Many of you will be living away from home for the first time, just like me. Some of you will be from a few hours away while some from the other end of the world. Moving out is a joy that most students embrace without realizing the depth of the transition they are about to face. It is looked at as a transition of freedom, liberty and no supervision or approval from your guardians in your everyday decisions. Just like how the change happens from the day you move into residence, implementation of proper coping strategies need to be matched to make it a pleasant transition. Before I go into various strategies to adopt, I’ll reflect on my personal transition into Queen’s University.

I moved from Toronto, provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. Living in a highly dense city, I wanted to enjoy the peace of mind and stronger bond within community that a small city like Kingston had to offer. Furthermore, living on campus in my first year allowed me to have a greater sense of the new community, opportunities for on-campus leadership, flexible meal options, and overall convenience that made my university transition a whole lot easier. Culture transition was made a whole lot easier by countless cultural clubs at Queen’s, many of my friends who took an active part in Queen’s culture satisfied their traditional culture by joining clubs such as Queen’s Hong Kong Student association etc. Furthermore, Queen’s hospitality services are very understanding in terms of individual’s dietary needs ensuring your pleasant experience on campus.

In order to ensure my success, I had to change some of my habits and take on more responsibilities as well as develop new abilities. Examples of a few that you and I will most probably face are as follows;

- Responsible for course selection, attendance, deadlines and course material.
- Financial budgeting and paying your bills for the first time.
- Doing your own laundry and cleaning your room.
- If you obtain a job, finding the balance between work and school.
- Setting your own goals and expectations.

Preparing myself mentally and practicing living in such an environment earlier was the key factor to my pleasant transition. Begin managing your whole day, doing your own laundry, cleaning your own room, grocery shopping, budgeting and prioritizing activities to hit the ground running at Queen’s.

- Jawwad Siddiqui, Comm’15

It’s now been a month since classes started and I can tell you that the pace of second year is quite different from before. Within the first four weeks of classes, there’s already been a ComSoc conference (QACE), the first year hiring period, a golf tournament (QCM), and a case competition (QCC), which I had the pleasure of being a part of this year.

QCC stands for the Queen’s Case Competition and is a two day event split up into two streams: the maroon stream, for first and second years, and the gold stream, for second to fourth years (second years get to pick which stream they’d like to be in). I had the opportunity to participate in last year’s QCC in the maroon stream, and as it was my first true case competition experience, had my eyes opened to the intense yet rewarding world of formulating solutions to business scenarios in a group.

This year, I served on the committee that oversaw and ran the Queen’s Case Competition and was amazed by the quality of work put forth by competitors. Students from all years of the Commerce program brought forward their best analytical and communication skills to put together some of the most incredible presentations Goodes Hall has probably ever seen! Whether outlining a franchising strategy for a new fast-food chain, or revitalizing brand interest for an age-old consumer product, competitors truly embraced the spirit of QCC.

Case competitions are a great way to apply in-class knowledge to real world scenarios and serve as a great medium in which to test your analytical and organizational skills. Working in a team on a case for 4 to 5 hours may seem daunting to the best of us, but often putting in the required effort yields a final product that everyone can be proud of. I think that QCC is a great way to start the new school year and hope that if case competitions are your thing, you consider getting involved!

-Samir Kulkarni, COMM ‘14

One of the best things about the Commerce Program at the Queen’s School of Business is how it strives for continuous improvement (a concept which you will cover at great length in COMM341 – Introduction to Production and Operations Management, a mandatory 3rd year course). Last week, I was invited to a meeting with Elspeth Murray, the Associate Dean of the Queen’s MBA Program, and the Director of the Queen’s Centre for Business Venturing (QCBV). The theme of the meeting was to Dream Big – that is, how can QCBV continue to build awareness for entrepreneurship and support student entrepreneurs by helping them achieve their business goals? This meeting gave students the opportunity to discuss how to improve the current support system for entrepreneurs and what role student-led entrepreneurship organizations played on-campus. Needless to say, having Queen’s School of Business Faculty seek direct feedback from you as a student is a great honour. It also gives students the chance to take an active part in improving the resources available to future students in Queen’s Commerce. This ability to be heard by the people who run the School of Business is a big part of why I am so proud to be part of this program.

Looking ahead, this week I’m excited about travelling to Toronto to take part in a client meeting for a consulting project that I am working on for one of Canada’s largest banks. This independent consulting project is part of the APSC400 Technology, Engineering and Management (TEAM) course, open to all 4th years. Working on a team of 3-5 students from the business, engineering and law faculties, this course gives students valuable, hands-on experience during an 8-month period working directly with their client to solve a high-level business problem. I highly encourage all 3rd year students reading this blog to learn more about this course by visiting http://team.appsci.queensu.ca/

Outside of class, as Co-Chair of the Queen’s Entrepreneurs’ Competition, my team is working hard to plan the QEC Taster and Elevator Pitch Competition. This event is taking place on Tuesday, October 18th right on-campus, at Alfies starting at 6:30 PM and open to students of all ages. In particular, we are encouraging first year students to come out and attend. The QEC is letting students from all faculties pitch their unique business idea to our panel of judges in 45 seconds or less for the chance to win a $500 paycheque. For more information, you can visit http://theqec.com where all the details will be posted up shortly.

Until next time!
Katherine Wong Too Yen, BCom’12

I remember a certain feeling of anxiety at the thought of high school ending and university starting – as I’m sure many of you guys reading this blog will soon experience.

However, I am currently going through a different transition. Having finished my first year in the Commerce program, I am just beginning my second year and faced with a whole new set of challenges. Most students do their research and try and prepare for what to expect before they start first year, but I’ve found second year to be more of a jump into unchartered waters.

Here’s a few changes I’ve had to (or will soon have to) deal with, allowing you guys to take a glimpse outside of the first year realm.

1. Pace of classes and extracurriculars: Both professors and co-chairs are expecting students to take on more responsibility once you’re in second year. One month into school and I’ve already had two formal class presentations, and am already assigned to more than one duty for an individual committee. Using the experience I learned as both a first year student and a Frosh Rep has proven to be one of the clues to succeeding in this faster-paced year two.

2. Residence vs. student village: Last year, I had a great experience living in a double room in Victoria Hall. That being said, it’s definitely been a wake-up call having to cook my own meals and clean a whole house, as I’m currently living in the student village with four other girls. Nonetheless, living in such close proximity to the campus and downtown area, as well as all my other friends, has been great so far. I think that the student village at Queen’s is one of its most unique elements, allowing for the community feel students of all faculties love.

3. Exchange talk: By the end of first semester, I will already have submitted my application for international exchange. Criteria for exchange placement includes grades, extracurriculars, and essay response questions. As a bilingual student, I’m currently hoping to study in Belgium or France, but there are so many options it’s hard to imagine where I’ll end up! Check out http://business.queensu.ca/bcom/international_study.php for all our partner schools.

Please feel free to send me an e-mail at 9dvl@queensu.ca with any questions regarding first or second year.

- Danielle Lucchese, COMM’14

Hello again,

I apologize that is has been so long since I last wrote, but life has been a bit crazy. The month of August consisted of a lot of travelling within Sierra Leone, as well as a visit from my supervisor in Canada and a visit from my parents. When I have had time, the internet connection has been poor and my computer conveniently has a virus that I can’t get rid of. That said, I am truly having a great time and becoming more attached to Sierra Leone and the people here every day. I can honestly say that despite its many challenges, I love coming to work every day and living life in Kabala.

In case you aren’t familiar with what microfinance is and how it works, let me give you a bit of an overview. Microfinance is the term used to describe any financial services provided to the poor and low-income members of society. In terms of SWET, we currently offer our clients micro-credit, or small loans for their businesses. The portion of the population served by microfinance is often considered unprofitable or unviable for banks to serve, since they generally require higher administration costs and they do not own any substantial collateral, which makes their loans very risky. Therefore, they generally do not have access to other formal financial institutions.

To accommodate this market and lower the risk of loans with no collateral, SWET and other microfinance institutions use solidarity groups to guarantee the loans. Before applying for a loan, clients must form their own solidarity groups of 4-6 women whom they trust. This group receives loan disbursements together and makes repayments through their group leader together. If any member of the group defaults, the whole group is responsible, a policy which is designed to encourage clients to choose group members who are trustworthy and to encourage clients to cover for each other when repayment becomes difficult.  Additionally, to become eligible to apply for their first loan, clients must participate in a number of business development training sessions. These sessions are designed to train them in business, while integrating integral development themes like health, as well as to teach them about SWET policies and procedures. However, one of the most important goals of the training is to weed out bad clients. People who participate in all of the trainings, despite the numerous other responsibilities they have, show their commitment to the program. Additionally, during the trainings, the loan officer is able to get to know the potential clients so that they can hand-pick the good ones. Basically, since micro-credit involves lending with no collateral, the institution needs to put a high focus on selecting quality clients with good character who are committed to repaying.

The first loans given out are always about $50, but the amount increases by about $25 every loan cycle (if the clients have enough business capacity) as the group builds a credit rating with SWET. The main proclaimed benefits of microfinance are that it provides long-term increases in income and consumption amongst the poor and smoothes out irregular cash flows. Our clients often report that the loans help them to send their children to school, save money for emergencies, invest in their businesses, and simply help them to advance and rely on themselves rather than on others. That said, microfinance is a balancing act. On one hand, it is a tool designed to help poor and marginalized people manage their finances and improve their lives. One the other hand, it is a business that has to make money and at one point (when NGO subsidies diminish) become sustainable. It is very challenging work.

Sierra Leone is an exciting place to be working, especially in a field like microfinance, because there are a lot of positive changes that are happening here right now. Since the civil war ended in 2002, the country has been experiencing relative peace and security, allowing for recovery and development.

Here are some examples:

Freetown, the capital city, now has electricity, when only two years ago it did not. Practically everyone has a cell phone (or two), when no one did five years ago (and there weren’t really landlines either). Agriculture is developing, a railroad is being constructed by a mining company, banks and microfinance institutions are popping up and many people have confidence in the current president.

That is not to say that there aren’t a million challenges. Maternal and infant mortality rates are amongst the highest in the world, which is evident in my everyday activities. In the villages, girls aren’t often given a chance to advance their education and even when they are, the quality of education is generally poor. The adult literacy rate is very low, especially among women, which complicates efforts in education. These are real problems and they are gradually changing with the hard work of NGO’s, International Organizations, the government and other change agents, but change takes time. For many of these issues I can only hope that the work of myself and others is contributing to positive change and that 5, 10 and 20+ years down the road things will be different.

Anyway, I hope that provides you all with a good update on what I’m up to, as well as some of the opportunities available beyond graduation.