I want to take a step back to reflect on my experiences with the admissions process at Rotman. As someone who has applied to many MBA schools, I can speak directly about how the Rotman process compares.
The process consists of two steps: application and interview. I'm not going to spend much time talking about the application since there is plenty of material available for reading online. In short, make a concrete point in the essays, outline clear goals, tell stories that link your past to your future, and keep it simple. GMAT scores should be in the mid 600s range and references should be written by professionals that can provide a candid look at work performance. If you are young, focus on emphasizing leadership skills and career advancement. The school looks for a final year GPA of 75, however, my personal belief is that they are quite lenient strengths are shown in other areas.
I conducted my interview over the phone since I was working in New York. Perhaps (I hope) my application stood out enough that I was a front-runner before the interview. The questions where standard MBA interview questions: Why Rotman?, Why MBA?, Why now?, What do you do for fun?, etc. It makes sense to research to hell the finer details of the school: which clubs you want to participate in, which courses appeal to you, and how you will link these things to your career progression. Mention these things in the interview. I mentioned that I salsa dance and scored big points; Rotman has its own salsa club. Lucky! The interview wasn't particularly difficult compared to INSEAD or Columbia, however, it's still important to remain confident and have good explanations for any weaknesses in your application. My feeling is that if you get an interview, you stand a good chance of making it, or at least getting on the wait list for the following year.
Timing is also of essence. I applied during the last phase of the admissions process and only received early acceptance for the following year. This goes to show that if you want to apply for the upcoming September, submit an applications as early as possible; at the beginning of the first phase if possible.
If you need additional help preparing for any schools or are unsure of the finer details of the application process, leave a comment below and I will reply., Accepted.com is also a great MBA resource.
PZ
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Sorry for the late responses guys, and I appreciate your comments. To the first question, yes, you have been in a situation where you haven't lived up to your full potential, everybody has! A time when you were late for a meeting, didn't have time to complete an assignment, or received a bad grade in a course. This question, however, is meant to test your ability to turn something negative and turn it positive. For example, when working in a group, you encounter a problem and solve it yourself. You realized that you should have included your team. This is an example of how you "fixing a problem" which is inherently a good thing, was a bad thing, and you resolved it by including your team the second time around.
ReplyDeletePunyashloka: I'm not 100% sure, but I would think your chances are pretty good. Call admissions and ask! And if they don't tell you, remain patient and wait, it'll be worth it!
Hi Petar
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you can me advice regarding one of the essay questions .Iam not able to get the question completely whether they want us to reflect on what we need from MBA or whether it is a long term goals question?
If u can jusImagine that ten years from now a colleague is describing you to a new employee. What will s/he say about you that you are not known for now? How will you achieve these new skills?
These questions are meant to test whether you know what an MBA is, why it makes sense for you right now, how you will use it in both the short and long term, and what sort of ambassador you will be for Rotman both while studying and as an Alumni.
ReplyDeleteYour best bet is to construct a story, chronological, starting from where you've been (school, job, etc.), where you want to go (future job & goals), and how an MBA (from Rotman!) will help you get there right now. Draw from specific differentiators which exist at Rotman versus other schools.
For the question about a colleague 10 years from now, make sure to mention not just the academic components of an MBA, but also the network, and certain personal skills (ex. social skills, etc.) which you do not have right now, and then say that you will develop them not just during the MBA, but with how the MBA will teach you to think critically during your experiences after completing it. Use concrete examples, mention both skills which you have now and how they will compliment your MBA, and how skills which you lack, you will develop by going to Rotman.
Hope this helps.
PZ