Summary: Ivey (Western) Class of 2017-2020 Discussions

Key Info about Ivey MBA:

• 1-year MBA program in Canada with intake in March
• Ranked #1 in Canada for starting salary for 15 consecutive years
• Focus on case-method of instruction – students complete over 300 case studies and Ivey faculty produce the second highest no. of case studies globally each year
• Focus on career outcomes – only career management staff interview MBA applicants and Ivey consistently achieves 90%+ employment rates w/in 3 months

Program Highlights

• 6 “areas of focus”: Finance, Entrepreneurship, Corporate Strategy & Leadership, International Management, Marketing & Health Sector
• Students have option of international study trip in Latin America, China or India or exchange at 15 universities during their second semester

Interview with J.D. Clark
Ivey MBA Admissions Interview with J.D. Clarke




INTERVIEWS

Interview Experience 1

The questions were tricky although she said the interview was not to trick me.
1. Introduce yourself
2. why I started this particular business
3. example of innovation
4. mistakes in the past
5. why mba at this point of profession
6. how are the admission decisions from other schools going on ( I told her it was in process and ivey was my preferred choice)
7. if not accepted to mba then what
8. 3 qualities that admissions committee would have you stand out
9. 3 qualities that i possess related to leadership ( I gave 3 and she asked example of one them in real life experience)
10. example of conflict with team member in past setting and how I resolved it.
11. My biggest weakness and how i overcome it, what feedback I received from my supervisor/ peer etc and what I learned from it.
12. My short term and long term goals and the bridge between them. List of companies that I would like to work for in Canada.
13. She asked what was the most negative thing about Ivey (this question preplexed me as I was not expecting this).
14. For my questions I asked her what are various restaurants, activities in London, clubs, accomodations, companies of interest at campus etc.

Interview Experience 2

Just be yourself, expect the interviewer to have gone through your application(including essays), so collaborate your answers accordingly. Also expect standard questions like Why MBA, why Ivey, strengths, weaknesses, future goals, etc. Also expect to go in detail related to your experiences and have suitable examples and logic of why you did the way you did specific things(for eg, i was asked how i felt when i was transferred to a 'not so good' place in my organization for my honesty, what got me through that period, etc. which was mentioned in one of my essays).

Interview Experience 3

Although it might not be much helpful to list out the questions, especially since the interview is very personalised, still below are a few questions I remember:

1. Run me through your resume in 2-3 mins.
2. What do you currently do in your role?
3. Why MBA? Why now and why Ivey?
4. A time when you did something unpopular. Looking back would you have changed anything if you got a chance to do it again?
5. A time you felt frustrated. Looking back would you have changed anything?
6. Which other schools did you apply to and why? Have you applied to any other Canadian school?
7. How would you contribute to the Ivey experience?
8. What clubs would you like to participate in at Ivey?
9. A time when you made a decision with limited data. Looking back would you have changed anything?
10. A time when you had to deal with an extremely difficult employee. How did you deal with the situation?
11. If you were the CEO of your company, what are the three things that would keep you awake?
12. Why did you choose the list of organization you want to work with post-MBA? How do you plan to land a job with them?
13. Why did you choose the role/profile that you want to work in post-MBA?
14. How do you plan to find a job post IVEY in Canada? What research have you done?
15. What would be your primary concerns in relocating to Canada, and in studying at IVEY?
16. Do you know how your target organization hire? Are you a good fit?
17. Do you have a Plan B
a. If you did not get accepted at IVEY?
b. If you do not find a job post IVEY?
18. Any questions for the interviewer?

Interview Experience 4

Below are a few questions you can expect (based on my experience with both ROTMAN and IVEY):

- Which is your dream travel destination, and why?
- Who is your inspiration in life, and why?
- What personality traits define you as a person?
- Why did you choose IVEY? What is it that you like the most about IVEY?
- Why did you decide to pursue MBA? Why now?
- What are your hobbies or interests? What do you usually do when you are not working?
- If you could reset your life and start all over again, what course would you choose? What things would you not change, and what things would you change?

The format, the types of questions and even the platform, KIRA, is same for the ROTMAN video essays as well. But since IVEY is introducing this for the very first time, my gut feeling is the weightage to this component will not be as high as the written essays and LORs.

Interview Experience 5

I am from India and had a Skype interview last Friday. Here are the questions asked:
1. Run me through your resume
2. What do you currently do in your role
3. Why MBA now and why Ivey
4. A time when you did something unpopular. Looking back would I have changed anything. What aspect of all that you did led to your success?
5. A time you felt frustrated. Looking back would I have changed anything.
6. What do you for fun
7. Why do you think a career in consulting would be suitable for you
8. Which other schools did you apply to and why
9. How would you contribute to the Ivey experience
10. What clubs would you like to participate in at Ivey
11. A time when I made a decision with limited data. Looking back would I have changed anything.
12. Questions for the interviewer

Other details
1. The interview went on for 45 minutes
2. The interview was very casual and interactive


A post made by previous Ivey applicant

As much as I am inclined to Ivey 1 year intensive MBA program, for my research details I gathered, as below, I also have some unexplored fronts which needs specific and further detailing.

Going past the admission criteria, which reveals an average GMAT score of 713 and above added to strong GPA of 3.31, this school is rated highly in Canada for valid reasons as below:

1. Its curriculum is mostly CASE STUDY focused, unusually high and unique.
2. Also it focuses on CROSS ENTERPRISE LEADERSHIP - very effective approach well tailored in 1 year curriculum
3. Course is of 1 year - most suited for people like me, who does not fall in the usual age and experience requirement column of MBA applicants
4. Its ALUMNI networking outperforms most Canadian business schools - (not sure about top US schools)
5. Its class size varies between 130 - 165, comparatively smaller (Queen's is least) - something of importance to me
6. On an average about 59% students get scholarships - very important for me, since I have to self fund my education
7. London, from what I found, is comparatively cheaper in terms of expenses, unlike Toronto (I am also considering UT for application)
8. Very strong in IBanking/Consulting - following employment reports, almost 25% accounts for Financial and Consulting placements
9. Lead areas of specialization, Entrepreneurship, General Management, Leadership and Finance (here is a catch, as per reports, UT has outperformed UWO in many areas, Strategy I mention in particular)
10. Career Management - very focused group that is in action right from the beginning (of all things, I must also aim for good placement)
11. Opportunity cost works out well (at least for me)
12. Scholarships vary between 10% - 50% averaging close to 30% of tuition fees annual. Though instances of full scholarships are there, very rare.

Counter to above, some facts which itches me are:

1. Well knit 1 year program, no internship - will this affect my networking
2. Toronto - still remains the business hub
3. The ranking, I referred to many, FT is of importance here, has slipped over past 2-3 years (major) - reasons attributing to these?
4. Canadian rating has also slipped
5. International B school rating has also slipped
6. Travel/ Leisure/ Hospitality overall placements - worldwide accounts for 1 % or less, it will affect me directly

As much as RATING is not the only criteria to decide on Business School, yet it is of interest and importance to know underlying reasons.



Other Queries:

1. Anyone has some tips or remember the question they had in the video essay ?
I am sure the odds are low to get the same question and there are tons of questions possible that can be found online, but it's always interesting to see what actually came out
They'll ask you two questions. I got a question on leadership and one on teamwork conflict/resolution. They're probably more concerned with how you present yourself and your ability to articulate your thoughts rather than the actual answer you give.


2. What is the natural step once the 1-year work permit period is over? Is there a similar lottery system as H1B in the US?

After your work permit period is over or should I say during that period you will have to apply for Permanent Residentship probably in Express Entry. Usually you become a PR within a year but should the application be delayed for any reason you may apply for a Bridge Open Work Permit. However this is only given if your PR application is pending. This is per my knowledge I may be wrong, please don't quote me. For precise information you should visit https://www.cic.gc.ca, Canada has one of the most liberal immigration laws in the world and they are happy to answer your queries directly.


3. Will it make any difference if we submit our application at the beginning of Round2 or after a month towards the end of Round2?

Usually within the round, the application are being assessed on a rolling basis. In short the sooner the better.


4. I took the video essays today and I think I didn't perform that good. The questions were normal though. Does anyone know what weight this component carries?

My guess is that the video essays would be significantly less important than other factors (WE, GMAT, GPA, leadership experience, career goals, etc). What I can say for certain is that Ivey looks at applications holistically, and a single weakness in your application will not cost you admission if they see you as a good fit for the program.

Using myself as an example, I have a horrible undergraduate academic profile. But I also have a good leadership experience, a decent GMAT, a very compelling reason for doing an MBA, and exceptional work experience. During my interview, I was never even questioned about my poor previous academic performance (although I was extremely fortunate in that the second essay question was perfectly suited to addressing my undergraduate experience).

In short, if you are confident in the rest of your profile, I wouldn't be too worried. I don't think that the video essays will make or break your application.


5. Any ideal what I should be expecting from the video essay question? I intend to complete and submit my application before R1 deadline.

Well the questions are very generic and with a simple google you may find samples. Also I suppose Ivey will give you a trial run question to warm you up. I recommend practising a lot so that you get comfortable with recording yourself on video. Make sure you dress business formals and that your body language is good. Also, enunciate and articulate your thoughts in an organised manner. Good Luck.



6. How well does the Ivey case method prepare you for consulting interviews? What was Ivey's placement rate in down years like 2009? Being from India, I'd like to know how much (not if) the placement rates differ between North American students and internationals. For example, I'm well aware that while Rotman draws a lot of attention from my countrymen, it has suffered in recent times to place international students...thus driving down the overall placement rate considerably.

I think the best preparation to excel in consulting is to go through an exclusively case based program. The skills the pedagogy helps develop in the MBA candidate is best exemplified by our graduates success in placements (highest salaries since 15 years, employer satisfaction surveys) and career progression (nearly 1 in 2, or 47%, of our alumni worldwide hold senior management positions, with titled of Director or above).

Ivey MBA's placement rates don't differ between North American students and internationals. Do check out the most recent placement report (link at the bottom).



FROM IVEY MBA ADMISSIONS BLOG

DON’T RUSH THE MBA DECISION: NOT ALL WORK EXPERIENCE IS CREATED EQUAL

This post by Sharon Irwin-Foulon, Executive Director of Career Management and Corporate Recruiting at the Ivey Business School, originally appeared in the Huffington Post Business Blog on January 14, 2016.

We all know some things look good on paper but don’t always work in practice. And that sentiment should be taken into consideration when deciding if the time is right for an MBA. Just because you have the two years of experience that many of the world’s business schools require, doesn’t mean you are ready for an MBA. You should think more deeply about how to get the most out of your investment of time and money before applying to an MBA. We often see applicants rush this decision. At the Ivey Business School, we believe that a key question candidates should be asking themselves before applying to an MBA is: Does it make sense for me to get this degree right now? Here are some things to consider:

1.The admissions teams can help: The admissions team at Ivey is not in place to scrutinize or judge applicants. Instead, an important part of the team’s role is to ensure that you make the best decision possible, so you can get the most out of the program and contribute to the class community in a meaningful way. Where you are at in your own work journey before you arrive is a critical part of a successful outcome. Talk to us. We can help.

2.Quality over quantity: Be prepared to talk about the kind of work you have done. We are not interested in the length of time you have spent collecting a paycheque, but instead your ability to talk about the quality of work you have done. Tell us about the interactions you have experienced with internal or external clients and the projects you have contributed to. Bringing these kinds of experiences to formal classroom discussions is a critical part of learning in the case study classroom.

3.Failure is good for success: In the interview stage of your application, we are looking to hear about how you helped to move the organization or projects forward and the failures and successes you had on the way. Discussing failures is important because you can use them to explain why having an MBA might help you to do things differently if you had to do them again. Looking at the typical Ivey MBA class, the average number of years’ work experience is closer to four or five. While some students have less, this is the typical timeframe because it often takes that long to prove yourself at an organization and have the types of successes and failures that give you this depth of thinking. Reflect about what you have learned from your organizations and colleagues. This can make the difference between presenting as a moderate or a fantastic candidate.

Assuming that the requisite two years of work experience is enough to get you into the MBA program is a sign that you may not be thinking about this investment of time and money in a critical way. Instead you might be merely seeing it as a credential. To get the most out of your investment, don’t rush the decision to get your MBA.

4 IMPORTANT TIPS ON HOW TO APPROACH VIDEO ESSAY QUESTIONS

The Ivey MBA Admissions team has implemented video essay questions as part of the application process. In this video blog, Recruiting Manager Julia Michienzi discusses why video questions were added and how best to approach them.

The four key tips she discusses are:

1) Dress appropriately — look professional.

2) Check your surroundings and make sure you have a quiet space prepared.

3) Do the practice questions — these will help you to get comfortable in front of the camera and give you a sense of the kinds of questions we’re going to ask.

4) Don’t overthink it! Nerves are normal.

IVEY MBA ADMISSIONS INTERVIEW TIPS

FROM Ivey MBA Admissions Blog: Ivey MBA Admissions Interview Tips

This brief video will give you an overview of the Ivey MBA admissions interview process and provide some tips on what you want to think about and how you can prepare to put your best foot forward. Thanks to Julia Michienzi and Jenni Denniston for putting this together!