University: Vancouver Island University

City: Nanaimo

Country: Canada

Continent: North America

Field of study: business administration

Study type: semester abroad

Preparations

Studying in Canada has always been my big dream.

That’s why I asked MicroEdu for a master’s semester abroad in the field of business administration and was offered the MBA at Vancouver Island University. I quickly decided to apply there and requested the application documents from MicroEdu. Preparations should begin about six months before the start of the course. Check mcat-test-centers.com to see Riga Stradins University.

For example, I had to submit a language certificate from the VIU (at least level B2 required). I was able to take this language test at my home university ( DAAD test ). The VIU requested all the evidence for the application, so the application process took a few weeks. However, MicroEdu has always given me very good support. All documents are passed on to the VIU by the MicroEdu. Applying to the VIU is subject to a fee (about €100).

Accommodation

After I received the approval notice, I booked my flight for August straight away. I also immediately applied to the residence at the VIU. However, I initially received a rejection from the dormitory and therefore I flew to Canada 3 weeks before the start of my studies to look for accommodation there. When I arrived in Canada, I was told that I had moved up in the dormitory and was offered a bed in a modern double, which I then inspected and agreed to on the spot. It is a 10m ² room with a bunk bed.

The living situation was really anything but comfortable. We were 8 boys in the apartment, spread over 4 rooms, 2 bathrooms and a kitchen. Since the students come from all over the world, there were very big differences in perception as far as basic cleanliness was concerned, and so tensions were inevitable.

Still, it was a lot of fun living there. You get to know an incredible number of people, you are right next to the university, you can go to the university gym whenever you want, and you are not dependent on the bus. I studied almost exclusively in the library, which is open 24 hours a day.

Studied at VIU

I completed three courses in the MBA and was very busy! MBA 500 The Effective Manager with Bonita Russel: The professor gives great lessons. You have to hand in homework, cases, etc. weekly, which are graded. There is also an individual assignment, consisting of three parts, midterm and a final. The course is recommended, is work-intensive, but easy to do and the material is not difficult to understand.

MBA 502 Establishing the Global Context at Mac Coll: The workload is limited at the beginning of the semester and then increases more and more. You have weekly readings, articles that you have to prepare, etc. There is also an individual assignment, a midterm and a large group work (4 people) with homework (we had 40 pages) and a presidential hour. Personally, I cannot recommend this course.

MBA 504 Managerial Economics with Daniel Simons: I put the most effort into this course by far – the topics are demanding and the pace is fast. Every week you get tasks that you should definitely calculate if you want to be well placed with the professor. I recommend following up on each lesson. There are three midterms. Daniel is the best and most competent professor, in my opinion, at VIU. Learning is just fun and I was able to take an incredible amount with me from his lessons.

The learning effort in the MBA should not be underestimated. During the week, I really was studying and writing every day until late in the evening. I wanted to use it to keep the weekends free for trips, which worked out quite well.

Leisure

At the beginning I took part in the introductory week. Some of the activities have to be booked in advance via the VIU homepage and are subject to a fee. I met a lot of people during this week, so attending is actually a must.

There are great trips organized by the VIU. Tip: Be sure to register with “outdoor rec” after receiving the notification of admission. At the beginning of the semester I took part in a four-day surf camp for newbies. In total I’ve done seven trips with the outdoor rec including: swimming with the seals, sea kayaking, vancouver canucks icehokey… they’re mostly 1 day weekend activities. We have also organized our own trips with friends, such as a weekend in Campbell River. There we were able to observe orcas and other wild animals in the wild.

We also booked a four-day organized trip to Banff in the Rocky Mountains. Seattle in the USA is also recommended. There is a bus that goes there from Vancouver. You can also rent a car cheaply in Nanaimo and explore the island on your own. Westwood Lake and Mount Benson are also recommended. In the summer you can go swimming there.

After the end of the finals I traveled the west coast of the USA. Tip: Rent a car in San Francisco and drive along the coast to LA.

Conclusion

I completed my master’s degree with the semester abroad. My expectations were more than exceeded in Canada. I was able to improve my language skills a lot, you become much more fluent in speaking and through the many household chores my vocabulary has expanded and my writing style has improved. The best thing about the semester abroad, however, is the experience outside of the university. The country is simply beautiful and there is so much to discover there. You also get to know an incredible number of new people from all over the world. The VIU is very international. I really recommend everyone to go there. Above all, it enriches your own personality and you grow through the experiences you made there, which you will certainly never forget.