Riz’s Rotman Blog

FYI: Just got through a great talk from Matt and Dan, two guys who helped startup Workbrain. Rotman 2000 Grads. Probably the best part of Entrepreneurship class.

I got some questions. Here are the answers

Housing: 1. What are the best zones to live in Toronto and study in Rotman (in terms of price & location)? Do you live near the university? 

 Toronto is very much a big patch work of good and bad areas. It’s pretty easy to figure out where not to live. Anywhere close to UofT is generally good. Some parts south-east of Yonge and Bloor can get a little sketchy.

I personally don’t live near the university. I’ve chosen to live in the Yonge and Eglinton area, a little bit away from the normal action of the school.

The best I can say is ask me about a specific area and I’ll give my input but it’s hard to do a brain dump of all the area’s in Toronto. Probably best to live on the subway line though.

2. Is it possible to live in a suburb and use a car to travel everyday? Is this a good option?

It’s possible and I know a few (very few) people who do it. The MBA is quite a hectic life and even I have problems occasionally where I live. If traveling takes more than 45 minutes, I’d say you’re going to run into big trouble. You have to also remember that you’re likely going to participate in things outside of normal class and living far away can put a strain on your quality of life.

Each person is different though and you’ll personally have to weigh the trade-offs. Here are somethings I’d consider:

• The amenities of living in suburbia, what do they provide over living in the city?
• The price difference in rent
• The cost of commuting, factoring in not only car+insurance+gas but also the opportunity cost of your time. Time becomes very precious in a intense program. You could spend 2 hours a day commuting or those two hours sleeping/with your partner or friends.
• The value of being able to quickly get to school when an “emergency” comes up or an impromptu get together comes up in the city.
• The same questions applied to your partner and their work.

3. What is the average price for a 1-2 bedrooms apartments?

I have no idea of a catch-all price, it varies greatly. Toronto is pretty competitive and there are many sites online that will give you an idea of prices.

MBA: 1. After more than one year in the Rotman MBA, what would you recommend to a new student? What’s the best preparation before starting the MBA?

If you’ve been accepted, you’re obviously pretty smart so don’t worry too much. I did the pre-courses and that’s about it. I’ ve written a few posts about them and I think they cover my thoughts pretty well. Other than that, have some fun before the program starts.

2. Are you happy with your decision of attending the Rotman MBA?

Yes. I think the choice of Rotman was a good one for me. Of course I have no other frame of reference (I haven’t done another MBA program) so it’s an extremely biased opinion. There are somethings that I maybe don’ t like (outlined in a few posts and in the next question).

3. What would you do different if you were able to?

• Maybe lived a little closer to school.
• Maybe considered a 16-month straight-through program. I’ m starting to tire of being in school and really just want to get to work.
• Quit work earlier and had some fun. I left work and started school almost immediately.
• Worried about marks less.
• Spent more time reflecting on what I’m actually learning rather than pedal-to-the-floor-let’s-just-get-this-work-done type learning. This is very hard to do when you’ve got lots of work.
• Interacted with the professors more non-classroom settings.

Any other questions are welcome.

I posted it to my tumble blog and figure the blurry picture might be of interest to some of you Rotman Blog readers.

I’m surprised by how much more efficient I’ve become (either that or my quality of work has slipped). Here’s an update on my big projects:

So this means I have no motivation again and have this strong urge to buy an Xbox 360 with my signing bonus from RIM (did I mention I took a job with RIM? :)) and play lots of Call of Duty 4. It’s always fun to save the world.

Maybe instead of that I should get back into my work-out schedule. I’ve been sick for the last few weeks and have reverted to do the bare minimum at the gym.

Rotman just started a photography club which I’m joining. I’m not an expert in any way but I think it would be cool to hang out with some photo-geeks. 

Finally, I’ve decided to change up some of my courses. The add-drops are still in flux so I’ll post an update once everything is figured out.

Exams in 2 weeks! 

It’s raining hard today and I had an 8:30. It took me almost an hour to get to school because the subway was packed. I had to wait for 3 trains, then my train just randomly stopped at Summerhill for 10 minutes, and Bloor station was a mess. Picture of a packed subway car and the people waiting for an empty enough train to get to work:

 In addition, have to get my butt in gear for school. Only 2.5 more weeks left… tired and pooped right now. I’m taking a star-trek+french fries+ketchup break and then it’s time to get to work…. mmmmm, ketchup. 

This is an issue I’ve been having recently… Rotman books all the breakout rooms for some event and leaves the students who have ACTUAL MEETINGS AND WORK TO DO no where to work. Given the tight timeline on assignments and the co-ordination issues of setting up a meeting with 6 busy people, it would be useful to not have to worry about having a room to work in. Picture for tomorrow’s room availability:
This is an issue that has been brought up many times and it looks like there is no real viable solution. I’m sure just about every other b-school has the same problem as well.

In conclusion: I know that events are important but at least leave us a few places to work–don’t just mass book everything.

I haven’t posted in a while… and well… I don’t have much to post. School is just chugging along, nothing interesting or out of the ordinary to report. I felt I owed this blog a post though just given how long it’s been. I’m not sure why you would find this interesting but here are my deliverables until the end of the semester:

•  Entrepreneurship - Analysis of a Start-up (individual assignment), Nov 29
• Corporate Financing - Presentation on Ford’s decision payout via dividends (group assignment), Dec 4
• Management Science - Two case questions (group assignment), Dec 5
• Real Estate Economics - Final paper (group assignment), Dec 5
• Entrepreneurship - Business Plan (group assignment), Dec 6
• Corporate E-biz strategies - Industry Analysis (individual assignment), Dec 8

Then I have exams on December 10th, 12th, and 20th. 

Anything you want to know? I find my passion for blogging on here or my personal blog has decreased significantly due to my tumble blog. It’s a lot more day-to-day, personal, and unfiltered so most won’t find it interesting.