Name of the University: York University, Schulich School of Business
Names of the students: Catalina Spiridon and Peder Apall-Olsen
Exchange semester: Fall 2008
1.
ACADEMIC INFORMATION
General Information about the School
Schulich 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.
Schulich is to a large extent York’s flagship and it is rated as number 15 among all business schools worldwide. Their executive MBA program was rated as number one in 2008. The School is smaller than BI, but just like BI it is relatively new and holds a high standard.
As far as we know, all the areas which are taught at BI, are also taught at Schulich and the following specializations are available: Accounting, Arts & Media
Administration, Business & Sustainability, Business Consulting, Economics,
Entrepreneurial Studies, Finance, Financial Engineering, Financial Services, Health
Industry Management, International Business, Marketing, Nonprofit Management and
Leadership, Operations Management and Information Systems, Public Management,
Real Property Development, Strategic Management and they also have good
Organizational Behavior classes.
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. The work amount is not greater than at BI, but it may be 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 and they are easy to get to know.

Schulich is much diversified and if you like you can get friends from all over the world.
As mentioned, the workload should not scare a master student from BI, but some assignments can be very time consuming even if the difficult level is not very high.
Because some classes take a lot of time, we would recommend that you only take three courses as this will also give you a great opportunity to go traveling.
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. Also, the articles they use in Canada are often relatively old compared to at BI. As the books do not go into the same amount of detail as an article would, you are expected to apply the broad overview as presented in the book and then apply based on your own ideas. 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. Some courses (like the marketing ones) also rely on internet research as well as on market research data bases. Exams are based on both literature and lectures.
Lectures are to a large extent mandatory.
Exams
Exams are conducted differently from class to class. However, in most classes there is a mix between class participation, some assignments, 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
As the school is smaller than BI, so is the library. 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, 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.
Schulich uses as system similar to Blackboard where the professors post information and where group members can easily communicate.
Description of Courses
While Peder took Organizational Psychology courses, Catalina also took Marketing courses to complete her Minor specialization at BI.
OBIR 6320U Cross Cultural Management
This course is designed to address the dilemmas and opportunities that managers face in multicultural and international work environments. The purpose of the course is to improve students' effectiveness in identifying, understanding, and managing cross-

cultural situations through increased cultural awareness, improved cross-cultural communication and transition skills, and enhanced knowledge of specific cultures and related business practices.
The course is very practical and each class is devoted to a specific case which is discussed. The course is fairly interesting, especially as an exchange student you get to learn how business is conducted around the globe.
Evaluation:
Course Project (team)
Written report 40%
Presentation
Process Report (individual)
10%
25%
Case Memo (individual) 10%
Participation 15%
OBIR 6350A The Management of Change
As the environment of many business and nonprofit organizations becomes increasingly complex and unstable, it is imperative that top managers be able to create a climate of flexibility and adaptability in their operations. Organizations must be able to undertake major change without destructive side effects to be truly successful. This course surveys the major methods available to the modern manager for effectively managing the process of change and creating a general climate in which needed changes are sought and welcomed throughout the organization. The course emphasizes case studies and the discussion of alternative change management models.
This class was taught by the professor of the year at Schulich and can be highly recommended.
Evaluation:
Team assignment 30%
Team article presentation 20%
Personal journals (4)
Course contribution
30%
20%
OBIR 6550A Strategic Career Management
Rapid changes in the economy and in organizational structure are having a profound impact on traditional patterns and conceptions of work and career. This course provides graduating students with a body of theory and skills which will allow them to effectively manage their own careers as well as the career development of their future subordinates. In addition, the pedagogical approach (which employs inductive logic, action planning and implementation) develops several key managerial skills; the ability to sift through large amounts of disparate data quickly, extract the essential, make strategic decisions and develop and execute an effective action plan.

This course is quite interesting, but extremely time consuming. If you have no idea about what to do with your life or are very interested in personality tests I can recommend this course.
Evaluation:
Classroom participation: 15 %
Written assignments 85%
OBIR 6650A – The Art and Science of Leadership
Consistent with the view that leadership makes a difference, this course will provide students with an in-depth exposure to the wealth of knowledge, both practical and theoretical, in the field of leadership. Broadly stated, the goals of the course are:
- to learn what the literature has to teach about effectively leading and managing people and about the challenges of doing so.
- to facilitate greater self-knowledge of your values and your goals so as to develop and implement a plan to utilize your strengths and to overcome your weaknesses.
- to increase your interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills.
- to teach you how to analyze and resolve people problems you will encounter in the future without sole reliance on intuition and business fads.
The course is very much based on class discussions as well as on relevant videos and games and personality tests related to leadership behavior. It is a course that teaches you a lot about yourself and your own abilities as a leader, as well as how to learn from the examples of past and present leaders. The course demands a lot of self reflection on your previous actions and could be regarded as difficult because of that.
However, the experience is very useful and I would recommend this course.
Evaluation:
Leadership Reflective Journal (20%)
Group Project and Presentation (30%)
Group Mini -Presentation (10%)
Leadership Assessment and Development Plan (LADP) (30%)
Class Participation (10%)
MKTG.6100 Marketing Communications
The objectives of this course are:
1. To introduce the field of marketing communications - its background and current manifestation.
2. To identify and explore marketing communications theory and practice.
3. To improve participants' ability to analyze marketing situations, and to present and defend analyses.
This course is a perfect balance between theory and practice. It is a very interesting course with many examples from the professor (he works in the advertising business) and also from the students. There are also some guest speakers that make it even more valuable. Students are encouraged to adopt a more advertising way of thinking and to

look themselves for new trends in this business. Some relevant videos are presented throughout the semester. I would highly recommend the course.
Evaluation:
Class Participation 10%
Individual Hand-in Case 20%
Individual Presentation 10%
Individual Issue Paper 20%
Group Project 40%
MKTG.6150 Consumer Behaviour
This course is relatively easy and fun. However, the academic part of the course is not that high, as there were things discussed in class that were not very relevant to the main topic of the course. It is very based on class discussion and the professor is very friendly and easy to approach. The group project of the course is the most valuable part as the topic and approach is interesting and unconventional. Moreover, instead of writing a regular paper, students may present in class a movie with their project results. I would recommend this course if you need something easy and fun.
Evaluation:
Class Participation (10% midterm + 10% final) 20%
Case Position Paragraphs (4 deliverables – 250 words) 25%
Group Project Preliminary Report Presentation
Group Project Final Report + Presentation
25%
30%
MKTG.6400 International Marketing
This course offers an in-depth study of the international marketing issues. It attempts to achieve two inter-related objectives. The first is to broaden students' sensitivity to different cultural, socio-economic and legal environments encountered in the international marketplace. The second is to develop students' skills in developing and implementing international marketing strategies and programs in diverse contexts.
This course may seem very theoretical at the beginning. However, it is very much based on case study work and presentations and, thus, it combines successfully theory and practice. A strong point is that the professor is very passionate about the subject and students can learn a great deal from him during the class. Even though he is
Chinese and focuses on international marketing issues concerning Asia, he has much experience on other markets as well. There are many examples and company case studies throughout the course. Also students learn a lot from the case studies they prepare, not only from a marketing perspective, but also in terms of analysing a company and an industry. The course may be demanding because of all the assignments, but I highly recommend it as it gives an overall outlook on the international business and marketing environment.
Evaluation:
Group Case Work: 39%
Group Assignment: 16%
Individual Project: 30%
Class Participation: 15%

2. PRACTICAL INFORMATION ON THE SCHOOL AND THE EXCHANGE
EXPERIENCE
Information before you left
We received an information package from the school before we left and the material provided gave us the information needed for our first days in Canada. It is a good idea to read the material before you leave as there is a lot of practical information. Things to remember: order internet before you leave, bring linen for you bed….
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 as the guys in the customs will ask you a bunch of questions about your stay. 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.
 Arrival date – introductory week: 3-4 September

First day of the semester: 8 September

Last day of classes: 12 December

Examination period: 13-19 December

Any special events
Some religious holidays as well as Thanksgiving – very good breaks for traveling
27-31 October – Reading week (it is also the period when students have their mid-term exams)
Reception
You should expect to get a mail from a buddy and it is up to you if you want to meet him/her. It can be a good idea to make an appointment with your buddy before you go to Canada so he/she can show you the campus area. If you live on campus you can also ask your buddy to pick up your key and meet you at the address where you will be staying.
We also received mails from Cheryl Stickley at the International Office and if you have questions before you leave she is very helpful. You will also meet her at the orientation sessions. After the reception some students will show you around campus and even if it may seem a little overwhelming, you will get an overview of the campus area relatively fast.

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.
We had different accommodation. Peder lived at Assiniboine which is an on-campus apartment complex, whereas Catalina lived in The Village – a house neighborhood just outside campus.
If you choose to live 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
(Catalina shared a 2-level house with 8 girls, each had our own room, shared a bathroom on the floor among 3-4 students and the kitchen downstairs; the house was brand new when we moved in). The standard in the Village is probably a little higher and the cost definitely lower. It is also a very interesting experience since you get in contact with so many other cultures while sharing the house with other people.
If you don’t take more than three courses you may want to consider an apartment downtown. It takes about an hour to get to Schulich, but you will get to know Toronto much better and get the sense of living in a major city. If you choose to live downtown you can also look for courses which are taught at Nadal campus downtown. To find an apartment in Toronto you can for instance check http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites .
Costs
The largest cost will most likely be the rent . A bachelor apartment in Assiboine costs
$680 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. Catalina paid $530, all included and we had a TV in the house and also the land phone line for free for national calls.
The price for the books needed in our courses ranged from $50-$180/book. You should buy the books at the discount book store at Keele Street and they will in most cases also buy the book from you at the end of the semester. We also recommend you to consider buying the books from Amazon.com. Many times you can find a previous edition at a very low price and professors are not that strict concerning the editions of the books.
Food will be cheaper than in Norway and the restaurants are more affordable. Still, you have to add about 14% tax and 15% tip when you eat out, so it might not be as cheap as you first thought.
The price of a single fare on the transportation (bus and subway) is $2.75 but you can buy 10 tokens for $22.50.
As a Norwegian citizen you don’t have to buy additional health insurance like the rest of the students, it is covered by Lånekassen.
You may want to open a chequing account in Bank of Montreal (BMO). They are located at York Lanes (on campus) and we had a debit card and online banking. This is free of charge. However, Canada is not as digital as Norway and 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 can still get low salaries and live of the tip to a greater extent

than in Norway, it will also ensure a higher service degree if you in a bar or something like that.
The International Office
Cheryl Stickley is the Graduate International Program Coordinator. She is very helpful and if she is not on her office you can ask Philip Shea who is the Associate
Director for International Relations. You can either send them an email or just drop by their office if you have a question.
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. The Graduate Business
Council (GBC) arranges and annual trip to a camp called Olympia. This is something you should not miss. The aim of this weekend is to get to know other graduate students and it involves a lot of drinking and some games. During this weekend you will probably meet most of the people you will have the closest contact with throughout the term. There is also something called the Open Arms Committee
(OAC) which arranges various activities such as a treasure hunt downtown (to get to know the city), a trip to Niagara Falls, a trip to Wonderland (amusement park), the
Canadian Exhibition and a basketball game.
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. Schulich is a very international school and you may what to tread a little careful. It is smarter to start out overly polite and then adjust to the norm.
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.
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 just a few hours in a bus or a plan to other major cities such as New York, Chicago and
Montreal.
Finally, you will gain a lot of new friends, many of them for a life time 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 and, last but not least, 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.
 Dundas Square, Toronto’s small version of Piccadilly Circus. Dinner at Hard
Rock Café.

Little Italy, 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, Nathan Philips Square.

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.

ROM – Royal Ontario Museum

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

Names and e-mails:
Catalina Spiridon - catalina.spiridon@gmail.com
Peder Apall-Olsen – peder1983@gmail.com
Please feel free to contact us and we will be glad to answer any inquires you may have and give you some piece of advice.
Cheers!!!!!