Happy New Year!

С Новым Годом! Which is Happy New Year in Russian (pronounced S Novym Godom). All the best wishes for 2008 and good luck to all of you trying to join the Ivey family this year!

Special thanks to all of You, our readers, for making the first year of the Ivey MBA blog such an overwhelming success. Having started at the end of February 2007 this blog has seen almost 5,000 unique visitors from all over the world since its inception.

Thank you for all the emails asking for a follow-up posts. I guess people are finding this stuff at least somewhat useful. I'm personally guilty of not having written in a while and there’s a good reason for that: it’s been a very busy couple of months with school, recruiting and the other fun stuff all happening at the same time!

Good news is that graduation is only 16 weeks away and I’m about 15 weeks away from running dry on my student loans. One might say its a good timing, while others might argue that it’s the pure genius of an evil mind, either way I can’t believe that our cohort is so close to being done…

So here it comes! Over the next couple of weeks I’ve set myself an ambitious goal: I’m hoping to write a couple of new posts talking about our Globe module and the second round of electives which we finished in December, our China study trip, advantages/differences between the two Ivey MBA cohorts, and finally some general fun stuff about the city of London Ontario. So one might ask: Is this goal a bit too ambitious? - Maybe. But is it impossible? - Never!

Finally, there’s now hope of actually saving my back while I attempt this near Guinness record. I’ve ordered myself an Asus Eee laptop which is supposed to be a new disruptive innovation coming from Asus. Weighting a mere 2lb (1kg) and advertised to cost only $200, in reality it costs $400 (hence the above mentioned one week shortfall in my self financing though student loans) it will hopefully act as my muse and will also be much easier to carry around on my expeditions to Starbucks.

Till next time,
George

Month 3 - Now convinced that 7 hours qualifies as "sleeping in"

by: Marc Folch

Now that we have had a few months to get settled in, the MBA program is decidedly starting to feel like home. The learning curve is steep and sleep still a rarity, but I am getting used to it.

Admittedly my time scarcity is partly of my own making. I decided before I came that relationship building was one of my key goals and as a result I have taken on quite a few extra curriculars. It is still important to get above average marks, but I would not recommend the pure "bookworm" approach to anyone doing an MBA program because you forgo much of the program's value.

The biggest time drain for me comes from the fact that I was elected as the peer rep for my class, so I arrange all the tutorials and act as a liaison between the students and faculty on academic matters. I try to make it as easy as possible for my classmates to learn and take away the key material from each class. It is a big job (particularly around test time), but I thoroughly enjoy helping others so I don't mind one bit. I believe that the best way to succeed in life is to help others around me succeed. If you have the opportunity to be elected to any positions, take them! The experience is invaluable and it often lets you expand your network in ways that would not normally be open to you.

When not running tutorials, I am often playing rugby, exercising, or hanging out with classmates over a beer or a meal. The rugby team is a lot of fun, but gave me a black eye for Industry Week when the school paradeed us in front of all the big employers in downtown Toronto. On the bright side, at least they won't forget me!

The camaraderie and bonding you do with classmates by being on a team is not something that can be replaced by class sessions or even by a night out at the bar. There is something about battling together against a common foe that brings people together and makes the connection stronger.

Overall, the people in the program here are amazing and I have already made many friends which I will be keeping for many years to come. I am glad I came to Ivey.

Marc Folch

___________________________________________

MBA Candidate (October '08)

Richard Ivey School of Business
University of Western Ontario

Women @ Ivey MBA

by: Cecilia Liu

The society has developed in a way that swipes away more and more the differences between men and women, which is one reason why more and more women are stepping out of the traditional roles and showing up in MBA programs and active on the business management stage. On the other hand, women are still shouldering some unique pressures, or even more of them than are men, once they choose to step onto such a competitive career path.

It has to do with the role definition of men and women at work and in personal life. At work, performance measurement for women is no different from for men; actually, diversity and equality at workplace is more of a trend and something good employers have to maintain. On the other hand, women’s share of family responsibilities, in general, have remained larger than the share of men during the course of societal change towards more women participation in management roles. For women in management to deliver an overall increased magnitude of responsibilities from both work and life, and perform well, they need to develop their own strategies, both short-term and long-term.

A few thoughts for those women who are currently contemplating on pursuing an MBA. First, do your due diligence. Conduct your in-depth market research on the functions and industries that you want to focus on for your future career. Make a self-assessment of your past and become able to articulate your strengths and weaknesses and post-MBA career plan. Then come to a clear answer as to why you want to do an MBA at this point in your career. This whole thinking and evaluation process will help you clearly define your goals for pursuing an MBA, go for it for the right reasons, and choose the right school.

Next you need to secure all the supports and resources necessary for you to complete your MBA. Better have the timing work in your favor. If you are in any kind of serious relationship, make sure the other part of the relationship is willing to provide you serious mental and spiritual support for your effort. You also need to plan yourself so that you enjoy sufficient financial capability to sustain the whole MBA program. The more resources and support you have, the better you will be off.

Third, you can count on the fact that you will need very good time and stress management skills to make the most out of your MBA program. So if you already have such skills, start to sharpen them by picking a good book to read, talking to incumbent MBA’s about what an MBA life is like, and getting mentally ready for a big challenge ahead.

Last but not the least, women do face the unique burden of building and raising a family, if they choose to go through that course. No matter this comes before or after the MBA program, the extra work and responsibilities are real and significant. As such, female MBA students had better make good career planning to work around this issue, so that they are not strained when this piece of task has to interrupt you suddenly from your career. Again, timing and social support are the two biggest factors you want to give deep thoughts on.

Your MBA decision is a big one. Make the most out of it. And enjoy it!

Cecilia Liu
MBA Candidate 2008

Balancing MBA and a Family

Traditional MBA program is quite a demanding experience, here at Ivey the workload is kicked up a notch yet, due to the fact that it's delivered in one year format. So how can somebody manage not only to be successful at Ivey but stay effective at managing their family as well? I had a chance to pose the same question to Grace. Grace moved from China with her family to start her one year Ivey MBA experience.

"When I decided to do my MBA a year ago, I was concerned if I could survive the program at Ivey while taking care of my son. I understood that it was an ambitious decision for me to pursue an MBA as a mother of a four-year old son. The first moth at Ivey proved that it was particularly difficult to commit to both MBA coursework and motherhood.

However, I was able to successfully manage my time to fulfill my commitments thanks to my parents' coming over from China to look after my son for me during the day and my increased time management skills over the course.

Now, even though I feel the MBA program at Ivey is quite intensive, I dedicate one to two hours every day after dinner to be with my son telling him stories, teaching him songs, or playing games with him. On weekends, I typically spend a whole day taking my son and my parents to nearby parks, beaches or farms. I enjoy very much the time with my family and I feel that I can balance my study and life very well." (Grace Shi, Ivey MBA Candidate 2008)

So here you have it, managing both family and MBA is tough but none the less doable. Grace and four other classmates of mine, all with families and kids, are my role models when it comes to effectively managing one's time while balancing personal and professional commitments.

George