Travel Report Carleton University – Winter 2017

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PreparingforexchangeIdidmyexchangesemesterinCarletonUniversityintheWinter2017.Theuniversityislocatedin

Ottawa,Ontario,Canada.OttawaisthecapitalcityofCanadaandhasapopulationoflittleover

900000.Beforearriving,IwasalittleworriedthattheymightspeakmostlyFrenchinOttawa,but

itturnedoutthatEnglishwasthemainlanguage.CarletonisaquitebigUniversitywithover

25000studentsandthecampuswasalotbiggercomparedtoAaltoUniversity.

Documentsneeded:

• Youdon’tneedastudypermit/visainCanada,ifyourexchangelastssixmonthsorless.

• YouneedanElectronicTravelAuthorization(eTA)totraveltoCanada.Itcanbeacquired

online.

• CarletonUniversityalsorequirescompletingoneofthesetests(TEOFL/IELTS/CEFRC2)to

proveyourEnglishproficiency.However,IwasabletogetawrittencertificatefromAalto

University’sEnglishlecturerandIdidn’thavetospendfewhundredeurosforthetest.Ihighly

recommenddoingthesame.

AfterbeingacceptedtostudyinCarletonUniversityIreceivedanemailinfopackageandapost

packagefromtheUniversity.Ireceivedmystudentnumberwhichallowedmetosetupa

MyCarletononeaccountwhereIcouldapplyforresidenceandchangemycourses.Iappliedfor

residenceassoonaspossibleandwasofferedanapartmentfromLeedsresidence.Leedsisagood

choiceifyouarelookingtostayincampusresidence,becauseitismeantforthirdyearstudents

andoveranditispopularwithotherexchangestudents.Thewholecampusisalsocoveredwith

undergroundtunnelsthatareconnectedtoallofthebuildingsintheuniversity.Itisvery

convenient,especiallywhenitisfreezingcoldoutside.IfyouaregoingtoCanadaonanexchange

duringthewintertermIwouldrecommendnottobuytooexpensivewintershoesastheyusesalt

tosmeltthesnowanditcanruinyourshoesquitebadly.

TheuniversityalsorequiredmetopurchaseUHIPinsuranceforthetermandthepaymentwas

addedtotheuniversitystudentaccount.ThiswasusefulformeasIhadtoseethedoctoronce

duringmyexchangeanditwaseasyandfree.Carletonalsorecommendedstudentstopurchase

OC-TranspocardthatallowsyoutofreelyuseallofthebusesandO-traininOttawa.

CarletonUniversityislocated15minutesawayfromtheairportandcaneasilybeaccessedwith

busortrain.Irecommendarrivingadayortwobeforetheorientationandifyouaregoingtostay

intheuniversityresidence,youcangetyourroomadaybeforetheorientationtosettleinwithno

hurry.

ExchangestudiesThewintertermstartedonJanuary5thandthefinalexamperiodendedonApril25th.The

mandatoryorientationsessionforexchangestudentswasonJanuary4th.Theyallowedexchange

studentstomoveintocampusresidenceonedaybeforetheorientation.Theorientationsession

coveredthebasicsoflivinginOttawaandstudyinginCarleton.Itwasagoodopportunitytosee

otherexchangestudentsalso.

Aftertheorientation,theISSOorganizedatriptoanearbyshoppingmallsostudentscouldbuy

necessaryitemslikebedsheets,pillowsandhangers.Theapartmentsincampusresidencehad

onlyabed,atableandashelfforclothes.Theresidencealsohadalaundryroomthathadwashers

anddryersthatworkedonyourstudentidcard,towhichyoucouldaddmoneyto.

Thecoursesofferedwerequitelimitedbecauseofprerequisitesneededandmanyofthecourses

werenotavailableforexchangestudents.Thecoursesalsocouldn’toverlapwitheachotherwhich

madeitquitedifficulttogetallofthecoursesneeded.AaltoUniversityrequiredtotake5courses

intotaleventhoughCarletonrecommends3coursesforexchangestudents.5coursesmeantalot

ofassignmentsandgroupworkwhichtookalotoftime.Thecourseswereprobablyabiteasier

comparedtoAaltoUniversity’s,buttherewasmoregroupworkandassignments.

ThecourseswerequitedifferentcomparedAaltobecauseoftheamountofgroupwork.Mostof

thecoursesalsohadmanyassignmentsthatweighted15-30%onthefinalgrade.Thismeantthat

mid-termsandfinalexamsweren’tsoimportantasyoucouldpassbyjustdoingwellonthe

assignments.Mostofmycoursesrequired50%totalpointsofalloftheassignmentsanexamin

ordertopassandsoifyoualreadyhad50%ofthepointsbeforethefinalexam,youhadalready

passedthecourse.

Eventhoughtherewasalotofgroupwork,Ireallyenjoyedit.ItwasagoodwaytomeetCanadian

studentsandworkwithpeoplefromdifferentbackgrounds.Allofmycourseshadmid-termexams

andfinalexams.Therewasa1weekreadingweekwithnocoursesbeforethemid-terms.Thefinal

examsstartedonthe7thofAprilandlastedtill25th.Ihadmylastexamon24thofApril,butsome

ofmyfriendshadtheirlastfinalexam2weeksbeforethat.

BUSI2121BIntroOgranizationalBehavior(6ECTS/undergraduate)ThelecturerwasPh.D.studentanditwashisfirsttimeteachingacourse.Hecouldn’treally

capturetheaudienceandthelectureswerequiteboringbecausehewasjustrepeatingtheslides.

Classeswereheldonceaweekandtheywere3hourswithnobreaks.Thecourseexaminedthe

theoryofindividualandsmallgroupbehaviorinorganizations.Topicscoveredweresuchas

perception,personality,values,motivation,leadership,groupdynamics,communication,conflict,

powerandchange.Thiscourseincludedagroupworkwheregroupswerepresentingatthe

beginningofeachclassaboutoneoftheconceptsthatwillbecoveredinclass.Overallthe

workloadwaslightercomparedtoAaltoUniversity’scourses.

EvaluationCriteria1.ClassPreparationandParticipation15%

2.Midterm20%

3.GroupWork25%

4.FinalExam40%

BUSI2204BBasicMarketing(6ECTS/undergraduate)ThiscoursewasheldmyMarzenaCedzynskiwhowasinspiringandhadbackgroundinbusiness

whichmadesomeofherexamplesmoreinteresting.Thecourseconsistedofweeklylectures,

shortMarketingassignmentsandagroupproject.Topicscoveredonthecourseincluded:

o Segmentation,TargetingandPositioning

o MarketingResearch&BusinessMarketing

o DevelopingandManagingProducts

o Pricing&PromotionDecisions

TheworkloadonthiscoursewassimilarorlightercomparedtoAalto.Iwouldrecommendthis

courseasitcontinuesfromwhere“Markkinoinninperusteet”endedinAalto.

EvaluationCriteria

1. AttendanceandParticipation10%

2. MarketingNewsBites10%

3. MarketingPlan(Groupproject)–Writtenreport

4. MidtermExam20%

5. FinalExam35%

BUSI2701DFundamentalsofIntlBusiness(6ECTS/undergraduate)TheinstructoronthiscoursewasWilliamClementswhohadalongbackgroundininternational

businessandhecouldprovidetheclasswithalotofreallifeexamples.Coursewasinterestingand

wasalsopopularamongmanyotherexchangestudents.Thiscourseexaminedtheconceptual

andpracticalaspectsofinternationalbusinessandthemanagementoffirmsoperatinginan

internationalenvironment.Topicsincludedinternationaltradetheory,internationalbusiness

environment,tradeagreementsandregionaleconomicintegrationandglobalstrategyand

marketing.

TheworkloadonthiscoursewassimilarcomparedtoAaltoUniversity’s.Thereweretwo10page

assignmentsthatwerequiteeasy,butwith4othercoursesatthesametimeitwashecticat

times.Overallthetopicswereinterestingandlecturerwasgreatmakingthiscoursemysecond

favorite.Irecommendyoutakethiscourseasitisalsoanicebalancetoothercoursesbecause

thereisnogroupworkonthiscourse.Boththemidtermandfinalexamhad100multiplechoice

questionsandwerequiteeasyifyoupayattentionduringlectures.

EvaluationCriteria

1. Assignment#120%

2. Assignment#220%

3. MidtermExam20%

4. FinalExam40%

BUSI3007BAuditing(6ECTS/undergraduate)“Thecoursebeginswithanexaminationoftheprinciplesandtheorywhichunderliethepracticeof

auditingfinancialstatements.Inparticular,conceptsofmanagementassertions,auditobjectives,

evidence,materialityandrisk,internalcontrol,auditplanning,andreportingareexaminedand

discussed.Thecoursealsoexaminesauditingasaprofessionalactivity,includingtopicssuchas

professionaljudgement,ethics,legalliability,andtheresponsibilitiesofauditorstosociety.Other

assuranceengagementsarealsoaddressed.”

TheProfessoronthiscourse,MerrideeBujaki,wasgreatandwasabletocapturetheaudience

andexplaineventhehardertopicssothattheymadesense.Thiscoursewasprobablymyhardest

oneasithadsomanynewtermsandphrasesandIdon’trecommenditforexchangestudent

unlessyouareinterestedinauditing.Thecoursehadagroupprojectthatlastedforthewhole

semester,buttheworkloadwasn’ttoomuchtohandle.

EvaluationCriteria

1. Quizzes(2x5%)10%2. Mid-termExamination115%3. Mid-termExamination215%4. GroupProject30%5. GroupProjectPresentation10%6. FinalExamination20%

BUSI3705BInternationalBuyerBehaviour(6ECTS/undergraduate)InternationalBuyerBehaviorwasmyfavoritecourse.ProfessorRojas-Mendezwasagreatlecturer

thatcouldgettheclasstoparticipateanddiscussaboutthethingstaughtintheclass.Thiscourse

wasaboutculturaldifferencesandvaluesthataffectconsumers.Ithadalotofinterestingpoints

thatIhadn’tthoughtaboutbeforeandalotofpracticalexamples.Overall,thiscoursewasmy

favoriteoneandmostinteresting.Iwouldrecommendchoosingthiscoursealsobecausethere

werealotofotherexchangestudentsandnationalitiesonthiscourse.

EvaluationCriteria

1. 2In-classtest(20%/15%)2. “UnderstandingImpactofCulture”project

TeamPaper15%TeamPresentation10%

3. “ICBanalysis”projectTeampaper10%Teampresentation15%

4. ClassParticipation15%

FreetimeandotherinformationThecostoflivingwasquitethesameasinHelsinki.Itwasquiteexpensivetostayinresidence,but

Ithinkitwasworthitbecauseoftheconvenience.Therewasalsoalotofotherexchangestudents

livingincampusanditwasgoodwaytomeetthem.Therewasagym,aswimmingpoolandanice

skatinghallonthecampus.Theyalsoofferedgroupexerciseactivitieslikeyogaforstudents.

Allofthecoursesrequiredcoursebooksandmostofthemwerequiteexpensive.Iboughtone

bookandrentedonefromtheUniversitystore.Idon’trecommendbuyingthecoursebooks

becauseofthehighprice.Youcanloanthebooksfromthelibraryfor2to4hoursatatimeand

that’swhatIdidmostly.Formepersonally,only1bookwasusefulandfortheothercoursesthe

slidesandothermaterialswereenoughtodowellontheexams.

IboughtanallaccessmealplanthatallowedmetoeatintheschoolcafeteriaasmanytimesI

wanted.Typically,Iatebreakfast,lunchanddinner.Breakfastwasgreatwithalotofdifferent

optionssuchasbagels,oatmeal,eggs,bacon,pancakes,waffles,yoghurtsandfruits.Forlunchand

dinnerthereweremanyfoodstationswhereyoucanchoosefrom.Typically,theyofferagood

varietyoffoods,butitcangetquiterepetitivewhenyoueatthereeveryday.Theuniversityalso

hadfoodcourtwithlotofdifferentoptionstochoosefromandmanycoffeeplaces.Itwas

convenienttodepositmoneytoyourstudentcardandpaywithitandyoualsogota10%discount

byusingit.Therewerealotofcoffeeandsnacksoptionsalso,likeStarbucksandTimHortonsand

manyothers.Walmartcouldeasilybeaccessedbybusortrainandithadagoodvarietyof

groceriesandotheritemsneededforthesemester.

TheISSOarrangedmanydifferentactivitiestoexchangestudentslikesnowshoeing,boardgame

nightsandtourstodifferentplacesinOttawa.Ihighlyrecommendattendingasmanyasyoucan.

Otherorganization,CUEx,astudentranorganizationorganizedpartiesandhostedaweeklypub

nightattheuniversity’spubforexchangestudents.TheyalsoorganizedtripstoQuebecand

Torontoforexchangestudents.

Thereweremanypossibilitiesforshopping.RideauCentrewasthebiggestshoppingmallinthe

centreofOttawawithalotofdifferentshops.Therewasalsoashoppingoutletwhichwasone

hourawayfromuniversity.Theyofferedroughly40%discountstobrandclothessuchasCalvin

KleinandTommyHilfigerandIwouldrecommendcheckingitout.ItwasnexttotheCanadianTire

CentrewheretheOttawaSenatorsplayedtheirgames.IfyouwanttogowatchNHLgamesyou

shouldaskforticketsfromISSObecausetheymighthavecheaperticketsforstudentsoratleast

knowwheretogetcheapertickets.CarletonUniversityalsohasabasketballandhockeyteams

thataredoingwellandthegamesaregreattowatch.

TheweatherinOttawacouldchangequickly.Itcouldbe-25onedayandthenextdayitwas+3

rainingwater.Duringmytime,therewehadmuchmoresnowthatusuallyinFinland,butthe

Canadiansusesalttoquicklysmeltthesnowtheroadsandwalkingpathswerealwaysingood

condition.ThepeopleinOttawawereveryfriendlyandsocialandfrommanydifferentcultures.

TravellingDuringmyexchangeItravelledtoMontreal,TorontoandNewYork.Ifyouwanttotraveltothe

U.S.youneedtogetESTAonline.TomysurprisetheflightsfromOttawawerequiteexpensive

comparedtoflightsinsidetheU.S.IusedgreyhoundbusestotraveltoMontrealandToronto.

Theywerequiteconvenientandcostaround60CADforaround-trip.WetraveledtoMontreal

withotherexchangestudentsandrentedanAirbnbapartmentthere.MontrealandTorontowere

alotbiggercomparedtoOttawaandIwouldrecommendvisitingbothcitiesastheyhadalotof

thingstoseeanddofromNHLandNBAgamestomuseumsandshoppingpossibilities.Ifyouare

goingtotravelIwouldrecommenddoingitduringreadingweekandbeforealloftheassignments

andgroupworksstartkickingin.

Finalcomments

IwouldrecommendCarletonasanexchangeuniversity.Ididn’thaveanyproblemsandeverything

workedwell.TheISSOstaffwasveryhelpfulwitheverythingandyoucouldgetinformationfrom

them.ThecoursesofferedweremostlyinterestingandIlearntalotofnewthings.TheUniversity

isalsopopularamongotherexchangestudentsandinternationalstudentsandtherearealotof

peoplewhoareinthesamesituationasyou.Igotalotofnewfriendsduringmyexchangefromall

overtheworldandgreatexperiences.

Overall,IlearnedtoworkbetterinmulticulturalteamsandcommunicatemorefluentlyinEnglish.

Itisalsoagreatexperiencetomovetoadifferentcountryanditwillmakethenextexperiencego

moresmoothly.