The Rotman Problem Solving Challenge (RPSC) provides you with another opportunity to demonstrate your talent beyond the traditional admission criteria.  I judged individual presentations in 2013 and can say that your performance at the RPSC could improve your chances of admission.  Your impression at the RPSC also shapes your Rotman reputation.  So, how do you make the most of this opportunity?  And how do you impress the judges?

In true Rotman fashion the Rotman network is here for you. In this blog post I am happy to share advice from two past participants and two judges.  Jonathan Weir and Michael McVety both competed in the 2013 RPSC, now serve as executives on the student-run Rotman Management Consulting Association industry club and will be judges at this year’s RPSC.

Round 1 Essay Submission:  Last year, we found that average submissions remained general, stated the obvious and lacked clear structure.  While, better papers provided specifics, insight and structure.

As Jonathan reflected on his experience at the RPSC before he joined Rotman he realized “the challenge is that you’re not used to applying a structured approach to thinking about problems where you create models with assumptions and test them.”  He says “it’s like exercising a muscle that you’ve never used before.”

For the submission, he suggests to “go with what you know” because “insightfulness comes from authenticity.”  It is best to leverage your personal/professional experience and contacts to generate ideas and resources instead of researching everything online.  This makes for a more authentic paper.

Michael’s pointers on the submission include:

• Check your work for spelling and grammar errors to ensure a professional first impression
• Take a stance, let your opinion stand out and build a case/logic for it
• Don’t be afraid to allow your submission to show your personal flavor/brand – This could be from the boldness of your claim or references to your own experiences, for example

Round 2 Individual Presentations:  If you make it to round 2, we will ask you to present highlights of your paper over Skype.  Michael advises:

• You want to be well prepared but not rehearsed so that you are flexible enough to handle questions during your presentation
• Remember to be aware of associated risks and alternatives to your position and able to address them while focusing on your opinion

Final Round Team Presentation:  At the RPSC weekend, Rotman will place you in a team to compete in the final round.  First year student, Nicole Dong, who competed in last year’s RPSC suggests that you manage your group time well and allocate time to understand strengths, brainstorm ideas, choose a direction, execute a plan – and stick to it.  When interacting with people and group members Jonathan takes responsibility and says that “the onus is on you to find out what other people’s strengths are.”  He tries not to make assumptions and is always pleasantly surprised when he pushes himself to learn about others.

You will have to present as a group and answer the presentation judges’ questions which requires cohesiveness.  Michael reminds you that “You will be judged as a group and during Q&A; it’s best if you can have one member of your team answer a question versus multiple people on the team trying to offer thoughts.”

To get the most out of the experience, Michael suggests that you “think of RPSC less as a competition and more as an opportunity to begin to develop yourself, to see who you’ll be working with at Rotman and to get inspired about the MBA environment.”

Vanessa Valenzuela competed last year and was one of the prize winners.  She echoes Michael’s comment:  “While the prizes are appealing and definitely something to strive for, the important take away from the weekend should be to meet your future potential classmates, network with other professionals and really learn as much as you can about the Rotman experience and way of thinking.  Challenge yourself to meet as many people as possible and remember that it’s all about having a great time and learning a new way to think!”

I hope that this insight helps as you work on your paper.  For even more support, Rotman Coaches will host two more learning labs.  These live webinars provide a great forum to have your questions answered.

I wish you luck with your submission and hope you make it to the final round!