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

It was truly a no brainer that Smith’s FTMBA was my first choice when applying. Smith has a national prestige and for good reason. The faculty here are immensely knowledgeable in their fields, and genuinely care about your success. The team-based learning aspect of the program also greatly appealed to me, in which I have experienced the success of this model through the Graduate Diploma in Business (GDB) program and cannot say enough good things about how myself and my teammates progressed both individually and as a group.

Another important aspect of the Smith MBA is the access to the Career Advancement Centre. While the education is invaluable, the hard and soft skills the CAC provide in terms of resume building, interviewing, networking, etc., are what will launch you into your next position.

If I could go back and give myself one piece of advice, it would be, don’t stress too much about the application process and whether you’ll be admitted. I learned a lot about myself during this time through the admittance process and various application requirements. The staff at Smith are unlike any other and will ultimately help you come to the conclusion if you’re at the point in your career where an MBA will help project you to that next step.

One tip I would give an applicant would be to be yourself in all aspects; your cover letter, interviews, emails, etc. The Smith MBA looks to admit not only smart and successful individuals, but those who will bring those soft skills to the cohort. This isn’t an individual race, but a team one. We will all need to be able to lean on each other at some point (if not many times) throughout the year.

Out of the MBA, I hoping to progress my leadership and take classes that may not pertain to my current profession or field. An MBA is such a progressive degree, it’s a good time to challenge yourself in fields you may be interested in on top of furthering your current skillset. Ultimately, I hope to return to the project management space in the oil and gas industry, but know from experience, opportunities you least expect often come from these types of programs.

• Hometown: Carlisle, ON
• Country of Origin: Canada
• Prior Industry: Oil & Gas
• Career Focus: Project Management