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Commerce at Queen's University
Samuel (Year 3)
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.
I chose Queen's because the Commerce program has an exchange program that allows its students to study abroad for a semester. The fact that most people that applied would be able to go appealed to me as everyone would have the opportunity to experience university in a different country. One advantage of Queen's is that the meal halls are all-you-can eat. A disadvantage of Queen's is that there are a lot of bugs as the campus is next to Lake Ontario. I suggest that everyone should bring bug spray to keep the bugs away.
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.
An advantage to the Commerce program is that the first year courses are all selected for you. Additionally, you will have the same people in all your classes for each semester in the first year. This is really beneficial as the Commerce program focuses heavily on group projects. Having everyone's schedule align makes it easier to set up meetings to work on those projects. A disadvantage is that the Commerce program does not offer co-op. The school posts job listings and offers resumes, cover letters, and interview help instead.
What was your favourite university experience?
The best experience was frosh week where I met other people in my program. There were many events and competitions to help build a sense of comradery.
What was your least favourite university experience?
The worst part of the Commerce program is the intense competition to get into the various Commerce clubs. Few people are accepted and there is a sense of elitism from those that are able to get in.
What is the hardest part about your program and what were the steps that you took to overcome any difficulties?
The hardest part of the program is having to take courses you have little interest in. For example, I am not interested in accounting but had to take two courses of accounting as they were required courses for my program. To overcome this, I would rely on my friends and classmates for help. The Commerce program focuses heavily on teamwork so it is not difficult to find someone willing to lend a hand. This helped me perform well in each of the courses.
If you were able to take electives, what was your favourite elective? If you were not able to take electives, what was your favourite course and why?
My favorite course is business management (COMM 103). It is a required course that teaches you about how all the parts of a business comes together. A competitive game for marks is played throughout the semester between groups in the class to see which group is best at running their business.