4 Things I Wish I Had Known Before Attending Ivey Business School
Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario has established its reputation and prestige through the opportunities it has to offer. Though the program starts after you complete your first two years of university, it is important to have some idea of what your experience will look like before then!
Omer Syed, a recent graduate who now works in the consulting industry, shares his experiences with clubs, networking, socializing, and tackling the various business courses.
1. Clubs
Like most business schools, Ivey has student clubs for various fields that students want to pursue (i.e. Ivey Consulting Club, Ivey Finance Club, etc.). What I think is really intriguing about Ivey's clubs, is that they also have students forming clubs for areas that may not be as prominent as Consulting or Finance, but are still equally as important.
Because some of my friends were a part of Ivey's Social Impact Club, I somehow found myself a part of the team as well. Being a member was definitely one of the highlights of my time at Ivey, as I was able to gain a lot of background into a space that I was always interested in, but never knew of the opportunities that existed within it.
What makes the club scene even more engaging is that it doesn't stop at just social impact. There's a wide variety of clubs that differ from the typical "business clubs", which truly create engaging learning experiences as a result of the excited student leaders who run those clubs.
2. Networking
Networking is a word I heard almost every day during my time at Ivey, but I often struggled with what that meant. One mistake I made early on was that the only right way to network was to message successful alumni at top firms in hopes that they'd end up liking me enough to give me an interview.
In reality, networking really exists in every relationship you make in school. The networking that helped me get my summer internship wasn't by messaging an alumni on LinkedIn, but rather it was my classmate letting me know of a job opportunity at the company he interned at the previous summer.
If I could go back in time and tell my university self one piece of advice on networking, it would be not to discount the everyday relationships you make in school, because often times those can prove to be just as valuable as alumni relationships. Ivey makes this type of networking even more impactful, as everyone in your class comes from difference disciplines the year prior, and therefore brings such diverse and unique experiences to every school environment you find yourself in.
3. Making Friends
Ivey is a busy time for sure. Keeping up with classes, networking, and trying to stay in touch with your non-Ivey friends from first and second year can definitely be tough. But, it is definitely important to take time to relax, enjoy, and meet new people.
Early on, I tried to focus solely on my academics as that was my number one priority. But I slowly learned that wasn't sustainable, nor did it allow me to take advantage of all the great things that Ivey had to offer. I began to go out to class hangouts and events, join clubs, and immerse myself in the Ivey community, and that's when I began to meet some really great people and also do better in my academics, as I had that balance that I needed between work and social.
Overall, I think the best way to make friends at Ivey is to immerse yourself in the culture. Participate in class and focus on academics, but also take advantage of the programs and opportunities they offer outside of the classroom, including anything from student clubs to intramural sports.
4. Classes I Enjoyed
In HBA 1, everyone takes the same classes. HBA 2 is where you get a lot more freedom in classes you take, and you really get to dictate your own business education. A lot of my friends were pursuing investment banking, and so their HBA 2 course load was very finance-heavy. For myself, I wasn't 100% sure what I wanted to do (was thinking of consulting, but was also interested in marketing and technology), so I took courses that ranged in discipline and helped me learn about a variety of things.
Despite me knowing for a fact that I did not want to pursue finance after graduating, I took a class called Raising Capital in Financial Markets (essentially an intro to investment banking course). The reason I took this class was that, even though I didn't have an interest in pursuing finance, I was always curious about the space and wanted to learn more - which is exactly what I did. Like most HBA 2 classes, the Raising Capital course was taught by an industry experienced professional that used a series of cases and his own personal experiences to create a very engaging learning experience. After completing the class, I confirmed that finance was still not for me, but I was so happy to say that I now knew what the world of investment banking looks like.
I think that anecdote really helps to showcase the course offering at Ivey, specifically in HBA 2. There's truly something for everyone, and you know that whatever class you take, you're going to get a really great learning experience out of it because all of the professors have first-hand experience in the subject they teach.
Some other notable courses I took were Introductory Data Science, Design Driven Innovation, Entrepreneurial Finance, and Sales Foundations. As you can see, it's quite a random course load. But that's something else I really appreciated about Ivey - the ability to learn about a breadth of different things all at a renowned institution.