Coming from London
I was born and raised in London, Ontario: a city that some would call a university town. This meant that come September every year I witnessed it all: the traffic surge that hit the city streets, flocks of students flooding the campus sidewalks, and even the sound of orientation week concerts coming from campus (as I attempted to fall asleep.) From a young age, I had my mind set on continuing my education in my hometown that I knew and always loved. The three places that I applied to last year were Western main campus, and two Affiliated University Colleges, King’s and Huron.
The Advanced Entry Opportunity (AEO) was not an option that I had considered until my final year of high school. Looking further into the opportunity led me to realize I would be able to pursue a dual degree in both business and psychology. This was an opportunity that was very intriguing to me, as was the Ivey HBA Program itself, and its foundation in case method.
I had driven past the beautiful Ivey building hundreds of times. By this time last year, I reached the decision that that building was where I wanted to end up one day, and that obtaining AEO status was the best way for me to pursue this aspiration.
Preparing for AEO
As I discovered more about the AEO application, I began to feel the stress regarding the big question: what should I include on my application? And would it be good enough?
With the guidance of a supportive teacher at my high school, I realized that it would be best to focus on my existing extracurriculars and devote myself to what I truly cared about, instead of pursuing any new extracurricular activities. For me, these activities mainly revolved around sports. Sports are a passion of mine that has grown over many years, from competing as an athlete, all the way to founding a blog about my favourite sport, golf. Focusing on what I was passionate about also reduced my stress come application time, as I found myself writing essays about activities that I loved to do.
Setting Up for Ivey
Outside of class
Coming into university, I had to face the reality that I no longer possessed the skills in sports to continue competing at a university level. This left me feeling a bit uneasy and unsure as to how I was going to get involved in the school community.
Walking into the University Community Centre during my first week of school, I was shocked at the variety of opportunities available for me to pursue. There were clubs that I never would have imagined existed, many of which were of interest to me. I decided to apply for an executive position in a business club that I found intriguing. Over there past two months in this position, I have learned so much, and it has opened many doors for me. On top of this, being able to gain this valuable experience while working with a team of like-minded Mustangs has further added to my enjoyment of being involved.
Academics
So far this year, my calendar has been my best friend. Being proactive and planning for the future has never been so beneficial to me as it is now. My stress level from school work fluctuates week-to-week based on mid-terms or assignments. Having a schedule that I follow diligently has helped greatly with managing the stress that comes from school. I realized very quickly that long gone were the days when I would be able to pump out a 1500-word paper the night before it was due, and receive a decent grade. Mindful that this is not the case now, the majority of my academic success thus far has been due to my time management skills. For me, being aware of what work I have, and how much time to allocate to each given task, has been crucial to excelling in this new environment.