1. In the second year, there’re 2 HR courses (Human Resources & Labour Relations and Organizational Behaviour & Human Resources). I don’t understand why DeGroote is forcing commerce students to take these 2 useless required commerce courses. Most commerce students are NOT interested in HR. However, DeGroote is forcing us to do something that is meaningless. What is the point? How many of you guys still remember the things we learned in these 2 HR courses? When we’re doing something that is not in our interest, we do it for the exam. In my opinion, it’s wasting our time and money. Same as 2OC3 (Production and Operations Management) and 2KA3 (Information Systems in Management).

2. The courses’ structure sucks! In the commerce program, we have to take some non-commerce electives. I’ve talked to the academic office about switching my non-commerce elective courses for my commerce elective courses because there’re so many useful commerce courses DeGroote offers. Obviously, the office doesn’t allow me to do that. Therefore, some students pick bird courses to boost their grade. I don’t understand why they don’t give students freedom to do whatever they want? They told me if I want to take extra courses, I have to go into continuing education. Non sense!!


3. Professors are in low quality. My major is in Finance, I don’t know other profs. For example, Kevin Brewer. He’s teaching intro to finance and financial modeling. I believe most students taking his class feel like it’s wasting time going to his class. He doesn’t even know how to teach students, just reading the slice word by word. Why does DeGroote still keep him as our prof? Same as the prof from Financial risk management.

4. There’s a financial modeling course offered by Marquee Group. When I registered it, it didn’t say the course was just open to MBA. Couple days later, it sent me an email saying they cancelled my registration because I’m not a MBA student. by the way, it costs $50 to register the financial modeling course because it’s provided by 3rd party. We’re here to pursue knowledge. I’m part of the DeGroote and I’ll the $50. They rejected me for the reason I’m not a MBA student. I was so mad at it snice I’m not trying to steal anything from MBA students. I just want to go the class, sit down and listen what they talk about. It’s not like a TD information session, maybe the recruiter has some internal info for MBA students. It’s just a class and I’m paying my fee.

5. The teaching method is so wrong. For example, 2FA3 (intro to finance) and 3FA3, for the exams, I can easily get a 10 in the course by memorizing the past exams questions and formulas. I don’t even need go to classes. I asked my friends what she learned in 2FA3, she said nothing, except for PVIFA and FVIFA. In my 3rd year elective, I took a security analysis course and the prof of this course was a TA for 3FA3. He told us in the class that “he doesn’t like the exam questions of 3FA3 either”.

6. Things we learned in class are not useful in practice. Couple days ago, I saw Allen Chan’s post on FB, saying “After a full month of internship, I found that the follow skills are the most important: SAP, Excel, Access, SQL and any programming language. Most of which I did not learn in University. Something is wrong with current business education!” DeGroote is not doing the right things.

In conclusion, we’re paying money learning little things and wasting our time. I’ve talked to my U of T friends and sometimes I feel stupid because they know much more than I do. I still have so many more to talk about. Now, after reading this, what’re you guys opinions? So many commerce students have gone this, why not even one person talk the DeGroote about this? I’m saying this because I want my school to become better. Otherwise, it just keeps becoming worse and worse.

Originally Posted by kingryan90

2. The courses’ structure sucks! In the commerce program, we have to take some non-commerce electives. I’ve talked to the academic office about switching my non-commerce elective courses for my commerce elective courses because there’re so many useful commerce courses DeGroote offers.

6. Things we learned in class are not useful in practice. Couple days ago, I saw Allen Chan’s post on FB, saying “After a full month of internship, I found that the follow skills are the most important: SAP, Excel, Access, SQL and any programming language. Most of which I did not learn in University. Something is wrong with current business education!” DeGroote is not doing the right things.

These two points kind of contradict each other. I think the point of your non-commerce electives was meant for you to branch out and explore something new, take a programming course, get experience with the Microsoft Suite applications, etc. Excel and Access are pretty straightforward and you could probably learn it on your own if you don't already know how to use them.

Why didn't you go to U of T?

Originally Posted by kingryan90

So many commerce students have gone this, why not even one person talk the DeGroote about this? I’m saying this because I want my school to become better. Otherwise, it just keeps becoming worse and worse.

Why haven't YOU talked to your faculty about it?
Posting on here is not going to help the program improve.

I had several issues with the way my program was set up, and set up a meeting with someone from some office (I can't remember which), spent an hour detailing all of the issues and proposing solutions, and it resulted in several changes made immediately for the year below me, which have improved the program for the future. These were changes to specific courses, as well as program/course requirements (dropping those that were useless, adding ones that are valuable, altering the sequencing to be manageable, etc).

Don't just whine and complain - that is easy.
DO something about it.

I think the problem with complaining to the department is that a person could, theoretically, make a load of enemies, some of whom they'd need to get references from if they were to go on to grad school. Academia has a reputation, rightly or wrongly. As for commerce and HR/Labor Relations: yes you do really need to know that, in case you end up with underlings. A boss can destroy an entire company just by managing staff badly.

Hey the Profs are defending their but by complicating simple matters and trying to find order and trends in really complex matters.
DeGroote is no Harvard. These people are good at explaining and there stops the deal.
Ivy school eMBA is stuffed with scenarios trying to mimic real life situation.
In the end my ten cent : don't expect anything helpful from DeGroote , try to contribute to __