College Greystone Montreal: Our first ever student, Simran, talks about her program.

This past January, Collège Greystone Montreal officially opened its doors, welcoming the school’s first ever student to the Attestation of College Studies (ACS) in International Business Management program.  That student was Simran. Originally from India, and with a background in business studies, she came to Collège Greystone Montreal to add new perspectives, skills, and qualifications to her career profile.  Recently, we sat down with Simran to hear her thoughts on the school, the program, and student life in Montreal.  In Part 1 of our interview, Simran shares her experiences in the classroom.

When did you start your program?

I started in January, and it was a very interesting story, because I knew that it was a new program, so there were going to be less students. A few days before my start date, I got a call from the program director who wanted to meet. When I came to the college, he said “would you mind if you’re the only student in the class.” I thought, ok, I know there will be students and they’ll be joining later, but I wanted to start as early as possible.  It was almost like private tuition, but it was good, they made me so comfortable. Because I come from India, where there are 80-90 students in a class, being the only student was a very different experience.

Did you have any favourite classes in the program? 

I think everything is different. This course is very fast paced, so we take two classes every day, and they’re changing classes every month, so you don’t feel like it’s boring, because you don’t study one subject for too long. Because I’m a business student already, and I’m very passionate about business – in the program, I law, accounting, marketing – everything was very interesting.

There is one class I would like to highlight, the negotiations class. In that class we didn’t have many assignments, but we did a lot of role play, so every time they would give us roles, and we had to act them out. For example, if you’re selling a house, then you had to read all the documents, learn how the house is and what are the good features, and what you can sell, so I found it really, really different, and really interesting.  And it helps you come to know about yourself. I realized that I’m one of the top negotiators because I was the one who was very hard and no one was able to pressure me; so, I had to think, am I being too stubborn? Maybe I have to be a bit softer with a few things, so that was a very practical kind of experience.

And the most interesting part, there was a self-assessment, so we had to write about how we feel, and what are the things we can improve about ourselves; and there was class feedback as well, and from the teacher; so you get a lot of perspectives, and added together it is very interesting.

Can you share some other highlights from your classes?

There were practical elements in everything else, as well. For example, in the marketing class we had to make a business plan, and create a business and give a presentation, just like giving a presentation to the investors. And we built a website in our e-commerce class – you know you’re creating your own website and you have to really go deeper and see how you can attract people to your website, so it’s very real-life, and everything is very practical.

Students explain their plan to import a traditional Guarana drink from Brazil to Canada for the Market Study class.

You’ve finished the academic part of the program and have started a practicum in Toronto, can you tell us about your practicum placement?

Because I have a lot of interest in international marketing, and I was working in the international education industry, I chose that field specifically; so right now I’m working with a company who deals with immigration, and recruits students for Canadian universities. I’m handling their Indian market, so I do online marketing.  It’s new, and it’s really good.

Once you complete your practicum, what’s your next step?

I really like the company actually, so my first plan is to continue with the company further.  I’m developing their market, the Indian market – it’s very new because it’s a start-up kind of company, so I want to expand it, and I want to take this opportunity to grow with the company.

Want to learn more about the College Greystone Montreal experience? Check out the second part of our interview with Simran to learn more about the support she received as a student, and student life in the city of Montreal.

If you have questions about applying for the ACS in International Business Management program at Collège Greystone Montreal, be sure to get in touch!