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(4.5) |
Ivey is a great school in Canada. It is no doubt among the top two school if not the top school in Canada. The case method teaching has certain benefits as well as flaws. In the courses such as finance or with the new professors case method learning could be avoided. Overall, case method helps and prepares you to think on your feet during all those difficult discussions with the clients and the leadership. Thus, Ivey is a very good school for consulting.
Ivey alumni base is also very big and career management also tries to get you engaged with them. Through get connected session organised by CM students get the opportunities to talk to them ad build connection which apparently is the key to getting job in Canada. Furthermore, CM provides various resources and guidance to prepare students for the job interviews.
One major drawback is too much focus towards consulting. Ivey has great presence and reputation in consulting. But in other industries such as tech and finance, It falls behind schools like Rotman and Smith. In finance apart from LDP programs from big banks in Canada hardly any other roles are promoted for Ivey MBAs. In tech too Microsoft, google and amazon hardly hires anyone from Ivey.
In Totality, Ivey is a great school for consulting focused students who wants to stay in Canada after MBAs.
Overall BSchool experience (4.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (4.0)
Alumni Network
Brand/Ranking
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)
Consulting
Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Career opportunities provided by school
Facilities
The program is great, the core segment is incredibly intense and really gets people out of their comfort zone. Career opportunities are good, but not as great as the school makes it seem. It is heavily consulting focused.
Some advice:
1. Take the numbers in career report with a grain of salt. I'm not sure about how they do the survey, but 92% employment rate is exaggerated. Also, it includes people have returned to previous employers and didn't really make a transition. Often students end up going back because they couldn't get something else.
2. It's expensive, so be sure you really think about your potential after the program. MBB' and a few consulting firms pay on the higher side, but everyone else makes fair bit below the advertised average salary. The high paying jobs are very competitive.
3. Be clear exactly where you want to go after, focus and network. It's a 1 year program so focus is crucial.
The case based method is fantastic. The grading is a joke with "contribution" making a large portion of the grade, so talk in class even if it is not valuable.
Focus.
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)
Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Alumni Network
Brand/Ranking
Consulting
Investment Banking
Student body, diversity
Career opportunities provided by school
A good program if you are ok with it's purely case based approach, there is very little in terms of class room lectures beyond case study oriented discussions.
The alumni network is great and helpful, with many alumni holding prominent positions.
The class size is the best you can find among competing programs in Canada. The facilities are absolutely top-notch and you won't find the classrooms to be lacking. The team-based approach is helpful in preparing you for a real-world corporate experiences.
Theschool does manage to attract some of the top corporate firms in the region during recruiting season , but keep in mind that competition is heavy during search events and oportunities limited.
The schools career management teams is primarily focused on consulting, and finance Jobs.
Overall BSchool experience (4.0)
Schools contribution (3.0)
Classmates rating (4.0)
Alumni Network
Career opportunities provided by school
Consulting
Finance
Investment Banking
Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Culture & Student Support
Overall, the program was a very enjoyable experience. As a one-year program, the classroom material came fast and hard. The volume of work was quite high, but it served to teach the students how to handle priorities and stress. The professors are top-notch and generally well-respected thought leaders in their respective fields. Presentations play a large role in the program and sharpens communication abilities noticeably.
The Career Management department does a wonderful job, starting from the very first month of the program, to prepare the student body for recruiting, placing MBA candidates in numerous networking events, workshops, and programs to ensure success.
At the end of the day, Ivey met my expectations, delivering a tremendously educational experience while simultaneously connecting me with an extremely powerful alumni network. The professional and personal connections I developed throughout the year will undoubtedly be beneficial as I progress in my career.
My advice to future applicants is to establish a clear vision of what you would like to accomplish with the MBA early on (e.g. career advancement in your current industry, transition to a new industry, entrepreneurship, etc.), as the preparation and work required for each goal differs greatly.
The curriculum is revisited every year to ensure relevance and to add pertinent topics to the list of available electives. Feedback is garnered from existing students and alumni alike to bring a top tier product to the market.
Professors are recruited from some of the best academic institutions and organizations in the world. All are trained rigorously in the case method of teaching, creating a truly engaging learning environment. Outside of the core curriculum, some of the best electives include Global Strategy, Entrepreneurial Finance, Managing People, Negotiations, and the China Study Trip.
Top tier firms recruit from Ivey and the school is known as a breeding ground for top candidates in consulting and financial services. Examples of firms that have close relationships with Ivey include BCG, Bain, McKinsey, A.T. Kearney, Deloitte, KPMG, TD, RBC, and many more.
Grades are sometimes factored into firm decisions to extend first round interviews, so students need to be studious.
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (4.0)
Alumni Network
Career opportunities provided by school
Brand/Ranking
Consulting
Finance
Investment Banking
Student body, diversity
Location
Thanks for this review @MaElLu Please explain what you meant by 'Grades are sometimes factored into firm decisions to extend first round interviews'