Here are couple of costs that one might want to consider when planning for the Ivey MBA*:
Tuition: $59,000
MBA student association fee (includes health insurance): $900
Casebooks (mandatory): ~ $4,000
Appartment rental: $600-$800/month
Lunch: $5 - 6.50/day
Bus Pass: $74/month
Average taxi ride: $10
*Based on costs in 2007
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Orientation Weekend '07
by: Andrea Jang
Senators from the October cohort began “O-Week” for the May ‘08 class with a Wine and Cheese event at the Spencer Leadership Centre. Sipping on Pellar Estate Wine while munching on crudités, we became further acquainted with one another and met the our buddies from the October cohort. This event was definitely a great way to end the intensive two-week Pre-Ivey Program, while bringing students and faculty together in an informal setting.
As we moved into the night, groups headed out to the Taphouse on Richmond Street. The diversity of the crowd and eclectic mix of music definitely showcased the budding Beyonce’s and JT’s in the May cohort! Exhausted from Friday’s class and social activities, we headed home to rest before Saturday’s outdoor events.
Saturday arrived cool and breezy, some students even anticipated chances of rain. Armed with Starbucks mochas (taken from the Executive MBA breakfast), we donned our new Ivey t-shirts and marched into the South wing of Spencer to hear Don MacDougall reminisce about effective leadership in the workplace. A brief lunch followed along with meeting with our highly anticipated learning teams. As the sun began to emerge from behind the early morning clouds, we sported our colorful wristbands and headed outdoors to the vast landscape of Spencer’s backyard.
Pitted against one another in various learning team exercises, energetic groups brought a spirit of determination to win to the field. However, as the competitions ensued, the casualty rate increased exponentially. Key learning from Saturday: effective leadership involves not only playing hard, but also playing safe while having fun! The non-injured teammates regrouped for a delicious dinner barbeque at Spencer. While we snacked on the s’mores, Krista announced that the red team won by a mere half point! To celebrate, we moved to one of the main “Ivey” hangouts, the Barking Frog, to party the night away. With its multiple dance floors and strategically placed bars, the October and May cohorts continued to mix and mingle; without getting too up close and personal. J
Sunday proved to be a wonderful culmination to the weekend’s festivities. At the Waltzing Weasel, groups of students tackled the mini golf course and took a couple swings at the driving range. Definitely a key bonding session, newbies at the range received valuable pointers from the more experienced golfers in class.
Overall, the weekend proved to be a valuable experience for everyone and Orientation Weekend was a great introduction to an amazing year ahead!!
Andrea Jang
MBA Candidate 2008
May 2007 Cohort
Senators from the October cohort began “O-Week” for the May ‘08 class with a Wine and Cheese event at the Spencer Leadership Centre. Sipping on Pellar Estate Wine while munching on crudités, we became further acquainted with one another and met the our buddies from the October cohort. This event was definitely a great way to end the intensive two-week Pre-Ivey Program, while bringing students and faculty together in an informal setting.
As we moved into the night, groups headed out to the Taphouse on Richmond Street. The diversity of the crowd and eclectic mix of music definitely showcased the budding Beyonce’s and JT’s in the May cohort! Exhausted from Friday’s class and social activities, we headed home to rest before Saturday’s outdoor events.
Saturday arrived cool and breezy, some students even anticipated chances of rain. Armed with Starbucks mochas (taken from the Executive MBA breakfast), we donned our new Ivey t-shirts and marched into the South wing of Spencer to hear Don MacDougall reminisce about effective leadership in the workplace. A brief lunch followed along with meeting with our highly anticipated learning teams. As the sun began to emerge from behind the early morning clouds, we sported our colorful wristbands and headed outdoors to the vast landscape of Spencer’s backyard.
Pitted against one another in various learning team exercises, energetic groups brought a spirit of determination to win to the field. However, as the competitions ensued, the casualty rate increased exponentially. Key learning from Saturday: effective leadership involves not only playing hard, but also playing safe while having fun! The non-injured teammates regrouped for a delicious dinner barbeque at Spencer. While we snacked on the s’mores, Krista announced that the red team won by a mere half point! To celebrate, we moved to one of the main “Ivey” hangouts, the Barking Frog, to party the night away. With its multiple dance floors and strategically placed bars, the October and May cohorts continued to mix and mingle; without getting too up close and personal. J
Sunday proved to be a wonderful culmination to the weekend’s festivities. At the Waltzing Weasel, groups of students tackled the mini golf course and took a couple swings at the driving range. Definitely a key bonding session, newbies at the range received valuable pointers from the more experienced golfers in class.
Overall, the weekend proved to be a valuable experience for everyone and Orientation Weekend was a great introduction to an amazing year ahead!!
Andrea Jang
MBA Candidate 2008
May 2007 Cohort
Sunday, May 20, 2007
First week of classes – The Ivey Difference:
Following is a quick recap of my first week of classes at Ivey. Looking back at it, it flew by in an absolute instant. 8 hours of classes a day did take some getting used to.
Monday we had a full morning of introductions to the program from faculty and staff. Following the introductions we had lunch break and then came a part we’ve been waiting for: LPO (Leading People and Organizations) team simulation.
I’ve heard from students in the previous cohort that Gerard Seijts was an excellent professor, but nothing prepared us for the eye opening case that we’ve got on Monday afternoon. Not to give it away for future students, it was a real treat, with professor expertly directing the discussion along the path for it to finally unfold into a beautiful story. The feeling most of my colleagues got was one of one of being a participant on an amazing journey. I personally, don’t think I will ever forget the lesson I’ve learned during that session. The four hour class flew by like a speeding train and at the end I was left yearning for more.
Tuesday we dove deeper into the actual process of learning with cases. And in the afternoon we came back to another leadership case discussion which expanded on leadership challenges that we’ve covered in the first class by providing new challenge situation.
Wednesday was another amazing class experience. We had a heated forum about Function of a Firm. The two speakers were Kevin O’Leary, founder of Softkey which in 1999 sold to Mattel for $3.7 billion, and his opponent Wade Oosterman, co-founder of Clearnet which was acquired in 2000 by Telus Corp. for 6.6Billion. It was unbelievable to have business people of such a high caliber answer our questions about importance of shareholder in a company and wealth creation in general.
The day continued with a warm welcome from Major and COO of City of London. Both of them talked about the important role Ivey is playing in community and later entertained our questions about business environmet in the city.
After a lunch break we had our first Career Management class with Lyn Purdy. This class places emphasis on helping us discover ourselves better with discussions around the reasons for choosing to pursue an MBA and particular career paths. We’ve also looked at a case of a person who followed traditional high earning jobs just to discover personal vacuum at the end.
I’m finding that case method is really effective in putting ourselves in somebody else’s shoes and trying to discover an effective decision for this situation. This particular Career Management case was also designed to help us think not only about the effective decision at that particular point but also to think through the decisions that would help us avoid ending up in the same situation of a personal “gridlock” in the future.
Thursday was a community action day. To illustrate the fact that Ivey not only talks about caring for community but also takes action when it comes to making positive community impact Ivey MBA studnets participate in Reforest London initiative.
Friday we had another special treat in form of a class with Dennis Shackel, an amazing communications guru recognized with multiple Teaching Awards. The communications class felt more like individual coaching session with professor helping each and everyone of us feel part of the discussion while helping us identify ways to communicate more effectively. Multiple times he engaged members of audience to drive his point home. The class experience felt really fluid, with Dennis pulling-in personal facts about class members from his memory and inviting students into the conversation.
The day concluded with presentation from Career Management group. Through the transition from two year to one year MBA format career management became much closer integrated within the curriculum. Director of Career Management group discussed the value that Executive Career Coaches play in the Ivey MBA experience and how their role differs from that played by a typical Career Councellor. We were also advised to take a more proactive approach to the career search and preparation through engaging in early conversations with Coaches/Relationship Managers responsible for our particular industry of interest.
Monday we had a full morning of introductions to the program from faculty and staff. Following the introductions we had lunch break and then came a part we’ve been waiting for: LPO (Leading People and Organizations) team simulation.
I’ve heard from students in the previous cohort that Gerard Seijts was an excellent professor, but nothing prepared us for the eye opening case that we’ve got on Monday afternoon. Not to give it away for future students, it was a real treat, with professor expertly directing the discussion along the path for it to finally unfold into a beautiful story. The feeling most of my colleagues got was one of one of being a participant on an amazing journey. I personally, don’t think I will ever forget the lesson I’ve learned during that session. The four hour class flew by like a speeding train and at the end I was left yearning for more.
Tuesday we dove deeper into the actual process of learning with cases. And in the afternoon we came back to another leadership case discussion which expanded on leadership challenges that we’ve covered in the first class by providing new challenge situation.
Wednesday was another amazing class experience. We had a heated forum about Function of a Firm. The two speakers were Kevin O’Leary, founder of Softkey which in 1999 sold to Mattel for $3.7 billion, and his opponent Wade Oosterman, co-founder of Clearnet which was acquired in 2000 by Telus Corp. for 6.6Billion. It was unbelievable to have business people of such a high caliber answer our questions about importance of shareholder in a company and wealth creation in general.
The day continued with a warm welcome from Major and COO of City of London. Both of them talked about the important role Ivey is playing in community and later entertained our questions about business environmet in the city.
After a lunch break we had our first Career Management class with Lyn Purdy. This class places emphasis on helping us discover ourselves better with discussions around the reasons for choosing to pursue an MBA and particular career paths. We’ve also looked at a case of a person who followed traditional high earning jobs just to discover personal vacuum at the end.
I’m finding that case method is really effective in putting ourselves in somebody else’s shoes and trying to discover an effective decision for this situation. This particular Career Management case was also designed to help us think not only about the effective decision at that particular point but also to think through the decisions that would help us avoid ending up in the same situation of a personal “gridlock” in the future.
Thursday was a community action day. To illustrate the fact that Ivey not only talks about caring for community but also takes action when it comes to making positive community impact Ivey MBA studnets participate in Reforest London initiative.
Friday we had another special treat in form of a class with Dennis Shackel, an amazing communications guru recognized with multiple Teaching Awards. The communications class felt more like individual coaching session with professor helping each and everyone of us feel part of the discussion while helping us identify ways to communicate more effectively. Multiple times he engaged members of audience to drive his point home. The class experience felt really fluid, with Dennis pulling-in personal facts about class members from his memory and inviting students into the conversation.
The day concluded with presentation from Career Management group. Through the transition from two year to one year MBA format career management became much closer integrated within the curriculum. Director of Career Management group discussed the value that Executive Career Coaches play in the Ivey MBA experience and how their role differs from that played by a typical Career Councellor. We were also advised to take a more proactive approach to the career search and preparation through engaging in early conversations with Coaches/Relationship Managers responsible for our particular industry of interest.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Leadership Quotes:
"Leadership is not a designated position...it's a phenomena. Leadership is....People following people because they want to...not because they have to." ~Larry Wilson
"Of all the biographies in the world, most deal with men who have talked themselves upwards. More than all of the scientists, writers, saints and doers combined...speakers have always ruled, and they will continue to rule. The smart thing is to join them." ~Bruce Barton, Advertising Legend
"If business is your game, don't be a dabbler. Find your passion, pick your game...and focus." ~Jack Welch, Chairman, General Electric
"I never worried about becoming a successful person. I wanted to be a significant person." ~Nido Qubein, Business Author/Consultant, Recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor
"In order to do something you've never done, you've got to be someone you've never been ." ~Les Brown
"If I went back to college again, I'd concentrate on two areas: learning to write and learning to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively." ~Gerald R. Ford, Former President, U.S.A.
"The road to happiness lies in two simple principles: find what it is that interests you and that you can do well and when you find it put your whole soul into it - every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have." ~John D. Rockefeller III
"Formal education will make you a living, self-education will make you a fortune." ~ Jim Rohn
"I don't want to find myself in a nursing home someday thinking all I did was play it safe." ~Charlie Eitel, CEO Simmons Mattress
"The people who tell the stories rule society." ~Plato
"Champions aren't made in the gym. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than skill." ~Muhammad Ali
"Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe." ~Winston Churchill
"Of all the biographies in the world, most deal with men who have talked themselves upwards. More than all of the scientists, writers, saints and doers combined...speakers have always ruled, and they will continue to rule. The smart thing is to join them." ~Bruce Barton, Advertising Legend
"If business is your game, don't be a dabbler. Find your passion, pick your game...and focus." ~Jack Welch, Chairman, General Electric
"I never worried about becoming a successful person. I wanted to be a significant person." ~Nido Qubein, Business Author/Consultant, Recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor
"In order to do something you've never done, you've got to be someone you've never been ." ~Les Brown
"If I went back to college again, I'd concentrate on two areas: learning to write and learning to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively." ~Gerald R. Ford, Former President, U.S.A.
"The road to happiness lies in two simple principles: find what it is that interests you and that you can do well and when you find it put your whole soul into it - every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have." ~John D. Rockefeller III
"Formal education will make you a living, self-education will make you a fortune." ~ Jim Rohn
"I don't want to find myself in a nursing home someday thinking all I did was play it safe." ~Charlie Eitel, CEO Simmons Mattress
"The people who tell the stories rule society." ~Plato
"Champions aren't made in the gym. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than skill." ~Muhammad Ali
"Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe." ~Winston Churchill
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Ivey MBA + Kids
By: Amy Gibbons
Ivey MBA -May 2007 Cohort
Ivey Kids
While the Ivey Moms and Dads are busy, the Ivey kids can find lots to do inLondon
Ivey MBA -May 2007 Cohort
Ivey Kids
While the Ivey Moms and Dads are busy, the Ivey kids can find lots to do in
Information on parks, swimming pools, skating rinks, neighborhood day camps & community centers.
“Play together, learn together” is the museum’s motto. The museum is hands-on and interactive and focuses on the educational and social development of children from infancy through age twelve.
The attractions at
Adventures on Wonderland
“Adventures on Wonderland” is
The Little Gym
This short list of parent resources reflects the recently expressed needs of students. If you are looking for other services, please feel free to contact me at AGibbons.MBA2008@ivey.ca.
London Children's Connection is a non-profit, family-focused organization providing high quality child care/early education programs and related services for over 4000 children and their families in
The UCC Flexible Child Care program offers drop-in child care on a per hour basis.
Friday, May 4, 2007
“The 10 Things I’ve Learned” – Advice to Incoming Ivey MBA Students
By: Lorraine Wong
Prepping for cases, attending learning team meetings, absorbing information at Career Management clinics… oh, and I almost forgot, going to class! A typical day in the life of an Ivey MBA student is a real test of time management skills. The first week back in a classroom was a big change for me, but overall, I found that the transition to life and school in London, Ontario has been relatively smooth. Of course, instantly gaining 67 new friends doesn’t hurt! To give you some insight into my Ivey experience in the last two months, I’ve put together a list of 10 things
I have learned:
1. Yes, Guinea Pigs
It was a bit risky, but we took a chance on joining the inaugural class of the new one-year MBA program. Given Ivey’s reputation as a leading business school, we are confident that the quality of the Ivey MBA would be maintained, if not improved. So far, so good.
2. Thinking Cross-Enterprise
The most engaging cases we have reviewed so far in class have been the ones that allow two or more instructors to take us through the various issues affecting one company. For example, the “IT” instructor does not only delve into specific IT issues, but also integrates aspects of leadership into the discussion.
3. Speak Up!
Participation in class discussions frequently count for at least 30% of your grade. That being said, contribution marks are awarded based on the quality of comments as opposed to quantity. Class is a “safe environment”, so we shouldn’t be afraid to speak up.
4. Teamwork
On the first day of class, we were assigned to learning teams that comprise 6 or 7 students from various backgrounds. In my team, there are two engineers, one IT consultant, an HR specialist, an investment banker and me (miscellaneous accounting and finance person). The different perspectives that each of us have really contribute to the lively discussions in our meetings, while our different skill sets allow us to rely on each other if we are weak in any specific areas.
5. “Work Hard, Play Hard!”
Various local establishments have benefited handsomely from our class. Every week, our schedules are packed not only with school-related events, but many social outings. Formally, there are two Social Reps who plan official events (this week, there’s a mini-golf tournament and a beach day). Informally, we frequently get together at local bars and restaurants, in addition to playing volleyball, basketball and golf.
6. Making Some Big Decisions
A one-year program means we have to make decisions fairly quickly on our post-MBA career path. Last week, our class went to Toronto where representatives from various companies held mock interviews and information sessions. Career Management did a great job of pulling everything together; now it’s up to us to narrow down our choices, research the available opportunities and begin preparing for interviews. Recruiting season begins in less than two months!
7. 24, no, 48 hours
The infamous 24-hour reports are truly a unique experience. Two weeks ago, my team was immersed in a case that was given out to us at 1:30pm on Wednesday. A written report was due at 3pm on Thursday; 5 hours later, the PowerPoint presentation slides were due! The next day, each team made a presentation to the Faculty and several executives from industry. To avoid losing sleep two nights in a row, our team developed a timeline/schedule and clarified the responsibilities of each team member.
8. “The Country Club”
Some of us have described the Spencer Leadership Centre as having a “country club” feel. Although I heard how fantastic the facilities are at Spencer, I did not fully appreciate it until I was sitting on the balcony of the lounge during the 24-hour report, looking out at the beautiful surroundings, on a much-needed break. There are beautiful lounges, new lockers, beach volley-ball pits, a basketball court, and a restaurant (much nicer than the cafeteria on main campus!). And on most days, you can see a gopher or rabbit on the grass!
9. Not Just Talking, but Communicating
A component of Module 1 focuses on the importance of communicating effectively. Watching videotapes of ourselves making presentations in front of the class, we quickly learned the importance of “planting”, moving our hands above the shoulder, and removing “filler words”.
10. Endurance is Key
Congratulations on making it to number 10! It’s easy to get worn out quickly in this intense program. There are many things going on simultaneously and sometimes it’s difficult to keep up. This experience is like a marathon, so I just try to pace myself and know that I can count on my classmates for support.
“This experience is really what you make of it.” I can tell you that this was repeated to us a few times in the first week of class, so I will be the first to pass this on to you. You may have heard this already in your past, but at Ivey, it really is turning out to be true. We only have a year together, so we have to make the most out of this experience!
Lorraine Wong
Ivey MBA Candidate, 2007
Prepping for cases, attending learning team meetings, absorbing information at Career Management clinics… oh, and I almost forgot, going to class! A typical day in the life of an Ivey MBA student is a real test of time management skills. The first week back in a classroom was a big change for me, but overall, I found that the transition to life and school in London, Ontario has been relatively smooth. Of course, instantly gaining 67 new friends doesn’t hurt! To give you some insight into my Ivey experience in the last two months, I’ve put together a list of 10 things
I have learned:
1. Yes, Guinea Pigs
It was a bit risky, but we took a chance on joining the inaugural class of the new one-year MBA program. Given Ivey’s reputation as a leading business school, we are confident that the quality of the Ivey MBA would be maintained, if not improved. So far, so good.
2. Thinking Cross-Enterprise
The most engaging cases we have reviewed so far in class have been the ones that allow two or more instructors to take us through the various issues affecting one company. For example, the “IT” instructor does not only delve into specific IT issues, but also integrates aspects of leadership into the discussion.
3. Speak Up!
Participation in class discussions frequently count for at least 30% of your grade. That being said, contribution marks are awarded based on the quality of comments as opposed to quantity. Class is a “safe environment”, so we shouldn’t be afraid to speak up.
4. Teamwork
On the first day of class, we were assigned to learning teams that comprise 6 or 7 students from various backgrounds. In my team, there are two engineers, one IT consultant, an HR specialist, an investment banker and me (miscellaneous accounting and finance person). The different perspectives that each of us have really contribute to the lively discussions in our meetings, while our different skill sets allow us to rely on each other if we are weak in any specific areas.
5. “Work Hard, Play Hard!”
Various local establishments have benefited handsomely from our class. Every week, our schedules are packed not only with school-related events, but many social outings. Formally, there are two Social Reps who plan official events (this week, there’s a mini-golf tournament and a beach day). Informally, we frequently get together at local bars and restaurants, in addition to playing volleyball, basketball and golf.
6. Making Some Big Decisions
A one-year program means we have to make decisions fairly quickly on our post-MBA career path. Last week, our class went to Toronto where representatives from various companies held mock interviews and information sessions. Career Management did a great job of pulling everything together; now it’s up to us to narrow down our choices, research the available opportunities and begin preparing for interviews. Recruiting season begins in less than two months!
7. 24, no, 48 hours
The infamous 24-hour reports are truly a unique experience. Two weeks ago, my team was immersed in a case that was given out to us at 1:30pm on Wednesday. A written report was due at 3pm on Thursday; 5 hours later, the PowerPoint presentation slides were due! The next day, each team made a presentation to the Faculty and several executives from industry. To avoid losing sleep two nights in a row, our team developed a timeline/schedule and clarified the responsibilities of each team member.
8. “The Country Club”
Some of us have described the Spencer Leadership Centre as having a “country club” feel. Although I heard how fantastic the facilities are at Spencer, I did not fully appreciate it until I was sitting on the balcony of the lounge during the 24-hour report, looking out at the beautiful surroundings, on a much-needed break. There are beautiful lounges, new lockers, beach volley-ball pits, a basketball court, and a restaurant (much nicer than the cafeteria on main campus!). And on most days, you can see a gopher or rabbit on the grass!
9. Not Just Talking, but Communicating
A component of Module 1 focuses on the importance of communicating effectively. Watching videotapes of ourselves making presentations in front of the class, we quickly learned the importance of “planting”, moving our hands above the shoulder, and removing “filler words”.
10. Endurance is Key
Congratulations on making it to number 10! It’s easy to get worn out quickly in this intense program. There are many things going on simultaneously and sometimes it’s difficult to keep up. This experience is like a marathon, so I just try to pace myself and know that I can count on my classmates for support.
“This experience is really what you make of it.” I can tell you that this was repeated to us a few times in the first week of class, so I will be the first to pass this on to you. You may have heard this already in your past, but at Ivey, it really is turning out to be true. We only have a year together, so we have to make the most out of this experience!
Lorraine Wong
Ivey MBA Candidate, 2007
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