So…. I am here in Douglas Library writing this blog… when I promised myself I would do some studying and finish writing my Yr 15-18 Journal Entry for Shoe Game and also finish the “High Level Implementation” part of my Strategy Case Study.

 But as you can see, I’m not exactly doing as I promised myself…

 Anyways, tomorrow is the last day of classes and final exams are starting next week, Wednesday, to be exact (for me, anyways). Even though it is the last week of classes, we still have 2 group assignments due for tomorrow at 12:00 and 2 group assignments due next week.  Even though it does sound very hectic, I’ve been very fortunate to have a really great group of people to work with on those assignments.

 It is quite strange how all the assignments are due on one day. For example, last week we didn’t have anything due, but the week before, we had 3 assignments, one of which was an individual assignment and I stayed up until 4 a.m. working on it. It is rare to have an individual assignment though, because most assignments in Commerce are group assignments. But don’t think that just because they’re group assignments, you can slack off!! We each have to pull our own weight, and if we don’t, we’re in trouble…

 Anyways, I really think I just get going with working on the things I promised myself I’d do, because my computer is running out of battery….

Hope to share some more tidbits with you soon!

 ~Sheila

At brunch today, I was told by a friend that Christmas is only a month away! To be honest though, I’m already in the Christmas mood. Perhaps it’s the snow. This reminds of Thursday morning, when i was woken up quite early by one of my floormates. Because she’s from Morocco, she was so excited that it was snowing. It was her first time seeing snow!!

After brunch, we decided to go do a bit of shopping downtown. Our residence building is having a semi formal soon, and since neither of us felt like doing work, we decided to go dress shopping. Downtown Kingston, I must say, is quite small compared to downtown Toronto. But to be honest, size really doesn’t matter and I really like it. There are so many unique little stores, all lined up side by side along Princess Street. It was really fun going from one store to another, and we ended up finding really nice dresses too! To end our shopping trip, we went and sat down in one of Kingston’s many coffee shops with our warm drinks. It was definitely a nice and relaxing time.

I’m going to end this post here, since I still have quite a bit of work left to do, and exams are just around the corner!
Until next time…

I like to post about things that I am doing at the moment. Currently, when I am not scrambling to finish up looming final assignments, my mind ponders over my upcoming exchange application deadline. Queen’s has built a superb business program, as such, they have an extensive network with other top business schools across the world. All this, so we can go on exchange.

With the fast approaching deadline (Dec 5) I am left scrambling; reading up on the multitude of countries, the staggering array of universities and, most importantly, the cuisine of each destination.

The main problem is that we have simply too many exchange schools to choose from (I suppose thats not too much of a problem really). The QSB has partnered with the top business schools in practically every country of the world: France, Germany, Singapore, Australia, China, Belgium, Italy, Chile…the list goes on and on. Trying to pick between the sunny beaches of Australia or the fine food of France is difficult to say the least. When you factor in the actual school programs offered at each school, choosing where you want to go starts to resemble that of a small child in a candy store.

The exchange program takes place in your third year and typically 70% (don’t quote me on that) of the class goes on exchange. You can choose which semester you would like to go (or for the full year if your ambitious) and in the application process you rank the schools you like. Then, based on your activities at Queen’s and your marks the spots are divvied up.

Going on exchange is a wonderful opportunity to broaden your horizons while learning about new cultures. It is an opportunity of a lifetime and I would highly recommend it. I don’t have all the answers, so if you want more information I suggest looking at the official page here.

In case you were wondering, I want to go to France. I will be sure to update you here with the results of my application when I find out in February.

Until next Sunday…

Hey Guys,

So, it’s that wonderful time of the year again at Queen’s (and no, I don’t mean when you get the email from your prof telling you that your 8:30 AM Friday morning class has been cancelled).  It’s actually the time when exams are right around the corner, and most of the big assignments for the year are due.

Now, I know that when I was making the shift from high school to university, I wasn’t really sure about the kind of workload that I would be getting.  I knew that it would likely be heavier than it was in high school, but I wasn’t sure to what extent it would be.  Reading last year’s blogs definitely helped with my choice of schools, and I know that since this was a concern of mine, I’m sure that a lot of you guys are likely thinking about this too.

So, to start off, one of the things to think about once you get here is that you have A LOT less class that you do in high school.  Although you take 5 courses in the fall and 6 in the winter (including your arts elective), assuming each class only meets for three hours a week, you’re looking at only 15-18 hours of class per week.  That really does free up a lot of time to do the readings for class, and also to get the assignments done.

In terms of the workload, its really not that bad.  While I do tend to procrastonate quite a bit (hard to admit, but it’s true), I still get all the work done, although at some points it can be stressful.  In most of my classes, we don’t get that many assignments (for example, there are 3 spread throughout the term in Accounting and Economics; and there are 5 in Calculus), but the assignments all tend to be due around the same time.  In these cases, it really pays to work ahead, in addition to dividing up the work evenly with members of your group.

On that note, most of the work that’s done in Commerce is actually done in groups of 4-6 people.  I have separate groups that were chosen for each of my Commerce classes, and it has worked out great, because we have developed a routine for completing our assignments, and we have done relatively well on each one so far.  In Economics, the situation is a bit different.  In Econ, you don’t have to work in a group if you don’t want to, but if you choose to, you can pick up to three other people from the same section as your own (the sections have about 300 people in them each, so you don’t have to worry about not finding someone you know) to work with.  Again, in all cases, the assignments aren’t bad at all if you space the work out and put effort into them.

Anyway, I know that was a lot to digest for now, but I hope that this helps to ease your worries about next year’s workload.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment, and one of the other bloggers or I would be happy to respond.

Hey Future Commies?! I think that was how I started my post before I pressed “Save” and the page failed to refresh and I lost my entire post!!!!!!!!!  The joy of technology, right?!

 Okay, well here I go again.

Hey Future Commies?! I must say I am very excited to be writing my first blog post!  I want to welcome you to the site, and hope that you find what you are looking for through reading our posts.  We will try to provide you with as much insight as we can into life at Queen’s Commerce!

As I am sufficiently stressed right now (with note-taking, studying and working on assignments), I will list everything I have to do (you will come to see that I am a bit obsessed with to-do lists, but it is because I find them really useful):

-Ch 11 & 12 Accounting Notes, Ch 10 & 11 Econ Notes, Calculus homework, Spanish presentation and report write-up, Calculus homework, Business Management strategy case assignment, Business management readings (too many chapters to recall), Accounting assignment, Calculus assignment…

I think that is it! Oh, right, study for final exams, which start on Dec. 5th!! 

Well, hopefully, I didn’t make you too afraid of life in Commerce at Queen’s with only my first blog post…my point is only that I am stressed and that I have a lot to do and that I have no idea how I shall finish it all!

But, on a brighter and more random note, I love my floormates and Goodes Hall is ballin’!

Okay, I am off to make some accounting notes.  Take Care!! I will post again soon, and I will give you a detailed overview of all my courses this semester once I finish final exams.

Later!