Rotman MBA vs Schulich MBA vs Sauder MBA vs McGill MBA

Hi shivamkumar07,

From what I've seen the top Canadian programs are Desautels, Ivey, Queen's, and Rotman. D and R are two year programs. I would check those four out. For PE/VC I've read, anecdotally, that Ivey and Q are good options (Many Canadian PE/VC firms don't provide internships: due to size of funds(?)). Rotman's two year format and Toronto location are positive attributes for anyone seeking a job which requires an internship (BB banks, I'd guess). Toronto, by the way, is Canada's main financial center.

Language considerations:
Many employers place emphasis on language skills for front office employees (representing the firm). This means a highly refined command of English. You should get to a native level by, say, halfway through your MBA, at the latest. If you additionally have studied French before; Desautels' Quebec location provides a great opportunity to improve your French while attending the program.

Desautels' recent stats say 50% Montreal and 28% Toronto--with the rest placing internationally. That's a super strong point about Desautels; All Canadian placements were in Montreal or Toronto. ALL of them in two cities. I mean, wow. That's serious placement power.

For any of these programs, you probably want to heavily network from the start of the program (or earlier). I would guess you will be competing with Canadians who studied in the US and are coming back. Also, the small size of the Canadian economy means there are fewer jobs in Canada per firm. I am not sure how much competition there is for those positions, but would put networking number one on my list of priorities if attending any one of these programs. With this networking time frame in mind, you really want to get your English to a native level as soon as you possibly can. That way you can start forming an impression in front-office recruiters' minds of someone (you) who will convince clients theirs is a refined financial firm.

On the GMAT, you will be competing with other Indians, and those guys tend to score higher than others, so you probably want to get a score at the 75th percentile of the typical class score for these programs to be on the safe side. I'm guessing that's at least 720.

There is a lot to like about Canada, so good luck!

Thanks a lot for your inputs.

Anyone else can share their experience about the above three MBA schools? I am looking for a specific 2 year format due to the internship opportunities.

Thanks
Shivam

Hi Jeffreyadcom,

Specific reason for Canada is, its 3 year work permit and PR Policies its friendly Immigration polices. and also the low cost tuition fees compared to US.
I want to settle down in Canada after my MBA.

Thanks
Shivam

Hey Shivam,

I hope you can get input from others too. Maybe contact some alums in positions you find attractive. If so, post here!

To make it simpler, here's what I suggest at the MBA level:

Over any other Canadian program--regardless of it being a one-year or two-year program--I suggest Western (Ivey), McGill (Desautels), Toronto (Rotman), and Queen's. From what I currently see, any one of those four will be better. If set on Canada and you are only accepted to one of those programs, go to that program (even if it costs more, and yes, even if I&Q are one-year programs). If you are NOT accepted to any of those four, then consider other Canadian programs you may have applied to.

Probably Schulich over Sauder (Toronto vs. Vancouver location), but there may be other programs as good as Schulich.

In Canada, I hear banks mostly promote analysts. MBA entrants are much fewer in number. And remember the Canadian groups are smaller. This suggests competition is much stronger for the handful of Canadian positions. And that means networking is more important.

Given your preference for safety in placement, Desautels is probably your 'safest' bet. It's a two year program (internship opps) placing incredibly strongly in two top financial centers--Montreal and Toronto. I hear Ivey even gets NYC recruiters on campus, and I hear Rotman does as well but not as many. Rotman may be more of a gamble given the high levels of international placement. Ivey has a strong international network but places strongly in Canada. Since you don't have a finance background, Queen's is also a bit more of a gamble.

So taking placement+safety into account for banking:

1: Desautels [summer internship options + strong Montreal (Lazard, etc.) & Toronto placement]
2: - Ivey (best NYC placement + maybe best Canada placement + no summer internship opps)
- || Rotman (summer internship options + some NYC placement + lower Canada placement)
3: Queens (strong placement in Canada + some NYC placement + no summer internship opps)

Queen's is simply a fantastic program in Canada. If you had a background in finance, I'd bump Ivey up with Desautels for banking and Queen's possibly above Rotman. Any one of these four should be great in consulting (consulting firms don't prefer a summer internship as much as banks do).

Taking placement+safety into account for consulting:

1: Desautels
2: Ivey || Queens || Rotman

Excellent information! Is the Ivey (1y program) a problem for international students who want to do a career change? I ve been in IT Consulting and Healthcare management, want to move to marketing or consulting (no finance). I hear Schulich is good for marketing.

PS: Sorry to steal a bit of ur post topic!

Hi Cugel, and thanks!

I would stick with one of the four I mentioned--over all other Canadian programs--for any targeted career in Canada. I would contact Ivey's career center and mention your background and intended functional area. If you do, let us know what they say.

I would expect Ivey to provide excellent opportunities for such a career switch. If you are very risk averse and wish give yourself more time to network, you could try Desautels or Rotman. Again, I expect Ivey would provide excellent opportunities.

jeffreyadcom

Hi is 700 score less or more for CANADA

Desautels/Queens place very very few associates in Toronto. Almost 80% of associate level positions (IB+S&T) over the past 4 years have been taken by Rotman Grads. In consulting, it's roughly a 50-50 split between Ivey and Rotman.

If you're set on working in Finance or consulting in Canada, I would encourage you to consider schools in this order
Rotman
Ivey
(Huge gap)
.
.
.
Desautels/Schulich/HEC Montreal

Hey Shivam, which programme did you end up joining. Can you please shed some light on that?

Thank you!

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