Studying in Canada

I was born in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. I lived there till the age of 9 when my family moved to New Delhi, the capital. There, I continued my schooling at Mount Carmel School. With a growing desire to learn about computers and technology, I decided to pursue an engineering degree. I was admitted into the Institute of Technology and Management (Gurgaon, Haryana) and completed my Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science in 2007. Following this, I worked two years with a local organization managing their IT resources.

Even before I had completed my undergraduate degree, I knew I wanted to pursue higher education. A number of my friends talked about pursuing a Masters degree in engineering or in business – while there were many other choices, those were also the two fields that interested me. At first, I didn’t know much about any of these programs. I learnt a lot from just talking with my friends. I followed up by doing more research on the web – I needed to narrow down the possibilities and choose the program that would best suit my needs. Having spent a lot of time reading and researching university websites, guidance websites and forums, I decided that an MBA program would be the best choice for me. Next came the question of where I should apply. There were a number of good business schools in India that were offering MBA programs and so I could either apply there or do it from abroad.

Canada is a beautiful country with great people. Living and studying here has been a great learning experience for me and has been so much more than what I had expected.

Having done all my education in India, I wanted to broaden my experience by continuing my studies abroad. There were a number of reasons for this. I wanted to experience international education and interact with students from different countries to further develop my social skills and increase my understanding of different cultures. I also really wanted to experience life outside the familiar surroundings that I had been brought up in.

After making this decision, I realized that some schools abroad required a minimum of two years of work experience so I had to take a decision whether to pursue the degree immediately or work a few years and then pursue it. By this time I had narrowed down my preferred study location to either the US or Canada. I found out that Canadian universities favoured students having work experience so I decided to work for a few years.

Having completed a year of work, I realized that it was the right time to start the admission process since universities generally take several months to process the applications. At this point I had decided that I wanted to study in Canada. While I was initially open to studying at either the US or Canada, there were a number of reasons that led to this decision. First, I had family living there. Second, the economic situation in the US was unsettling. Third, I found out that the cost of education was higher in the US as compared to Canada. So, I narrowed down my choices to five universities that I would like to study at in Canada.

Having gone through the admission process, I was accepted into the full-time MBA program at the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University – a 20 month program with an internship opportunity in the summer. Considering several factors such as transportation, tuition costs and the cost of living, I found McMaster University to be well suited to my needs.

I have really enjoyed my experiences here in Canada and am glad that I took the decision to study here. Canada is a beautiful country with great people. Living and studying here has been a great learning experience for me and has been so much more than what I had expected.

One of the aspects in the teaching styles used here that I find interesting is the emphasis on student interaction. In almost every course, 10-15% of the course marks are allocated to classroom participation. This meant that you had to have something smart and useful to say in every class. Being a person of few words, I found this to be a challenge initially but I soon became involved in the program. This has actually helped me think faster and has been very beneficial to me. Second, I find that the people here are helpful and approachable. Professors preferred to be addressed by their first names as opposed to being called sir or ma’am. It would not be rare to see the Dean of the business school socializing with students at the cafeteria.

Another enjoyable aspect of studying in Canada is the sheer beauty of the country. Just experiencing the different seasons are an event in itself. It is beautiful to see the leaves changing colour in the fall as the weather starts to cool down and then experience snow fall in the winter. Last winter, I had the opportunity to go skiing at Camp Fortune near Ottawa. It was my first time skiing and I thoroughly loved the experience. I also visited the beautiful city of Ottawa and saw the Canadian Parliament and other renowned buildings.

Last summer, I had the opportunity to do an internship with a company in Mississauga. This was a great learning experience and allowed me to apply my classroom learning’s in a practical setting. Even though I was an international student, I was welcomed and made to feel part of the team.

Now, I am in the final semester of school and will be done in April 2011. Looking back, I have come to appreciate the journey that I have gone through for the last year and a half. All the friends that I have made along the way and all the professional contacts that I have come across will go far beyond the 20 months of study here. Studying here in Canada has allowed me to interact and work with people from so many different countries. It is truly a global experience.

Personally, I have ‘opened up’ more and have become more comfortable working with different types of people. In addition to what I’ve learned in the classroom, I also feel that my communication skills have become much better. I am pleased with the quality of education and the knowledge level of the professors. I would certainly recommend studying in Canada for aspirants looking for an enriching international experience.