My experience as an exchange student at Warwick Business School

In this blog we talk to Mohammad-Ali Samuraee who came to WBS from HEC Montréal in Canada on the undergraduate exchange programme.

I chose to come to Warwick Business School as an exchange student for the Autumn Term, I was studying Finance at HEC Montréal in Canada and after completing my first year as an Undergraduate student I had the opportunity to apply for the exchange programme. This programme gives students the chance to go and study in a wide range of Universities across the globe. Although I was nervous to begin with, I am so glad that I took part in the programme.

Although there was a wide range of Universities to choose from, I knew that I wanted to go to Warwick Business School because of their reputation. After completing the administrative tasks in addition to an interview with the HEC Montreal exchange board I finally got the decision I was waiting for, and my Warwick exchange semester was now a reality.

I was so excited to come over to the United Kingdom that I ended up spending a lot of my summer researching the business school, their links to neighbouring areas and the campus that I would be moving to. I arrived at the University of Warwick in late September. Fortunately, the VISA procedures were very simple because Canada is part of the commonwealth and when I arrived in the UK the trains and buses were efficiently fast and reliable to get to the University. The main thing that surprised me was how friendly people were at Warwick. It took me 15 minutes after arriving on campus to make some new friends while lining up in the Senate House to finish the registration process.

In my first week I had plenty of time to explore the campus and I got involved in numerous activities that really helped me settle in and experience British culture. It also allowed me to socialise with people from all around the world, you would be surprised by how many international students are at Warwick. The Undergraduate Team also organised plenty of activities for exchange students to ensure that we were all settling in and felt at home. These events helped me meet a lot of interesting new people that are friends who I still keep in contact with now.

During the three months that I was in the UK, I participated in many academic and non-academic activities such as taking part in the Fresher’s Football tournament. One achievement that I am particularly proud of was being chosen to be a Marketing Ambassador for the Marketing Insights Series (MiS). MiS is a concept that approaches Marketing from different perspectives and involves getting the chance to meet top industry experts, take part in student challenges and marketing workshops.

Academically, I had the option to choose from a wide variety of modules to study whilst at WBS. The WBS professors were always there to help and answer any questions. As well as class lectures, some modules have seminars organised in small groups to ensure that everyone is on the same page, and that no one is left behind with the module content. These seminars proved crucial to me since they helped me understand the material and saved me a lot of time as I had the chance to discuss the module content with others. Although normally academics are very busy, at WBS the professors have time to engage with students in a variety of ways including the personal tutor scheme and regular drop in sessions.

The meetings also helped me from an aspirational perspective as I got the chance to hear about the academics careers journey. My decision to add Project Management as a double major was a result of one of my modules professors inspiring discussions. WBS sets up all resources to make sure each student succeeds and achieves their full potential. It was also great that the campus has a 24 hour library, where I could study day or night to complete my assignments. After receiving my grades and feedback, I can now confirm that my exchange semester at Warwick Business School was a huge success not only was it a fun experience but I learnt so much academically. 

I would say to any students that are reading this blog and thinking about coming to Warwick to not hesitate for a second. No matter what kind of person you are, you will always feel welcomed at WBS. If I had the chance to start all over again, I would not change a single thing! As for my future plans, I am now convinced that Warwick is the place to be. I am currently preparing to apply for the WBS postgraduate program.

At Warwick Business School, we offer Undergraduate exchange opportunities to students from our partner institutions which range from 1 term to a full year. Students have the opportunity to take a range of modules from across WBS's subject disciplines and immerse themselves in British culture in a campus environment.

If you are interested in undertaking an exchange placement at Warwick Business School, please contact the Student Mobility Team in Student Opportunity.