by Dailia Barattini

I am a third year Business Administration student from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

In January 2017, I had to decide where I would want to go on exchange the following year. My school offered the possibility to do a double-exchange, which I seized. I ended up spending one semester in Singapore and the following semester at the Schulich School of Business in Toronto, Canada.

Schulich was one of my top choices, with most of the others also being Canadian universities. My choice to spend my exchange semester in Canada stemmed from my willingness to experience the North American university life. Furthermore, I decided to choose Canada over the United States as I was disillusioned with the outcome of the 2016 elections. I had also heard from many people that Canada was a friendly and welcoming country, which I later found to be true.

The Schulich Experience

So far, I have been very satisfied with my experience at Schulich. The main difference which I have noticed compared to my home university, is the grading system. Indeed, most of my courses in Switzerland only include one final exam, which counts for 100% of our grade. We also do not have any participation grade, which is why I found it very surprising at first that so many students actively interact with professors during classes. The relationship between professors and students is also far more formal in Switzerland, where it would be considered rude to call a professor by their first name or start an e-mail by simply writing “Hello” instead of “Dear Professor XYZ”. I was positively surprised by the relaxed atmosphere between students at York University and found that there was less competition among us than back home.

Diversity & Inclusion

One of the things which I enjoyed the most so far was students’ openness and their willingness to get to know you when they hear that you are an exchange student. Another very positive aspect, which I believe is very unique to Toronto, is the city’s multiculturalism and diversity. During my stay so far, I have tried to make the most of the different types of international cuisines which Toronto has to offer. The only struggle that I have had so far is the weather, which is far colder than in Switzerland, despite what some people may think.

If you are an exchange student thinking of spending a semester in Switzerland, do not hesitate to leave a comment below to connect – I will be happy to help!