Help!!! Advice needed: Rotman Vs. Queen's Vs. Western

Hello all,

First time poster (28M) so please let me know if there are any mistakes in terms of how I'm posting this. I'm looking to get some insight into Canadian business schools. I recently received admission offers from the following 3 schools:

1) University of Toronto (Rotman) - $15,000 scholarship
- September intake
- 2 year program
- $92,000 CAD tuition
- Downtown Toronto

2) Queen's University (Smith School of Business) - - $10,000 scholarship
- January intake
- 1 year program
- $84,000 CAD tuition
- Kingston, Ontario

3) Western University ( Ivey) - $10,000 scholarship
- March intake
- 1 year program
- $83,000 CAD tuition
- London Ontario

I'm looking to pursue a career in finance and don't really have substantial experience in the industry yet. I have a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia I'll also primarily be using student loans to finance my MBA so I certainly want to be making an informed decision. I'd appreciate any insight you guys may be able to provide. Happy to provide any additional info that could be helpful. Thanks so much!

Congratulations on your admits and scholarships.

If this is a new industry in the new field you’re trying to get into, I would recommend the two-year program because you have a summer internship opportunity to get some relevant experience and hopefully a good brand on your résumé to help us full-time recruiting. So that would give you more towards Rotman as the only two year program.

If Rotman is the HBS of Canada, Ivey has traditionally been the Wharton or Booth with focus on finance and actually some case study method. It’s definitely a rigorous program but I feel you would still benefit more from having some relevant industry experience before recruiting most of all since many of the Canadian employers value work experience more so than the degree by itself.

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Congratulations for your admit..
Rotman for sure is the best among all schools mentioned..
Its just that 2 year program vs others are 1 year about which you have to decide how much timw you can devote for the course.

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Hey there,

Congrats on getting those offers! Each of these schools is top-notch, but they're pretty different in terms of what they can give you.

Now, you're keen on finance, right? Rotman could be a killer choice then. It's in downtown Toronto, the big financial scene of Canada. It's like you'll be at the heart of the action. Plus, it's a two-year program, so you'll likely get to do an internship - a big plus since you're pretty new to finance. The downside? It's a bit pricier, even with that sweet scholarship they're offering.

Smith and Ivey offer one-year programs. You'll get your degree quicker, but you might miss out on doing an internship. Between these two, Ivey has a strong rep in the finance world and their case-based learning is a big win. But don't write off Smith just yet. Their team-focused approach will help you build some killer people skills.

It's great that you've got some scholarships on the table, but remember, Rotman's a bit more expensive overall. So keep that in mind since you'll be using student loans.

So, what's our take? We'd say consider Rotman. Being in Toronto and having a good chance at an internship could really kickstart your finance career. But, at the end of the day, it's about what feels right for you. It could be worth a shout out to some folks who've been at these schools to see what they reckon.

Good luck making your decision! You're gonna do great wherever you end up.
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Hey Overlast,

Congrats on the admits and the scholarships!!

Going by your profile and your aspirations, Rotman will be a clear choice due to the following:
-Location, location, location: Being in downtown Toronto will give you access to all the top companies and banks. Most of the large financial institutions are just walking distance from the school which will give you ample opportunity to network and attend events
-2 year format: Most large financial services firms tend to recruit from the internship pool, thus it becomes critical to have an internship to make the industry / function switch
-Cost: All three schools will be broadly similar in terms of the tuition, however remember that living in downtown Toronto maybe expensive give the location
-Lastly, Rotman is known to place a large section of its class in Finance roles thus having an active alumni network will prove immensely beneficial for pursuing your career in finance. Coffee chats with alumni in the industry will be critical for breaking into the financial services industry and here Rotman will have an edge over the other schools

Thanks,
TheMBAEdge
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