all you MBA's (and aspirants) out there

[torontonian123456]

I know getting into to Ivey MBA is hard (only 65 spots).....my question to you MBA's out there is :

what does it take to get into Ivey ?
does it even matter (Ivey is as good as York ?)
is it really worth it ? pre MBA salary vs Post MBA salary

Thanks for your comments

[controlyar]

A well recognized undergrad degree definitely helps with a solid GPA (>3.3).
Example. Lakehead, Ryerson, Brock just do not cut it for the tier 1 MBA schools unless you have an incredible GPA, tremendous experience, and a solid GMAT.

Is it worth it? It depends on YOU and what you make of it. Just because you have an MBA from xxx school does not mean you earn 6 figures immediately (unless its Wharton ). In addition, you made no mention of your career interests. Various MBA programs cater to different individuals and certain schools are better than others for specific programs.

[torontonian123456]

A well recognized undergrad degree definitely helps with a solid GPA (>3.3).
Example. Lakehead, Ryerson, Brock just do not cut it for the tier 1 MBA schools unless you have an incredible GPA, tremendous experience, and a solid GMAT.

Is it worth it? It depends on YOU and what you make of it. Just because you have an MBA from xxx school does not mean you earn 6 figures immediately (unless its Wharton ). In addition, you made no mention of your career interests. Various MBA programs cater to different individuals and certain schools are better than others for specific programs.

thanks for the feed back.... I am considering Management consulting / finance. Do you have an MBA ?

[commie]

thanks for the feed back.... I am considering Management consulting / finance. Do you have an MBA ?

You and just about everyone else in your class will have that career goal.

What are you currently doing, and what was your undergrad background?

[JC69]

Just out of interest....if I wanted to consult a management consultant for something I would be hoping to acquire the services of someone with quite a bit of experience rather than someone with a bit of paper in a frame on the wall. Seems this experience part is lacking these days in favour of a quick approach via instant MBA's.

[commie]

Just out of interest....if I wanted to consult a management consultant for something I would be hoping to acquire the services of someone with quite a bit of experience rather than someone with a bit of paper in a frame on the wall. Seems this experience part is lacking these days in favour of a quick approach via instant MBA's.

Depends on what type of consulting service you required. If your requirement is something specialized then yes you would want someone with years and years of experience..

But what most of these MBA type 'consulting' hires are put into is strategy/process work...Where the client is paying more for the methodology of the consulting firm, and not so necessary the consultant itself. Hence, the consulting firm's requirements, of students with high GPA, well-balanced personality, and high aptitude...They expect to be able to train this new hire in 2-3 months, their methodology in process re-engineering, developing strategies, and process mappings. Someone with high aptitude will be able to pick up the material quickly, and apply it to their clients.

Stuff like, going through with the client's value chain, examining their Porter's five forces, etc....Basically anyone can do, as long as they are confident and a polished communicator and facilitator. Then with a few more years of experience, the consultant will gain more indepth industry experience, and will be able to handle other forms of consulting/sales work.

[PennyArcade]

There are many rankings out there and a lot of them have different schools ranked top. It is safe to say that York, Ivey, Rotman and Queens can be considered tier 1 of canadian schools.

[commie]

There are many rankings out there and a lot of them have different schools ranked top. It is safe to say that York, Ivey, Rotman and Queens can be considered tier 1 of canadian schools.

good point...something students need to remember from time to time...
Every school will be able to reference some magazine ranking that has them on top....
There is no one ranking that is purely objective...One school might be #1 in your area of focus, might not be #1 for someone else....and vice versa...

[YnD]

I know getting into to Ivey MBA is hard (only 65 spots).....my question to you MBA's out there is :

what does it take to get into Ivey ?
does it even matter (Ivey is as good as York ?)
is it really worth it ? pre MBA salary vs Post MBA salary

Thanks for your comments

Ivey, York etc...the top tier MBA schools....yes are tougher to get into.....either a very high GPA or usually 2 years of solid exp with a high GPA.

But other schools have MBA programs too that are not as recognized as Ivey/York but have similiar requirements and education but may not be as tough in the selection process... If your serious about pursuing an MBA and cannot make it into Ivey/York...don't just quit on it... research into an alternative like McMaster/UofT Rotman/Ryerson as a backup etc...

[ckang008]

Anyone know if American universities take a look a GPA as importantly as Canadian universities? I recently finished my undergrad but my marks are not too good (overall 2.3) and I will like to know if stellar work experiences and GMAT can make up for the loss. I know I haven't put my best effort in uni but I don't know if there's a point applying if they reject me by just one look of my GPA

Thanks

[anom]

If your serious about pursuing an MBA and cannot make it into Ivey/York...don't just quit on it... research into an alternative like McMaster/UofT Rotman/Ryerson as a backup etc...

FYI, Ivey, Schulich, Queens and Rotman are all considered "top" MBA schools in Canada (as stated above by others). And it is highly debatable which school(s) is actually the best. Each have their stronger and weaker areas.

[bummermann]

York is a good school but not sure if I would consider york as a top Canadian business school.

I would say Queen's / Ivey / Rotman. then York.

[controlyar]

Ivey, York etc...the top tier MBA schools....yes are tougher to get into.....either a very high GPA or usually 2 years of solid exp with a high GPA.

But other schools have MBA programs too that are not as recognized as Ivey/York but have similiar requirements and education but may not be as tough in the selection process... If your serious about pursuing an MBA and cannot make it into Ivey/York...don't just quit on it... research into an alternative like McMaster/UofT Rotman/Ryerson as a backup etc...

I find it amusing how you did not include Rotman in your top schools.
Rotman is the BEST overall MBA program in Canada and among one the best in the world. The only credible sources I consider for MBA rankings at Financial Times and Businesss Week. The 2007 rankings were just released and Rotman was ranked #1 in Canada and top 20 in the world. Schulich's program has dropped dramatically. I read an article regarding the drop (cannot find it), and it demonstrated that Schulich does not attract the top talent and the overall quality of education is diminishing at an increasing rate versus other Bschools.

Post sources next time instead of personal opinions. That is spreading false information.

http://media.ft.com/cms/9753d360-a6e...00779e2340.pdf

[torontonian123456]

I find it amusing how you did not include Rotman in your top schools.
Rotman is the BEST overall MBA program in Canada and among one the best in the world. The only credible sources I consider for MBA rankings at Financial Times and Businesss Week. The 2007 rankings were just released and Rotman was ranked #1 in Canada and top 20 in the world. Schulich's program has dropped dramatically. I read an article regarding the drop (cannot find it), and it demonstrated that Schulich does not attract the top talent and the overall quality of education is diminishing at an increasing rate versus other Bschools.

Post sources next time instead of personal opinions. That is spreading false information.

http://media.ft.com/cms/9753d360-a6e...00779e2340.pdf

thanks for your comments chief....

I have been doing some research on MBA programs for almost a year now, and i have come to a conclusion that for Canada, Ivey is absolutely number one, hands down. One in four of its grads hold titles : president, GM, CEO etc. There is a network that is highly lucrative, and thus getting that list is going to be tough without going through the ranks of the school they went to. In real life, no problem comes in silos (ie. hi i am a problem, please open your finance book and solve me) you need to analyze the problem holistically (i.e the case based method - which only ivey has in canada). In my opinion this program makes you think about the problem, as opposed to solving equations ( i have solved many equations in engineering, i dont need to do that all over again, to realize those rudimentary excercises wont be used in the real world....


my two cents..... (thanks for all postings.... POST ON !!)

[torontonian123456]

also ... as for rankings..... i have stoppe relying on them.... YORK is not ivey league !!! (my opinion folks, dont hate)