Get your copy from Flipkart to join thousands of readers who've shattered the hype.
Rotman MBA (Toronto, Canada) beckons Indian students
Written by Sameer Kamat
The Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto is the best (#1) business school in Canada. The Rotman MBA is ranks among the top 10 finance programs globally (according to Financial Times).
Apart from these globally relevant reasons, there are a few India specific ones too. Devashish Khatwani shares those reasons that helped him choose the Rotman MBA over many other top MBA offers in hand.
How I got into the Rotman MBA (Canada)
by Devashish Khatwani
I graduated from IIT Roorkee in 2007 and joined PricewaterhouseCooper’s (PwC) consulting division straight out of college. I worked in the consulting space for five years. Throughout my professional career I faced a steep learning curve and this in part motivated me to go for a MBA.
I also wanted to change track from consulting to private equity (PE) as I consider PE industry to be an ideal mix of consulting expertise and investment acumen. I know it is not an easy industry to break into but an MBA eases the path to a PE role.
I wrote my GMAT in late 2009 and applied to B-Schools in 2010 admission cycle. Unfortunately, I was not able to secure admission to any of the schools.
In hindsight I would attribute this to unfocussed essays and nervousness during interviews. I got back to applying to B-Schools with vengeance in 2011 admission cycle. I chose not to apply to any of the US B Schools, this is because I do not consider my profile (GMAT 720, IIT, 5 yrs. management consulting) to be competitive at the schools I wanted to go to (The M7).
I applied to Tier 1 B Schools in Europe and Canada (Oxbridge, IESE, ESADE, Rotman) and ISB. I got interview invites from all the schools except Cambridge (still no clue why?) and was able to secure admission to ISB and Rotman.
Why I chose the Rotman MBA in Canada
- I wanted to global career which to me seemed more likely at Rotman than at ISB.
- I have been through education system at an elite Indian institution (IIT) and wanted to try out the education system at a top tier global institution.
- Canada is a much more stable economy than either US or Europe at the moment.
- Canada is much more immigrant friendly than either US or Europe.
- I did the ROI calculation for both ISB and Rotman and found both ISB and Rotman were at parity if I took a time frame of >7 years.
Key takeaways from my Rotman MBA admission journey
- Know what you want from your MBA. I wanted to broaden my business knowledge and hopefully be looked upon more favorably by the recruiters in my target industry.
- Know which colleges you want to go to and judge whether your profile will be competitive there.
- The essays should have a sharp focus: read advice from Precision Essay, The Essay Snark ad The MBA Mission and if you have the dough go ahead and hire a good MBA consultant.
- Do mock interviews with your friends and ask them to poke holes into your story. Read the questions provided on Clear Admit wiki, they are representative of the questions you normally get asked.
- Decide which college to attend logically and don’t be swayed by brand reputations.
My Rotman MBA experience so far
I am loving it! The diversity of the class is truly amazing. We have regular (too regular!) interactions with business and thought leaders from across North America.
What I like the most about the course so far is that it is not just about rot learning but really LEARNING (’3 Idiots’ movie style learning). The professors are doing a wonderful job and the infrastructure is world class.
If you have questions for Devashish about the Rotman MBA or opportunities in Canada, please post them below as a comment. Speaking of Canadian MBA programs, another one that you may want to check out is the Ivey MBA.
If you have an interesting story to share, write for us.
EBOOK
For the Top B-schools
Congratulations to Devashish. His story is certainly an interesting read. As far as Canadian schools are concerned I would like to know that which all schools have a strong Focus towards Sustainability and Green Consulting. ?
Most of the top MBA programs offer specialisations for Sustainability.
In Canada, two programs you can check out are Schulich and Sauder (University of British Columbia).
If you want to expand the list, two more Canadian schools which are lesser known – University of Calgary (Haskayne) and Concordia.
Why are salaries, on an average, post MBA from Rotman are way lesser than avg salaries from contemporary US colleges, like Kenan-Flagler or Georgetown university. Do employers in Canada pay less to MBA’s ?
I compared the salary reports of Rotman and Kenan-flagler.
Thanks
Pawan,
It’s a little tricky to compare average MBA salaries across two schools
Check out this article: MBA Jobs: Average salaries & what they mean
A lot depends on parameters such as the dominant industry offering MBA jobs at that schools, the class profile (age, work experience) and the demand for MBA grads within the country.
As an approach, you might want to dig deeper into the profiles that have an overlap with your background and aspirations and see where their bschools got them.
Hi Sameer,
I got an admit in Queen’s MBA(Canada). I am from IT background with 9 yrs exp , 700 gmat and 1 yr international exp. The reason I chose Queen’s was for its focus on personal development, Team work, 1yr course and brand name in canada. I chose canada for the ease of getting work permit post-mba.
I am a little worried as canadian salaries are generally lower compared to US and due to the high cost of the program. Your website has not reviewed Queen’s MBA. Any Insights on the program and its international brand value / relevance are deeply appreciated. I am also worried by the idea that I maybe settling for something less paying big bucks.
Manohar,
I’ve shared some thoughts on the US vs Canda salary disparity in the comment just above yours.
We helped a candidate get into Queen’s this season (your future classmate!). We’ve requested him to post his story, but seems like he’s been busy. Apart from that unfortunately there’s no first hand data I can share with you at this stage.
Maybe you could check on other MBA forums that have an active Queen’s MBA thread.
I have an offer from Rotman but I am very reluctant to accept it now. It would be great if you could help me with points below:
(1) I want some help with ROI calculation. How did you find ROI of Rotman and ISB same in 7 yrs period. The current MBA fees at Rotman is extremely high. I believe the new building is in part the reason for increased fee. Considering that I am financing my MBA with loan, I am very nervous about paying such a high fee.
(2) After reading a lot about Rotman and talking to people, I am not very convinced that it is a top program. It may have attracted some good students in past due to stardom of dean Roger Martin (his integrative thinking brand) and easier visa norms of Canada but with current fee structure I doubt many good students will find it attractive. I have feeling Rotman is just more marketing and less substance. Moreover, from what I have seen everyone who was interview by Rotman this year has been accepted (there is not even a single person who reported reject on forums such as pagalguy). This hardly true for any top program.
I am in serious doubt and I have to decide quickly. Any suggestion?
Mohit,
Devashish may not be checking this post for follow-up comments as this is an old post.
We also don’t have a Rotman thread on our forum yet, where you could’ve got other perspectives.
Maybe you contact current students at Rotman or alumni who’d be active on Pagalguy or the other forums.
Though I can’t speak for Devashish, I’m guessing he considered the payback period for Rotman by considering Canadian fees vs Canadian salary. Ditto for ISB. Which is probably how he has arrived at the 7 year number.
Any other offers in hand?
Thanks Sameer. Do you have any insight into the Rotman program, on whether it is at par with some of the best US schools? It is really difficult to see through all the nice picture that schools paint.
At the moment I have a waitlist at Tepper and interview invite from Kelley. I have also applied to NUS.
Mohit,
I’ve been hoping to interview the Rotman admissions team to get some direct information that’s not available on their website. But the team has been travelling, so it’s getting delayed.
They’d have more information on how many folks get accepted/rejected after the interview. So I don’t have that data to share. But from my interactions with the team, it appeared as if they are committed to improving the quality of profiles that they accept.
But your concerns are justified. For Indians it’s a lot of money. And it does get very confusing because most schools start appear more or less the same after you’ve seen 15-20 websites.
So always good to get feedback from multiple sources – website, adcom, fairs, current students, alumni – so you can form your own perception in the end.
Hi sameer ,
Do you have any knowledge abt Sobey school of business,St Mary’s university ? As it is AASCB accrediated , i assume it to be a good bschool as i am planning to apply once i complete 2 years of professional experience.
Shiv, I haven’t heard about this program.
I’m an older student (in my early 30′s) looking at MBA programs. Do you know if age plays a big part in the admissions process?
Thanks
Johansenn,
Age does play a role in the admissions process. The further away you are from the median for the school, the stronger your ‘Why MBA’ rationale should be.
Hi Sameer,
I have got admits from Haskayne School of business,University of Calgary(with $10k scholarship) and McMaster University for full time MBA program but I am unable to decide between the two. It would be really helpful if you could share your views about the reputation of the programs,post mba job prospects?
My Profile:
Btech :Mech engg
work ex: 3.5 years IT consulting
post mba career goal: to work in management consulting
Regards
Amrendra
@Amrendra: Congrats on the admits. I’m afraid I can’t help you choose between them, as I do not have insights about either of them. Try getting in touch with current students to get some perspectives.
Amrender,
What was your GMAT score
Hi Sameer,
I am having a GMAT score of 680 and 3 years of work exp in IT consulting.which are the best universities in Canada that offers MBA in IT and Consulting. Pls given your suggestion for choosing the univ for my field.
@Vignesh: Unlike the U.S., there aren’t too many options in Canada. Apart from Rotman, there’s – Queen’s, Schulich, Ivey.
HI Sameer,
Is the job oppourtunities good in canada .If i do my MBA will i be able to find a good job…
@Raguraman: Both questions are too broad and generic. So apologies in advance if you find this response also generic.
- Yes, there are plenty of job opportunities for the right people with the right skills.
- You will get a job after your MBA, provided your pre-MBA experience is good, your bschool is good and your post-MBA goals are practical.
I can give you a good snapshot of Rotman, as I graduated last year.
At Rotman, you will find get an education that really is among the very finest. The intellectual capital, research and program design are exceptional. Rotman is particularly exceptional in areas of finance and business design, and is emerging entrepreneurship with it’s new venture lab.
Employers also rate an exceptional satisfaction rate with Rotman grads as well. Even though the bottom 10% of the class is somewhat questionable talent.
All the best jobs (ie. investment banking and top tier consulting) are nearby in downtown, but only about 20-25% of the class are going to get those positions in recruiting. For the rest, you are on your own in you’re job search.
The career services department is substandard. Rotman has increased its class size over the years, but they probably still only place the same number of students that they always have. Meaning they have not scaled their staff accordingly nor incentified the staff to place you.
Outside of Canada, Rotman is not a player, although if you mention University of Toronto you will get some recognition. Within Canada, Rotman and Ivey are the only 2 MBAs worth doing. I wouldn’t put any other program in the same breathe.
hi, good to read views and opinions on some canadian mba programs. can someone pls guide on financing these programs as i see the cost for most of the top-ranked programs exceed 70k cdn$. (western 77k, rotman 88k etc.0. thanks
Hi Sameer,
I already have Masters in Fashion Management from NIFT with 3 years of work-ex in retail sector and before that BE in biotech. I am not satisfied with my current opportunities in my sector. I want to go for another Masters(MBA) degree to enhance my career. Do you think that I will face challenges in justifying doing another Masters course? Are there any 1 year MBA courses available?