Toronto Rotman 2012 - Calling All Applicants

Super useful Xiaomu. Thanks for sharing!!!

Got the admit mail today. Accepted with $$! Exhilarated with the results

@mvpatki: did you do the interview? What are the dates for the milestones since submitting?

Sorry. i went back to previous posts and I have seen the dates I requested. Congrats on the offer @mvpatki.

Hey guys ,

Need little advice. I have low GMAT (600) with 10 years of exp in chemical industry. Decent reco and ECs. Do you think GMAT can be a bottle neck for me for Rotmans

This question will be best answered by the AdCom at Rotman. I suggest you reach out to one of them as they are really friendly and personable. They will be able to guide you well.

However, with 10 years of experience, I can see most programs trying to push for the EMBA program (assuming of course, that you had some kind of a management role).

Hello everyone,

Can anyone share their views on Canada Vs UK Vs US considering the current economy and visa situation?

I have an admit from MBS with $$ and am expecting a decision from Oxford tomorrow. Also awaiting a decision from Michigan Ross. I really really want to attend Rotman but am kinda torn between US, UK and Canada and the schools mentioned above.

Anything you guys have to share on this?

Good point. I have 11+ years of experience of which around 6 is in project management. I just checked with the ad com and they asked me to go ahead and apply. Guess they say that to everyone .

I am applying this year. Let's see how it goes.

Received offer of admission last week. The interview questions were pretty much the same as here. I studied Engineering at Waterloo, GMAT score was a lowly 690... I wanted to meet their early admissions deadline so couldn't prepare for more than a month since I made up my mind for MBA so late... My work experience was pretty good, strong recommendations from all employers.

I wanted to stay in Toronto because I grew up here Anyway, I did my research on Rotman's program, talked to grads etc. got a very good impression of the school from everyone so it was an easy choice. I also wanted to enjoy the life in Toronto... from my experience most Torontonians don't realize the quality of life in this city until they've lived elsewhere.. I've lived & worked in 5 different cities in the last few years and nothing seems to top Toronto for me, not even the supposedly perfect Cali weather... The only thing I am not 100% sure about is whether Rotman is worth the massive price tag but neither is there any certainty about other schools, really.

Congrats chundomoon. So what background are you from and what are you targeting post MBA? What's your years of experience? Hope you dont mind answering these questions.

Price tag is something that puts off a lot of people who want to study at Rotman. I am also a little apprehensive about the increase in class size and the impact it will have on intern ship opportunities. Can some one who is familiar with Toronto shed light on whether Toronto as a lonely market place in Canada, be able to absorb 320 MBA students, not even including students from other colleges? Also if people who had visited the college comment on the intern ship scenario at Rotman and the general sentiment amongst the current students.

Also the college's ad comm and ccc have gone completely silent. While other colleges I have turned my deposit to (yes, I am STILL undecided) are conducting webinars on helping students transition into their program, resume writing and career search tips. That makes me wonder if the college' CCC is as effective as it should be. This is just an observation and I may well be wrong, but opinions will be highly appreciated.

I scored a 700+ GMAT and received the Diaminds book too. Initially Rotman was my top choice but I ultimately not ended up applying for the following reasons:

1) I want to do investment banking. Even though Rotman is an excellent finance school with top-notch faculty, Toronto has only about 15-18 positions in investment banking every year. This is all the Big 5 banks and top boutiques put together. At Rotman typically half the class is interested in finance, so basically there are 120 people gunning for the 20 odd positions. Btw, your competition also includes folks from Ivey, Schulich, Queens and Canadians at top US MBAs who want to come back. Hence for my career goals, the problem wasn't Rotman, the problem was the Toronto job market. And plus Ontario's economy is pretty darn crappy and isn't poised to get better anytime soon.

2) A Rotman alum I met himself told me that CCC at Rotman isn't as the good as the career management at Ivey. He said that Ivey's career management is more involved. A student I talked to said that apparently only 60% of people found jobs in the summer of 2011. Another student I talked to said "try for Wharton/Columbia/Stern if you want to work in finance. Come to Rotman if you have no other choice". Again, this is primarily because of Toronto, not because of Rotman.

3) For those interested in consulting, Rotman (and Ivey for that matter) are not core schools for M/B/B. Each take 0-1/2 students from Rotman/Ivey every year.

4) Finally the price tag. I would have applied to Rotman if it cost $60,000. But I can't justify paying $85K for a Canadian MBA. It's just not worth it for me, a person who already went to UofT for undergrad. I personally was disappointed by my undergrad experience and didn't want to hand over to UofT that much money all over again. For international students it's $100k. For that kind of money one can go to a comparable school like UNC-KF, Georgetown, UT-Austin and get access to a much bigger job market. Of course US has its visa issues and all, that's something for you to decide.

5) I have been in Toronto for a decade now. I wanted to make a move to the US. Hence if I got a UofT degree, my life would be here. I can't see myself in Toronto in the long term. Hence didn't end up applying. For the international who are trying to migrate to Canada, Rotman obviously is a good choice, although Schulich might be cheaper.

Take my opinions for FWIW.

That some interesting opinion from you. I am also an international applicant to Rotman and worried about investing 100K.

Btw my point about 20 odd position refer purely to M&A/Capital Markets type positions. There are many job options in risk/S&T/ER etc.

Took the words right out of my mouth. As a proud engineering grad from U of T, it saddens me to have to write anything negative about my Alma Mater but it is what it is. The anecdotes that you brought up about job placement and Rotman students’ gloomy outlooks are the exact same from my experiences with Rotman’s students. I really hate to generalize from such a few examples but with MBA students being coached to say good thing about their programs to protect ranking and rep, it’s especially worrying that multiple Rotman alums are saying the same thing.

At 100k, Rotman’s tuition rivals schools such as Stanford and Harvard, however the neither the quality of education nor the employment potential justify that kind of costs. With low entry stats, high tuition and poor employment record, Rotman is a high risk and low reward investment. For those looking to study in Toronto, I would recommend Schulich, higher admission stats, lower tuition and better employment opportunities.

.....Finished most essays, and then admitted by Rice... Thinking if it is still worthy to apply to Rotman or even ask for the book... Any suggestions...

LOL why? Jones is a better school. Unless you want the option to study in down town Toronto.