Student Testimonials

Zihao Wang

Class of 2019, BSCH Economics

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When I firstly arrived at Acadia University, I had no idea how would everything turn out to be. With a little excitement, "Acadia" might only mean a place far from home. But now I’ve realized I was gaining so much more.

I transferred to the economics major immediately after finishing my first year because the quantitative aspect of social issue analysis triggered my interest. I could still remember when I was a child, my parents, relatives and other adults frequently exchanged their opinions on Chinese economic and social problems. However, I could never join their talk, either because I was afraid of their superiority or sometimes their arguments weren’t convincing enough when everyone else was nodding their heads. That was the origin of my interest in economics when I wished to construct my own version of reasoning.

Upon my arrival in Canada, I was approved to be sponsored for my undergraduate study, and the Acadia economics faculty also offered me a great chance of learning opportunities. Professors help students get the most, and they never hold back. Because of the smaller class size, they can patiently answer every student’s question, and perhaps, they sometimes expand the knowledge set from the in-class knowledge to the future career plan. Beyond lectures, I also received priceless help on my honours thesis. The department granted me GAMS (a mathematical software) that facilitates the simulation in my paper, and they give me valuable suggestions based on my thesis presentations. On campus, my two years of TA-ship was the platform for me to give back, to understand new students’ difficulties when tackling economic problems for the first time. I sincerely thank all of the students who attended my tutorial that helped me win the award of Teaching Assistant of the Year. Outside the campus, I, fortunately, got the chance to attend the annual Canadian Economics Association conference at McGill University and presented my paper at AAAE panel in Bank of Canada, Halifax, all of which are the scarce opportunities for an economic student only in his undergraduate study. Upon the completion of the honours thesis, I was also fortunate enough to receive the Webster award. Though these achievements are tiny and they only represent the past tense, they demonstrate how much I’ve gained through the input-output learning process under Acadia Economics department. And, all those benefits that helped me grow was the extreme scarcity that’s accessible if and only if studying at a liberal arts university such as Acadia.

I’m now studying mathematics at the University of British Columbia, aiming to build up the best preparation for the near-future graduate study where there’ll be more rigorous proofs and in-depth modern approaches of economic analysis. I sincerely thank Acadia and the economics department for their extensive help that shaped my past three years be one of my most enjoyable learning experiences. And I believe the ideas that exchanged with my cohorts and the faculty will always accompany me in the adventurous future.

I hope everyone who’s pursuing an economic degree at Acadia or who has a deep interest in economics can make the best use of the learning resource. Possibly same as me, you might be amazed by the outcome your dedication.