It seems like, just yesterday I had moved to London. It’s hard to believe how quickly we’ve already reached the end of the Preparatory Knowledge Program (“PKP”). As we race towards the end of PKP, I can still remember how the adventure that I like to call “Mission: MBA” started in the first place.
After working for a few years in the Middle East, I came back to Canada last year to pursue an MBA. I was searching for a program that would enhance my business acumen and more importantly, provide me with the necessary skill-set to achieve my career goals. During my research, I quickly understood that with its long standing history of excellence, an increasingly popular brand name and a well-respected alumni network, Ivey MBA had to be the preeminent choice for a post-graduate business program in Canada.
My adventure first began when I decided to visit the campus during “Class Visit at Ivey”, a daylong event in London. The event was well organized and very informative, I was particularly impressed by the warm welcome I received by the admissions staff and other faculty members. The visit also provided me with a chance to experience the case method for the first time and I must confess that it made the lecture lively and very engaging. So I decided to apply for the program and after a very tough recruitment process I’m excited to finally be part of the Ivey family. I would like to send special “Big Up” to Zehra Boolani and Hafiz Vellani for the invaluable advice they provided me during the application process.
After accepting the offer, eager to start the learning process and to network with other colleagues in Class of 2014, I enrolled myself in PKP, a month long program introducing us to key topics required for the MBA program. PKP has been very beneficial for all students, as many of us have learned new concepts and new ways of interpreting data. I would like to point out that the world-renowned faculty at Ivey is second to none and they’ve made learning both, easy and fun. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all on behalf of the Class of 2014.
All work and no play would make any MBA class boring and dull, so at Ivey we like to work hard and party even harder. As a whole, the Class of 2014 has taken advantage of the quiet before the storm (start of the actual program) and we have “Networked” almost every night. I’m sure none of us can forget the epic St. Patty’s day or the Sushi night, where nearly 50 of us filled the entire top floor of Ozen Sushi. The experience so far has been surreal and I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting all my colleagues – we have an extremely diverse student body for the Class of 2014.
Additionally, we’ve also had the good fortune of networking with many 2013’s through the orientation events – the Class of 2013 has been extremely helpful and has provided many helpful tips on how to tackle the intensive MBA program at Ivey. All the events planned, from movie night to bowling night, have been very entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable. Now all eyes are focused on the scavenger hunt planned towards the end of March, as it seems like the hunt will be an event to remember for ages. Big up for the entire Class of 2013 – you guys ROCK!!
All in all, the month of March and PKP have been very helpful for all who attended. It has given each of us the chance to settle down in London, prepare for the actual program to start and network with current students, faculty and other brilliant minds making up the Class of 2014. PKP has indeed raised everyone’s expectations of the MBA program and judging by the first three weeks, it seems it will be a promising and a fun-filled year full of unique challenges for everyone involved.
About Saleem:
Saleem graduated with a Bachelor in Commerce from Ryerson University. Since his graduation, he has been working as an Investment Banker in the Middle East. Most recently Saleem worked as an Associate with Lazard, where he advised Multinational Corporations, Sovereign Entities and large Family Conglomerates on cross-border M&A transactions and high profile restructuring mandates. While in the Middle East, in 2011 Saleem was also involved in organizing Pakistan Appeal, a grass roots fund raising initiative to help the flood victims in Pakistan. Through the initiative, Saleem and his team successfully raised US$1 million for UNICEF-led initiatives in Pakistan.