What an exciting time! The 2^nd application deadline, January 7th, has passed and we are now compiling the hundreds of applications that were submitted!

We have received numerous enquires about what happens when supporting documents did not arrive by the January 7^th deadline. Does that mean you will be evaluated as part of Round 3? No!

If you submitted the online application by the 7^th but one or more of the supporting documents — such as GMAT, TOEFL, transcript or references — remain outstanding we will still review your application as soon as we receive everything. In short, we won’t wait until Round 3 to review your file. We can’t guarantee an admissions decision by March 8^th, as promised for those of you whose applications were complete by January 7^th , but you will still hear from us sooner than if you had applied for Round 3.

What’s Next?

When your application is complete you will receive an email from us indicating that your application is ready for review. Since applications are reviewed in sequence of submission, it may be a number of weeks after that before you hear from us about whether or not you are invited for an interview.

Now that you have submitted your application and you are waiting to hear from us, we encourage you to reach out to our student ambassadors to get a better understanding of the Rotman community and what it is like to be a student in the best MBA program in Canada! There are many ways to get connected with Rotman:

• Take advantage of the chance to sit in on a class
• Exchange emails or chat via Skype with students
• Be our guest! Attend an upcoming speaker event. Just let us know which one interests you and we will arrange for you to attend for free.
• Check out Rotman’s YouTube Channel
• Read through current Student Blogs
• Attend an admissions event

Remember we are always here to help so feel free to contact us should you have any questions about the status of your application!

Lynda

January is a busy month for the Rotman MBAs. Two international study groups have started their tours of Europe and China. The international study tours are excellent venues for our students to get some exposure to different cultures, learn more about international business and network with Rotman alumni living in those countries.

Fifteen of our students, along with the Directors of the Program Services Office and Career Centre, left Canada in December to visit China. The group has already been to Hong Kong and they are now in Shanghai visiting the China offices of some great companies such as Manulife, Frog Design, and Oglivy Mather, among others. Next week they will be in Beijing to visit Lenovo, the Development Research Centre of the State Council of PRC and the Royal Bank of Canada’s Beijing headquarters. In the evenings they will be meet with Rotman alumni and, of course, have some fun!

The other group left Canada, accompanied by the Associate Director of our Career Centre, in December to visit London, Zurich and Munich. So far they have visited RBC Capital Markets and Barclays in London. They have some very exciting visits scheduled for Zurich and Munich. They will meet with employees of Sunrise Communication and UBS in Zurich and GE Healthcare and BMW in Munich.

Study tours aren’t the only international opportunities you can take advantage of at Rotman. We have great Exchange Programs all around the world, an intensive program called Doing Business Internationally and a series of International Consulting Projects that give students the chance to work with global firms. If you are interested in any of the exciting international opportunities offered at Rotman, please visit the international opportunities page on our website.

Even if you don’t leave the country during your Rotman experience, the Full-Time MBA program provides you with in-depth global exposure through its diverse student body and location in the middle of Toronto, the most multi-cultural city in North America. For those of you who envision a globe-trotting career, the exciting opportunities to study and work abroad while you earn your MBA make Rotman the ideal place to enhance your international experience.

We are back in the office after the holiday break and furiously working on Round 2 application submissions. It is wonderful to see so many candidates who have taken a big leap forward to start their MBA at Rotman in 2013.

The start of a new year is a great time to reflect on your goals, and after reading an article featuring career advancement advice from our dean, Roger Martin, during the holidays (be sure to check it out for yourself) I was personally reminded about the importance of taking an active and strategic approach to managing your career.

If you have been contemplating the MBA I strongly encourage you to make 2013 the year you choose to invest in yourself and in your future success. Many candidates struggle with an internal dialogue about when the timing is right to pursue an MBA. The juggling act of balancing work opportunities, personal goals, and family demands often means that really amazing people, who would be great MBA students, put their own professional development at the bottom of the priority list. It’s easy to put the MBA off another year instead of deciding that now is the time to invest in yourself. But making that decision will prove incredibly rewarding and beneficial to you and the most important people in your life.

The MBA application process is an introspective one and ultimately it is a chance to re-evaluate what you hope to achieve in your lifetime. The process is so much more than submitting a resume and essays! The MBA experience enables you to continue this process, reflecting on your goals, discovering your passions and talents, and defining what success means to you. It provides a fantastic opportunity to ‘re-brand’ yourself and redirect or accelerate your career. Maya Angelou said “When you know better, you do better” and my decade in higher education, during which I’ve seen hundreds of students achieve massive personal transformation and impressive career success as a result of the MBA, has convinced me that Angelou’s words ring true.

We have three remaining application deadlines this year (March 4, April 29 and June 4) so I strongly encourage you to target 2013 as the year that marks your next impressive achievement: starting a world class MBA program with us at Rotman!