Summary of First Year

Looking back now that I have completed 13/14 exams, I feel like it was a pretty great year. With 7 large paper's handed in, 20 classes completed and countless assignments, quizzes and readings, I have to say I did learn a fair bit.

I learned the material, and can remember most of it (but please don't ask me to write the exams again). I learned even more about people and the entire interview recruiting and industry side of things, and of course the real lesson: Time Management.

One thing I hear frequently is that MBA school isn't difficult material it is just a lot of work. That is true to a point. Everyone is going struggle with some component of it. Be it the game theory in strategy, mathematics in about half the courses or writing ability in the other half. But the MBA gives you an opportunity to play to your strengths and develop skills in the area of your weaknesses. I think one of the mistakes people make (myself included) is only focusing on your strengths, and doing the minimum to get by on the weaker spots.

Below are a few of might highlights and low lights for each quarter and other area of activity in the year. Long blog post today... trying to compensate for not having posted in a while, and expect I won't be able to post frequently over the summer.

Recruiting:
Obviously a very important component of the MBA experience regardless of what you want to do, it is important to develop the skills necessary to get the job you want, whether it is a traditional banking/ consulting goal, or how to pitch your entreprenurial idea to a Venture Capitalist, the school did a decent job of this. However, very much a we'll help you if you help yourself operation. Which is important. Classic learning from accounting and operations is utilization and maximizing results on limited resources. So it makes sense to invest time where it will pay off. I found the students that were successful were focused and committed to what they wanted. Of course there are exceptions to every rule. Some people didn't have a clue and got lucky and others not so much. So much to say here, in the end I had a positive experience but was also very fortunate to have decided early, had tons of support and developed friendships with people interested in the same industry so we helped each other out. January to April can be a really tough time at school, but keeping perspective goes a long way.


Graduate Business Council:
The GBC Class rep role was a big part of my first year experience. It was both amazing and frustrating. When people feel they have an outlet to complain to they will. It is the 'job' of the rep to filter and try to discern between class wide systematic issues and individual one offs. It can be wonderful, you have lots of opportunity to meet people outside your section and cohort but can also be a thankless job. All in all a great experience because I was working with 3 other amazing reps and we could lean on each other and vent.

Friendships:
By far one of the best things about my experience are the friendships I developed. Meeting people who I was already connected to via university or Vancouver. As well as just meeting people constantly. I would say that the effort to go out to big events early on is well worth developing the network and can improve the entire year. Also, definitely go to MBA games. It helped bring a group of us together to have a genuine opportunity to chill outside of Rotman.

Q1
Stats
Financial Accounting
Managing People in Organizations
Foundations of Integrative Thinking
Economics (micro)

Q1 is a shocker. It is where everyone starts off motivated and doesn't know what is going on at all. We are still figuring out printer points and professors and what we want to be when we grow up and how everything all works together. We also learn that if you are hungry, there is no shortage of Pizza. So don't load up before you get there. All the club kick offs and intro meetings will serve Pizza. Also a good intro to prioritizing work. It is impossible to do all the work for everything. So figure out what to focus on and what can be skimmed.... High-light of Q1 meeting new people. Low-point spending thanks giving writing papers instead of relaxing with the family.

Q2
Finance
Strategy
Managing customer value
Financial Accounting
Stats

In Q2 is where it heats up. Q2 can also make or break it for people interested in banking/ consulting. Banking people, because so much success is depending on networking and attending events and participating in competitions and Super Saturday and Industry Night. Consulting, and to a degree banking, it is also the grades. Top marks are required (for the most part) so getting through Q2 is an uphill climb. It is also crappy weather, and you don't get a break from Q1 exams before you have homework and readings due for first class of Q2. High light for me was winning the stock pitch competition. It was a roller coaster competition and fun, but also a lot of work. Low-light was being exhausted for 8 weeks straight, and worrying about summer jobs.

Q3
Strategy
Finance
Managing Customer Value
Leadership
Economics (macro)

The time spent in Q3 is like an alternate universe from Q1 and Q2. The course load is very back heavy. A couple of quizzes and assignments. But most of the marks came in exam week. This is by design as students have a hard time getting to class let alone study while the summer recruitment machine wakes up. The high light is hard to decide so i have a few: getting the job I wanted, MBA games, inter MBA socials, Winter Olympics... Its also hard to pick a low point, except maybe a little disinterest in school as I finally let myself relax a little.

Q4
Operations Management
Managerial Accounting
Ethics
Integrative thinking practicum
Economics (International)

Well I am almost through... but Q4 is a bit of a return to last semester after Q3, I will include spring break here, as it was in between the two. So we come back from a week off and it is very difficult to get energized for school. I started to plan for South America Study Tour, summer internship, next years club involvement. Not so much focusing on the classes at hand. I am paying for it now, as I review material that I didn't stay on top up through the quarter. But I am overall pleased with this quarter. Good way to round out the year. Always room for improvement. But still a net positive. High light - going to see my family for Easter in Vancouver. Was brilliant to be out west and see the friends and family. Low light.... Flying home after a big night out and not feeling so great in the air.

That's all she wrote.