Hi all,

I am applying to some US schools and some European schools for MBA...I am on the verge of applying to a canadian school, but i am not sure if i should do it. REGARDLESS of rankings (cause i don't really believe in what they represent) i am looking for opinions of others, because i've read many,many different things about canadian MBAs (i have even read that in Schulich, International students cannot speak English....Is that possible?....) and i am a little bit confused..So,

-Is it worth it? (educationally and professionaly)

Some things about me;

-Mediterranean (i am planning to work in the place where i'll study,for some years....so...is it THAT cold there???)
- 3 years work exp. Healthcare and fashion industry
-700 GMAT, 8.0 IELTS, BA economics..
-26 years old
-Languages;English,Spanish,Italian,Greek (...obviously i am Greek!)

Thanks a lot in advance, and good luck to everyone!!!

I was just reading an article on this website about this exact topic, you should check it out:

http://www.find-mba.com/article/391/mba-programs-in-canada-maple-trees-bacon-and-business-schools

But just to address some of your questions... I'm pretty sure the Schulich program is in English.

Canadian MBAs seem to be up and coming in terms of international programs. In addition to Schulich, you can also check out a few others:

Concordia John Molson
University of Toronto Rotman
University of Ottawa Tefler
University of Western Ontario Ivey

Professionally, is it worth it? Hard to say. What are your career goals? If you want to work in Canada these programs can be good options.

It gets pretty cold there. Montreal is usually colder than Toronto, but they'll probably both be cold to you if you're from a Mediterranean country. Just something to get used to, I guess, especially if you're only there for one or two years...

Ralph, thanks for your post!

You know for a moment, after 160 views and no reply for some days, i just thought;
a) Noone has ever been to Canada for an MBA
b) No one has any views over the matter,thus MBA in Canada is not a good choice..

Well anyway, you cant be sure unless you go there and live it for yourself...To tell you the truth i was between Rotman and Schulich....it is just that i keep getting ''bad'' feedback for Schulich on the web, and since internet is my only source of information...i lean towards Rotman

The thing is that i plan to stay for some years after the MBA and work.I think it is highly likely to find a job at or near the place that i study...My experience is mostly in ''operations'' of health industry. I have heard that canada is a good place to be for this industry.

As far as the cold is concerned, i've heard what you say from many people, i would not mind the cold for a year or two but if i am to stay a lot more.....what can i say, i am used to the sun and warmth....not that this is going to be the criteria for my choice...

If anyone else has any info at all, please share it with me.

Thanx again,

Mimis

Hi Mimis,

I will be applying to schulich as well. a couple of my coworkers/friends have graduated from there and they speak highly of their experience. I haven't heard any bad feedback regarding the school or the program.

If you're looking for other top b-schools in Canada you should also look up Queens, and Western. These schools along with Rotman and schulich are the top four in Canada are supposed to be internationally recognized.

If you're looking to avoid the cold you can try University of British columbia. it's on the west coast (vancouver) and the weather is generally milder than the rest of canada. although i think it's more of a second tier school here in canada.

Ganesh

Hi ganesh!

I am between Rotman and Schulich. In the beginning i was only thinking about Schulich but as i googled for information about the program i only found bad comments, that in recent years Schulich has taken the downhill and such...unfortunately verified information is hard to find and this is the most frustrating part for me, applying to schools and investing time and money without knowing what your future is going to be like...believe it or not ,in this site i have even found bad comments for RSM from people that had supposedly graduated from the school, a school that in my mind was a very decent program, from which someone graduates and is confident about finding a job that he/she likes....

I am only thinking about Toronto because it is said to be an economic center in Canada and bigger than Vancouver (in terms of business and everything - not my opinion though)...On the other hand people say that life in Vancouver is great...

Anyway i am sorry about Esade, i read it earlier...i think that there is no reason to be upset or anything...personally i am thinking very seriously about NOT applying at schools in spain...i am afraid of the unemployment rate and the fact that employers won't trust that easy s.o. that is not Hispano in general.

If you want anything feel free to email at [email protected]

Good luck!!!

Mimis

Hi mimis,

To some degree you are right, you might have an easier time finding a job in toronto but it also depends on what you want to do post-mba. if you want to do finance then it's best to stay in toronto. if you're interested in the energy sector then it would be wise to look at the universities in alberta. But really toronto, vancouver, and montreal are three biggest cities in Canada so finding a job in any of them should not be a problem.

Interms of rotman vs. schulich, like i said earlier they're both top schools in canada. from what i've heard rotman has a stronger finance stream. personally i'm choosing schulich b/c generally i find the people who go to rotman have big egos and can be jerks. but that's a personal opinion.

hope this helps
ganesh

to answer many of the questions here about MBA in CAnada.
I initially thought about applying in Europe and Canada only but then i researched the MBAs a lot and relaized that if I want to advance fast and make decent money and work in the USA then only an MBA from a US school would be the best option.
I got accepted to Schulich and Rotman but I am not sure I will attend any of them. Many of the students in these schools are just here to receive the Canadian Citizehship as it is easier to get compared to Europe of the USA.
In terms of salaries post graduation, they are not that high at all!

True. When you are fresh grad student.
But if you have 5+ year post-MBA work experience, I don't think your MBA degree matters anymore.

Btw, I believe with either canadian or european MBA, one can also get top dollar in U.S. (assuming U.S. economy can get back on their feet).