Coffee Chat with Rotman Assistant Admissions Director

Question

Hello all,

I may have landed a unique opportunity of (potentially) one-on-one half-hour coffee chat with a Rotman Assistant Director, Recruitment and Admissions!

This might be my chance to give back to the GMATclub community by compiling and asking any questions you may have in addition to my own.

Please post all your questions in this thread, I will subsequently add them to this post so we can keep an overview of things.
I will post & pin all the respective answers to this thread.

Would also welcome your advice and dos & don'ts on how to approach this coffee chat!

Thanks!

Nikhil · Answer

Great Job GmatDisciple

I want to refer you to one of the chats we have conducted recently with an admission committee to give you an idea of the questions to ask.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/aug-6-chat-w ... l#p2336262

Narenn · Answer

That's nice. Good luck with the coffee chat! We have prepared a list of questions that one can ask should he/she gets an opportunity to talk to a bschool adcom/ current student. Although the questions are generic and you probably will want to customize them somewhat for your program, it could be a good starting point. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qZR ... sp=sharing Hope that helps!

GmatDisciple · Answer

Hi GMATclub community,

Here are the highlights of my discussion with the Rotman Assistant Admissions Director:

Round 1 vs Round 2: 
If you have are able to submit a quality application then it is always preferable to apply for Round 1 than Round 2. Rotman apparently prefers Round 1 when it comes to handing out scholarships to attract the best candidates. The scholarships handed out in R1 is more than R2.
 
   Application Deadlines: 
There is some leeway when it comes to the application deadlines. As long as you have a "substantially complete" application (perhaps missing a video or LoR) and if you are a "strong candidate" then the adcom would get in touch with you to get those last pieces in to let them finalize a decision. Moreover, as long as you've not been given a decision, you can try to inform the adcom of any significant updates to your application (Better GMAT for instance).
 
   Creative Destruction Lab: 
The Creative Destruction lab course is highly sought after and there is usually a selection process for the same which accounts for your past experiences, you potential contributions and an additional course application from the candidates. 
The course has two parts: an introductory elective at the end of the first year and the main 9-month elective in the second year. It can be overwhelming to many and students are known to have dropped out of the course.
 
   Part-time work: 
There are opportunities available to work part-time at a company in the second year. The first year load is too intense to allow part-time work, but second year students can by picking electives accordingly.
 
   Rotman Research: 
Rotman faculty are known for their research output. That also present unique opportunities to collaborate with the faculty on some mini research projects or research summer internships.

Hope that helps!

bb · Answer

Coffee Chat with Rotman Assistant Admissions Director

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