It’s amazing to see that I’m already in the final stretch of the second semester before finals in April. It’s been one amazing ride for my first year here at Queen’s, and I can honestly say I’ve loved every minute of it.
As you may be aware, today and tomorrow is the Queen’s March Break Open House for all of the prospective students graduating in 2013. If you haven’t already, I would highly recommend that you come and take a tour of Queen’s campus and residences…and start getting pumped for September! (Yes, it is never too early to prepare!)
Over the past few weeks, including today, I have been asked numerous questions about Commerce, student life, Queen’s, and residences by students and parents. I’ll try to answer some of the more frequent ones in my post to the best of my ability, and if you have any others, please feel free to contact me at 8tykw [at] queensu.ca and I’ll be happy to help. If you have Facebook, you can join the Queen’s 2013 Facebook group and search me up there; I am the Commerce representative in the list of officers for the group.
1. How many students are currently enrolled in Commerce 2012?
I am not sure of the exact figure, but the most common number appears to be 326 students (at least by the end of December). This figure was taken from the number of students who were enrolled in COMM111, one of the mandatory courses for first year Commerce students, on QCARD (by the Queen’s Student Records and Services) . That number may be slightly inaccurate, if anyone has dropped/switched programs from December up until now.
2. What residence is the best?
You can’t pick your residence building (unless you are one of the select few Chancellor’s winners), so it’s best not to have your heart set on any one particular residence. Each building has its own charm, and it really is the people on your floor who make the residence what it is. Some are newer, some are older, some have private bathrooms, while others are shared by the entire floor, some have single rooms while others are double rooms. Either way, if you come here with an open mind, you will likely surprise yourself at how quickly you begin to call your residence home.
3. Are the classes hands-on?
Well, you won’t be building any houses or doing physically exhausting labour in class, but the profs are great at applying the lessons to real life scenarios! As a sidenote, I did build a tower using index cards and paper clips as part of a lesson in my organizational behaviour (COMM151) class last week.
4. How big are the classes?
I’d say average class size is about 60 students; generally though, it works out to be a bit less as some students will switch to another section (same class, but with a different time slot) or some don’t attend every single class. Let’s just say that the classes are small enough so that profs can eventally remember your name and know your face, which is pretty impressive in university!
5. What’s there to do in Kingston?
If you mean the typical tourist attractions, head to http://www.kingstoncanada.com/en/. If you mean what’s there for you to do as a student on a budget, then there`s plenty! Movies, the mall, bowling, bars, clubs, shopping, parties in the student housing area, as well as all of the activities organized by Residence…no doubt you’ll find something to do. I actually came from a bigger city, and while it was a slight adjustment to live in a smaller town, it’s never boring.
6. What’s the best thing you like about Queen’s Commerce?
Can I say everything? I’m not even kidding.
7. Is it really hard to work and stay in school?
Absolutely not. Learn time management, and you can accomplish a lot. I am currently working one part time job during the school year, and will be working three jobs this summer. If I can do it, you definitely can! Also, here’s a tip if you’re currently working at a franchised restaurant or something (think Tim Horton’s, McDonald’s), ask if you can transfer to a Kingston branch. It’ll save you the trouble of having to job hunt once you get here.
8. Why is the tuition fee so high for Commerce?
When I was researching business/commerce programs in Ontario last year, I found that in general, the fees for this particular program tended to be much higher than the fees of other programs even if they were offered by the same school. So the Queen’s Commerce fees are nothing out of the ordinary, especially if you look at the other program fees offered by Queen’s.
9. Is it really competitive?
To get into the Queen’s Commerce program, it is incredibly competitive. But once you’re in, you’re part of the family.
10. What’s the hardest course in first year?
It’s all a matter of opinion, but most students find Calculus (COMM161) the most challenging course.
