Work Hard. Play hard. Those four words I think best describe life in the Ivey MBA program. Having been here for three months now, I’ve seen both sides of that coin, and many times on the same day. I’ll start with the hard stuff first – working hard.
The first three months of my time at Ivey have been focused on getting used to the workload and the learning environment. It’s taken a while, but after hitting the “MBA wall” about 2 months in, I’m now fully comfortable with the workload and sleeping about 6 hours a night during good weeks.
Here’s the “Work Hard” aspect of Ivey. Most days you’ll have to prepare 3 cases for each day’s classes. My Learning Team has developed a process where we discuss the following day’s cases after class, which requires prepping Wednesday’s cases on Monday etc. This requires a bit more work up front, but gives us better control over work flow and also gives us the ability to make adjustments to our case prep after the team meets.
In my first couple of months we also had three 24 hour reports in consecutive weeks; and when they say 24hours, they really mean it. These assignments are a test of mental strength, team dynamics and on the spot problem solving skills. The cases are released at 6:30pm and due at the same time the following day. Most teams find themselves working between 18 and 22 hours for these reports. I found the experience in completing these exhilarating and unlike anything I had ever done before. I remember heading home at 2am for during one report (with a 8am restart planned for the next day) and doing another 90 minutes of work because I couldn’t sleep.
Now for the fun stuff. At Ivey, it seems that the philosophy is to play just a little harder than we work. My first week in London (during the pre-program) the 2010 class had scheduled events for 5 of the nights. The events ranged from dinners and nights out on the town to bowling. Great experience and chance to meet the outgoing cohort and get to know some of the watering holes in London.
Also, in May, we participated in the first Ivey Games Day, and it was AWESOME! From long jump to hot dog eating contests, everyone was having fun. I’m also playing on one of Ivey’s intramural soccer teams and on the Ivey men’s rugby team, and having a ton of fun doing it.
Patio days have been the most fun though. After every exam and 24 hour report so far, almost the entire 2011 class has descended on Barney’s Patio or King West to have a few drinks and rehash the trials of the day. I must say, there’s nothing quite like basking in the sun and chatting with new friends while having a cold drink and running on 4 hours sleep.
Adrian grew up and worked in Barbados before moving to Toronto to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Telecommunications Management and Marketing. While at Ryerson University Adrian managed the Ryerson Consulting Group, the undergraduate student run consulting firm. Upon graduation Adrian moved to Ottawa to join Nortel’s Optical Planning team, where he worked until coming to Ivey to pursue his MBA. Adrian’s personal interests include a great passion for food and wine.