To begin, could you please introduce yourself. What program are you currently in, and how are you looking to pair that with Ivey?
Yeah, for sure. My name is Lena. I am a first-year at Western in Social Sciences right now, and looking to switch to the Geography and Environment program. But I'm intending to go to Ivey in my third year. And a bit about me: I came from an arts high school and have a music background!
What do you hope to obtain from the Ivey program, in combination with your current program?
I am currently looking into the urban development stream – a program inside Geography and Environment – which can be included in the dual degree option. I've always been really, really interested in the sustainability part of business, especially sustainability consulting or marketing. I think businesses such as Patagonia are really, really awesome. Ivey also offers their own sustainability certificate, so that's how I plan to combine it with business.
I noticed you are involved in many extracurriculars, could you expand on what those are, and why you feel it is vital to be active outside of academics.
For sure! First, I’m part of EnviroWestern which is the environmental portion of the University Student Council. My position is a First-Year Representative, so I work with residences and housing counsellors to encourage sustainability. I work with a team of seven on this, and it's really, really satisfying. I'm also Director of Development at the Western Environmental Business Club where we recently did a sustainability conference workshop with WaterAid Western, identifying businesses who follow a sustainable model and business plan. For me, just participating in these types of extracurriculars fall in line with what I'm interested in studying, and gives myself a chance to discover how to combine my passion for sustainability and environmental advocacy with academics.
At the same time, I’ve explored other subjects including financial literacy. This includes being a tax analyst at the USC, marketing intern at Global Skills Hub, and business development intern at Heidi Lynne Consulting. It's generally exploring a little bit of everything about business and taking advantage of all the resources available as a first-year. I honestly believe that's the benefit of a program like Ivey; there is so much more flexibility available compared to standard business programs. You don't want to regulate or limit yourself to something so streamlined in your first year, because I feel like that's what first year is all about.
What was the process in finding extracurriculars you wanted to take part in? How did you seek out opportunities?
Mainly through social media and word of mouth! Before I came to Western, I researched the clubs list on the USC club website and found some of interest there. I also looked to online forums on Facebook and Reddit, where past Western students discuss which extracurriculars they enjoyed most. The club fair held at the beginning of the year is another amazing opportunity to find clubs that suit your interests. I visited there several days and spoke to booth members, such as the VPs and Directors, to learn more.
I located my internships through Western’s Marketing Association (WMA) and the Pre-Business Students Network (PBSN). I want to mention that I feel most of the clubs at Western are very accepting of everyone – it doesn't really matter what program you're doing, it doesn't even matter what year – just apply and see where it takes you.
As we know, Ivey requires AEO students to maintain their grades and extracurriculars for the two years prior to entering the program. How have you managed to deal with those expectations and balance your time?
I will say, it's an ongoing learning process to balancing everything. Just the jump from high school to university is a big thing: the fact that you have five courses now instead of four, it’s more difficult to get in touch with your professors and TAs, and the learning pace is much quicker. Having these changes along with grade and extracurricular requirements can be a lot to handle!
Balancing all these parts has taken self-initiative – you have to take the responsibility to go out of your way to study and block off time in advance. I think after first semester, you get a sense for how long it takes you to complete certain tasks. For example, I found it takes me two days to write an essay or five days to study for a midterm. Discovering my learning strengths has been essential.
In terms of balancing that with extracurriculars, I tend to view extracurriculars and things I do outside of school as breaks, since they're all enjoyable for me! It doesn't feel so much as work on top of work, it feels more like free time to do things I enjoy. I’ve made the mistake of trying to force myself into doing courses and activities I absolutely hate, and they definitely take a lot more effort to do, so I recommend you find what you're passionate about, and it won’t seem as much to handle.
Do you have any specific habits which help you organize your time efficiently and productively?
One thing I do is write down all of my deadlines – everything possibly due in the next few weeks. For myself, planning apps don’t really work, so instead I developed the habit of writing all important dates down on paper. Alongside that, I make short to-do lists every single day with a rough outline of what I want to complete on the given day. This way, nothing is ever forgotten about or late.
Finding yourself a proper study space outside of your leisure space is super important in staying productive. Personally, staying in my room means I'm either doing work which isn’t as stressful, or I’m relaxing watching shows or movies. To get myself in a work headspace I go to the library or somewhere else on campus where I can focus on the tasks I need to complete.
Do you have any tips for high school students looking to venture into Ivey business, whether that be about maintaining AEO status or exploring the first year of university?
I definitely believe there is a lot of pressure within the AEO community to achieve certain things. People often worry if you’re not in the right clubs or have specific positions you might not be accepted or sought after by recruiters. There's a lot of exaggerated misinformation that I think puts too much pressure on first-years. As a first-year, try to make a list of your personal goals, because that is what matters at the end of the day and that is what you are at school paying for! A lot of people looking to enter AEO ask me questions regurgitated from online chats and forums. It’s your education, so keep in mind everything is your choice – don’t feel pressured to try and follow the “classic” AEO or Ivey route.
Another big tip is sleep over work. Take care of your personal health and well-being: making sure you sleep, take walks, and eat, will be more important than anything else at university. It’s easy to forget about that stuff when you’re so focused on everything else, but make sure you take care of yourself. I usually give myself at least one day a week where I do zero work, usually it's Friday nights. Even if I have deadlines, I need to take time to refresh my mind. When you’re well-rested and in the right headspace, your work will be much better because of it.