Riz’s Rotman Blog

I did my first presentation for case analysis and preparation class. I posted it on my tumble blog (mainly because it’s easy to get video on there) and more details about the presentation are available there. I hope you find it useful and feel free to comment on this site.

The video. 

As requested I’m going to share my thoughts on doing a full-time vs part-time MBA at Rotman. I want to preface this entire thing by saying that my opinion is severly biased since I decided to do a full-time program:

• The age in the average full-time program is a lot lower as well as the students have a lot less work experience. I believe this is the main criteria that you should use in deciding which program is best for you (not to mention the executive program). Age and work experience factor into the likely stage of your life and career you’re in which in turn will imply which learning environment will be best for you and your life. Some of these environmental factors are discussed below.
• I can infer that being in the part-time program wouldn’t provide as immersive of an experience as I’ve had in the full-time program. In the last two years I’ve essentially lived and breathed MBA life where-as in the part-time program, since you’re working, you live in two worlds. I’m not sure what this means as far as the final experience or if it’s even important. Draw your own conclusion.
• The part-time program is organized to allow students to continue working while getting their MBA, this means a few things:
  • You can still continue earning at your current job which presents an  opportunity cost trade off between the full-time vs part-time: i.e. you earn your current salary for three years vs earning no salary for two years but earn a potentially higher salary for the third year.
  • No internship opportunity in the part-time program since it’s year around.
  • “Lower risk” in the part-time program since you will (likely) still be employed at the end of the program.
  • You can’t take certain elective courses in the part-time program since they will conflict with your work schedule.
  • Organizing group meetings with students in the part-time program can be difficult sometimes since they can’t meet in the day, generally have evening classes, and have to consider family obligations.
  • The part-time program students sometimes miss out on Rotman events simply because they are working.

There are probably a lot of other things I can talk about but what I’ve said are probably the main points. Most of the rest I’d have to say revolve around your lifestyle choices and how they should impact your decision but those are far more personal.

I know there are some who would disagree with me but Venture Capital was one of the best courses I’ve taken. The course is really interesting and I learned a lot! Many great speakers (but it was suspect that almost all of them were named Mark or Marc :)). I strongly recommend the course for people who are looking to learn how this industry works and get some practical experience evaluating companies from a VC/start-up perspective.

I apologize for my absence from this blog recently (VC was taught as a 2-week intensive course), I’m going to attempt to respond to all the comments/post the information requested over the course of the next week. No promises though as I’m taking a short vacation.

Have a good weekend! 

Nadia, one of the great people from the program services office*, is leaving Rotman for other opportunities. She was one of the first people from PSO that I met and she was the one who organized the Taste of the MBA.

A huge loss for Rotman and she’ll be missed. Good Luck Nadia.

*PSO does everything at Roman except the recruiting (at least from my point of view). Very important and great people. 

…I know someone will in the comments.

I just like to have all the readings (and if possible, assignment details) made available from day one. Why? Because of days like today where I have one reading today and an entire afternoon and evening free. I’d like to do the readings for tomorrow and possibly start on the assignment that’s due on Friday, unfortunately they’re not available on the course website or in the course pack that I bought.

It’s not a big deal at all. I just have nothing to do this afternoon and figured I’d complain.

Just an FYI, back to school and in the Venture Capital Strategy intensive course. Next semester’s schedule results in me having class only on Thursday and Friday. Yay me. Picture of me hard at work (and two others of me being silly 1 2):