Hi Guys,
Looking for some insight on how to break into Canadian IB. I am planning to immigrate to Canada and have admissions secured at Queens and Schulich. The main question for me is how important is a two year MBA program for me to break into IB.
I understand that the Queens MBA has a better reputation and possibly leads to stronger networks due to small class size, has some interesting opportunities for getting exposure to VC and Hedge Funds through student run funds (added bonus), strong IB recruiting ground
but
Schulich is in Toronto, allows me to develop a network over two years, allows for an internship opportunity (but maybe sacrifices a little bit on reputation??), has a financial engineering major.
Which should I choose? Is developing a network in Toronto over two years better or can I still do that from Kingston over 1 year?
I have an undergrad in mathematics, CFA charter and am working in ER in Pakistan.
I would say likely Queens but you would also have a good chance with Ivey or UofT. To be honest, while the Schulich undergrad is pretty good, the MBA class is pretty heavily foreign and frankly they don't do very well at all. I don't mean that to be cruel but there are often language issues, foreign (tough to validate) experience and they just don't seem to be very well prepared. The York JD/MBA's tend to be fairly impressive but that raises a different set of questions for recruiting in that it's tough to gauge what track a candidate would prefer and the timing is a bit thrown off given the longer time to complete the double degree.
juniormistmaker thanks for the reply.
I get that the Shculich class is heavily foreign but the question remains how important is the networking portion because as far as I see it there aren't many good two year MBA options close to Toronto other than Rotman and Schulich and maybe that is the reason we see so many foreign students opting for the Schulich program. a) a chance to develop a network in Toronto over a longer period of time and b) opportunity to gain Canadian experience through an internship.
How important should these two considerations be when making that decision from the point of view of an immigrant.
The counterpoint there is that while you may be closer to Toronto, there are not very many Schulich MBA's on Bay street so your networking efforts are arguably at a disadvantage despite your proximity. I think you're somewhat overestimating how important being in Toronto is for networking as you can network just as well from Kingston or London. Also, Schulich is hardly in Toronto quite frankly so it's not like you're going to be immersed in the finance scene. It's in a pretty shitty part of the city.
If you want to break into FO finance in Toronto at the associate level there's really only one school to consider and that's Rotman. There are usually about 12-13 IB Associate positions every year in Toronto, and almost all of them end up going to Rotman. Last year Rotman took 11 out of roughly 13 spots and the year before that it was 15 out of roughly 16 spots. I'm not saying it can't be done from Queen's or Schulich- It can, but it will be incredibly tough.
I second mr Bond's opinion here. If you are talking about breaking into IB as an associate Rotman is your best option. I believe Ivey is a good school but Rotman gives you the opportunity to invest time in networking (location) and there is no IB for you if you don't network. IB jobs are in Toronto, Queens and Ivey are not, that simple. Schulich is in Toronto but not as close to downtown and would be a better option for someone who wants to be in operations and not finance.
About foreigner cohort, it is no different at Rotman. 70% are foreigners (being asians>indians>latins).
As an immigrant you should be aware that there is a bias towards native/north-americas for IB positions. From the 11 positions Rotman secured I think 2 were non-natives/have not been canada for a long time and both had capital markets experience before.
Also, although Rotman secures most of the position bear in mind that there are 15 spots in a 350 people class (Rotman only, not including other MBAs)
Canadian Undergrad: Schulich vs Queens (Originally Posted: 04/17/2012)
What tier do you guys think Schulich's in? I hear some say 1st while others say 2nd. I see it as a 1st since it's not easy getting into (90%+).
I feel that Schulich is slightly easier - which gives more opportunities for ECs and networking. While Queens has more job opportunities, but is known to be harder - less time for ECs and networking.
Considering Accounting (CA) or Consulting.
Which school would be worth my time?
Thanks!
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