Calling all Desautels(McGill) Applicants: (2016 Intake) Class of 2018!

Good Luck stevkang8.

Thank you for the thread. I have begun my application to McGill. It is one of my top choices, as I am applying only to Canadian B-Schools.

I am also applying to:
Sauder - UBC
Schulich - York
Alberta
John Molson - Concordia

I've skipped:
Queen's - Deadline passed
HEC Montreal - R3 ongoing
Ivey - I find the fee to be heavy
Rotman - Hate the video essays

Could anyone suggest any other good b-schools in Canada that I should look at, as I'd like to apply to 7 schools?

With a 720, I think you can do much better than Concordia. No offense to the school, but the reputation is not that good even in Canada.

Queen's has one more round, and it is the name that will get you interviews from all the big consulting firms and financial services companies in Canada, it also does not require an application fee so I think you should definitely reconsider your decision - I am sure you have good reasons, but to most people, applying to Queen's has benefits that will totally outweigh the cost.

McGill is one of the best, applaud you for the decision. Montreal is also an amazing city, if you can learn some French while you're there that would be an extra benefit. Quebec has been proven to be one of the few places that could withstand tough economic conditions, so getting your network built up there is a great way to have a more well balanced career approach.

Consider Laurier - I got my undergrad business degree there. It is not the best, but it is an up and comer. The ranking has been steadily going up, and you will be in Waterloo, which is where all the entrepreneurs are (fine, maybe some in Kanata but that place is too cold). They have a very Harvard-like teaching style focusing on case study and group work (of course it is no where near the Harvard experience - but it is good to have that kind of teaching method), and the tuition is very reasonable. I also like its career service department, extremely helpful and they have great experience in the employment condition to share with its students.

On the last note, I recommend scheduling a few info sessions with the admission and career service offices from different school, actually find out what it would be like not just while you're a student but also after you graduate, that should help you get a better sense of where is the right fit for you. Cheers.

Very informative! I am even considering a few Canadian Schools.
What's your take on Sauder and Schulich?

UBC is the best school to the west of Ontario, hands down. I think being there it will sort of feels like....going to Judge business school at Cambridge. You will prefer to say you're from UBC than Sauder. Sauder is great, but the name UBC is internationally recognized. I lived in Vancouver for four months in 2012 during my internship term, and it was pretty amazing. Visited UBC's campus a few times, the vibe was really good. Their employment number is awesome, so being there will definitely help your career - which, in my opinion, should be the top goal while pursuing your MBA. The only thing is, most jobs are still in Ontario/Quebec block in Canada, so your network might not be as solid as you would hope for if you want to get into the industries or finance.

Schulich.... I never liked York. And for some admits they didnt even need to through admission interviews....makes me doubt the quality of their students. However, they do have great employment stats, not sure how that happened, but it is what it is. So maybe there is some Schulich knowledge there. All in all, Schulich is a safe bet I think, but definitely plan a visit there if you can, or at least call their admission office and have a better grasp before you apply.

Hope that helps.

Yes, this helps and very much answers a lot of my questions. Thank you so much. :D
Sauder has always been my top choice in Canada and the bit of information you provided makes the college even more appealing. I intend to get into Technology post MBA and I hope the opportunities in Vancouver are not as slack as they are for Finance.

Thank you StevKang8. That was quite informative and definitely helpful. I see that you have a 740, congratulations on that, and all the very best.

The reason I am not applying to Queen's is that it means a tight schedule to get myself to Canada, as the course begins in Jan. It would be a huge burden to arrange the finances, get the student permit and land in Canada. I am not sure I should postpone it till the Jan of 2017. Hence my decision to strike it off my list.

Eventhough HEC begins the course in April, it would still be a tight schedule, as I've got some stuff to sort here in India, before I leave to experience the MBA. And their international applicants' advised deadline is 15th Oct - I'm not ready yet.

Ivey, course starts in March, but international deadline is till Nov 23, so might be a long shot.
Now, that they are out of the way, which other schools do you think I should apply to then please? I'm now researching Wilfrid Laurier. I'd really like to apply to 7 schools, to be on the safer side and to have some good options to choose from.

At the moment I've been able to set my mind on:
UBC Sauder
Desautels
Schulich
Alberta
John Molson - Reason is that my wife is going to do her master's in Computer Science, and Concordia has some good programs. Would be best if we stayed together.

Apart from that, these are what I have, from my web search results. Any suggestions?
Ted Rogers Ryerson University
Asper University of Manitoba
Haskayne University of Calgary
Telfer University of Ottawa
Beedie Simon Fraser University
DeGroote McMaster University
Laurier Wilfrid Laurier.

Which two schools from the above do you think would be worth studying in? Many thanks again for the guidance.

Interesting to see some of the reasoning there. I would share my personal opinion, but bear in mind that I could be biased knowing I got an undergrad business degree in Canada.

Do not go to Ryerson. The only advantage you get, is that it is in downtown Toronto, so you're close to the biggest job market in the country. The problem is not very many people actually respect Ryerson degrees. It it the last resort for most people who cannot get into university (or grad school) but really want to have a degree. I think being in most educational systems, your peers are more influential on you than the faculties, so you might find yourself not challenged enough, and having difficulties getting a decent job after you graduate.

And apologies here, but I have never done any research on the next three on your list, so I cannot tell you anything. I will just say this, they are not famous at all. And being in Manitoba sucks, so do yourself a favour by crossing that one out.

SFU Beedie is okay, it has good career service so that will be good. It is in Vancouver though, so why would you apply to it when you can almost surely get into UBC? If you can find a good reason, then by all means do it, otherwise...you know what to do.

McMaster is a good school. It is pretty close to where I work now actually. I just think their MBA program is a little too young? It has not yet gained the necessary momentum in terms of establishing itself in the industries. Again, take my words with a grain of salt here as I probably do not have the best understanding for McMaster DeGroote.

I got my undergrad business from Laurier, so I am naturally pro-Laurier. In my opinion, it has the strongest career service out of all the schools' I have compared. Its alumni network is also huge on Bay street (Canadian Wall street) and the business world. It is also not expensive - around half of what McGill would cost if I remember correctly.

To summarize my posts a bit here....if you can get a good scholarship and you are not overly concerned with money, by all means, go to McGill. It is ranked as the 24th best school in the world, and the MBA program is definitely among the top three in Canada. It is in Montreal, which is an awesome city, and you will be able to stay with your wife since Concordia is about 15 minutes down the street. If you want to experience Toronto at a lower education cost, then go to Laurier. It is in Waterloo, which is 1.5 hours away from Toronto, so during recruitment periods it will be easier for you.

What you've said makes absolute sense. And trust me, your critical views and suggestions help a lot. It mainly because you have studied in Canada, and have been working there, and have a better exposure to the market than me.
Well, I'm now considering Beedie SFU, as that too has some good programs in Computer Science, and is near to Vancouver. So it will kind of be a failsafe, in case I do not make it to UBC.
And of course, will also consider Wilfrid Laurier.
I now have to pick two or three from:
Laurier
Calgary
Beedie
Degroote
Almost there.. thanks a lot again..

Hi,
Please review my profile and let me know if I need to retake the GMAT (Score is 660).
Targeting Mcgills in Product Marketing

I am a candidate from India with a non-IT profile such as follows :

- Dual degrees ( Masters in Physics , B.E in Electronics) from BITS, Pilani
Top 3 in Physics, top 15% overall (CGPA : 8.04)
- 92% in 10th, 85% in 12th
Total WE : 3.4 years (w/o co-op), 4+ years with co-op.
- 1 year co-op at Intel as Hardware engineer
- About 2 years at INTEL as Hardware Engineer in their flagship processor group, promoted within 1.7 years
- 1 year in Cadence as Application Engineer II (Pre sales consultant) : Handled clients across North America (includes field trips to US), Japan , Sweden etc., worked with PMMs
- Currently working in Qualcomm as Hardware Engineer in the Snapdragon Group.

Other than acads/WE,
- Singer, played the keyboard for 10 years
- Volunteer for CRY for 2 years now
- Coordinator of various events in college
- Teaching assistant for a Phd level course
- Part of Intel/Qualcomm bands

No idea how your grading system works there, but if you were good academically, you shouldn't have a problem getting in with your work experience.

I do think you will encounter some hardship when it comes to business writing and communication given your V29.....might be a good idea to go through some intense training before you start school. You will likely get in though.

Hey everyone.
I have a basic issue/ confusion with the McGill online app!
While all other schools have a straightforward app online, here it takes you to the McGill univ site, then clicking management, full time MBA 2016 etc, it takes you to a screen asking for basic details and 2 references, and then to a payment page. What about the essays/ education/scores et al - the standard rigmarole? Or, do they come up after the payment? Kind of strange, it appears!
Or, am I filling the wrong app? ((https://nimbus.mcgill.ca/uApply/dashboard/applicant))

Could somebody help urgently, please?

I do not remember encountering that, everything was pretty straight forward if I remember correctly. Then again I applied back in May so....don't remember it quite well. I recommend you just do it anyway, if you are missing anything the admission committee will contact you, so I do not think you have to worry about that. Do make sure you pick the correct program though.

Dear Applicants,

I am a current (1st year) student at Desautels McGill. We would be hosting a Periscope session on Saturday (24th Oct) 1100 to 1200 hrs EST. Periscope is a live streaming app available on IOS and Android. We will answer all your questions there.

To test this we will be available in an hour, today, 21st Oct, Wednesday at 2200 hrs (EST) for 30 minutes to answer your questions.

My twitter handle is akshayleo25. You need to have a twitter profile to sign up on Periscope. Please note that this initiative is taken up by the students and the University is in no way involved in this.

Please look for McGill MBA Unofficial Q&A for 2016 Intake

Best regards,

You are on the right track. Payment comes before essay submission.

Hi All,

I have started my application but doesn't want to give my referees name as of now. Could you please let me know what are the essay topics for the class of 2018.

Thanks,
Ankit

I think they have not changed their essay topics for years.

https://www.mcgill.ca/desautels/files/d ... stions.pdf