Be You-nique

362 times. Based off of my browser history, that is the number of times I logged into the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) before I pressed “submit” on my university application. Like many of you, I simply couldn’t decide what to study or where to do it. I love to code, but I also love business. I love physics and math, but I also like law and public speaking. With so much pressure to pick and choose one thing and stick to it, I offer a differing piece of advice: Be You-nique.

The reason I picked Western and Ivey wasn’t because of the beautiful tree-lined campus, lively student life, and awesome international exchanges (though they certainly helped); rather, Ivey’s dual degree options pulled me in, allowing me to study both Engineering and Business and take other courses on the side in my upper years and through international experiences.

There’s more to me than just coding or just business, and Ivey allowed me to embrace my diverse passions by combining two degrees that fit me very well. This isn’t just restricted to Engineering either! When you apply to Ivey, you can pursue dual degrees in nearly any faculty, from Music to Physics to Nutrition at Brescia! Plus, Ivey’s 2+2 system means that your first two years are dedicated solely to your non-HBA degree, making the decision to do a dual degree much more manageable.

Embracing your passions doesn’t end with dual degrees, but continues into the classroom. In my Ivey Foundations Business 1299E (similar to Business 1220E) class, everyone’s different backgrounds contribute to the conversation and make things that much more interesting. Take launching a new vaccine to market, for example. While I would initially focus on profitability because I love finance, my peers may jump to ethics, legal liabilities, or marketing instead. I look forward to being surrounded by more “you-nique” people as I progress through my degree and learn more as a result.

This isn’t me telling you to come to Ivey and do exactly what I did, even though it is a great program if you decide to enroll, I’m actually telling you the opposite. Everyone is different! Embrace who you are and look at what you’re applying to and ask: Is this program “You”? It can be a hard question to answer, but if you decide to join me at Western and Ivey, I’m sure you’ll find something you love as much as I love my program. Hopefully, it won’t take you 362 visits to OUAC to do that.