Queens Full time MBA Vs other canadian schoos -need insights

Thanks very much for your insights, they are really valuable

I applied to Ivey and I have been dinged, so Ivey is out for me as of now, but i have submitted my app to Rotman. Rotman will be my first choice if i get an admit, but my GMAT is on lower side and i am not sure if i would get an admit.

If you have to rank these schools- queens, schulich, HEC, McGill and Sauder- in terms of reputation of MBA programs especially from financial services placements point of view, how will you rank them ?

I am not too worried about settling anywhere in Canada, but am looking at the same from long term point of view

Thanks again for your reply

The only insights I can provide to you is that Canada's schools are fairly regionally focused. The financial services industry is predominantly clustered in Toronto, which is why the four Ontario MBA programs would have higher placements than Sauder and HEC.

If you are interested in BC's main industries (import/export, high tech, etc.), Sauder is where you should go. HEC is revered in Montreal as the best school in the city, but there's not much of a reputation elsewhere. Likewise, Schulich, Rotman, and Ivey are not as well known as their main university brands outside of Ontario.

For you, if you are looking for financial services, I'd say Rotman is the no-brainer choice.

Not a problem.

It's difficult to answer your question because HEC and Sauder would both have great shots at jobs in their region, but not very good shots in Toronto. Mcgill is a little better known because of the notoriety it enjoys as a world-class institution for other things. Schulich is well-known in Toronto but doesn't place that well into Finance. My advice is, if you don't get Rotman, consider re-applying next year to Ivey and Rotman and choose from those two. To be frank, for financial services, it's those two or nothing. Don't rush a decision like your MBA.

My career choice is financial services and Rotman is my first choice. Because of my low GMAT, I am not sure if i can get in.

Meanwhile, I have an admit from Queens. How would you rate queens if i have to settle in canada and explore opportunities anywhere in canada into financial services ?

Thanks again

Thanks

For some reasons, i may not be able to delay my MBA this year

My career choice is financial services and Rotman is my first choice. Because of my low GMAT, I am not sure if i can get in.

Meanwhile, I have an admit from Queens. How would you rate queens if i have to settle in canada and explore opportunities anywhere in canada into financial services ?

Thanks again

I can't give much feedback on Queens. If I had to choose between Queens or Schulich, I would say Schulich because you get the internship, it's in Toronto, and the five large banks, as well as the tier-2 institutions like the National Bank and BDC come here. That being said, don't expect a recruiting season like you get in the USA in Canada. While there is recruiting, it's for like 5 positions in the entire company, and a lot are also for roles in marketing, real estate, or operations. But I went to Schulich so I have a skewed vision.

Queens as a whole is a very well reputed university in Canada and has a good name attached to it from coast-to-coast, but not exclusively for business the same way Schulich does.

But that's about all I can tell you about it. I would also recommend checking out McMaster, U of A, and potentially Haskayne if you simply MUST do your MBA in Canada next year. They're pretty good and all allow you to get your feet wet through an internship or co-op program.

I am also an applicant so take this with a grain of salt.

I believe that it is a lot better to wait for a year and get into a good programme than to rush things and attend whichever programme accepts you. The Canadian financial industry is VERY biased towards Rotman and Ivey for banking jobs in Toronto, and McGill for asset management in Montreal. Thus, you will struggle to find a job in this sector if you go anywhere else than these three and even then you will have to focus your job search to one of the two cities. Do you REALLY have to start the degree asap?

[/quote]

I am also an applicant so take this with a grain of salt.

I believe that it is a lot better to wait for a year and get into a good programme than to rush things and attend whichever programme accepts you. The Canadian financial industry is VERY biased towards Rotman and Ivey for banking jobs in Toronto, and McGill for asset management in Montreal. Thus, you will struggle to find a job in this sector if you go anywhere else than these three and even then you will have to focus your job search to one of the two cities. Do you REALLY have to start the degree asap?[/quote]

Yeah, pretty much. Ivey interviewers are notoriously Ivey-biased. Ivey's definitely a little more cultish, I find Rotman guys a little more open-minded.

I am already on higher side of age, and i have very low GMAT score. If i wait, i will have to wait till Aug 2014 (provided i am rejected by Rotman this season). Post this discussion, i am clear to go with Rotman if i get an admit

With Ivey, I have been rejected without an interview, i believe my current GMAT score is a constraint and i am not sure if i can retake. Even if i retake, i might get rejected for April 2014 intake, and as such i might not land anywhere.

So, I am left with option of choosing one out of Schulich (i will be interviewed by next week), Queens (have an admit), Rotman (Submitted app) and McGill (Submitted app, awaiting response)

I heard Queens has great reputation, but not sure how much does it translate to find a job in financial services as i am not planning to shift industry

Thanks

Yes, but doesn't Ivey have two start dates? Could you re-take the GMAT and re-apply for the May start?

Thanks for your reply

As per website, I believe ivey has only one intake , still i will write to admissions to confirm the same

Thanks

Hey,

Sorry for the late reply..Here's my 2 cents on the question that you've posted..

1. I have done ample of research and there are multiple forums / websites / discussions where it's pointed out that Ivey, Rotman, Queens and Schulich are the best b-schools in Canada. I ve asked people living in Canada about these schools and they all had nearly the same answer - if you are choosing between these schools, you are already in a good position.

2. Though there are few negative points about Schulich ( read : its interview free admission process and its locality in a little unsafe part of the country), I ve not heard a single bad point about either Rotman, Ivey or Queens. (apart from the finances).

3.If you are looking for a career-switch, then 2 years program in a MUST. People will not accept you in a new industry with just one year of MBA degree ( remember : you wont even have an internship to back up your profile). And like someone above pointed out : Job industry in Canada is not as lucrative as in US. But having said so, i ve confirmed that its not bad. A good performing guy can easily land up a job in Canada.

4. Queens is an excellent choice if you have your finances worked up. If those are in order, and you dont wanna wait more for your MBA, then go for Queens. Ultimately how you perform in the school also matters a lot. If you are an excellent student in Queens, you will any day beat a below average performer in Ivey or Rotman.

Please let me know if you have any other questions. PM me for any thing else

Sounds pretty biased from someone who is going to Ivey. The top four schools in the country are Rotman, Schulich, Queen's and Ivey. If you look at four different major business publications at least one of them wil rank one of this four schools as number one every time. These four schools are the only schools certain top tier employers will recruit from. They are considered equal. The reputation of Schulich has been dropping in recent years due to their lax application process yet they are still a top school. When choosing between schools look to see where you fit in. I got accepted to Ivey and when I went to their in class session and I found a lot of people just kept talking (due to the heavy focus on class participation) and I found this wasn't for me. At this point a guaranteed admit at a top school is a great place to be but make sure the school is right for you.

Another thing , be wary of peoples opinions as they may have biases. I recommend talking to experts on this forum who actually have the facts instead of trying to push their schools reputation due to hearsay or opinion.

Best of luck!

Thanks guys, you have given fantastic insights. I am really getting closer to my decision.

Any idea about McGill ?

Thanks

Among these, I would say Rotman is by far the best for a career in finance. Miles ahead of the others. Location, reputation, course offerings ,.... If you are accepted I would not hesitate. Nevertheless, careful because jobs in investment banking are EXTREMELY limited in Canada. Really, really. There are less than 10 position for the whole country. By "finance" you need to think this might involve risk management or another back-to-middle-office role.

Schulich and McGill are roughly equal IMO. Schulich is a better business school overall and the finance courses are many times better than McGill. Yet, McGill is in Montreal (best city in Canada IMO), is strong for careers in asset management in Montreal, plus the reputation of the university is outstanding. I guess it would depend on where you would like to live in the future.

Queens is the weakest for finance, even though it's great for other things.

The problem with rankings is that when an interviewer is sitting in front of you, he's not going to say 'ah, i see Rotman is only ranked 45th in the world this year, so that's affected your chances'. In the end, placements tell the story. The original poster said he was interested in Finance, and if you think all 4 schools are considered equal in the eyes of Finance recruiting, you're very much mistaken. Rotman places far more people into capital markets than Schulich or Queens. RBC took maybe 4 investment bankers this year, 2 from Ivey and 2 from Rotman. If you want to go into CPG, I'd say Schulich is considered equal.

With my little research, i have learned that Rotman is sometimes too hyped (i could be wrong).

Even i have seen the approach of the school that they are probably getting too much inclined to high GMAT only. I think in the quest of getting people with high GMAT only, the school ends up with engineers from India with great GMAT (just my opinion, not personal to anyone)

I have interacted with alums of Ivey, Queens and Rotman, i found the alums of Queens and Ivey much more matured.

Do you guys think Rotman is better for entry level finance jobs only

Again, my comments are just based on my research and not personal to anyone

Thanks