There’s no doubt about it, midterm season or hunting for your next internship can be incredibly stressful. Often, you can feel hopeless, overwhelmed, and burnt out. For students set on Ivey, this pressure can feel amplified, as many fear falling short of the goalpost.
Luckily, we spoke with current HBA students to gather their best tips on study strategies, managing a heavy workload, and maintaining balance during the busiest parts of the year.
Study Strategies
Midterm season at Western is basically a contact sport–between midterms, assignments, and the daunting task of being an adult, it’s easy to fall into the “I’ll do it tomorrow” trap. To make it easier, here are upper-year-approved study strategies that actually work (AKA routines they swear saved their GPA and sanity):
- Study with friends who are in the same classes/program as you: “I find it is a really valuable way to keep each other on track and useful to ask questions you come across while studying. [It] also allows you to make close connections through the class and maintain social connections through exam season.” - Madison McBride, HBA1
- Use active recall to memorize material. -Madison McBride, HBA1
- Switch up study spots to keep things fresh. -Lily Gulerce HBA1, Zoe Rosenfeld HBA1
- Break assignments and studying into smaller tasks. -Lily Gulerce HBA1
Time Management
It often feels like juggling stress is the life of a Western student, whether it be case competitions, coffee chats, or midterm exams. To stay ahead of the chaos, here are upper-year time management tips that keep you productive without burning out before summer:
- Create a schedule at least two weeks before exams to visualize deadlines and manage your time. This keeps everything organized and prevents last-minute panic - Madison McBride HBA1, Lily Gulerce HBA1
- Dedicate intentional amounts of time for each exam or assignment. The worst thing you can do is try too hard on one and fail the other. - Zoe Rosenfeld, HBA1
Wellness
Joking about pulling all-nighters back-to-back with your friends is funny…until you realize you’re constantly sick and reliant on 9AM Monsters. In the battle between cramming for tomorrow’s midterm and the need to sleep, these HBAs have some advice to pass down:
- Plan meals in advance. “If I know I’m going to have a long day at the library, I’ll bring my lunch, dinner, and snacks to the library so I can still maintain balanced eating” - Madison McBride HBA1
- You don’t have to do everything alone! “Stay hydrated and don't be afraid to ask upper-years for resources" - Claire Kuo, HBA1
Balance
When everyone around you seems to have their summer lined up or a perfect 4.0 GPA, it is hard not to feel like the “odd one out”. Rather than running on fumes, here are practical ways to build balance so you can stay ambitious and still feel like a human being:
- Remember that university is a marathon, not a sprint.
- Break your schedule into manageable blocks, building in time for sleep, exercise, and short mental breaks so stress doesn’t pile up. -Lily Gulerce HBA1
- Not every moment outside of class needs to be “productive.” “Taking a couple hours to hangout with your friends will do far more for your wellbeing and productivity than spending that time doomscrolling…You’re going to have to take some breaks here and there even when you feel busy. May as well use that time to make some memories.” - Anonymous, HBA2
Navigating Life On and Off Campus
At Western, student life doesn’t stop once you leave the lecture hall. This chapter in your life is full of change and you do not have to navigate it all on your own:
- "You should be bolder than you think you need to be" - Jason Kang, HBA1
- Having a “I am here to learn” mindset will get you further than being fixated on results - Nora Welsby, HBA1
- Recognize what you can and cannot control. Working hard will “unlock” the possibility of various accomplishments, but it is key to acknowledge how random circumstances are often the deciding factor - Nora Welsby, HBA1
- Adding the word “yet” onto everything that you say about yourself helps you be honest about your weaknesses. You can then frame them as areas of improvement rather than something unchangeable. - Lucy Zhang, HBA1
- “Don't sensationalize things. You're going to end up in a good spot, and every stepping stone has valuable lessons, whether it's a big brand name or it doesn't have that.” - Kyle Nathan, HBA2
- “The broader the base of your pyramid [network] is, the higher you will reach.” - Ivey Guest Lecturer
Breaking Misconceptions
There is no doubt that there is an air of mystique around Ivey and those who wear the infamous green quarter-zip, here are some common myths—debunked:
- It will seem like everyone knows that they are doing—they don’t, even upper years. - Lucy Zhang, HBA1
- If you’re passionate about something outside of business, don’t feel guilty exploring it as an AEO student. - Lucy Zhang, HBA1
- Consulting and finance are not the only pathways in business: “Career paths are not necessarily linear, so students take roles that optimize their learning and internships, and then are able to transfer to other fields” - Nora Welsby, HBA1
- When in Ivey, you will eventually adjust to waking up for your 8 AM classes and bond with your section over it. - Owen Hu, HBA1
- You are not behind if you don’t know what you want to pursue yet: “I didn’t know I wanted to do finance until winter break first year and didn’t really try pursuing it until even after that” - Owen Hu, HBA1
Being a university student can be one of the most difficult periods in someone’s life—but also the most rewarding. Much like the massive Google Drive folders passed down by upper-years, this collection of advice is meant to keep you afloat and be shared. The most important tip, however, is to never interact with the campus geese!
A special thank you to everyone who worked with the AEO Onward team and shared their own journeys.