Looking back at my academic journey

I got to know about York through doing my research- online portals, forums (Iconic, Reddit), etc. The admission process was pretty straightforward, there was a common portal for all the schools in Ontario. The application fee was mentioned online. I applied to a total of 5 universities and I chose York for the reasons that- the business school, Schulich, is considered prestigious in Canada. I have always wanted to live in a big city, hence, the location of York was a plus. I studied under CBSE in India and I chose commerce stream with Math. I scored 93.4% overall in grade 12, which was enough to retain my offer here.

Schulich School of Business is said to have a faculty member for every 7 students. The class sizes are pretty good, ranging between 35-55 students. This helps in getting personal attention from professors. Most of the professors have a Ph.D., and some are in the process of pursuing it. The teaching assistants I had were in the middle of their master's degree and were considered part-time faculty.

I chose this program because it is reputed, opens door to opportunities to advance career and moreover, I wanted to study business in the first place. The requirements were straightforward: at least 7.5 bands in IELTS, 90% average in grade 12 and extracurricular activities involvement. I was able to score a 7.5 in IELTS, I had some extracurricular involvement under my belt which differentiated me from other applicants. And, as mentioned I had a predicted score of 91% from my academic officer in school and I was able to maintain this percentage.

Toronto, being a metropolitan Centre, brings a lot of employment opportunities to students at the post-secondary level of education. There aren't placements, but companies hold networking events, case competitions and conferences for students to attend and take part in. Through these events, students can learn more and cultivate their network with representatives from companies. The roles companies offer range from Staff Accountant, Business Analyst, Financial Analyst, Business development associate to senior roles like Account Manager. The average salary for a graduate is around $55K per annum and Investment banking analysts earn on the higher end of it. About 87% of students gain employment within 3 months of graduation, as per the brochure.

York University has plenty of on-campus opportunities, while my faculty specifically has a limited number. York has its career portal through which an applicant may apply. The jobs are usually part-time or contract-based, ranging from Administrative, Marketing, Communications, and Research Assistant roles. The pay varies between $14-$20 depending on the nature and type of work. The criteria for most of the jobs are they may ask an applicant to be in a certain year of study, else they need a resume and cover letter to determine your eligibility.

The tuition fee is around $30,000 per year, which converts to rupees 15 lac. I availed a loan from Punjab National Bank. I was not awarded any entrance scholarship, but based on my academic performance, I was awarded a scholarship of $2500 in 2nd year. It is called the International Student Scholarship. The criteria are to have a GPA of at least 3.4/4 and maintain an excellent financial record with York.

I opted for off-campus options as it turned out to be cheaper, convenient and flexible than living on-campus. Living on campus costs $10k for 8 months, including a meal plan. Whereas, living off-campus costs me $500 a month or $6k a year. I cook my own food and eat outside occasionally, it costs around $250 a month for that. The challenge I have faced so far is managing to juggle between cooking my meals and studying.