Schulich International Bachelor of Business Administration at York University

Hance (Year 2)

hence.mercado28@gmail.com @hancerovin

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. 

Before going to Schulich, I wish I knew the importance of making upper year friends. These upper years will essentially become informal mentors that offer you course notes, resources, and academic or career advice. Luckily, I was able to become friends with an upper year during frosh and they’ve definitely helped me with my transition into university.

I decided to go to Schulich because it made the most sense for me. As a person who loves travelling, having mandatory exchange and language courses intrigued me. Schulich’s iBBA program is unique and has allowed me to garner a breadth of experiences. Additionally, Schulich is regarded as a top business school in Canada and this played an important part in my decision. At the end of the day, Schulich’s reputation was too good to pass on and the purpose of university is academics. 

Advantages of Going to Schulich:

- Alumni are extremely helpful

- Great reputation and networking opportunities

- World class professors

- Tight knit community

Disadvantages of Going to Schulich

- Commuter school

What was your favourite university experience? 

A big part of university is the social scene and even though York is a commuter school I was still able to make meaningful connections. Maybe this was because I stayed in residence or my effort into meeting new people. I’ve had so many great experiences at school, but if I had to tie it to a specific event it would be Frosh Week. I was able to meet so many people, learn more about the school’s culture, and generally had a lot of fun.

What was your least favourite university experience?

My worst university experience definitely has to be COVID-19 cutting my first year short. With a month left on campus, I still had a lot more I wanted to do. Not having a chance to say proper goodbyes, and not having access to the gym was definitely a bummer. Nevertheless, I am very grateful for all the time I was on campus and all of the friends I’ve made.

What is the hardest part about your program and what were the steps that you took to overcome any difficulties?

I wouldn’t say Schulich is a hard program. The curriculum is fair and most professors are helpful. I would recommend asking upper years about different professors and which professors they would suggest. Schulich students average anywhere between 15 to 16 hours of class per week. In comparison, in high school I had approximately 25 hours of class. This leaves me with a lot of free time during the week, where I can use it to study, work, go out, etc.

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 favourite course was Introduction to Business (MGMT 1000). This course has a heavy focus on teamwork, where you are paired up with other individuals for the rest of the semester. I was able to get close to my group and we did really well on our assignments. Ultimately, this course

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