Monthly Archives: March 2014

The Rotman Problem Solving Challenge Weekend- Networking opportunities abound as well!

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Michael Moses - Assistant Director, Recruitment & AdmissionsThe Rotman Problem Solving Challenge kicks off in less than 2 weeks! You probably already knew that we will be awarding over $300,000 in scholarships. But did you know the weekend is also a great way to start building your Rotman network before you even start school?

  •  Networking with the Class of 2016– Everyone participating in the Rotman Problem Solving Challenge is either admitted to the class of 2016 or in the process of applying for admission to the class of 2016. Also in attendance for the non-competition events during the Challenge weekend will be those who were admitted for the class of 2016 but might not have been able to compete in the Challenge.
  • Networking with the Classes of 2014 and 2015– The social events during the weekend will be hosted by our current students (those graduating this semester and completing the first year of studies this semester).

This is a great opportunity to learn about your future classmates’ backgrounds and career aspirations, who is interning where, etc., and how you can help each other land your dream post-MBA jobs!

  •  Networking with Alumni-Judges for the Challenge will be Rotman alumni representing the following companies:
    • A.T. Kearney
    • Accenture
    • Bain & Co.
    • Boston Consulting Group
    • Deloitte
    • McKinsey & Co.
    • RBC
    • Rogers

And as part of the Welcome Weekend for admitted students, on March 30, alumni will be hosting said students for a fun day about Toronto. The alumni hosts will also be coming from the top-tier consulting firms!

Looking for some tips on how to navigate the world of the Rotman MBA, how to stand out in job recruiting or something as simple as where to get some cheap food near campus? Get the answers you are looking for right in the Rotman Problem Solving Challenge Welcome Weekend!

As you can see, the Rotman Problem Solving Challenge offers our incoming students so much more than just the opportunity to win a scholarship. It promises to be an exciting weekend experiencing Rotman’s unique approach to problem solving in action and a great opportunity to leverage the fantastic network of Rotmanites you are now a part of!

Career Trek to Silicon Valley

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Dimitra TsalpourisRotman MBA candidates have the  opportunity to participate in some pretty cool events like our Career Treks! Career Treks are a great way for our graduate students to explore careers outside of traditional recruiting avenues in key employment destinations.  Treks will facilitate global engagement, deepen student understanding of global business and play a large role in growing our global brand. Students will meet with employers and alumni in top firms outside of Toronto with the goal of connecting them to internships and full-time opportunities outside of Toronto.

Recently, our students travelled to Silicon Valley (SV) to visit companies like LinkedIn, Electronic Arts, Box, eBay, Jump, Google, Zynga, Pivotal Labs, and AppDirect. They also had the opportunity to connect with alumni who are working in the area and get some advice on what life is like in SV.

Here’s a snapshot what went down:

1) LinkedIn: Students were greeted with customized Rotman signs and given some neat swag bags before going on a tour, listening to a great keynote, and participating in a Q&A with an MBA panel.
LinkedIn - Silicon Valley Career Trek2) Electronic Arts: Toured the lot, which had a full-sized indoor basketball court AND giant outdoor field, and enjoyed the employee discount in the EA store!

3) Box: Picture this: Students walked into Box only to be greeted by a two story yellow slide! Afterwards, they were divided into groups and given tours around the office and, as luck would have it, bumped into the CEO as he was making his way to the bathroom! Their sales team had a gong and they take shots when they make a certain level of sale.  Students witness the unicorn mascot and got some neat swag.

4) eBay: Upon arriving at eBay, students learned how the company was started with a story on the Pez in the glass case. After learning about the improvements Vincent (Rotman’s eBay ambassador) made, our candidates were invited to review the site and send him ideas for further improving customer engagement.

5) Jump: Sara Vanos, who led this Career Trek, describes what happened at Jump. “We started out the morning with a standing wa-bam scrum where we explained what we were excited to learn at Jump.  We were given a great presentation about complexity vs. ambiguity and their differences.  We also learned Jump’s differentiators.  We concluded the visit with very interactive and fun group work:  Lily’s Lemonade.  We looked at different revenue models and how company offerings look very different depending on which one is used.  Overall, it was inspiring!”

Career Trek - Google6) Google: Students were greeted by self-driving cars and the Google bicycles! They saw as much of the campus as possible, including the outdoor pool and volleyball court!

7) Zynga: A great panel of MBAs spoke about the products they manage (Farmville and Farmville 2), life at Zynga, and took time to answer our students’ questions. The visit concluded with a tour of their super cool office including their pub where they brew their own beer!  Their perks include an amazing staff cafeteria where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served free!

8) Pivotal Labs: This company showed a more structured approach: You work from 9am-6pm and must leave by 6:01pm. They also use pairing to increase productivity.

9) AppDirect: Started in a windowless office with the promise that they would one day have giant windows and lots of natural light…this probably explains why they have the best view in San Fran! Students went on a tour of the offices, met with some “Canadians in traning,” and discovered how quickly the company is growing – they already have big-named clients like Staples and Google!

One of the students who went on the Trek said, “It’s not just the network that we build but also the first-hand insights that we got from people across different levels.” Career Treks are the way to go! Visiting the HQs of some pretty profound and innovative companies will leave you feeling inspired and super motivated. That’s why this was the “Best. Trek. Ever.”

Round 3 Deadline and the Three Biggest Application Round “Myths”

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Niki da SilvaToday is our official Round 3 application deadline! Submissions have been coming in all weekend and throughout the day, and we are looking forward to reviewing the latest wave of applications and are excited to see the incoming class coming together!

The “official” nature of deadlines should provide a target date to submit applications, but unfortunately also creates a number of myths and subsequent theoretical application strategies – so I wanted to take a moment to address some of the common questions we get surrounding deadlines and do a little “myth busting” 🙂 .

Myth #1 – There is an optimal deadline to “maximize your odds” of getting in.  NOT true! We do not have quotas, or targets, where we admit a certain percentage of the class at each Round.  Quite simply, we admit great talent when we see it, regardless of application deadline so there is significant variation in the number of offers made in each Round year-over-year.  The only exception to the general belief would be candidates with a very typical MBA profile.  If this statement is relevant to your case, applying early does give you a slight advantage as we do keep a close eye on class diversity for core criteria like nationality, industry, and undergraduate background. But ultimately, we have a number of different Round deadlines running as late as June precisely because we know we will have capacity, make offers, and continue to see great candidates throughout the year!

Myth #2 – I have to apply by Round 2 to get a scholarship.  FALSE! Although applying in early Rounds gives you a slighly greater opportunity at all awards (because the entire scholarship budget will still be open) but just as we continue to make offers throughout the cycle, and we do continue to make offers with scholarships as well.  The other thing to remember about overthinking the timing of your application for scholarship purposes is that the scholarship process is quite fluid – we extend offers throughout the year but if (for some strange reason :)) a candidate declined our offer we would extend that funding to a candidate that is equally competitive at the time the funding becomes available again.  So to be very clear – we absolutely make offers in Rounds 3, 4 and usually even our final Round with funding.

Myth #3 – I must apply on a Deadline date for my application to be processed.  NOT true!  Despite operating on a Rounds basis, we do process applications as they are received here at Rotman.  So we do receive the vast majority of applications surrounding deadline dates, and the benefit of submitting during this pre-determined timing is the corresponding guaranteed decision date.  However, when an application arrives between deadlines we begin assessing it within days, and a decision is typically reached in 6-8 weeks as an absolute maximum. So there is no real downside of submitting between deadlines, and a nice option for candidates who had an unexpected delay impact their ability to exactly meet a deadline, and hopefully some encouragement to hit submit as soon as your application is ready.

I hope this post is helpful in debunking some of the more common, and all incorrect “myths” surrounding the application process. I firmly believe anything we can do to increase the transparency of the admissions experience is a positive step in encouraging the right candidates to apply, and ultimately to submit the very best application possible!  On that note, we will look forward to seeing your application on, before, or after, the R4 deadline!