Following what seems to be the trend of sharing some topics of discussion in reader emails, I decided to post about comparing the Queen’s Commerce program to some American schools (and I mean this in a very generalized way).

Obviously, there is a pretty huge different in the educational structures and approaches on the two sides of the borders. Canada takes a program based approach – where students apply to a specific stream of study straight out of high school, whereas the vast majority of top American schools take a liberal arts approach, and undergraduate business program or undergraduate engineering programs tend to be a lot more rare.

Consequently, comparisons are quite difficult to make. I think in making a decision between whether to attend Queen’s Commerce or a school in the US, it comes down to how you want to approach your undergraduate education.

At QC, you’ll be given the opportunity to go into any branch of business you want. One really great thing is that people coming in wanting to become accountants can learn more about themselves during their time here and end up pursuing careers in finance or marketing. Someone coming in wanting to be an ibanker will get the chance to interact with people in industry, and decided if that’s the lifestyle they really want to live. This is something that isn’t necessarily available at other Canadian programs.

At a US school, you’ll be given the opportunity to go into any branch of whatever you want. People may go in wanting to do business, but they may leave as politics/government majors. People can go in wanting to be doctors, but leave as consultants. This is something you don’t get to the same extent at Canadian universities. However, should you choose to go into business upon graduation, I think graduates of undergraduate business programs tend to be more versed and better prepared for the initial states of a career.

Another difference would be the recruiting opportunities. While similar firms may recruit at top schools in both countries, the offices which recruit are geographically dependent. If you want to work in Toronto upon graduation, then recruiting at QC/Canadian programs in general will probably be easier. If you want to work in Los Angeles or New York, then obviously it’s a lot easier going through recruiting at an American school. Another difference is internship timing. The American school year is longer than the Canadian one, so  if you want to come back to Canada to do internships, then those 16 week internships may not be accessible.

Finally, we come back to the community feel that QC always likes to emphasize. In case it hasn’t been reiterated enough on this website, at QC, you will literally get to know your entire class, and most of your program. Even at very small American schools (1000-1500 students/year), this isn’t really feasible. This may be offset by the greater international presence that top American schools boast, but I don’t think the level of camaraderie attained on those campuses is comparable to that fostered at a program setting like Queen’s Commerce and other Canadian programs. (In fact, if you look at some broader American schools that also feature a specific program, the program association tends to always overshadow the school affiliation.)

The timing for this post probably isn’t the greatest as commitments to American schools had to be made already, but I hope this provides some decent food for thought.

Zeya Yang, Comm 2013

Thanks for the e-mails/questions! It was nice to meet you all (electronically). I just wanted to share a few which I figured would apply to a large chunk of entering Commies…

1. Do you like the commerce program? Are the classes interesting?

Most of your classes in first and second year will explore different business functions. Depending on your interests, you may like different courses. But I definitely think that lectures were interesting, especially because professors in Commerce are phenomenal. My favourite class in first year was Organizational Behaviour (a little like business psychology) and in second year was Business Decision Models (honestly the coolest course and highly unique to commerce).

2. Do you have to do a lot of group work? If so, are the groups typically good (are the people reliable, share the work equally etc.)?

As compared to other programs, Commerce has a LOT of group work. For every course, you are usually in a group of 3-5 working on cases or assignments. I enjoy the group work because you’ll find that everyone in commerce is extremely driven and gifted in different ways. The entering grade point average for my graduating class was above 90%- just imagine how much more stimulating it is to work in this environment. Obviously there are conflicts in group work, but the work itself is very challenging and I have learned a lot through group projects.

3. Do you have to write any essays or papers?

 Yes and no. Many of the elective options you have in the Arts departments such as the history courses (eg. art history) or developmental sciences etc. are heavily based on essays. You will also have writing assignments in Commerce, but not like the english essays you may be used to. Many of the longer writing assignments are also done in groups.

 4. Do you find the program really intense? (like a lot more work than grade 12)

In Commerce, you will have fewer hours of lectures- usually between 15-18 hours/week. This means that there are fewer classroom hours. Time management is really key because there is a significantly heavier load of independent/group work outside of class. The transition is different for different people- I personally found that the “pace” of the classes is very fast (my housemate took 2 years of accounting in highschool, but said that everything she learned was covered in less than 2 weeks and after the fourth class, the professor started teaching material she was not familiar with). But expect the program to be “intense”, in the sense that the challenge is what you are signing yourself up for.

5. Are the other commerce kids generally nice?

I have never felt animosity from a peer in commerce. Because the program is relatively small, we are able to build a strong community atmostphere. Generally, you can expect to meet many “Type A” personalities- there aren’t many grumpy-unsocialable commies.

 6. How do you find the class sizes? Too small? too big?

I think Commerce classes are a good size. The first-year economics course at Queen’s is mandatory for Commies and has about 300 students enrolled. This is likely the largest class size you will have at Queen’s (as a Commerce student), and it made me really appreciate how small the Commerce classes are. Especially in third and fourth year, most classes will have around 20 different students.   

 7. Are their fun extra-curricular events (dances, fundraisers, clubs etc.)?

YES. The calibre of students at Queen’s is phenomenal. If you tell me about some of your interests, I’d be happy to refer to you some clubs or friends who may have similar interests. Otherwise, it’d honestly take me a month to talk about all of the student initiatives at Queen’s. Maybe longer.

Please don’t hesitate to send me an e-mail if you have any other questions or concerns, annie.wang@business.queensu.ca

Enjoy the lovely weather and have a sunny weekend,

Annie Wang (B’Comm 2013)

Hi everyone,

I had a couple of readers e-mail me with questions after seeing my Post-March Break Open House blog. I want to share a couple of the general questions with other readers who may be prospective students, as there is a good chance you guys may be wondering the same thing!

1. What do you love most about Queen’s Commerce?

I love the Commerce program for many reasons, but my top three are that:
- there is a small number of students per year, so you get to know everyone very well (it feels like a big, tight-knit family)

- business classes start from day 1
Every class we take in the first two years incorporates completely relevant business fundamentals, and this gives us an advantage when deciding what areas of business we want to stream into later on.

- there is a great opportunity for international exchange in 3rd year
This is one of the main reasons why I chose Queen’s Commerce. Nearly 90% of Commerce students chose to study abroad at a reputable business school for a semester in third year. Everyone that I’ve talked to says it was one of the best experiences of their lives! Check out http://business.queensu.ca/bcom/international_study.php for a full list of schools and some student testimonials.

2. Are the class sizes really that small? Are they too small?

First and second year Commerce classes will never exceed 80 students. I saw the value in this when I first stepped into Economics 110 (mandatory for Commerce but taught in the ArtSci faculty) and there were around 300 students in my lecture. Having small class sizes means that professors get to know you on a first-name basis (there are name cards for every class), you can ask and answer questions with ease, and the classes are just generally more interactive. In fact, as you get older and start to specialize in different fields of business, the classes get even smaller. I would not say that they are too small, as so far they have still been larger than my typical high school class of 25 students. In fact, many people view the class size as one of the best benefits of the program.

3. Is studying business for the first two years interesting? Are the courses centered around writing?

I just finished studying everything from Accounting to Marketing to Organizational Behaviour to Managerial Statistics. I can definately say that because I decided I wanted to go into business in highschool, I’m happy I chose this program because ALL the classes we take are completely relevant fundamentals. Some are definately more interesting than others, for example I found that OB was really fun as we got to come up with different case solutions every class. But I found that the classes people enjoyed most depended on their own interests – and having the time to try out different aspects of business in the first two years allows us to have an advantage when deciding what exactly we want to specialize in later. I would not say that the Commerce program is essay-based, as that is more typical of most Arts & Science courses. This is because we take quite a few math-type classes (Stats, Calc, Accounting) and a lot of our other team projects are centered around case responses or presentations. As far as writing goes, I did have one large paper for my Communications and Management class, as well as many case responses for classes like Organizational Behaviour. Essay responses were also included in a few of our exams. However, I would still say that most the Commerce students found they were doing the most writing in their ArtSci electives, such as Politics and Gender Studies.

4. Is there a lot of group work? Did you like that aspect of the program?

Yes, there is a lot of group work! The great thing about this is that it reflects what exactly will happen once we enter the workforce, where most work is done in teams. Almost every class involves group work of some sort, whether it be for a math assignment or to come up with a case solution. There are times when you can choose your own groups, but more often than not the professors randomly generate groups. Again, in the workforce, you don’t usually get to choose exactly who you work with, so it was definately interesting learning how to work with different personality types. Plus, I even made a lot of close friends from working with them on a team.

5. What type of extracurriculars are available?

There are so many great extracurriculars to get involved in – both within Queen’s Commerce and Queen’s as a whole. The Queen’s Commerce Society (ComSoc) is completely student-run, and houses different conferences, competitions, and committees centered around everything from accounting, marketing, and consulting to the sports, fashion, and music industries. There is something that interests everyone and the majority of Commerce students are involved in something ComSoc related. This is just another great way to meet new people, put to work what you’ve learned in the classroom, and network with industry professionals. One of my extracurriculars is being a Frosh leader (BOSS) for Commerce Orientation Week. It has been really fun so far, as we get to help put together a great week for the incoming Frosh (could be you!) and have social events to better get to know the other Bosses.
Browse the ComSoc website at comsoc.queensu.ca and don’t forget that there are hundreds of other clubs offered to all Queen’s students beyond ComSoc as well!

I hope these answers help! Check out our Queen’s Commerce 2015 Facebook page, or send me an e-mail at 9dvl@queensu.ca if you have any more questions.

- Danielle Lucchese, COMM’14

It’s inevitable. As another school year comes to an end, a question many university students ask each other is, “So what are you doing this summer?” And my answer, as it has been for the past five years, is “Working.”

I start my preliminary job search in September and October and research what’s available. I’ll reach out to my personal network and keep an eye out for any potential openings. I like to touch base with contacts in my professional network at least once or twice a year and keep up-to-date on their accomplishments via LinkedIn. By the end of January and early February, I’ll have sent off resumes and cover letters to my top choice companies. While I do use the Queen’s Career Services job bank, I also spend a lot of time doing my own research of companies I’d like to work for. Usually by early March, I’ll have secured an offer for the summer. While this timeline differs slightly from year to year, in general this is what works for me.

I mentioned in last week’s blog post that I was starting my new job in Marketing and Communications for a software development company. The first week at the company has been great! I’ve gone through orientation, met (most of) my new colleagues and been debriefed on the projects I’ll be working on for the next few months. I’ve made some new friends and figured out how to time my commute to and from the office perfectly. I was happy to learn that the company is very team-based, which is something I’m familiar with after all the group work we do in the Commerce program. Instead of working from cubicles and closed offices, the office is open-concept with team project rooms. This workspace is similar to Goodes Hall and the breakout rooms available to Commerce students on campus. As it turns out, there are a lot of Queen’s alumni at the company. I feel welcomed already!

Katherine Wong Too Yen, BCom’12

The Queen’s University exam period officially ended last Friday, with many students packing up and heading home for the summer. I happened to get lucky with this year’s exam schedule, and finished writing my exams two weeks ago. Having moved back to Toronto for the summer, I am looking forward to starting my first day of work tomorrow and settling into a new routine. This year, I’ll be working full time in Marketing for an Agile software development company alongside a Queen’s University alumnus.

With the weather warming up, I highly encourage you to visit the Queen’s campus if you get the opportunity. Though many students have gone home for the summer, there are still students who have decided to stay in Kingston either for summer school, work, or to complete research projects. With the student residences empty, it’s also a chance to tour the residence buildings or maybe even stay in residence overnight! Take a walk around downtown Kingston, have a picnic next to Lake Ontario or get a tour of Goodes Hall and see how the expansion is coming along. I look forward to seeing the incoming frosh in September!

Katherine Wong Too Yen, BCom’12