How is it to be a European (/French) student at Ivey Business School?
It’s been a few days since I started preparing to write this blog post. I am trying to remember what things surprised, pleased, shocked or annoyed me the most during my first semester in the Ivey MSc program. No, culture shock is not just a myth. I thought studying in Ontario would be similar to my undergraduate studies in Quebec in many ways. I thought that, because I had moved in and out different countries, it would be easy this time. But it wasn’t. Every international experience comes with its deal of challenges, and one thing I understood is that cultural adaptation is not about quantity: multiplying global experiences does not necessarily mean that you will adapt quicker or easier next time you move to a country. I thought integrating at Ivey Business School would be a piece of cake. In reality, my cultural adaptation was more like the full cake than just a piece. Let me explain.
Imagine a big cake looking very rich and tasty. That was my representation of my semester at Ivey Business School: a delightful experience, generous in emotions, stuffed with discoveries and topped with surprises. At first, you are very hungry, looking forward to starting. The cake looks so big that you don’t know where to begin. It is overwhelming until you decide to go for it and have the first slice. You find it surprising, impressive, amazing or even weird, but you devour it. You slow down to really enjoy every bite, every one of them having a different taste, depending on the time you bite into the cake. However, at some point, you feel full and there is suddenly too much on your plate. You are wondering how you are supposed to finish it and it becomes truly challenging. But you go through it, and when there is only one piece left, you find it unfortunate that it is soon over. This is how my semester at Ivey Business School looked like: a very rich and tasty experience!
CEMSIES and MSc classmates!
As a matter of clarification, a semester at Ivey Business School is far more “amazing”, “surprising” and “delightful”, than it is “weird” or “challenging”. However, this semester included its share of cultural differences that made my adaptation more complex than expected, but also much more fun. Ivey MSc in Management is the dreamlike program for every European wishing to experience excellence and prestige in education. Ivey offers a highly collaborative environment, and room for creativity. Having to complete a report in teams in only 24 hours (also known as the “24-hours report”), being able to ask anything to your classmates anytime or finding dry-erase markers everywhere to write on the library tables or study room walls are part of the excellence-collaboration-creativity atmosphere I am talking about. Those are the perks all MSc students enjoy, but many things other than that make the academic and social environment very special to foreigners.
European ladies represent!
As a European teen, you watched North American TV shows in which there were yellow school buses, colorful lockers, and graduations with gowns and caps. All this is part of the Ivey MSc program (although your graduate picture is far less enchanting than you had dreamed it would be…). Besides the cultural differences, you spot at first sight, which also includes every aspect of the (North American) campus life Europeans are not used to, you get to take the best out of mentalities very different than yours. No need to say that as a very spontaneous person, I was disoriented amongst personalities much more goal-oriented and rigorous than mine. The same thing for the values, I was hit by Canadians’ politeness, respect of diversity and emphasis on equality, and I will make sure I’ll carry some of these great values with me when the time comes to pack my bags.
Behind the scenes of my graduation photo shoot.
Not only will I pack the learnings I aim to benefit from my whole life, as I will leave Ivey Business School, but I will bring lots of memories I’ve collected throughout the first semester of the program. And believe me, as 3 more terms are coming, this is only the beginning…
5 things that prove you are on your way to cultural adaptation in Canada …
- You’ve dropped your skirts for leggings and an (Ivey) sweater. Your European friends would more likely call your outfit a pajama, but you love it now, and you’re even considering buying yoga pants, but shh!
- You don’t know what an expresso is anymore, but you’ve become the best at ordering any kind of signature coffee, ranging from “Grande Iced Chai Tea Latte” to “Venti Unsweetened Caramel Macchiato with Almond Milk”.
- Your family does not skype you anymore, as they are too busy enjoying barbecues and having drinks on terraces. On this side of the Atlantic Ocean, you don’t remember what spring looks like, and you are joyous on the days you can make it to school without a hat.
Celebrating St. Patrick's Day, in March, with Snow...
- Every Canadian check on you when you’re going to a wine & cheese event. Before, you used to promise yourself not to be outrageous and then they pour you a glass of wine from a box. Today, you even find cheddar tasty.
- You get yourself some ice from the outside to refresh your drink because stalactites (or Icicles) do the work. Next step will be going to cut wood in Alberta or produce your own maple syrup in Quebec but you are not there yet…
Ivey Business School, London Ontario. They tell me winter is not usually this long...
Now I am off to India to start term 2 the Global Lab! Stay tuned to the MSc Student Blog as we will be sharing our experiences over the summer!
Until next time,
Jeanne