Greetings from a very busy Sunday evening! It’s been a while, so just squeezing in a quick blog note before I get to work on the finance and strategy cases for tomorrow morning. Having just wrapped up a pretty crazy weekend of visiting friends and family, and attending a wedding in Bala of a friend and former colleague from my pre-MBA company, it would be great to put my feet up and relax, but the weekend left little room for case prep, so here I am, just getting started!
But keeping busy seems to be the name of the game around here lately. As my co-blogger, Arun, posted last weekend, we recently completed our Get Connected Week in Toronto. Followed by a four day weekend, it was our first sojourn away from Spencer Hall in the four months since we began the program and it was a hectic time getting back into the swing of things when we were back in the classroom. For me personally the timing for Get Connected could have not been better. Being so focused on grades and studying, as well as being physically removed from the usual work environment, it’s easy get wrapped into an all-consuming student lifestyle while at Ivey. Get Connected was the kick start I needed to remind me of life in the real world, so I’m glad to have that perspective again as I begin my job search. I also had a very valuable alumni interview experience. I actually didn’t do very well (in fact, I was awful!), but my interviewer was very candid and constructive with his feedback. I got a good handle on where I am, and what I need to do to get to where I want to be, so overall it was a very positive experience that I am grateful for.
We are also now deep into our Module 2, which is comprised of core finance, accounting and strategy courses. The material is a little bit more technical than what we studied in Module 1, but I’m finding the case study method very effective in mastering the material. Just like all applicants, I did my homework and referenced the case study method all throughout my application process. But once I got here, I was pleasantly surprised to find how much I really do enjoy it. It’s especially effective in a program moves as quickly as this one. And we do move fast -no sooner than after our first couple of weeks of this module did we have mid-terms and papers to complete!
Before I sign off, I would like to wish congratulations and good luck to our incoming September cohort who we welcomed last week! As you can probably tell from my co-bloggers, the first few weeks of the program was a very hectic, exciting and overwhelming time that actually wasn’t too long ago. It will be very interesting to relive it from an outsider’s perspective while the whole experience is still fresh in our minds. Personally, I will practically be getting a play-by-play as to how the new class is adjusting as my brother-in-law, Steve Graham, is a student in the new cohort and will be sleeping my couch until his lease begins in a couple of weeks (so I guess I should say good luck to me too!)
After earning her Bachelor of Science at McMaster University, Elizabeth began her career working in marketing for a seniors housing Real Estate Investment Trust. An employee of the REIT since its IPO, Elizabeth was involved with building brand awareness, resource management and leading cross-functional teams in launching national marketing initiatives. A former fitness instructor, Elizabeth keeps active at Ivey through her involvement with the Ivey Running/Triathlon Club, where she is co-president, as well as the Softball and Rugby teams. Elizabeth is also co-president of the Ivey Culinary Club and is currently serving as an Ivey Ambassador Program Senator. Outside of the Ivey program, Elizabeth enjoys food and wine, reading and traveling.