Our Round 2 application deadline is quickly approaching, and based on the volume of inquiries we’ve been receiving we know there are lots of candidates planning to put the final touches on applications over the holidays and submit for the January 7th deadline. We look forward to reviewing these in the New Year!

The component of the process that we get the most questions about is our new video essay, so I wanted to share some tips to alleviate any uncertainty that might exist about this process.

First, you can preview the entire process from a candidate’s perspective by visiting the website of our video essay vendor, Kira Talent. Check out the “For Candidates” video for a step-by-step guide to the video essay.

Remember that this is a pilot project in our admissions process this year. We are having fun with the tool and learning from the experience and we hope candidates will do the same!

The way the video essay works is as follows:

Sample Question

Before the official ‘live’ essay process starts you have an opportunity to answer a sample question which will not be recorded in order to get familiar with the technology and comfortable seeing yourself on camera. Most of our candidates already use Skype / Facetime in their personal lives so this webcam experience feels very similar.

Official Video Essay

Once you choose to move on from the practice session you enter the official section of the video essays. Candidates will be asked two questions, delivered via video. Both questions are designed to be answered without any advance preparation and will allow us to get to know you, your personality, interests, passions, and talents much better than we could in a written essay.

Candidates will have 45 seconds to prepare, and 90 seconds to answer each question, with the time available displayed on the screen. Be yourself and have fun with this process!

Here are my top 5 pieces of advice for the video essay:

1. Take advantage of the practice questions!
These are a great opportunity get comfortable and ensure there are no technical suprises when you begin the ‘live’ process!

2. This is still an interview, so dress accordingly
Despite the virtual format, this is still an interview so it does represent an opportunity to send a signal to the Admissions Committee about your approach to the Admissions process. Dressing appropriately will help ensure you present a professional presence.

3. Try to look at the camera, not the screen when possible.
If you can think of the camera as your audience and deliver a conversation to the camera it certainly helps the “feel” of the video experience from a reviewer’s perspective.

4. Calm your nerves
Remember that this is meant to help showcase what makes you tick. There are no “right” answers and the Admissions Committee really just wants to understand more about you as an individual. Let your personality and passions shine through!

5. Think about your timing
This format is purposely short as we are interested in testing concise communication skills (recognizing that the written essay and interview both provide opportunities to elaborate on anything you may be highlighting in the video essay). Use the timer on the screen to ensure you stay on track.

On Thursday, December 20th we will be running an Online Admissions Workshop to provide advice and tips on submitting the strongest possible profile in your application. Registation and additional event details here.

One additional note: 

The University will be closed from December 24th – January 7th for the holiday break.  We anticipate a large volume of applications on the 7th, so I would recommend submitting a few days early to avoid the rush and any possible technical delay on the system.

If for some reason you have trouble submitting your application, rest assured that our team has blocked off January 7th, our first day back after the holidays, to respond to urgent inquiries. Applications received after the deadline due to technical issues will NOT be considered late!

Happy Holidays!

Niki

Some of you may be considering doing the JD/MBA – a dual degree program in Law and Management – and wondering whether the extra investment of your time and money will be worthwhile. Let me lay out how the program works, then discuss the question of value.

Students who are interested in the JD/MBA at the University of Toronto need to apply and be admitted to both programs separately in order to enroll in the joint degree program.  The JD is usually a three-year program and the MBA is a two-year program, but doing them together condenses the time commitment to a “mere” four years!  The layout looks like this:

Year 1: the regular first year of law school

Year 2: the regular first year of the MBA program

Years 3 & 4: electives from both faculties

No work experience is required to be admitted to the JD/MBA, and strong academic performance in any undergraduate degree will suffice – no business background is required.

Obviously, attending school for four years instead of two or three years is going to significantly increase your tuition fees. Why would you want to spend more of your time and money when either one of these degrees will lead to excellent job prospects? One of our alumni, an entrepreneur who helped us out in a panel discussion on the JD/MBA program last month, summed up the two major advantages of completing the dual program as the “substance” and the “signifier.”  In other words, it’s all about what you actually know, and what people believe you know.

On the “substance” side, absorbing the content of both of these intense degrees will give you expertise in two different fields, which can be extremely valuable. The knowledge you gain from earning both a JD and MBA certainly opens up far more doors than either option alone, and being equipped with the knowledge to face any problem from both a legal and business perspective will be useful no matter where your career takes you after graduation.

With regards to the “signifier”, having both a “JD” and “MBA” after your name on your resume or business card speaks volumes to recruiters, colleagues and clients.  Whether it’s true or not, let’s face it – it makes you look exceptionally intelligent!  (And honestly, if you can get admitted to both programs, you probably are quite bright, indeed.) You will be thought of as someone who can add significant value to a law firm or any organization, and this increases your marketability. I have heard graduates speak of how the perception that they were sharp and that they held a wide body of knowledge helped them to secure their jobs, and then to connect better with senior partners or management, who have sought them out for their added expertise.

Leaning towards law school?

Let’s look at this from the perspective of someone who is leaning more towards law school than business school. No matter whether you want to end up in Corporate Law or Mergers & Acquisitions, fields where in-depth knowledge of how business works would be an obvious asset, or another type of law which may not be as obviously connected, gaining business knowledge is only going to help you to have a better understanding of your clients’ business and the way the world functions. For an in-house lawyer, understanding the other functional areas of the company really provides a huge advantage, especially if you aspire to move up in the organization. For a law student, we’re talking about just one additional year of school here. When you consider that Rotman has $30,000 scholarships guaranteed to go to the top 20 students coming from U of T Law, and we waive the GMAT for students who scored at least 165 on the LSAT, applying for the JD/MBA is really a “no-brainer”!

Also, keep in mind that studying and practicing law are different experiences. There are some people who love law school but don’t enjoy practicing and end up leaving the profession.  The JD degree leads to a narrow range of job possibilities, while the MBA is quite broad and flexible, applicable to any organization which requires management and leadership skills.  Lawyers-to-be can consider the MBA not just a degree which will help them be better lawyers in the immediate future, but as insurance which they may want to leverage a bit later in their career.  While one more year of school may seem like a lot at this stage in your life when you’ve been in school every year since early childhood, you don’t want to be kicking yourself just five or ten years down the road when you realize how useful that MBA would be but you don’t want to leave your high-paying, demanding job to do it; there is a good chance you will have a mortgage to pay and mouths to feed.  It’s much more difficult to go back to school later, believe me.

Leaning towards business school?

From the perspective of someone who is leaning more towards business school than law school, enrolling in the JD/MBA would mean an additional two years of school over the MBA.  While it is possible to apply to this program from the first year of the MBA, it is pretty rare to have someone sign up for the more generalist MBA and then choose to double the time they spend in school to also get a JD.  The entrepreneur I mentioned earlier certainly finds that his legal knowledge is an asset in running his business, but for most people, unless you actually want to practice law, the MBA might just do the trick to meet your career aspirations.  Having said that, getting a legal education teaches students to think critically, and is never going to hurt your career.  My comments above about the substance and the signifier still apply, and perhaps the dual degree will help you to achieve what you want to achieve.

All in all, I truly believe the value individuals get over the course of their lives from the substance and signifier derived from the JD/MBA from a great school like the University of Toronto far outweighs the time and money spent in pursuing the dual degree.  Please e-mail me at daniels@rotman.utoronto.ca if you have any questions or would like to discuss the program!