outlook-winter-2012

RYERSON UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTING SOCIETY

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Introduction 03 2011-2012 RUAS Team 04 Message from the President Feature Articles 06 KPMG Ace the Case 08 Ernst & Yonge 09 A Look into Deloitte - A Ryerson Alumni‘s Experience 12 Soberman: What champions are made of 12 PWC Tower : Our future is here 14 CMA 15 CMA Profile 15 ICAO 18 CGA 21 Advice to First-Year Students

2 Ryerson University Accounting Society

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Ryerson University Accounting Society 3

Director of Events Accounting Coordinator

Achieve Co-Chair

Achieve Co-Chair

Director of Marketing

Director of IT

Nancy Sandhu Roberto Curio Vy Ngo Samantha Loboda

Jarryd McKie Kevin Ng

1 Amanda Sebastiano Achieve

2 Kyle Shea Achieve

3 Ksenia Prokopienko Achieve

4 Manoj Oommen Achieve

5 Nolan Mcginla Achieve

6 Hillorie Le Achieve

7 Pavandip Sidhu Events

8 Mohamed Mohamedali Achieve

Associates


MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT – PROFESSIONAL OUTLOOK

WELCOME BACK to the Ted Rogers School of Management fellow alumni

and students! My name is Fatima Seedat and I am the President of RUAS for this year! Every year, RUAS makes it a goal to bridge the gap between universi-ty and industry and this year is no different – I can‘t wait to share what RUAS has accomplished thus far and what we hope to accomplish by the end of this academic year! The RUAS team has been working diligently since the summer - we have added numerous events this year to help accounting students network with industry professionals better – our CA firms Volunteer Days is one example. In August, RUAS partnered with Soberman to offer an exciting day of networking and vol-unteering with the Daily Bread Food Bank! More Volunteer Days are yet to come with the rest of the CA Firms! Our very first event of the year, the IN-DUSTRY SYMPOSIUM held in October was a huge success with over 80 students and representatives from CMA Ontario, CGA Ontario and the Chartered Institute of Canadian Business Valuators (a new partnership formed this year). The event consisted of ―How to Network‖ workshops, where students learned the Dos and Don‘ts of networking! Students also had the chance to network and meet with representatives work-ing as CMA‘s, CGA‘s and Chartered Business Valuators (CBV‘s). RUAS also partnered with the Career Cen-tre this year to host the CA NIGHT on September 14, 2011. The event was a huge success and we received great feedback from all of the recruiters about all the wonderful students they met! We also welcome you to our Alumni Gala today! This is our sixth year hosting this event and every year it just seems to get bigger and better! This year, we made it a goal on RUAS to help the community – we feel contributing and helping others develops you personally and professionally. Our theme, ―Ryerson and The Community‖ was chosen to help students see the benefits of giving back to your local community and help others with something you are truly passionate about! Our Volunteer Days and choosing a charity like Movember for our Alumni Gala, aligns with our vision and values. Our ACHIEVE Conference & Competition went national last year and due to the success of the event, we already have interest from so many universities! The RUAS ACHIEVE team has been working hard since the summer to ensure the conference is even bigger and better this year! Another new event we are hosting this year is our REACH THE TOP Executive Night – this event will feature top level executives from the big four accounting firms, Soberman, CMA Ontario, CGA Ontario and the ICAO. We hope to inspire students with this event by providing them with corporate breakout sessions with these executives where they will learn how to REACH THE TOP!

With the School of Accounting and Finance starting in September 2012, the new Business Careers Program

emerging, and new networking opportunities offered by RUAS, the Ted Rogers School of Management is

heading to new heights! We are very proud of our students and everyone who has worked hard to make

our university what it is today. Thank you to all of our sponsors for always supporting and believing in us –

CMA, PwC, CGA, KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, ICAO, Soberman, Ryerson Commerce Society, Ryerson

Student‘s Union, our Accounting Faculty, the Dean‘s Office, the President‘s office and PFACs! I also thank

the whole RUAS team for their hard work, dedication and commitment – without each of their individual

skills, none of the above would be possible! RUAS will continue to work hard and ensure we are the voice

of the accounting students here at the Ted Rogers School of Management!

Message from the President

Case program to learn how to plan, write, present and debrief a case! This amazing program consists of three stages of competition: Local, National, and Global. The winning teams from each local Ace the Case Workshop will progress through to the Ace the Case National Finals, with the eventual winners representing Canada in the international competition against students from around the world. The 2012 winning team will represent Canada at the KPMG International Case Competition in Hong Kong in April!

Local Locally, Ace the Case is a 2-day workshop that is host-ed in each of KPMG‘s four national offices: Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Mon-treal. Students will have the opportunity to meet and network with participants from various universities as well as KPMG professionals in their local office.

During day one, students primarily cover case-writing skills, including the basic approach, outlining, ranking of issues, quantitative analysis, and many others. By the second day, students fo-cus on the presentation aspect of case writing and properly presenting results as a group. This is where it gets exciting! Groups will tackle a case head on and prepare to present solutions to a set of KPMG judges in the hopes of winning the chance to represent their local office at the Ace the Case National Finals. The local workshop will provide an invaluable opportunity to learn and practice skills that will help you to reach your full potential as a young professional. ―I learned to apply my critical think-ing skills to analyze situations and identify the key issues presented in a case.‖ says Calgary local

competition participant, Jaspreet Pandher, a 2nd year student at the University of Calgary. ―I use this knowledge every day at school to solve prob-lems and during the case competitions that I have participated in since Ace the Case.‖ National Winning local teams compete via video conference in March for their chance to represent Canada at the KPMG International Case Competition (KICC). "Winning my local Ace the Case competition and having the opportunity to compete at the national level was easily one of the greatest experiences of my university career,‖ says Balpreet Singh, a 3rd year accounting student at the Schulich School of Business. Balpreet describes his experience at the national level as ―a phenomenal learning experience. It was the relationships I made with my peers, fellow competitors and judg-es at Ace the Case that made the experience so great. The challenging yet supportive environment that was fostered, combined with the strong rela-tionships I made, are two of the main reasons that

Balpreet Singh

Schulich School of Business 2012 KPMG Summer Intern – GTA

Jaspreet Pandher University of Calgary 2012 KPMG Summer Intern - Calgary


I chose to intern with KPMG this upcoming sum-mer!‖ Global The KPMG International Case Competition (KICC) is an annual event that brings together winning teams from KPMG's member firm‘s national case competitions to compete on a global scale. In a rapidly globalizing business environment, the KICC is a unique way of exposing students to global busi-ness early on. It challenges students to think out-side of their country borders by introducing them to real life issues faced by international compa-nies. In 2011, the GVA team advanced to represent Can-ada at the KICC in Istanbul, Turkey to compete against students from 19 countries. ―KICC provided with me a unique opportunity to learn

how different cultures handle a variety of difficult business decisions,‖ said 2011 Canadian Team member William Tru-deau. ―I was exposed to sever-al cases from which I learned unique approaches based on how each country prioritizes issues differently. I walked away with a true international lens and an understanding of the importance in having a global perspective in business communication.‖ This year, an adventure to Hong Kong in April for the 2012 International Case Competition awaits our winning National team!

William Trudeau

Simon Fraser University 2011 KPMG Summer Intern – GVA

To see highlights from Ace the Case and to learn more about student experiences, check out our video on our YouTube Channel!

Are you ready to reach your full potential? Watch for advertisements at your University or Career Centre. For more information on how to apply for this unforgetta-

ble experience, visit our website at www.kpmg.ca/acethecase.


Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young LLP is one of Canada‘s leading professional-services firms, providing assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services to clients ranging from emerging growth companies to global powerhouses. We are 152,000 people who are com-mitted to making a difference in capital markets around the world through the quality of services we provide and through our commitment to our communities. What clearly sets us apart from the competi-tion is the strength of our culture. We hear this from our clients, our people, our recruits and our alumni. Our leaders understand the connection be-tween a strong culture and success in the market. Over this past year, during this time of great challenge and change in Canada, Ernst & Young has worked hard to offer our advice and insight to help clients adapt to the evolving changes. We‘ve guid-ed many clients through restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, helped some simply survive, and helped others who were in a position to thrive and take advantage of the difficult times. In our own business, we have carefully man-aged our costs, but more importantly, we have made key investments in the services our clients

need now — in this particular time in the economy — and that we believe will grow in the future. The-se include areas such as performance improve-ment, risk management, climate change and glob-alization. Through the recession we never gave up on the importance of developing our people. We have-n‘t cut learning; we‘ve expanded it. For example, we continue to enhance EYU — our people develop-ment framework — with its pillars of learning, coaching and helping our people get the experienc-es they need to enhance their careers. Our com-mitment to flexibility is every bit as strong today as it was before the economic crisis. Our corporate responsibility efforts are unabated. And our drive towards a truly inclusive culture continues to gain momentum. We invest in all of this because we know when the economic crisis is finally behind us, we will be stronger. The recession has cemented our belief that being a top employer is the most important factor in our success as a business. Read more at www.ey.com/ca and learn more about the numerous programs, policies and initiatives we‘ve developed to show our people they matter to us, and to help them achieve their potential.

A Look into Deloitte - A Ryerson Alumni’s Experience

By: Samir Gutierrez Starting work at a new company is always ex-citing, especially with the great opportunities that can be found in the accounting firms. I have found there are three major components to a satisfying work experience: the work, the people and the fun. Each new Deloitte employee‘s experience is different, so here is a look at what my experience has been with the firm so far. The Work: After I graduated from Ryerson‘s Accounting program, I started working for Deloitte in the fall of 2011 as part the Audit practice in the Manufacturing industry. The client work at first seems challenging, yet it is always interesting and a great source of learning. Of course, most of the

audit work is completely new to an accounting student that has never been on a client engage-ment. However, there is always a team of profes-sionals that are able to support you and who are more than willing to help you by answering ques-tions or explaining a new process. Going out to client sites is a great experience since you are always meeting new people and dealing with new challenges. My favourite aspect of client work is the local and international travel that we get to do as part of our engagements. Early next year I am already scheduled to travel to San Francisco, Denver, British Columbia, Nevada and even Central America. These are great travel opportunities and I am excited to be involved with these teams.

A Look into Deloitte - A Ryerson Alumni’s Experience (cont.)

The People: The best part of working for Deloitte is working with the most intelligent, funny and interesting people you can find. Everyone is friendly and approachable and always willing to assist you in your professional development within the firm. I have met some great friends while working at the firm and I am still surprised by some of the hidden talents and hobbies of accountants. Have you ever heard of accountants skydiving, win-ning high stakes Vegas poker tournaments or being a singer in a rock band? These accountants do exist and work at Deloitte! The Fun: My experience at Deloitte has been a rich and rewarding experience that has surpassed even my own expectations. I started as a Summer Student in 2009 and came back again in 2010. Those two summers were full of fun and excite-ment! Summer at Deloitte is always a good time: from Wonderland trips, to going out for drinks with

your co-workers, to Deloitte BBQ days, there is never a shortage of entertainment at the firm. As a sports fan, I joined the Deloitte baseball team and got a chance to take on our clients in competitive and fun games throughout the summer. And of course baseball always ends with wings and drinks to celebrate a great game. The Firm: My biggest surprise at Deloitte so far has been the easy balance between the amount of fun and excitement you can experience, yet still work in the challenging and rewarding professional services industry. If you are looking to obtain your Chartered Accountant designation and want to work with the highest caliber professionals, all while still have a great time, you definitely need to take a close look at Deloitte!


PwC Tower - Our Future is Here!


It‘s true, PwC Canada‘s downtown Toronto offices have moved to their new location, the PwC Tower at 18 York Street, a brand new state of art 26 storey tower situated at York and Bremner. The new building is a testament to PwC‘s focus on its employees. The building represents a vision to cre-ate a unique PwC work space that meets the di-verse and long term needs of the firm – both for the people and the business. "Our new home in Toronto's expanding south core financial district fits with the firm's commit-ment to our people, our clients and the environ-ment‖ said David Forster, PwC's GTA Managing Partner. ―PwC Tower brings all our downtown peo-ple together, supporting our ability to provide the best service to our clients while creating a collabo-rative, productive and enjoyable workspace that offers access to public transportation and green

design features." PwC‘s commitment to making sustainable choices and creating a warm, welcoming and effi-cient working environment for staff has helped to drive the design of PwC Tower. PwC Tower has been constructed to meet the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental De-sign) Gold Standard in both building design and of-fice space categories. The LEED Gold Standard re-flects the total score of PwC Tower against stand-ards set by the Canadian Green Building Council. A number of ‗green‘ initiatives and designs have helped PwC Tower to achieve this standard: Adaptive re-use of existing office furniture. Up to 75% of existing furniture is being re-used. A green office environment:

Daylighting (an open concept office maximiz-ing the use natural light over traditional elec-tric lighting)

Automatic dimming/turning off of lights and HVAC after hours

Use of rapidly renewable and locally sourced materials for office interiors

Energy star appliances and equipment throughout the office, for example – Solar blinds that adjust accordingly to the amount of sunlight entering the building

Reducing water usage through rain water col-lecting and efficient delivery

30% less energy use through high-efficiency heating, underfloor air supply, intelligent lighting and Enwave‘s Deep Lake Water Cool-ing system

First Toronto tower with green roof and ur-ban forest integrated in its design

140 secure indoor bicycle storage spots with shower/locker rooms

PwC Tower - Our Future is Here! (cont.)

Can you guess what the people who hold the following positions all have in common?

CMA - Facts

They all work for Professional Services firms AND they are all Certified Management Accountants! As a CMA, you have the option to work in any type of organization, including top accounting & professional services firms, banking & financial institutions, manufacturers, retailers and much more! FAST FACT: Of the thousands of employers who hire CMAs, the ―Big Four‖ firms continually make the list of ―Top 30 CMA Employers‖ (based on number of CMAs employed). A brand new Industry Survey of CMAs now shows that ―Financial Services, Insurance and Real Estate‖ (20%) is now the most popular sector for CMAs, followed by Manufacturing (14%) and Government (14%). As a CMA, you can work anywhere, in any sector, for any organization, of any size. As a CMA, the choice is up to you to ―Create Possibilities‖ and have a rewarding, flexible career on your terms – and you can work in many areas within an organization, not just accounting! FAST FACTS: Average CMA Salary is $119,400 - 65% of CMAs earn over $90k, placing them in the top 5% of global income earners - Candidates in the 2 year, part-time CMA Strategic Leadership Program earn an aver-age salary of $63,000. The Top 30 CMA Employers are now: CIBC, BMO, RBC, TD Canada Trust, Scotiabank, Rogers, Bell, IBM, RIM, Kraft, Nestle, Maple Leaf Foods, Manulife, Sun Life, Sears, Loblaw, Canadian Tire, Deloitte, KPMG, PWC, E&Y, IBM, CRA, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Ontario Power Generation, Transport Canada, Health Canada & Accenture.


Accenture Director of Finance

Accenture Mgr, Mgmt Consulting

BDO Consultant BDO Manager- Valuations

BDO Senior Accountant BDO Senior Manager - Audit BDO Tax Specialist BDO Accounting Supervisor

BDO Partner

BDO Staff Accountant Capgemini Director

Capgemini Mgr, Technology Ser-

vices

Capgemini Account Controller Deloitte Senior Consultant Deloitte Sr Mgr, Enterprise Risk

Deloitte Associate Partner Deloitte Managing Partner, Tax

Deloitte Partner Deloitte Sr Mgr Ops & Finance

Deloitte Vice President

Ernst & Young Director, National Finance

Ernst & Young Executive Director

Ernst & Young IT Risk & Assurance Senior

Ernst & Young Management Consultant Ernst & Young Mgr. V&B Modeling

Ernst & Young Partner

Ernst & Young Senior Manager

Ernst & Young Sr. Mgr, Tax Services

Ernst & Young Sr. Staff Accountant

Ernst & Young VP, Corp. Restructuring

Fraser Milner Chief Operating Officer

FMC LLP Director of Finance

Grant Thornton Senior Vice President

Grant Thornton Partner

Grant Thornton Controller

Grant Thornton Tax Manager

Grant Thornton Project Chief

H&A Forensic

Accounting Forensic Accountant

Hatch Business Director Hatch Dir., Project Financial Services

KPMG Assoc. Partner - Taxation

KPMG COO, Advisory & Markets

KPMG Finance Controller –

Growth & Markets

KPMG Partner KPMG Senior Manager

KPMG Mgt Senior Manager

Miller Thomson LLP CFO

Miller Thomson LLP Financial Analyst MNP LLP Partner

PWC LLP Associate Partner

PWC LLP Consulting Manager

- Finance Effectiveness

PWC LLP Dir., Learning & Development PWC LLP Partner

PWC LLP Senior Associate - Consulting

PWC LLP VP, Advisory Services

Meet Chris Ringland, CMA

Senior Manager Financial Planning and Analysis, Capital One Bank

Chris Ringland, CMA is a senior finance professional with years of proven leadership experience in strategic financial planning & analysis and process improvement. As a Senior Manager at Capi-tal One, Chris constantly interacts with senior executives to de-velop, align, and execute detailed financial strategies to meet and exceed performance targets. Prior to joining Capital One, Chris held the role of National Rev-enue Manager for Labatt Breweries of Canada where he led a team that planned, controlled and managed over $2 billion of net revenue. It was in this role that Chris became recognized as a global leader in financial planning and analysis for a multibil-lion-dollar business. Chris has a Bachelor of Commerce which focused on Finance and Statistical Analysis. He earned his CMA designation in 2009. Chris‘s CMA studies have helped him to understand and practice a holistic approach to financial management. ―Getting beyond the numbers is critical for any professional to add value to a business…and developing this ability is a true focus of the CMA professional program‖. Want to learn more and find out where you stand in the path to become a CMA, visit www.cmaontario.org/transcript and submit your transcripts (printed from RAMSS) for a FREE eval-

uation.

CMA Profile


ICAO

About the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario is the qualifying and regulatory body of Ontario‘s 35,000 Chartered Accountants and 5,000 CA students. Since 1879, the Institute has protected the public interest through the CA profession‘s internationally recognized standards of qualification and the enforcement of its rules of professional conduct. Ontario CAs contribute greatly to international and domestic investor confidence in the soundness of the Ontario and Canadian economies. The Institute‘s website is: www.icao.on.ca and the student website is www.guidetorulingtheworld.ca.

http://www.cmaontario.org/transcript

http://www.icao.on.ca/

http://www.guidetorulingtheworld.ca/

ICAO (cont.)

Did you know…?

The CA designation is like an international work passport! CAs can – and do – easily find work around the world. This is because the CA designation‘s international recognition for consistency and high quality makes it portable. CAs are the only Canadian accounting professionals who have reciprocity agreements with all of the leading accounting organizations. Currently, more than 2,700 Ontario Chartered Accountants are working abroad.

ROB Top 1000 Companies with a CA as CEO have consistently outperformed companies headed by

non-CAs! Companies with a CA as president or CEO performed better on several key indicators, in-cluding five-year average Return on Equity; five-year average Return on Capital; and one-year aver-age Return on Assets. Small wonder, then, that 62% of the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business Top 1000 Companies (ROB) has a CA in at least one of their top six positions (Chair, CEO, president, CFO, COO and/or corporate secretary).

3. Companies perform better when the Chief Financial Officer is a CA! Annual analysis of the top com-panies listed in the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business Top 1000 Companies shows those companies with CAs in the CFO position have the best return on capital and assets.

RBC, Manulife, Telus, Loblaw, Union Gas, Score Media and Research in Motion are just a few of the

CA Training Offices! The CA Profession now provides training opportunities in both traditional pub-lic accounting firms and non-traditional employers in industry and government. For a full listing of CA Training Offices, check out the ICAO website or www.catoadvantage.ca.

Many successful Canadians are CAs! Prominent business and community leaders such as Janice Fuka-

kusa, Chief Administrative Office and Chief Financial Officer - RBC, and Colleen Johnston, Chief Fi-nancial Officer – TD, Michael J. Nobrega, President & CEO of the Ontario Municipal Employees Re-tirement System (OMERS), Jennifer Newman, VP – Investment Finance Operations – Ontario Teach-ers‘ Pension Plan, Nadir Mohamed, President & CEO, – Rogers Communications Inc and many others, all have their CA designation.

To find out more please visit our student website at www.guidetorulingtheworld.ca or www.icao.on.ca.


http://www.guidetorulingtheworld.ca/

http://www.icao.on.ca/

CGA: The DO MORE designation When considering a future in finance or account-ing, it is important to equip yourself with the nec-essary skills and knowledge to succeed. No one will question your competencies or abilities with a strong designation behind your name; the CGA designation is recognized as the designation of fi-nance and accounting excellence. There are many reasons why all sorts of people are enthusiastic about their careers as CGAs – and why it is a great choice for you. Here are six reasons why the CGA designation is an excellent choice for you and your future in accounting and finance. We earn while we learn. The CGA program of professional studies includes a work place experience component that puts your education to work while you are a student. As a student you will earn a salary, build your resume and acquire valuable work experience. The benefits of your employment experience go beyond the income. As CGA Katherine Chan says, ―Applying on the job what you are learning in your studies improves both your work and your marks.‖ We have high earning potential. Plenty of people want a career that will bring them a good income and CGAs enjoy this benefit. A recent survey has shown that CGAs‘ earnings are in the top 5% of all Canadian earners, with average incomes well over twice the average Canadian sal-ary. Employers value and respect the CGA designa-tion and always recognize it financially. We are licensed public accountants. Since 2010, CGA Ontario is authorized to license qualified members to practise public accounting. CGAs and students in the CGA program now have a clear path to a career in public accounting.

We achieve comfortable work-life balance. CGAs have the luxury of having great jobs and sat-isfying personal lives. When you hold a designation that employers value, you can arrange your sched-ule to fit your life – not the other way around. As a CGA, there are plenty of opportunities to make time for what drives you. As a student in the CGA program of professional studies, you have the opportunity to set a study schedule that accommo-dates your lifestyle. We have international opportunities. Think of the CGA designation as your passport to global experiences. CGAs are in demand around the world. Currently, you can find CGAs working in over 80 countries. We are everywhere. CGAs understand the real-world implications of the figures on a balance sheet. CGAs see the op-portunities and capabilities beyond the numbers. Their insight makes CGAs valued members on any team in all sorts of organizations. CGAs work in large auditing firms, in sports, entertainment, and the arts, and the private and public sphere. CGAs are entrepreneurs and CFOs. CGAs are everywhere financial and accounting expertise is needed – and that is everywhere.

By providing invaluable advice on efficiency,

productivity, financial risk management and more,

CGAs identify opportunities and yield sustainable

growth. For more information about the designa-

tion visit cga-domore.org.

CGA


Advice to First-Year Students By Judi Zienchuk

First off, I have to say that as far as first year students go, you are already on the right track by choosing Ryerson‘s Ted Rogers School of Management. We are the biggest (and in my opin-ion, the best) undergraduate management school in Canada. So since you have already gotten this far, I‘ll move into the logistics of actual the schoolwork. Yes, university classes are different than what you might be used to in high school – and yes, some first year classes do have hundreds of students in them. You‘ll learn that this isn‘t always a bad thing, especially when you‘re in class sitting in the almost-too-comfortable theatre seats of the AMC building right across the street from campus.

Now, if the most comfortable seats in the

world wouldn‘t keep from worrying about becom-ing nothing more than a number in these big clas-ses, you have nothing to worry about. All profes-sors have office hours where you can talk to them about any questions you have, get career advice, or even just joke about how they‘re too short to sit at the booths at Starbucks. Bottom line, they‘re very approachable.

Realistically, it‘s impossible to talk about university without mentioning the ever-important social aspect. The best piece of advice I can give is that everyone else is just as nervous as you about university. You‘re not the only one who is going to be over-analyzing where to sit on the first day. If you want to help cure some of these jitters, I highly recommend going to your frosh week. It‘s a fantastic way to meet some of the

other people in your program in a fun, social set-ting before hitting the books together. Plus, it gives you the chance to find out about some of the on-campus groups. I know you‘ve probably heard this about a thousand times, but getting involved is the best way to meet people at univer-sity. This can include joining a committee that sparks your interest, or just going to a student-group pub night. From the Model United Nations, to the Veg*an Club, Ryerson has something for everyone.

The real trick for first year is now balanc-ing school with your social life. When midterms come around, the schoolwork can start to pile up. This doesn‘t have to end with you going into quar-antine to get all your work done. Study parties with your friends can be really helpful – and fun. Getting a different perspective and being able to bounce ideas off someone else can really improve the quality of your assignments. Setting up a deal to go to the Ram and the Rye (the campus pub), or seeing that new movie after the study session can be great incentives to get work done. A word of warning on this though: not all friends are study friends. There are some people who you will not be capable of studying around, even if they are the most hilarious person you‘ve ever met. Save hanging out with them for after your mid-term and instead, get together with one or two people who actually want to get their work done.

Altogether, first year is an amazing time,

but you will definitely only take out as much as you put in. So be proactive with your teachers and get involved with the school community – and you will have the time of your life.

Advice to First– Year Students

Achieve

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