From September to December 2011 I was at Saint Mary’s University, or SMU for short, for one semester. There I took four courses from the MBA program: Financial Accounting, New Venture Opportunities, Strategic Management, and Strategic Human Resource Management.
Living
I have already applied for a room on campus from Germany and I was lucky with the allocation. I got a super single apartment in the Rice Residence. My room was completely renovated shortly before and was therefore top notch. Among other things, I had a huge bed 🙂 But not all of my buddies were so lucky. You can definitely get a smaller room with small, old furniture in the Rice Residence. However, you only get single rooms in Rice without a meal plan. I shared the bathroom and kitchen with a Canadian and a cool guy from the Bahamas. The room may be the most expensive room on campus at $ 2,950 per semester, but it’s worth it in my opinion. The residential complex is directly connected to the lecture rooms via a corridor, ie
I was one of the few German students who completed 4 courses. Therefore, especially in November, there was a lot of stress at times. I would therefore advise you to only take 3 courses. After all, studying in Canada is extremely different from the German study approach. Assignments or presentations have to be made all the time. Participation is also included in the final grade. Often a mid-term exam as well as a final exam have to be written. In terms of level, I would put the whole thing well below the German requirements. However, I also have to admit that I got a lot more stuck, because you have to stay on the ball in every course while in Germany it really only depends on the final exam. In my opinion, the grading is also very generous. For example, I always got good grades on longer essays (approx. 10 pages), even if the language was certainly not on the level of the Canadians. However, I also used the service of the Writing Center on a regular basis. After completing the assignment, a Canadian sat down with me and went through the whole thing with me again and checked grammar and language.
Now briefly to my courses. In New Venture Opportunities, groups of around 4 people create a business plan from top to bottom. The lectures primarily serve to prepare the next part of the business plan. At the end, the business plans are presented to a group of entrepreneurs and potential investors. The professor takes getting used to, but overall I would recommend this course to others. Financial accounting is really a beginner’s course. I didn’t expect that beforehand, so my requirements were not met here. Here, for example, we start again with the booking records, which in my opinion does not belong in a master’s course. After all, I didn’t have to do very much for this. The Strategic Human Resource Management course at Mr. I wouldn’t recommend Haiven to anyone because he is very keen on the Canadian legal situation. This can be quite interesting, but there are many things I will not be able to use in my later life because I do not plan to work in Canada. I would recommend the Strategic Management course to others. We have dealt with some interesting concepts primarily from American greats like Michael Porter, which I found quite interesting because I did not have much prior knowledge in this area. However, the professor Mr. Pendse (an Indian) was a little difficult to understand at times. Check iamaccepted to see more reviews from current students.
Country & people
There aren’t that many sights in Halifax.JI would describe the Canadians as very friendly people who also like to lift you up That’s why I mostly stayed on campus, there was always something on offer, for example football, basketball, soccer, etc. The huge fitness studio on campus can also be used free of charge by the students. Halifax is definitely a very good place to go out. Actually there is not a day where something is not offered. Personally, I especially liked the fact that there was always live music played in the pubs. There is also a lot to see in Nova Scotia. Cape Breton Island should definitely be seen here. This is a beautiful coastal road with great hiking trails and the opportunity to see whales.
Before I flew to Halifax, I was in Toronto for a week. You should definitely take a look. Of course, the Niagara Falls should not be missed either. After my exams, I traveled around by train for another week. The train journey from Halifax to Quebec took 17 hours, but the trains in Canada are also more comfortable than here in Germany. Quebec has a beautiful old town that is a must-see. Then I was in Montreal and Ottawa, but Montreal didn’t like it at all. Ottawa, on the other hand, was very beautiful, albeit a bit small for a capital city.
All in all, I would definitely go back to Halifax and recommend it to everyone else.
