2015 Application Cycle is now open!

And we’re off! Our 2015 application cycle is up and running and we are excited to start reviewing applications for the September 2015 start (or the Class of 2017).  Our events listing is continuously updated with all of the admissions activities planned for the year. Check it out as our team will likely be in your city this fall!

http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/Degrees/MastersPrograms/MBAPrograms/FullTimeMBA/GettingIn/AdmissionsEvents.aspx

Similar to last year we will have five rounds of applications. We review applications according to the Rounds below, and commit to extending decisions no later than the corresponding decision deadlines.

Fall 2015 Intake Application Deadlines:

Round

Application   Deadline Decision   Deadline

1

Monday,   November 3, 2014 Friday,   December 12, 2014

2

Monday,   January 12, 2015 Friday,   February 27, 2015

3

Monday,   March 2, 2015 Friday,   April 17, 2015

4

Monday,   April 20, 2015 Friday,   May 22, 2015

5

Monday,   June 1, 2015 Friday,   July 3, 2015

We would recommend applying when you have worked to make your application as strong as possible, regardless of the deadline.  We often get questions about application strategy, and I wanted to clearly address this by confirming that there is no advantage (or subsequent strategy) associated with targeting a particular Round! So, submit early if you are ready, but we expect to continue to review a large bulk of submissions in every deadline. We expect to have capacity in the class, and scholarship budget, available throughout the cycle despite the reality that both seats in the Program and scholarship dollars are allocated as we move through applications.

One additional recommendation – To be considered for specific Combined Program awards we advise applicants to the JD/MBA, MGA/MGA, Skoll/MBA and Pharma/MBA Programs to apply by the Round Two deadline. All international applicants are highly encouraged to apply by Round Three in order to ensure ample time for visa processing once accepted into the program.

Our new essay questions, are posted for our 2015 Admissions cycle along with some tweaks to our Reference section. Watch for our next blog to learn more about what we are looking for and how you can put forward the best possible application.

On behalf of the Rotman Recruitment and Admissions Team I want to let you know we are so looking forward to reviewing your applications for entry into Rotman in the fall of 2015!

Leigh

 

There is Still Time to Join Rotman THIS Fall!

Afro CruzIf you are anything like me, you sometimes (read as “often”) like to put things off until the last minute. Fortunately, this time it will be okay.

Each year, we continue to review applications after each of our deadlines pass.  As you can imagine, documents, essays and references trickle in and few are the people who finish applications in one shot. Our final application deadline this year will be June 2nd which means that you can apply right up until that deadline if you are a Permanent Resident or Canadian Citizen. Students requiring study visas should check with their visa office to see how long Canadian study permit processing may take.

If you have yet to write the GMAT and TOEFL tests, you can book a test for up to a week or two after our deadline and send us an unofficial test so after this deadline as we will still count them as on time.

Although our class is on the way to being filled, we still have some spots left and we also have scholarship money available for strong candidates.  In reviewing applications we will continue to look at things holistically and we will be granting entrance awards to stand out applicants.

If you are a late applicant or are still deciding of Rotman is right for you, please feel free to contact me and we can have a chat.  I am happy to help you put the finishing touches on an application that needs that push to the finish line!

Good luck!

Afrodite

acruz@rotman.utoronto.ca

416.978.8190

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

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!

 

Rotman’s 2014 Application Process – Key Dates and Deadlines!

NikiMid-July is an exciting and busy time for the Admissions team at Rotman.  We are working closely with the Program Services Office and the Career Centre to support our new class starting this fall, and simultaneously planning for our 2014 recruiting season which kicks off next month!  Stay tuned as our events listing will be updated shortly with all of the admissions activities planned for the year and our team will likely be in your city this fall! www.rotman.utoronto.ca/Degrees/MastersPrograms/MBAPrograms/FullTimeMBA/GettingIn/AdmissionsEvents.aspx

We review applications according to the Rounds below, and commit to extending decisions no later than the corresponding decision deadlines.  We do aim to under-promise and over-deliver on this front, and turn completed applications around for decision as quickly as possible!

Fall 2014 Intake Application Deadlines:

  • Round 1: November 4, 2013 (Decision Deadline: December 13, 2013)
  • Round 2: January 13, 2014 (Decision Deadline: February 21, 2014)
  • Round 3: March 3, 2013 (Decision Deadline: April 11, 2014)
  • Round 4: April 14, 2014 (Decision Deadline: May 23, 2014)
  • Final Deadline: June 2, 2014 (Decision Deadline: July 2, 2014)

We would recommend applying when you have worked to make your application as strong as possible, regardless of the deadline.  We often get questions about application strategy, and I wanted to clearly address this by confirming that there is no advantage (or subsequent strategy) associated with targeting a particular Round! So, submit early if you are ready, but we expect to continue to review a large bulk of submissions in every deadline, particularly as we continue our growth trajectory in the Full-Time Program.  We expect to have capacity in the class, and scholarship budget, available throughout the cycle despite the reality that both seats in the Program and scholarship dollars are allocated as we move through applications.  One additional recommendation – international candidates should consider the timing required to obtain a student visa/arrange financing so may want to plan accordingly and apply in the earlier rounds for this reason.

Other key 2014 dates are tentatively planned as per the below, but are subject to official approval/confirmation:

  • International Student Orientation Week: July 28, 2014
  • Rotman Pre-MBA Program begins August 4, 2014
  • Rotman Orientation – first official (and mandatory) day of classes August 27, 2014

Last but not least, the final piece of the admissions process, our new essay questions, will be posted for our 2014 Admissions cycle at the end of this month so check back at: www.rotman.utoronto.ca/Degrees/MastersPrograms/MBAPrograms/FullTimeMBA/GettingIn/ApplicationProcess.aspx

 

Kicking off the 2013 Admission Cycle…

Niki da SilvaIt’s an exciting time of year for us at Rotman-not only are we gearing up and welcoming our 2012 intake on campus, but we are also putting the final touches on our application and admissions process for our 2013 intake.  I thought it would only be fitting as my first point as Director, Recruitment & Admissions at Rotman to talk about the changes we are implementing to our admissions process this year.

Some of you may have noticed that we have moved from a rolling admissions cycle to a Rounds process and I wanted to share our rationale for this change.  We believe that evaluating applications with this batch approach will not only allow our Admissions Committee to make even better decisions about which candidates are the best ‘fit’ for Rotman, but will enable us to predict volumes and required resources to process and review applications so that we can support continued growth as we expand our Program size.  The added benefit from an applicant’s perspective is a more predictable process and guaranteed response time from the School.

The 2013 deadlines are included below:

Deadline Admission decision by
Round 1: October 9, 2012
Round 2: January 7, 2013
Round 3: March 4, 2013*
Round 4: April 29, 2013
Round 5: June 1, 2013**
December 14, 2012
March 8, 2013
May 10, 2013
June 14, 2013
June 30, 2013

*Round 4 is the final deadline for international applicants, but we strongly encourage you to apply by Round 3 to ensure adequate processing time for study permits and loans.

**Round 5 is the final deadline for domestic applicants.

You may also be wondering how strict the ‘Deadline Date’ requirement actually is.  We  are committed to working through complete files submitted within a reasonable window in and around our Deadline Dates.  For example, if you submit your application October 9th, but it takes 5 additional days before your official transcripts arrive, we will absolutely still honour your submission as a Round 1 candidate!  Of course this is all within reason, to use a different example, if you were to submit the online application October 9th, but didn’t actually submit your transcripts to complete your file until December 1st, we simply couldn’t guarantee that your file would be reviewed in time for our Round 1 decision date.  If you have any questions about the specifics of your application – contact us anytime (mba@rotman.utoronto.ca)

One other point to note about our process – if you decide to submit your application in between Round deadlines, we will absolutely not delay the review of your file to the next Round – we will not have applications sitting ‘on hold’ between deadlines.  Our team will begin working on your application after we receive it.  Of course, if you apply mid-cycle we aren’t able to guarantee a specific decision date, but rest assured your application will get reviewed.

We are aiming to under-promise and over-deliver with our admission decision dates.  All candidates who apply according to Round guidelines will hear back from us no later than corresponding decision dates.  This was an important component of our admission process to try to alleviate some of the anxiety that comes with wondering when you will hear back from us.

Lastly, I wanted to provide you with a few tips on how to approach the 2013 admissions cycle at Rotman.:

  • When possible, beat the rush, submit a week or two prior to the deadline. This ensures that we begin working on your application before the wave of applications that come in right at the deadline so it will be likely that you will hear back with respect to next steps in the process (i.e. an interview invitation) even quicker.
  • Apply as early as possible since both scholarships and seats in the Program are awarded to the best candidates throughout each Round (Note: there is no allocation of seats that must be filled at each round! We simply make offers to the best candidates who apply throughout the admissions cycle.)
  • Plan ahead. Most candidates underestimate how much time it will take to complete the different components of the admissions cycle (which is precisely one of the reasons that we have multiple deadline dates.)  Identify which Round you want to apply for, and plan the key milestones you need to coordinate to hit that deadline (i.e. the GMAT, ordering transcripts, writing essays, and selecting referees).

We are very excited to start building the Rotman MBA Class of 2015 and look forward to reviewing Round 1 applications soon!

PS-Stay tuned for my next blog post, we are implementing some exciting new changes to our admissions process this year…

-Niki