I came to the Full-time MBA at Smith School of Business because ...

I am a Queen's Engineering alumnus and knew the value of team-based learning from my previous program. The value of an MBA is not only about learning from the faculty but also your colleagues. For the first six months of the Smith MBA, you will work in a team of six or seven talented individuals. You will not only learn technical skills from your teammates but professional skills. After the MBA, you will work with new people, and the practice you get from your team-based assignments will be invaluable when faced with professional challenges.

Before coming to Smith for an MBA, I worked as a Professional Engineer, consulting on municipal infrastructure projects. I enjoyed problem-solving in engineering but knew I wanted to work on a more diverse set of projects. It introduces you to many subjects and will allow me to find new challenges continuously in my post-MBA career.

If I could go back and give myself advice, I would highly recommend reaching out to the Smith application advisors early. The application advisors were able to review my resume, transcript and GMAT score to give me feedback and advice on what I could improve. Finally, know why you want an MBA and specifically the Smith MBA experience. An MBA is a significant investment of time, energy and money, and knowing what you want from that experience will help you decide whether an MBA at Smith is right for you.

My post-MBA plan is to work in Operations/Strategy and solve companies' challenges when delivering their products and services.

• Hometown: Ottawa
• Country of Origin: Canada
• Prior Industry: Municipal Engineering Consulting
• Career Focus: Operations/Strategy