Simon Fraser University (Canada)

Date: Aug 11 2017
Major: Business - Management and Administration (This Major's Salary over time)
First year sucks, second year sucks, third and fourth year are pretty bad. Don't even think about grad school.

Classes here are tough, a lot of them graded on a curved scale (C being the median for first year) - so it doesn't matter how well you know the material because you need to know it better than anyone else. This policy screwed us over when 80 - 90% scores were considered C+ or C's. Add that to the core 'Gatekeeping' classes with extremely low averages and the 40% dropout rate will make sense.

It's really disappointing to see such bright students break after barely surviving first year.

Unlike other universities that focus on providing a quality education and fostering a learning atmosphere, you will have large lecture sessions with your professor who will fly through the material and your TA will teach the rest of the class. Never mind asking questions during office hours - wait times are usually abysmal.

Everyone at SFU is a smart student with a passion for their work. What makes you stand out is your willingness to not have a social life and commit yourself to your studies for the next four to six (yeah course selection is a bitch) years - and for a lot of people its just not the right balance. Students here are friendly, positive, and down to earth, but no one has any time for anything other than studying.

You'll love this place if you're looking forward to teaching yourself everything from here on out, getting vague responses from TA's and professors, being packed into overcrowded lecture halls, tutorial rooms, libraries and busses.

This is a research school and the students tuition supports the research done here. So unless you are planning to become involved in research, or dedicate your life to being in the top 15% of the class to score a decent gpa - your time and money will not be well spent.