I recently interviewed a Rotman candidate who impressed me.  What stood out about him was that he talked about Rotman’s culture and evolution from an insider’s perspective. As our discussion continued I discovered that he has a friend in the program. He also found a Rotman alum in his LinkedIn network and reconnected with him about his student experience.

Last week, Kobi Gulersen, Director/Leader Global Digital Marketing for MasterCard Worldwide, advised first year Rotman students to prepare for their careers by learning as much as possible about their potential employers. The same advice applies when considering business schools.  Websites serve as the best place to start researching, but once you’ve learned as much as you can online, you have to get an inside scoop from members of the organization. The impressive Rotman MBA candidate I mentioned at the start of this post did exactly that!

Engaging in meaningful interactions with students, alum, faculty or staff can help you get accepted and help you decide if Rotman is right for you.

You must decide on a school that will meet your academic and professional needs – plus everything in between.  Hearing personal stories from people at Rotman will give you deeper insights about the student experience.

Professor Walid Hejazi, who teaches International Competitiveness at Rotman, has done research on why some students get better returns on their investment in an MBA degree than others. He identified the ability to effectively network as one of the key factors that contribute to the success of MBA students. Connecting with current students now is a great way to start building your network – especially if you don’t yet have one in Toronto. If you aim to start at Rotman in 2013, then the second year student that you meet today will be a recent graduate with connections in the working world by the time you begin your Rotman MBA.

By revealing what you’ve learned about Rotman by reaching out to members of the Rotman community, you reveal to the admissions committee that you have the ability to network and that you are interested enough to go beyond the information found online.

I concluded the interview by asking the candidate if he had any questions. He said his friend, a first year student, told him that students have to bid for elective courses in the second year. The candidate asked “Can you tell me how the bidding system works and the best strategy for bidding?” Since the Rotman website does not mention the bidding system, his question demonstrated his research and networking skills.

If you do not already know a member of the Rotman community, I encourage you to engage with our current students by reading their Rotman Ambassador profiles and emailing any who appeal to you. You can connect with Rotman Ambassadors by phone, email, Skype or in person. If you’re close enough to visit our campus you can even sit in one one of their classes.

Attending one of our regularly scheduled guest speaker events is a great way to meet current students, alum and members of the business community while exposing yourself to new ideas from a global business leader. If any events interest you, you may attend at no cost by sending us a request via the contact form on this blog. You can also use the contact form to arrange to meet me, or one of my colleagues in the admissions team, before applying.

First year student, Christopher Van de Water learned about Rotman from a co-worker who graduated from here. However, he still reached out to a current student, Robyn Ross, through the Rotman Ambassador program.  He said “It was great to hear from someone straight up – not getting it [information] from the administration or from people who already know you.”  I asked him what he learned and he said that “Robyn was the first person who gave me the heads up that once here, you are exposed to so many different career opportunities and structures.”

By building relationships and staying engaged with the Rotman community you will discover how well you do or don’t fit into the Rotman culture. As an added bonus, you will impress me and the rest of the admissions committee with your insights!