I’ve officially finished two semesters within the Ivey MSc in Management program, marking my halfway point through my Ivey journey. It has been a great experience being in this program and I have learned many new skills. This second semester has given me plenty of opportunities to build upon my experiences in my first semester.
One of the primary courses I took was Business Communications. This course was quite the switch from my other courses this semester which focused more so on analytics, risk assessment, and data management. To be honest, I didn’t expect much from this Business Communications course at first. Not only have I done plenty of communication courses before, but to top it off, this class was scheduled for 8AM. It was fair to say that the class time was not in agreement with my sleep schedule. I needed plenty of coffees to keep me awake but after experiencing this class for three months I can definitely say it was truly impactful on the knowledge I will take away from this semester. I learned how to effectively communicate in a business setting and how business communication is emphasized in the workplace when presenting information, building your personal brand, making connections, and storytelling.
A particularly grueling time during this semester was going through the process of attaining a Summer internship position. This period would be several times harder if not for the help I was able to get from Ivey’s career management resources. I think I got my cover letter and resume looked at over a dozen times. Reflecting on this time, I realized the importance of taking advantage of the resources you have at your disposal. Being at Ivey Business School, I am lucky enough to have an amazing career management centre that will work tirelessly to help me with anything cover letter, resume, or interview related. Looking back on these past two semesters, I now see the immense benefit in utilizing the resources available in your environment.
Never did I think I would experience Ivey Business School without ever stepping into the Richard Ivey Building or meeting any of my professors. It’s been a unique path completing school in a remote environment for the last six months. Although it has been challenging, being forced to work remotely has made me more effective and efficient when it comes to conducting workflow, completing tasks, and making connections. This will make it much easier for me to work in the field once the pandemic ends, which may be a while longer considering the current trends.
Overall, this second semester has been a great follow up to my first semester. It has allowed me to build upon the skills I learned and develop my analytical skillset further. I now look forward to utilizing these skills and gaining new ones in my Summer internship position.