MARCH/APRIL 2023 BCBUSINESS.CA 51
"W
hat am I going to study? What
am I going to do?" That's what
Sumaiyah Nausheen asked
herself as she pondered where to channel her
ambitions. She earned a computer science degree
in 2020 in her native Hyderabad, India, but work-
ing in an edtech startup made her want to pursue
entrepreneurship or business leadership.
She thought about getting an
MBA, perhaps in
Chicago where her sister works as a data scientist.
But she decided
UCW and Vancouver would be a
better fit. "I really felt like Canada is more welcom-
ing and more inclusive of all cultures—not that I
have anything against the U.S.," she explains.
UCW is a private university founded in 2004
that offers undergraduate and graduate busi-
ness degrees. Vice-president of academics Mau-
reen Mancuso says her institution emphasizes
students' learning outcomes. "
UCW is focused
on teaching, rather than academic research,"
she says.
Ambitious students can accelerate their prog-
ress, completing their
MBA in 15 months rather
than the regular two years.
Many of the students come from abroad, like
Nausheen. She appreciates how much the univer-
sity helps people handle academic pressures and
adapt to the stresses of studying in a foreign coun-
try. "One of the things I value most at
UCW is the
support that the university provides," she says.
"They have a resource in place for everything."
"The biggest thing for me is the mental health
resources that they provide for the students for
free," she continues. "I don't pay anything and I
can reach a therapist on my phone 24/7."
EDUCATION
GUIDE 2 0 2 3
University Canada West
"
One of the things
I value most at
UCW is the support
that the university
provides. They have
a resource in place
for everything
"
–Sumaiyah Nausheen
MAKING IT BIG
University Canada
West is a relative new-
comer to the game,
having been founded
in 2004. The school has
steadily progressed
since then
