“What will online classes look like?”
“Would I receive my visa on time?”
“What about the time difference? Some of my classes might be at midnight Pakistani time”
As the entire world was shutting down, these were some of the questions that kept me awake at night. People around me were suggesting that studying online would be a waste, others said not being in Canada would kill the purpose of attending business school at all. Instead of looking at all the things that could go wrong, I decided to explore what could go right. Hence, I cut out the noise and began my journey as a graduate student at Ivey. It has truly been an exceptional experience since!
During my very first month in the program, I interacted with students belonging to all around the world with different backgrounds and experiences which meant that I was learning as much outside the class as I was in it. I have always celebrated diversity and my differences with others, thus, I felt like I understood the sentiments of people in the program which encouraged me to run for the Co-President position 20 days into the program. Running a presidential campaign by being 11,202 km away from campus was a truly unique experience - one that I’ll certainly cherish forever. The fact that I have an amazing relationship with the two candidates I ran against sums up the Ivey culture. Here, we are not afraid to voice our opinions, however, we always strive to respect the perspective of peers we have differences with.
One month in, the program was getting intense by the day. Case preparation, group meetings, discussions in class and assignments on top of that was a grind in the true sense of the word. Research shows that 25% of Ontario’s coffee is consumed by Ivey students. If you tried looking for a citation for the above mentioned statistic, you are ready for Ivey my friend. No such statistic exists, hence, your first lesson is one that data professors would reiterate throughout your first term - Do not trust everything you read and cite your work wherever needed.
An experience I enjoyed the most during the first term was working as a Pro Bono Data Analyst for the South London Neighborhood Resource Centre. Pro Bono Analytics Club at Ivey assigns projects to its members where I got an opportunity to work for a non-profit organization and helped them leverage data to uncover insights previously hidden.
All said, the first 90 days at Ivey have made me realize that it’s all about the people you meet along the way. Business is about people; life is about people. It is people that make the difference between something great and something extraordinary. If you know people and you understand them, it means you can help them in achieving their goals. I have learned that my network is my net worth and that life isn’t about connections, but about relationships. With this mindset, skillset, experiences and character, I feel equipped to go into the next term and make a difference inside and outside the class!