Hi Intrepid,

my profile :

1. GMAT : 690
2. CGPA : 4.0
3. 4+ yrs work ex in IT with 1+ international experience
4. Exhibited Leadership qualities right throughout my career . For example. I have performed the role of Team Lead in my project. Also , I was the Onsite coordinator during my stay....
5. Also i have been involved in organising events . For example : i arrange for the parties for my project mates and have been actively involved in conducting events in my college

Hi ,

I am planning to apply now to Mcgills MBA program for fall 2012 .. Please let me know what are the chances for the interview call .

pls let us know about your profile ?

Hi ,

I am planning to apply now to Mcgills MBA program for fall 2012 .. Please let me know what are the chances for the interview call .

Hey All

Thought I would join in. I had an interview with Jennifer Ferguson from Sauder on Feb 16. As of now I have got an admit to Schulich however have not yet decided between the two universities. I have been working in the field of Online Marketing in Toronto and plan on branching out into Business Consulting. I have only 2 years of experience currently. For any of you debating between schulich and saucer, apart from the geographic variable, you can view another metric below:

Regional ratings: QS Global 200 Business Schools Report 2012 | TOPMBA

Zainab and intrepid
Thanks for your responses
Ill keep u guys posted

Hi zainab
thanks for your post
I have my interview on the 28th,
Could you also tell me how soon after your interview did you get a response
- Also if I may be so bold to ask, did they offer any scholarship
- Would you be willing to share your interview questions

Thank you much

Hello Skinnybob,

-I got the confirmation within two weeks after my interview.
-As of now i have not been offered any scholarship, i guess it comes with the offer letter.
-As mentioned by intrepid85 you can find the questions in the previous threads, i was asked almost the same questions. Apart from these i was even asked questions related to my work.

All the best for your interview. Keep us posted.

Regards,
Zainab

Hi Jeeka,
I recently spoke to an Alumni about the career services and he said it's a grey area where the school needs to improve. You've already spoken about the career center earlier, but how has been your experience or the overall impression of the Career center?
Also, they are a lot of companies mentioned on the website who came to campus to recruit, but so far, what companies you can recall have come and recruited? Do students get placed on their own through networking and stuff or does the career center really assists students in getting placed?

I understand networking is very important but you do need some assistance from the career center..

Thanks,
Mihir

hey mihir

thanks for keeping the thread alive with your very mature and informative queries , and thanks to jeeka for superior justification.
i recently checked up with one of current students over there, regarding your doubts about pre mba prep....his views are like there is not much need to do all that stuff ... but still start reading about general business metrics and canadian economy and stuff ....
school has very good initial orientations and that will help people like us to cover up .... and yes u r very right .. Networking is one thing which needs to be seriously focused , according to inputs i got .. although school facilitates treks and other networking events .. but it also depends on individual ...

hey skinnybob

i have posted some Questions at the very start of thread .. u can refer them ...
also pls refer previous 2011 and 2010 threads of UBC .. u ll get good stuff from there ...

rest Zainab can tell .... !! Hope this helps ! All the best and just rock it.

Zainab,
Also if I may be so bold to ask, did they offer any scholarship

thanks for your help

Hi zainab
thanks for your post
I have my interview on the 28th,
Could you also tell me how soon after your interview did you get a response
- Also if I may be so bold to ask, did they offer any scholarship
- Would you be willing to share your interview questions

Thank you much

Hello skinnybob,

My profile is F/640/5.0/3+ yrs work ex (by the time i join the program)/good academics and good extra co.

I had applied in the 2nd week of Jan.

Regards,
Zainab

Hi Guys,
This is my first post on pagalguy. I have been accepted to the Sauder MBA program, got d mail early morning :D

How many of you planning to go ahead with the offer??? It would be great if we could connect :)

Regards,
Zainab

Hi Zainab, congratulations, would you mind sharing your profile and when you applied?

Hi Jeeka,
I recently spoke to an Alumni about the career services and he said it's a grey area where the school needs to improve. You've already spoken about the career center earlier, but how has been your experience or the overall impression of the Career center?
Also, they are a lot of companies mentioned on the website who came to campus to recruit, but so far, what companies you can recall have come and recruited? Do students get placed on their own through networking and stuff or does the career center really assists students in getting placed?

I understand networking is very important but you do need some assistance from the career center..

Thanks,
Mihir

Hi Guys,
This is my first post on pagalguy. I have been accepted to the Sauder MBA program, got d mail early morning :D

How many of you planning to go ahead with the offer??? It would be great if we could connect :)

Regards,
Zainab

Hi Mihir,

I was not that plugged into the changes to the program. I need to do a little bit of research myself. Will dig around a little and let you know my thoughts.

In the meantime, there seems to be a MBA Experience day with an online option available in March, it might be a good primer to understand the new program structure.

You can find it here under the online tab.

Cheers.

Hi Jeeka,
I have enrolled for it.. Thanks for that.. Anyway, let me know if you get to know more about the new program.

Regards,
Mihir

Hi Jeeka,

How you doing?

I would like to know more about the re-imagined program. How effective / different is it from the earlier structure. I am sure there would have been a lot of comparisons / discussions going on.

Thanks,
Mihir

Hi Mihir,

I was not that plugged into the changes to the program. I need to do a little bit of research myself. Will dig around a little and let you know my thoughts.

In the meantime, there seems to be a MBA Experience day with an online option available in March, it might be a good primer to understand the new program structure.

You can find it here under the online tab.

Cheers.

Hi Jeeka,

How you doing?

I would like to know more about the re-imagined program. How effective / different is it from the earlier structure. I am sure there would have been a lot of comparisons / discussions going on.

Thanks,
Mihir

Hi Jeeka,

I read about the business fundamental courses one needs to have prior knowledge about before joining the courses. I mean courses like FI, Economics, Stat etc. What was your experience on this. Was it really a pre-requisite or one could do without it?

Thanks,
Mihir

I think this is equivalent to the "pre-core" classes we had. I took them and found them to be useful. For me, the most useful one was the accounting one - I would definitely recommend it to anyone who does not have a background in accounting.

Another advantage is that this gives you a good opportunity to mingle with your classmates before the official start of classes. You would be doing a lot of group work and it is certainly to your advantage to get to know your classmates.

The decision regarding rest of the fundamental courses basically depends on your background. If you do not have a background or prior coursework in Stats, Economics, etc. it would be a good refresher course. I was reading books on basic micro and macroeconomics from May-Aug on my own, hence was up to speed on those subjects when I landed here. So if you have the time, you can definitely work on your own to strengthen your fundamentals.

Cheers.

Hi Jeeka,

I read about the business fundamental courses one needs to have prior knowledge about before joining the courses. I mean courses like FI, Economics, Stat etc. What was your experience on this. Was it really a pre-requisite or one could do without it?

Thanks,
Mihir

Thanks for the inputs Jeeka. That surely helps a lot. i am jus getting started with the post-admission process now. Will come back for any further queries.
Thanks once again.

Regards,
Mihir

Hi Jeeka,

This is Mihir here. I have got an admit for fall 2012. I wanted to know how the MBA program is and how good or bad are the placements currently. I want to do an MBA in Supply Chain and I've heard Sauder is a good option. What are your thoughts on that? They have completely revamped the program from what I know.
Would be nice if you could share some of your experiences.

Thanks,
Mihir

Mihir,

The career center has annual publications that highlight the placement stats. You can find them at:
Annual Report | Sauder School of Business at UBC, Vancouver, Canada

As I was mentioning before, it might be a little too early to say regarding placement of my batch, but initial signs appear positive.

For supply chain, I quickly pinged one of my classmates who specialized in the area and he mentioned that Vancouver is indeed a good place for it. One reason is that the sea route to South-east Asia has Vancouver as a hub and hence a lot of logistics and transportation activities happen in the area.

Personally, I have taken a couple of classes from the SCM stream and found them to be pretty interesting. The profs were highly engaging and I found the case-based methodology that they used to be pretty effective.

Hope this helps.

Cheers.

Hi Jeeka,

This is Mihir here. I have got an admit for fall 2012. I wanted to know how the MBA program is and how good or bad are the placements currently. I want to do an MBA in Supply Chain and I've heard Sauder is a good option. What are your thoughts on that? They have completely revamped the program from what I know.
Would be nice if you could share some of your experiences.

Thanks,
Mihir

Great response Jeeka. Cheers !

Can you throw some light on arranging the finances through International student loans? There is some information related to HSBC offering at Sauder.

I heard that Canadian loans are very attractive in terms of Interest rates and repayment tenure as compared to Indian bank loans.
But , apart from having a Co-signer, is it necessary to have a PR to get that loan facility ?? any idea?
Apart from this, any other financing options or option which may ease our pocket during study ?

When I inquired HSBC about their loan program (in May 2010), international student loan applications required a co-signer who was either a Canadian resident or a citizen. Furthermore, the co-signer had to be directly related to you as well. Not sure if this has changed since.

Working part-time is another financing option. I am not sure of the visa requirements, but on-campus work might be possible. Personally, I would advise against this, since the MBA program is hectic enough as it is and you would not want to compromise on the learning in order to make a few dollars. Paid internships are the best option to earn while you are in the program.

My personal take: Make sure your financial situation is in order before you get here. You do not want to add financial worries to an already intense program. Worry about loan repayment only after the program is done and you have landed a full-time offer.

Jeeka,

I have recently been accepted to UBC and McGill and am also considering applying to Queens. I have a background in accounting and am looking to find a job in the energy sector. Can you please comment on the placements your fellow classmates received and whether the UBC MBA is really rising in the rankings and employers are recognizing this? I.e - recruitment by top companies is increasing.

Hi Maheen,

I wish to know when had you applied for McGill and when you got the decision. I had applied in mid Dec. and have not got a reply yet. Also can you please share your profile. I have been w/listed in UBC.

Cheers!

Great response Jeeka. Cheers !

Can you throw some light on arranging the finances through International student loans? There is some information related to HSBC offering at Sauder.

I heard that Canadian loans are very attractive in terms of Interest rates and repayment tenure as compared to Indian bank loans.
But , apart from having a Co-signer, is it necessary to have a PR to get that loan facility ?? any idea?
Apart from this, any other financing options or option which may ease our pocket during study ?

Jeeka,

I have recently been accepted to UBC and McGill and am also considering applying to Queens. I have a background in accounting and am looking to find a job in the energy sector. Can you please comment on the placements your fellow classmates received and whether the UBC MBA is really rising in the rankings and employers are recognizing this? I.e - recruitment by top companies is increasing.

From my personal connections, it looks like overall placements seem to be quicker than the batch before us. It is too early to comment on recruitment of our batch since it's only been a month since the end of classes.

From my discussions, Western Canada seems to be a good hub for work in the energy sector (Calgary and Vancouver in particular).

If you are looking for a role in finance or management consulting, schools in the East have an advantage because of stronger geographical and alumni relations. For roles in other streams, I personally would consider Sauder to be at least on par if not better than the Eastern schools.

Hi Jeeka!

Two quesions for you, please
1. I would really appreciate if you can tell what your total expenses for the program were. Probably with break down on total/living ex/tuition and fees/other if possible. The reason I ask is to check if real expenditures can be any lower versus what is shown on the website.

2. Are you aware of any loans availablility for internationals students, who already is in the program.


Thank you!

Living expenses vary based on your personal lifestyle - some key factors being location, and whether living with room-mates or by yourself. Having said that this has been the typical expenses for some of my classmates (excluding tuition) - 2 bedoom accomodation, shared by 2 people

1. Rent - $500
2. Groceries - $200
3. Phone - $50
4. Books - $100 (assuming $1500 for the whole MBA)
5. Internet - $25
6. Utilities - $25
7. MSP (Health Insurance) - $60
8. Misc - $150

Total - $1110 for 16 months this works to $17,760

The key difference is the rent component. There are many cheaper options than the MBA house available if you are willing to stay further away from the UBC campus. Keep in mind that this is based on shared accommodation, if you prefer to stay by yourself, costs shown on the website are more accurate.

Loans are not available to international students. Most banks require a Canadian citizen (who is also a family member) to act as a guarantor. Hence it is very difficult, if not impossible for international students to avail of a Canadian loan options.

I have an admit as well !

Jeeka- Thanks for helping us all out. I have few queries

1) For Canadian Visa purpose, can I use TOEFL instead of IELTS. Also, can i apply for visa without getting the Hard Copy of Admission letter.

2) When can I apply for Visa? Is their a 120 days limit like in US

3) Placement %age for international students and do big consulting firm hire international students from UBC

Thanks

I moved to Canada after working in the US, so my visa experience is probably not typical. Hence, I will not be the best person to answer visa related questions. Sorry about that !

Placement numbers for my batch are not available. But of the Indian students that I have spoken to, about 50% have started on their jobs, others are interviewing after a trip to India. It is still too early to tell since a good number of students have elected to take a break after school finished in December before resuming their job hunt.

By big consulting firms, if you mean the top management consulting firms, it has been difficult challenge. Hiring seems to have slowed down given the economic situation. North American experience is given a lot of weight, so it might be more difficult for international students to break into this domain. I would still maintain that some of the eastern schools offer a better option for consulting and finance domains.

Thanks Jeeka for pitching in !!

1) How good is Sauder's Career Services at facilitating connections with Alumni, Industry etc. ? Apart from Career treks n all, what other things are happening there? How are Alums, like ur batch are placed and how active they are in distributing and promoting the brand Sauder?
2) How is the industry portfolio of Vancouver, specifically Consulting/Finance?
in comparison to Toronto/Montreal/Calgary ? Hows the handshake of UBC with the biggie corporates present in these cities ?
3) How do Indian students arrange for living outside the campus ? As my friend, gnothobiot asked, what is the average living costs in Vancouver ?

Thanks in advance.

Career services are adequate if you remember that you are in charge of your own career path and progress. The career center is well connected to the Vancouver business community, but reaching out to outside of Vancouver is relatively more difficult. Alumni engagement has been great and I have personally connected with many of the alumni through linkedIn and other social networks.

I've already spoken about Consulting/Finance roles in previous responses, so let me know if there is anything specific you would like to know.

Cheers and Good luck.

Hi all,

I applied to ubc in r1 n mcgill on dec. 16. have been waitlisted in ubc n have not got any reply from mcgill yet! surprisingly i've been wlisted in ubc without interview. Feeling a bit nervous.

Thanks Jeeka for pitching in !!

1) How good is Sauder's Career Services at facilitating connections with Alumni, Industry etc. ? Apart from Career treks n all, what other things are happening there? How are Alums, like ur batch are placed and how active they are in distributing and promoting the brand Sauder?
2) How is the industry portfolio of Vancouver, specifically Consulting/Finance?
in comparison to Toronto/Montreal/Calgary ? Hows the handshake of UBC with the biggie corporates present in these cities ?
3) How do Indian students arrange for living outside the campus ? As my friend, gnothobiot asked, what is the average living costs in Vancouver ?

Thanks in advance.

I have an admit as well !

Jeeka- Thanks for helping us all out. I have few queries

1) For Canadian Visa purpose, can I use TOEFL instead of IELTS. Also, can i apply for visa without getting the Hard Copy of Admission letter.

2) When can I apply for Visa? Is their a 120 days limit like in US

3) Placement %age for international students and do big consulting firm hire international students from UBC

Thanks

Hi Jeeka!

Two quesions for you, please
1. I would really appreciate if you can tell what your total expenses for the program were. Probably with break down on total/living ex/tuition and fees/other if possible. The reason I ask is to check if real expenditures can be any lower versus what is shown on the website.

2. Are you aware of any loans availablility for internationals students, who already is in the program.


Thank you!

Jeeka,

I have recently been accepted to UBC and McGill and am also considering applying to Queens. I have a background in accounting and am looking to find a job in the energy sector. Can you please comment on the placements your fellow classmates received and whether the UBC MBA is really rising in the rankings and employers are recognizing this? I.e - recruitment by top companies is increasing.

Hi all,

I am a recent graduate (started Fall 2010 and finished Dec 2011). I'll try and answer any questions/concerns that you might have.

Cheers.

Hi intrepid85,
Good initiative. I have my interview on 7th.It would b great if you could help with the interview questions, also wots ur profile and when did you submit ur application.

pls share ur profile and which other colleges have you applied to .

Hi mbagal

Congrats on getting the interview call. I sumitted my app in R1, 26th nov. Got interviewed on Jan 6th. Got the acceptance, Feb 3 midnight .

my profile : 640/5.0 /4+ yrs work ex/good acads and extra co

Below are my interview notes:

1) resume walkthrough
2) so why mba now and which career track
3) where do u see urself after 5 years, why Consulting(my goal)
4) which is ur dream company in management consulting and why ( told some good things about Mckinsey)
5) instance when you exhibited leadership
6) which is ur best accomplishment and why
7) instance when u managed failure and learnings
how would you manage diversity of thought in a team setting
9) why Sauder, wht unique you would bring to Sauder
10) what if not accepted( they will surely ask this Q :P)
11) if a book is written on you what would be the title ( ice breaker)
12) apart from work what do u like to do ( some chit chat on hobbies and community work)

Just be consistent what you have written in ur essays and profile,be clear while speaking and you ll ace the interview. Keep us posted. Good luck.

Hi intrepid85,
Good initiative. I have my interview on 7th.It would b great if you could help with the interview questions, also wots ur profile and when did you submit ur application.

R1 results are out for UBC Fall 2012. Any one else who got the admit ?