more like a suburb than a major city. However, it all depends
on how many courses you take. If you take 4 or 5 courses it might be hard to travel 2
hours back and forth to get to school everyday. We recommend to live near the yellow
subway line (between Spadina and Bloor) if you choose to live downtown, as this
takes you in direction York.
If you choose to live on campus you can either live in Assiniboine or The Village. In
Assiniboine you will have a standard apartment for yourselves. The quality of the
apartment is a medium one. If you choose to live in The Village you will share a
house with other students with your own room, sharing the bathroom and the kitchen
with the others. The standard in the Village is probably a little higher and the cost
definitely lower. You will get in contact with many other cultures while sharing the
house with other people, which is a huge advantage in staying at The Village.
If you choose to live downtown you can also look for courses that are taught at Nadal
campus downtown. To find an apartment in Toronto you can for instance check
http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites. However, be aware of scam. A good idea is to
get your Program Assistant to meet with the landlord and have a look at the house
before you pay any deposit. Our Program Assistant, Debbie Jamieson, was happy to
do that for us. Start to look for housing as soon as you can, we experienced it to be
difficult to find people who wanted to take someone in for only four months, and in
addition had furnished apartments. Like Oslo, the areas differ in terms of standard and
environment.
Costs
The largest cost will most likely be the rent. We lived downtown in a huge house
with 10 other people and paid from $550 to $600 each (laundry excluded). You had
your own room, and the rest of the house was shared facilities. Most of the other
people living there were students, and our age. However, our house was not in the
best area (Dundas East), therefore the rent was not that high. If you choose to live in
other areas downtown, such as the Annex, Little Italy, the financial district, the
harbour area, or the entertainment district you have to be prepared for prices around
$800-$900. However, these are the best areas to live in, and they are all downtown.
If you choose to live at campus, a bachelor apartment in Assiboine costs $735 per
month and internet costs about 30 extra. However, it is possible to find cheaper and
better alternatives. A room in The Village costs around $450 - $600, depending on the
quality.
At the HRM program you will get all books and articles for free, as well as free
breakfast, lunch and beverages the day you have classes.
Food will be cheaper than in Norway and the restaurants are more affordable. Still,
you have to add about 13% tax and 15% tip when you eat out, so it might not be as
cheap as you first thought. Going out for beers is much cheaper than in Norway ($ 47), and you can get really cheap pints or pitchers of beer around the Annex, College
Street, and Queen Street. You will also find that buying alcohol in the store is much
cheaper than in Norway, however you cannot buy any alcohol at the supermarket in
Toronto. You need to go to the Beer Stores and LCBOs. Make sure to check out Bring
Your Own restaurants, where you can bring your own pre-bought alcohol to the
restaurant and only pay for the food.
The price of a single fare on the transportation (bus and subway) is $3 and a
monthly metro pass is about $100. Since we lived downtown, we found it cheaper to
just buy single rides whenever we needed to. There is a lot of self studying, and there
are several universities within walking distance downtown where you can go to read
or work. A day pass is $10, which can be useful for sightseeing days.
Regarding health insurance you will have to buy a student insurance from a
Norwegian insurance company. In addition, as a Norwegian citizen, you are covered
by the National Insurance Scheme, so contact HELFO to get your insurance card. The
school has a mandatory health insurance (UHIP), but Norwegians get a waiver for this
as our national insurance covers everything. Make sure to get this waiver as soon as
possible, so that your financial account at York doesn’t build up with fees you are not
supposed to pay. Remember that as a Norwegian exchange student, you shall not pay
anything to the school, so make sure to check up on the online financial account and
take care of waivers as soon as the fees are sent out.
You can open a chequing account in Bank of Montreal (BMO). They are located at
York Lanes (on campus) and is free of charge. We chose to not open any account and
rather used our Norwegian bank cards which worked out just fine. Be aware that not
every ATM takes VISA, as that is seen as a credit card and not a debit card. Canada is
not as technical as Norway when it comes to banking so it is useful to have cash as
well. Whenever, you go out to eat, drink or if you’re taking a cab, remember to tip.
People in Canada get lower salaries, and live of the tip to a greater extent than in
Norway, and it’s not optional to tip regardless of the service. Tip will also ensure a
higher service degree if you in a bar or something like that. In fact, you might
experience to not be served a second round if you don’t tip the bartender!
The International Office
Debbie Jamieson is the Program Assistant at the HRM program and will help you
with all you questions. The International Office is also easy to ask about whatever
issues that may arise. You will receive an e-mail from the International Office once a
week about information on what’s happening in Toronto, as well as practical
information. Our main contact there was Norma Speranza.
Social Activities
It is very easy to get to know both Canadians and other exchange students. However,
you can expect to spend most time with other exchange students. Remember that you
are all in the same boat, so be out there and seek new friends. Because of mix up we
did not get any information about social activities at school from York, but since we
were lucky enough to live with one of the other exchange students who went to
Schulich, we joined him for some social activities. It would definitely be a good idea
to get acquainted with the social activities going on at Schulich as all the exchange
students there usually joins in on these. There are also social activities going on at the
rest of York University, so contact the International Office for updates on these.
Culture and Language
As mentioned above, Master students from BI have nothing to fear when it comes to
language. You will probably experience to be above average. In terms of culture, it is
important to keep an open mind. Canadians are very friendly and easy to talk to.
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience
You should definitely take the opportunity to go on exchange!!! You will learn that
there is more than one way to do things and experience that peoples’ perceptions of an
issue can differ a lot based on their cultural point of view. You will also acquire new
skills in term of how to approach new people and how to build new relationships. It’s
also a great experience to take with you in terms of learning how to adjust to a new
school. Your English will also improve, as you surround yourself with native speakers
at all times. After a semester abroad you might become more bold and seek
opportunities to work international or you may find out that you like it more in
Norway. Anyway, you will get an experience of a lifetime and Toronto is a great city
to live in. It is one of the worlds most multicultural cities packed with culture and
influences from all over the world, as well as a great music scene. It is just a few
hours in a bus or a plane to other major cities such as New York, Chicago, Buffalo
and Montreal. Travelling around is a must! We especially enjoyed Montreal with its
French atmosphere, and New York is mandatory! Finally, you will gain a lot of new
friends, many of them for a lifetime and this makes the experience even more
entertaining. Be aware that the exchange period flies so fast and make friends among
the Canadians too. They are very interesting and international people. You never
know when you get back, maybe looking for a job, so a network of people will be
very helpful.
Any other experiences:
Be aware that, besides studying, an exchange period is also loads of fun! As we said
before Toronto is just the city where you can do even the unthinkable  We provide
you with a list of the most interesting things to do and visit:
 CN Tower, treat yourself to a dinner at the top of the tower. The restaurant
rotates giving you a perfect view of the greater Toronto area.
 Toronto Island, perfect for recreational activities. Ferries leave from
downtown, at walking distance from Union Station. We advise you to go there
soon after arrival, as it is a typical “summer” place to be.
 Dundas Square, Toronto’s small version of Piccadilly Circus or Times Square.
Dinner at Hard Rock Café.
 Little Italy on College street, an Italian pizza is a must.
 Chinatown, a large area stretching along Spadina Avenue. Eat at Lee Gardens.
 Rogers Centre, the major league baseball (Toronto Blue Jays) and Canadian
football (CFL), Toronto Argonauts, stadium. If you want to catch a baseball
game you should go with someone who knows the game e.g. exchange
students from Venezuela or Canadians, a good excuse to get drunk on $ 10
beers.
 Air Canada Centre, the NBA (Toronto Raptors) and NHL (Toronto Maple
Leafs) arena. A hockey match is highly worthwhile but very expensive.
However, efforts should be made in seeing one. Electric atmosphere.
 City Hall, and ice skating at Nathan Philips Square. Don’t be afraid to try even
if your skating skills aren’t the best.
 Shopping; the Eaton Centre + Yorkdale Centre. More exclusive shopping on
Bloor-Yorkville. Queen Street West, more hip and trendy clothes.
 Niagara Falls, a trip is most likely arranged by the Open Arms Committee. See
the falls during the day, and try out the Casino and popular clubs at night.
During the fall season, you can book nice hotels for a cheap price.
 ROM – Royal Ontario Museum, and Art Gallery of Ontario.
 Pub to pub along College Street (Nirvana and Sneaky Dees has great
atmosphere).
 The Annex (take the subway to Spadina) for cheap and delicious Thai food
(try Thai Basil), and cheap beer at all the student bars (The Green Room is a
favorite).
 Kensington Market near College Street is Toronto’s “Camden Market”. Full of
hippies, peace and love, nice cafes and vintage shops - this area sure has a
great vibe.
 If you are in to music don’t miss going to some of the concerts held everyday
all over the city! From big international names to smaller local bands playing
at small pubs and cafes. Toronto has such a lively music scene! To keep up
with all the events check out blogto.com, shedoesthecity.com, and Eyeweekly
and NOW - free magazines that come out once a week (you will find them at
subway stations, cafes, etc.) The Horseshoe Tavern is a very popular place at
Queen Street where local bands play.
 TIFF: Toronto International Film Festival is held every September. A lot of
famous movie stars visit Toronto, bring your camera and get a glimpse of the
stars!
 Try all the different traditional restaurants from all over the world as well as
all the different districts. You will get a new experience every the time 
Useful links and e-mails:
http://www.yorku.ca/yorkweb/cs.htm (Page with answers to a lot of common
questions about student issues)
http://helfo.no/privatperson/Sider/default.aspx (To get your insurance card, remember
to say that it is for a stay outside of EU/EEC (EØS)
http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/ (Apartments)
http://viewit.ca/ (Apartments)
http://www3.ttc.ca/ (Toronto Transit Commission –you can check the subway map for
the yellow line)
jamieson@yorku.ca Debbie Jamieson – Coordinator HRM program
speranza@yorku.ca Norma Speranza – International Office at York
Vibeke Thorsen Egass – v_egaas@hotmail.com
Ulrikke Johansen – ulrikkejohansen@gmail.com
If you have ANY questions, please do not hesitate to ask