The Rotman MBA is exciting for me on so many levels... I get to pursue my MBA at my top-choice school (it's Canada's number one!), I get to meet family & friends (some I haven't seen in ages & some I haven't met at all!), and I get to come to Toronto (it's so fresh, energetic & bustling with energy!). I'm bustling with energy & excitement for my Rotman MBA, and I'm ready for all that lies ahead, but it never hurts to be better prepared, and considering that it's my first time in Canada, I figured the Rotman International Student Orientation Week (ISOW) was a good idea to get acquainted with my new home. But the ISOW was better than good, it was great! The ISOW was a great experience for all of us, as international students, to be exposed to the University of Toronto, the Rotman School of Management, academic styles, teamwork tasks, Canada's economic history, Canadian corporate culture, career opportunities, and even visit blue chip firms in Toronto. Aside from the wealth of information available at the ISOW, it was also a great opportunity to begin to discover Toronto (the ISOW Amazing Race was quite fun), meet the other international students (there are so many other people in the same boat as you!), meet some upper-years (particularly from the Global Business Association and the Graduate Business Council), and of course, the amazing team from the International Program Services Office!
I was born & raised in Dubai, and given that it's quite an energetic multicultural city, I thought I was ready for energetic multicultural Toronto. I'm still ready, but after the ISOW, I just feel better prepared - for the program, the work involved, the corporate environment, and maybe even the winter. It was a great opportunity to learn, and have some good fun along the way, and not-to-be-missed by any international students!