Congratulations! You have been accepted.
Finally received the letter that I'd been waiting for - I've been accepted into the Executive MBA program at the University of Calgary starting Fall 2007. The first contact is a week long in-house study on "The Manager as Strategist". Everyone will be living on campus for a week in August.
While I am eager to meet my new classmates and the topic is a particularly interesting one to me, I'm not sure that I want to be away from home from Sunday to Saturday. I'm sure that I might be able to sneak off for a meal with my family some time, but we'll see.
Maybe writing this post has let the "cat out of the bag".
Very excited and can't wait.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Monday, May 7, 2007
Choosing one school over another
For me there were 5 overriding considerations:
1) Cost - Can I fund this myself without forfeiting my retirement?
2) Quality of content - Good instructors? Good learning environment?
3) Access to information - How friendly are the admissions people?
4) Type of delivery - Internet versus on-campus versus tele-conferencing
5) Cost - it's that important to me....
I did a lot of research on the interweb. I read a lot of online brochures and talked to people who had completed their EMBA. I ruled out online classes as it requires a lot of motivation to set time aside and keep to a schedule. As the reigning King of Procrastination, that would never work. I narrowed my selection down to two schools - Queens University and the University of Calgary.
Queens University has two EMBA programs: their "National" program and their dual EMBA program with Cornell. In the latter program you end up graduating with 2 MBA's! Queens' programs are consistently rated as some of the best programs in the world. The content is also delivered via tele-conference which didn't appeal to me. The end result of the tele-conference setup, is that you really bond with the 6-10 others in your home city, whereas local programs allow you to network with ~50 people.
It seemed attractive, but in the end it was just too much expense. When it was all said and done, the Queens National course came out at $20k more and the Cornell program at over $40k more (than the local varieties). If money were not an object in this decision, then Queens would (likely) be the choice.
The University of Calgary has a good program and has a lot of advantages given that it is local to me. The program has received a lot of press lately as an 'up and coming' school and is getting a good reputation. It was listed as one of the top 50 EMBA schools by the Financial Times of London. It also has a lot of alumni who are local business leaders running large (very large) oil and gas companies. Since the program is local to me, I get to interact with other students and professors in person, which means a lot to me. I was able to sit in on an afternoon of classes with minimum disruption to the class, talk to some current students and get a "vibe" from the environment.
The admission people are VERY nice and helpful. I'm not just saying that - they really did help me. In one case, the company that was running the GMAT exams in Calgary decided that they weren't going to administer the exams anymore so there wasn't anywhere to write the exam. They were very patient and gave me options. It's so funny how the little things really add up.
The winner: The University of Calgary EMBA
EMBA's have a very different application process - you don't apply to a million schools and go through several rounds of interviews to find out if you are accepted. For me at least, it was one application, one essay and one set of references. This made my life a lot easier.
My application is complete and sitting with the Admissions Committee of the U of Calgary - I hope to hear soon. Fingers crossed.
1) Cost - Can I fund this myself without forfeiting my retirement?
2) Quality of content - Good instructors? Good learning environment?
3) Access to information - How friendly are the admissions people?
4) Type of delivery - Internet versus on-campus versus tele-conferencing
5) Cost - it's that important to me....
I did a lot of research on the interweb. I read a lot of online brochures and talked to people who had completed their EMBA. I ruled out online classes as it requires a lot of motivation to set time aside and keep to a schedule. As the reigning King of Procrastination, that would never work. I narrowed my selection down to two schools - Queens University and the University of Calgary.
Queens University has two EMBA programs: their "National" program and their dual EMBA program with Cornell. In the latter program you end up graduating with 2 MBA's! Queens' programs are consistently rated as some of the best programs in the world. The content is also delivered via tele-conference which didn't appeal to me. The end result of the tele-conference setup, is that you really bond with the 6-10 others in your home city, whereas local programs allow you to network with ~50 people.
It seemed attractive, but in the end it was just too much expense. When it was all said and done, the Queens National course came out at $20k more and the Cornell program at over $40k more (than the local varieties). If money were not an object in this decision, then Queens would (likely) be the choice.
The University of Calgary has a good program and has a lot of advantages given that it is local to me. The program has received a lot of press lately as an 'up and coming' school and is getting a good reputation. It was listed as one of the top 50 EMBA schools by the Financial Times of London. It also has a lot of alumni who are local business leaders running large (very large) oil and gas companies. Since the program is local to me, I get to interact with other students and professors in person, which means a lot to me. I was able to sit in on an afternoon of classes with minimum disruption to the class, talk to some current students and get a "vibe" from the environment.
The admission people are VERY nice and helpful. I'm not just saying that - they really did help me. In one case, the company that was running the GMAT exams in Calgary decided that they weren't going to administer the exams anymore so there wasn't anywhere to write the exam. They were very patient and gave me options. It's so funny how the little things really add up.
The winner: The University of Calgary EMBA
EMBA's have a very different application process - you don't apply to a million schools and go through several rounds of interviews to find out if you are accepted. For me at least, it was one application, one essay and one set of references. This made my life a lot easier.
My application is complete and sitting with the Admissions Committee of the U of Calgary - I hope to hear soon. Fingers crossed.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
New Business Dean at the U of C
The University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business has been without a Dean for a year or so (since I've been researching them anyway) and they have just announced that Leonard Waverman will be joining the faculty in January 2008 from the London Business School.
On April 2nd an interview with him was printed in the Globe and Mail. This is the first time that I've been able to hear about his views on business in Canada. The interview didn't touch on too much about on business education per se, but mostly upon his age and his research.
Dean Waverman will be 66 when he takes his post. This may seem to be the time in one's life when they are thinking about how many rounds of golf they can fit in per week rather than attending faculty meetings. However, I actually support someone who is older and wiser as a leader of business education. Sure, there may be issues that are "new" that they may not have faced before, but I'm sure that there is a lot of business grounding that can be passed on to the Business students and then it is up to them to take it and apply it to the "new" problem set. I'm sure that Dean Waverman would also argue that most of the current problems aren't "new", just variations on existing themes.
The other interesting quote was the one about the productivity gap concerning IT between the US and Canada:
One day I'd love to be able to dissect this argument with him or maybe help with his research.
On April 2nd an interview with him was printed in the Globe and Mail. This is the first time that I've been able to hear about his views on business in Canada. The interview didn't touch on too much about on business education per se, but mostly upon his age and his research.
Dean Waverman will be 66 when he takes his post. This may seem to be the time in one's life when they are thinking about how many rounds of golf they can fit in per week rather than attending faculty meetings. However, I actually support someone who is older and wiser as a leader of business education. Sure, there may be issues that are "new" that they may not have faced before, but I'm sure that there is a lot of business grounding that can be passed on to the Business students and then it is up to them to take it and apply it to the "new" problem set. I'm sure that Dean Waverman would also argue that most of the current problems aren't "new", just variations on existing themes.
The other interesting quote was the one about the productivity gap concerning IT between the US and Canada:
But aren't management practices the same on both sides of the border?Coming from an IT background, where I have helped businesses to implement their IT solutions to enable their business processes, I was quite surprised by this statement. I have built a lot of large systems that have changed the way that businesses act and have felt quite proud of the fact that doing so has helped the business be more efficient.
I don't think IT is embedded as a strategic way of reconfiguring the firm on both sides of the border. There could be a lag in Canada and that could be one thing to explain the productivity gap. We buy these IT systems in Canada and they become shelf ware. They're not really implemented. I want to study this.
One day I'd love to be able to dissect this argument with him or maybe help with his research.
Friday, March 30, 2007
GMAT Done
After several months of study (broken up by a stay in hospital and subsequent recovery) it was time to write the GMAT.
Books I used:
* Kaplan 2006
* McGraw-Hill 2007
* Kaplan 800 2006-2007
The Kaplan 2006 book was the first book I used and it gave me a good introduction to the overall structure of the exam as well as some good tips and tricks. Kaplan also has reputation for one of the most difficult Practice Exams which I reserved for much nearer to the exam.
I bought the McGraw-Hill 2007 primarily because it comes with 12 (yes, 12) Practice Exams. This was most valuable in the 4-5 days before the exam. Practice and more practice was really helpful. Working out the timings of each section was crucial to ensure that I had time to answer each question. The end result was the strategy that I had to ensure that I was watching the clock during the Quantitative and I could take my time on the Verbal.
The 800 book allowed me to pick up a few tips and tricks to help me spot trends in questions. It was a spur-of-the-moment purchase but ultimately it made me think TOO much rather than just going with my instincts.
I didn't do any training as I was reasonably confident that I could learn what I needed from a book.
Websites I referred to:
* MBA.com (of course)
* Beat the GMAT - lots of good questions in the forum when you become a member
* GMAT club
Software I used:
* GMAT Prep from MBA.com
The practice exams from MBA.com are by far the most authentic. The paper tests are good but they can lull you into a false sense of security when you are actually on a computer and have to click twice to ensure that you "really really" mean that answer.
I struggled with a lot of Data Sufficiency questions as I predicted I would. My scientific mind takes an adjustment to understand that not solving for the answer to a question could still answer the question. The number properties questions also gave me a lot of headaches. Remembering the rules of exponents and odd/even numbers is very confusing for me for some reason.
I found the Verbal part of the test by far the easier. In all my Practice Tests I got 95% of the Sentence Correction problems correct. This is probably because I read a lot and being able to guess "what sounds right" comes quite easy to me. I'm sure that it would be a nightmare for anyone who has English as their second language.
I didn't practice the AWA very much at all. If you memorize the structure of the answers that you want to give (lots of examples at the Beat the GMAT forum) and you are confident in your ability to come up with ideas, then you shouldn't struggle too much. Plus, you have to really do poorly with spelling and grammar to do horrible here.
Exam Experience:
I arrived at the test center about 20 minutes before the scheduled time to find myself number 11/12. The proctor was very exact about checking people in and out and explained everything to each individual one after the other. This just heightened my anxiety as I wanted to get going as soon as possible.
Once I had dumped all of my stuff into a box and checked in, it was time to begin. I found five schools to send my scores to even though I know that there is only one that I'm going to apply to. The rest were "just in case". I began by putting in the supplied earplugs. I had used them in when I wrote my practice tests, so I was used to them but I could see how they would be distracting to someone who hadn't used them before - often they make things too quiet.
Off and running with the Writing Assessments. Both went pretty well (I haven't seen the scores yet though). The argument essay concerned a subject that I had read a book about just recently so that helped me to come up with some strong and compelling arguments both for and against.
I know that the GMAT starts by giving you a medium question and depending on how you do on that one, you get an subsequent hard question or easy question. It seemed that I kept getting questions that were harder and harder. I know that this is a good thing, but it also means that my chances of getting the answer wrong go up as well! I had to rush the last three questions and likely guessed at them - my brain was fried by them. After the Quantitative I took a 5 minute break to clear my mind for the Verbal.
As I said earlier, I find the Verbal much easier but spent a lot of time on these questions (because I knew that I had that luxury). It seemed to go well and my score reflects that.
Then it was over. There is the screen that gives you 10 minutes to figure out whether you want to cancel the whole exam or see your score. I clicked "See Scores" and waited.....waited.....waited.....waited.....waited x n......stared at the little Windows hourglass and then there it was. I tried to remain calm as I knew that others around me were still writing.
I was soooo glad to get out of there. I got the print out and rushed out of there as fast as I could. I had a huge headache (probably due to lack of breakfast and my regular coffee) but I felt like weight was off of my shoulders.
My score?
680 Q40 V47
Not the highest that I've seen - I was hoping for more than 700, but 680 is good enough for me and ultimately (hopefully) good for admittance to the EMBA program.
Good luck.
Books I used:
* Kaplan 2006
* McGraw-Hill 2007
* Kaplan 800 2006-2007
The Kaplan 2006 book was the first book I used and it gave me a good introduction to the overall structure of the exam as well as some good tips and tricks. Kaplan also has reputation for one of the most difficult Practice Exams which I reserved for much nearer to the exam.
I bought the McGraw-Hill 2007 primarily because it comes with 12 (yes, 12) Practice Exams. This was most valuable in the 4-5 days before the exam. Practice and more practice was really helpful. Working out the timings of each section was crucial to ensure that I had time to answer each question. The end result was the strategy that I had to ensure that I was watching the clock during the Quantitative and I could take my time on the Verbal.
The 800 book allowed me to pick up a few tips and tricks to help me spot trends in questions. It was a spur-of-the-moment purchase but ultimately it made me think TOO much rather than just going with my instincts.
I didn't do any training as I was reasonably confident that I could learn what I needed from a book.
Websites I referred to:
* MBA.com (of course)
* Beat the GMAT - lots of good questions in the forum when you become a member
* GMAT club
Software I used:
* GMAT Prep from MBA.com
The practice exams from MBA.com are by far the most authentic. The paper tests are good but they can lull you into a false sense of security when you are actually on a computer and have to click twice to ensure that you "really really" mean that answer.
I struggled with a lot of Data Sufficiency questions as I predicted I would. My scientific mind takes an adjustment to understand that not solving for the answer to a question could still answer the question. The number properties questions also gave me a lot of headaches. Remembering the rules of exponents and odd/even numbers is very confusing for me for some reason.
I found the Verbal part of the test by far the easier. In all my Practice Tests I got 95% of the Sentence Correction problems correct. This is probably because I read a lot and being able to guess "what sounds right" comes quite easy to me. I'm sure that it would be a nightmare for anyone who has English as their second language.
I didn't practice the AWA very much at all. If you memorize the structure of the answers that you want to give (lots of examples at the Beat the GMAT forum) and you are confident in your ability to come up with ideas, then you shouldn't struggle too much. Plus, you have to really do poorly with spelling and grammar to do horrible here.
Exam Experience:
I arrived at the test center about 20 minutes before the scheduled time to find myself number 11/12. The proctor was very exact about checking people in and out and explained everything to each individual one after the other. This just heightened my anxiety as I wanted to get going as soon as possible.
Once I had dumped all of my stuff into a box and checked in, it was time to begin. I found five schools to send my scores to even though I know that there is only one that I'm going to apply to. The rest were "just in case". I began by putting in the supplied earplugs. I had used them in when I wrote my practice tests, so I was used to them but I could see how they would be distracting to someone who hadn't used them before - often they make things too quiet.
Off and running with the Writing Assessments. Both went pretty well (I haven't seen the scores yet though). The argument essay concerned a subject that I had read a book about just recently so that helped me to come up with some strong and compelling arguments both for and against.
I know that the GMAT starts by giving you a medium question and depending on how you do on that one, you get an subsequent hard question or easy question. It seemed that I kept getting questions that were harder and harder. I know that this is a good thing, but it also means that my chances of getting the answer wrong go up as well! I had to rush the last three questions and likely guessed at them - my brain was fried by them. After the Quantitative I took a 5 minute break to clear my mind for the Verbal.
As I said earlier, I find the Verbal much easier but spent a lot of time on these questions (because I knew that I had that luxury). It seemed to go well and my score reflects that.
Then it was over. There is the screen that gives you 10 minutes to figure out whether you want to cancel the whole exam or see your score. I clicked "See Scores" and waited.....waited.....waited.....waited.....waited x n......stared at the little Windows hourglass and then there it was. I tried to remain calm as I knew that others around me were still writing.
I was soooo glad to get out of there. I got the print out and rushed out of there as fast as I could. I had a huge headache (probably due to lack of breakfast and my regular coffee) but I felt like weight was off of my shoulders.
My score?
680 Q40 V47
Not the highest that I've seen - I was hoping for more than 700, but 680 is good enough for me and ultimately (hopefully) good for admittance to the EMBA program.
Good luck.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Value of an MBA
Results of a survey from the Environics Research Group commissioned by Queen's School of Business found:
Almost 80% say that an MBA is more appealing in candidates! Among the reasons for choosing a candidate with an MBA are a superior skill set, a greater familiarity and more exposure to a variety of business disciplines, they are more qualified and more committed to their career.
That soooo sounds like a question from the GMAT.
Eight in 10 (78 per cent) executives say they would choose a candidate with an MBA over one without an MBA if other factors were equal. Fourteen per cent say the degree would make no difference. Six per cent say having an MBA makes a candidate less appealing.
Almost 80% say that an MBA is more appealing in candidates! Among the reasons for choosing a candidate with an MBA are a superior skill set, a greater familiarity and more exposure to a variety of business disciplines, they are more qualified and more committed to their career.
That soooo sounds like a question from the GMAT.
Monday, March 26, 2007
GMAT Pressure
Writing the GMAT is a pressure-filled process. This pressure is possibly enough to weed out those who aren't serious about the heading down the road of hard work - which can only be a good thing. However, as I mentioned in my previous post - it's not the best leveller. Here is what you have to know:
Math - all those algebraic equations that you forgot from high school, all those number properties in equation and word problem format
Reading Comprehension - reading and answering questions on a short 500 word essay
Sentence Correction - selecting options for the correct grammar for a sentence
Data Sufficiency - given two options, do either, neither or both options give you enough data to answer a problem
Critical Reasoning - given a short paragraph of an argument, determine what would strengthen or weaken the argument
The Math and Data Sufficiency part makes up the Quantitative part of the score and the others make up the Verbal part of the score. These two are scaled and make up the final GMAT score.
I've struggled with the Math, but seem to get most of them correct and only struggle on the more difficult ones. The Data Sufficiency problems are, by far, the most difficult for me. The option in that type of question could give you an answer of "no" which also is a correct choice.
The Verbal part of the exam is much easier for me. The main helper there is that English is my first language. I pity the person who has to do the exam when English is not their first language. I would certainly hate to do it in another language.
Exam is on Thursday March 29th. 3 days to go!
Math - all those algebraic equations that you forgot from high school, all those number properties in equation and word problem format
Reading Comprehension - reading and answering questions on a short 500 word essay
Sentence Correction - selecting options for the correct grammar for a sentence
Data Sufficiency - given two options, do either, neither or both options give you enough data to answer a problem
Critical Reasoning - given a short paragraph of an argument, determine what would strengthen or weaken the argument
The Math and Data Sufficiency part makes up the Quantitative part of the score and the others make up the Verbal part of the score. These two are scaled and make up the final GMAT score.
I've struggled with the Math, but seem to get most of them correct and only struggle on the more difficult ones. The Data Sufficiency problems are, by far, the most difficult for me. The option in that type of question could give you an answer of "no" which also is a correct choice.
The Verbal part of the exam is much easier for me. The main helper there is that English is my first language. I pity the person who has to do the exam when English is not their first language. I would certainly hate to do it in another language.
Exam is on Thursday March 29th. 3 days to go!
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