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Business Administration at York University
Deston Wong (Year 2)
deston713@gmail.com
@destonwong
What did you wish you knew before going to your university? What made you choose this institution over all others? What are advantages and disadvantages of your institution or campus? List any advice for incoming first-year students about your university.
Prior to entering my program at Schulich, I considered a variety of other business programs and ultimately decided that I wanted a program that could allow me to take more general business courses in years 1 and 2 before needing to specialize in my junior and senior years. Schulich provided me with this opportunity through a BBA degree and I made the decision to join since I found it comforting that I could aim to find my interests within the broad field of business. As York is also a commuter school, joining would allow me to have the option to live either at home or on res and be flexible around the Toronto area (thus allowing me to meet a variety of people through these opportunities).
What did you wish you knew before choosing your specific program? What are the advantages and disadvantages of your program? List any advice for incoming first-year students about your program of study.
If I could go back in time and redo my first year, something that I would aim to achieve is to participate in case competitions in order to have that additional experience. I feel like I could have learned presentation and research skills regarding different topics while also being able to have a little bit of fun. Overall, Schulich has a welcoming community with people that do try to help you out as long as you reach out to them.
What was your favourite university experience?
Aside from meeting new friends and getting used to a new environment, I found that I liked the way Schulich classes worked. Class sizes were small (~30-40 people), professors were knowledgeable and passionate, and it provided people with the opportunity to get to know each other in a classroom setting.
What was your least favourite university experience?
The event I found most unfortunate was that I became sick for the majority of frosh week. This meant that I missed out on a lot of the events and was stuck in my room instead. However, it was possible for me to meet people through classes which displays an advantage of Schulich being a close-knit community.
What is the hardest part about your program and what were the steps that you took to overcome any difficulties?
The rumours around course grading for courses in my program were initially a bit of a shock (due to curving of grades, a mandated average, variance of grading based on professors, etc.) from the perspective of a high school student. However, the grades you want are achievable as long as you put in the effort required. This applies to developing strong self-studying habits outside of classes, collaborating with others in group projects, and more. The most difficult courses for me were the ones which required me to express myself through writing, but to each their own!
What was your favourite course and why?
My favourite course(s) were ACTG 2010/2011! I found the professors in the accounting department to be really passionate about what they're teaching, and they do try to make the class times enjoyable overall. There didn't seem to be any major surprises - everything we encountered was in the course curriculum and it was a positive experience overall!