01-01-10 

Having finished all assignments and written the exams, there is one last trip to New York and Washington, before I will be heading home to Holland. Reality sets in; my exchange at Queens University in Canada is almost over.

What can one gain from spending an exchange trimester abroad? For example, I realize that I have become more flexible in adapting to new situations; I have become better capable of working with people who have a different mind-set and I have become more decisive and self-confident concerning what I want.

This last result perhaps requires some explanation. When you are on exchange you will find that you face loads of new opportunities and possibilities, and it is up to you to choose what to do and what not to do. Which courses to choose, which parties to go to, when to make which trips, and which student clubs to join. Decisions decisions. However, by constantly having to make choices, you do become good at it at some point.

Also, I have learned more about the differences between the new and the old world: student life at Queens compared to Erasmus University, ways of doing business in North-America and business opportunities in Canada. In addition I have made new friends from top schools in Europe, Asia and Canada, and finally I started to develop a broader study and world perspective. I realize now that although there are some similar views in Canada and the Netherlands as to what is good and less good education, there are also many differences in beliefs people hold in general at Queens and at the Erasmus University.

Finally, I also started to realize that going on exchange is a great way of finding out more about yourself and about what you are passionate about. If you go on exchange, you decide which course to take, and you only have to pass these courses as no grades will be transferred anyway. So you work for assignments and exams because you are curious about the subject area, and not because you want to score a high grade. Knowing all this, is it worth it to go on exchange considering the costs involved?

My short answer is yes. But it depends on the person you are and the priorities you have. In general, if you are a flexible person, like to meet and make (international) friends, like to travel and want to experience another education system, I would say that you will probably enjoy it and benefit from the experience. In specific, Queens University has a strong group work and assignments component, which means that balancing your study life and social life can be challenging at times, but in the end I think it only makes it more fun. As I have said in earlier columns, I doubted whether going on exchange was going to be all worth it and at times I felt I should not go. Looking back, I am glad that I never changed my mind. I had a great time. My advice to you; do what you are afraid of. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

23-11-09

With December approaching, my exchange period is coming to an end. Although I am currently stuffed with assignment deadlines and have to prepare for upcoming exams, I think it is better to talk a little bit more about what I have learned from my exchange period, including the difference between Queens University and Erasmus University. In short, I have learned an incredible amount of stuff and I am not only talking about academic learning only.

For instance, I learned that Erasmus University and Queens University are organized in very different ways, and the teaching philosophy is also really different. At Queens, there is a much more of a practical focus of teaching. That does not mean that all abstract theory is left out of the courses, but it means that there is a focus on providing the students only theory and frameworks which are applied in practice. Another difference is the size of the classrooms. Queens philosophy emphasizes on small classrooms, and therefore you will never be in a class or classroom with more than fifty students. The average amount of students in a classroom is thirty.

Although it has the advantage of a more personal approach with the professor, and you definitely get to know your classmates a lot better, the disadvantage clearly is the cost associated with this approach.

Another difference is the emphasis on group work and collaborative learning. The average course at Queens involves much more group work when compared to the Erasmus University. It depends on the person whether this can be seen as an advantage or disadvantage. I really enjoyed the group work at Queens, although I also had times at which I believed the workload was too heavy.

Finally, Queens does not officially have fraternities and sororities like Rotterdam but it has an enormous amount of alumni sponsored student clubs (for example, the Finance Club for all students interested in finance). These clubs organize seminars, conferences, social activities and workshops with companies. All in all, the past four months have been a great (learning) experience. I believe that the best way to learn more about your own university is to (temporarily) go studying at another university.

15-10-09

Whether I want this or not, the Canadian winter is approaching. Until last Saturday it had been t-shirt weather, but now it is really time to get my winter jacket out of my suitcase. Especially if I want to go out in the evenings.

There are huge differences between day and night temperatures in the autumn in Canada. During the day temperatures are still quite high as they are around 16-17 degrees Celsius; during the night the temperatures easily drop below zero. So one has to take proper arrangements before going out. Warm clothing. Check. Gloves. Check. Numbers in my mobile phone of taxis that can pick me up when it starts freezing. Check. An advantage is that taking a cab is really cheap in Canada.

A ride from downtown to my place (which would be 20-30min walking) costs me only 3 Canadian dollar, which is approximately 2 euro. Until now I did not have the necessity to call a cab, but this might change.

So is there anything else on the mind of a student from Queens apart from the Canadian winter? I guess the approaching assignment deadlines and mid-terms. Over the past week students put their work, sports or any other extra-curricular activity on-hold, and they have started to fully prepare for the upcoming deadlines and exams.

For most Canadian students at Queens the beginning of October is also the recruiting period. Students prepare for summer internship applications and interviews. Here, almost every student applies for a summer internship or summer job in their field of interest. One can find most recruiting companies for summer internships and jobs on campus, providing presentations, workshops and assessments.

As the university year ends at the end of May, the Queens student has a full three months available for a summer internship. And as the bachelor program has no thesis component, a student “only” needs to pass all his exams in order to have the whole summer free for work.

And internships here are really a big thing. With the tuition fees being very high especially compared to the Netherlands, most Canadian students need to work in the summer to be able to pay for another year of university tuition. And everybody wants to find an internship as soon as possible, in order to be able to fully concentrate on the increasing amount of deadlines and assignments.

So yes, the period at the end of September-beginning October is a busy period full of expectations and anxiety, both for exchange students but even more for Canadian students. But don’t worry, I am still having fun here, studying at Queens university!

01-10-09

I have fallen in love with Queens! Two weeks of studies have past, and I loved (almost) every day of it. The teaching philosophy at Queens University is something that either appeals to you or does not appeal to you. I guess this requires a little bit of explanation.

First of all, classes and groups are small with a maximum of fifty students. The way of teaching is very interactive and even with quantitative courses the teacher constantly challenges everyone to reason and analyze the theory explained. Actually, a little less theory is covered compared to RSM, but it is taught much more thoroughly so that you really understand the logic and reasoning behind it. While in Rotterdam I only needed to know a general perspective, here the professors go deeper into the theory, show the practical application and really challenge you to find a better way.

My courses are very intense and demanding, but very enjoyable and satisfying at the same time. And the best part is the professors of the courses. They challenge you all the time and almost all of them have absolutely great didactical skills. On top of this, they all seem to have extensive practical experience, having worked or working for companies in the fields they teach. So they know their stuff. Furthermore, students here all seem to be very motivated and positive-minded. They do not just follow regular classes, but also join student associations and student clubs. In all, it feels great to be part of this community and experience campus life.

But does that mean there isn’t anything bad about Queens? Well, I might be overly excited at the moment and I may not be enjoying the Queens experience at all in two weeks, when I have my first mid-term exams. You will be the first to hear. However, right now, I cannot think of anything bad. Perhaps the approaching Canadian winter, although that has nothing to do with the university of course.

Maybe there is one thing: the announcement of when my final exams will take place. These dates are made known in the middle of October, which is not really great for me as exchange student, as I can’t plan traveling. The exams could take place on the 4th of December, but also on the 27th of December. Apart from that, so far it is all good! Greetings from (still) sunny and warm Canada, (it is already getting cold though).

14-09-09

So here I am: finally in Canada! After my arrival in Toronto I did some travelling around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Guelph, where I met with a friend who lives there. Guelph lies an hour west of Toronto, it is a beautiful small university city with typical large American houses broad streets and even bigger pick up trucks. Really, the first day I was only looking at cars.

My friend introduced me to the Canadian lifestyle and culture. But can we speak of one Canadian culture? Almost half of the Canadian population are immigrants, coming from all over the world, and even people that really seem Canadian have ancestors who immigrated from the UK or France to Canada in search of a better future. In fact, Toronto is the most culturally diverse city in the world! After a few days of travelling I arrived in Kingston, which is a university city close to Toronto.

Kingston is a beautiful city, a typical old style university town, referred to as the “Oxford of Canada”. But I have to admit that it appears a little bit chaotic. Everywhere people (read: students) are moving there stuff and redecorating their houses. As over one-fourth of the total population of Kingston is student, there is a lot of activity going on! Before I came to Kingston I was told that finding a place to live would not be too difficult, so I did not worry too much. After two days and numerous visits to student housing later I can say that finding housing indeed is not difficult, but if you want something close to university and in a reasonable price range it is extremely difficult to find proper housing.

My first impression of the university itself is that it really provides an excellent and tailor-made service for students. And people working for the international centre are really helpful and caring. Tons of orientation activities are organized for international students, they help you with finding housing and there are numerous student clubs which students can join in order to further develop their skills in areas of preference.

Also, students here seem all to be very energetic. There are keggars and more “official” parties everywhere. In general, Queens students seem to master the art of successfully balancing work, social life, university and sports. There are so many things to do, places to visit and people to talk to. It seems that being here is all about finding the right balance, or learning to make the right choices in a limited amount of time.

I honestly have to admit that I oftentimes doubted whether I made a good decision by going on exchange. Leaving everything behind and having to start all over again seems to be hard and useless. Well, after almost a week of orientation activities I can honestly say that it has been one of the best weeks of my student life. Going on exchange is great (so far so good); you only have to be open for the adventure and the challenges you will face. Let’s see if my positive verdict will remain positive when I am confronted with temperatures of minus twenty Celcius, in a couple of months from now... Next week I will be going on a scavenger hunt, make a boat trip past the thousand islands (of course I am not going to see all of them) and finally I will go camping in Alqonquin Park. You will hear more from me soon!        

03-09-09 Change. Anxiety. Learning experience. Fun. Adventure. These are words I think of when I think of the months that lie ahead of me. Six months ago my exchange application was officially confirmed: I was going on exchange to Queens University in Canada!

Time passed quickly, yet a lot of paperwork had to be done. After long hours of filling out application forms, arranging student permits and insurance packages, I am finally only days away from the start of the academic year. Until now my contact with the Canadian university has only been virtual. I can’t wait until my first Newtsweek (the EUR’s Eurekaweek equivalent) starts and I finally get to know my fellow students! I have heard some great stories from Dutch students who have been there, and the more I hear the more I want to go. I feel like a first-year student, about to experience his first Eurekaweek, and about to enter a life that most likely will be completely different from the life he was used to.

Yet I don’t know what the so-called “Queens experience” is all about, I don’t know whether the university courses I chose will appeal to me, and I just don’t know whether I will fit into the close-knit Queens community, and make friendships that will last a lifetime.

I also did not know much about Canadian students in general until last Friday. Together with some friends we slept in a youth hostel in Brussels, and whether it was sheer luck or meant to be, we shared a room with ten Canadian students from Toronto in Canada. Three of them had just completed their Bachelor at the Queens University. First thing that we noticed: Canadian students are hardcore party animals. We went out together, and we had some good conversations. About the differences between the European and North-American mindset, about politics and some lighter topics too. I was very much impressed with their humor and their ability to tell long but very fun stories about their college years.

Another thing I noticed is the pride they take in being part of their university community. We as Erasmus students do not have this tie with our university (yet). However, we have enough to be proud of, at least according to the Canadians. To my surprise, most of the Canadians knew a lot about Erasmus University and its improving reputation. What’s more, most of the Canadians we met, knew George Yip is our Dean! All in all, going out with the Canadians was great. I can’t wait to go!