The Admissions Process

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