Inside the First Month of the Ivey MBA Program

Have you ever wondered what the first month of an MBA program is like? At Western University Canada’s Ivey Business School, Rabih Chour, MBA ’18 candidate, gives you an inside look at his experience in the school’s latest blog, One Month Into the Ivey MBA.

Chour started his journey toward an MBA in April 2016. He was living in Montreal and felt it was time to move onto something new. “I wanted to use my experience as a foundation for a career where I could shape the world and not just be an observer,” he said. “I also knew that it was time to do an MBA to build on my business foundations.” So Chour attended a First Class on the Road event and talked to Ivey students and alumni before making his decision to attend the full-time Ivey MBA program.

As of today, Chour is one month into the program, and already he feels that a transformation is taking place. “Every day in the classroom, I am exposed to the best faculty in Canada,” he said. “The case teaching method means this is not a place to rest: the expectations are that you contribute value, speak concisely, and engage a diverse audience. This is as close as one can get to the workplace post-MBA.”

And Chour has already had many unique experiences including hiring a team of five people to save a failing company and listening to the former prime minister of Canada speak about world events. But it’s not just his academic experience that has already had an impact on him; it’s also the people he’s met and interacted with.

“The small size of the program allows for everyone to meet one another,” he explained. “Every morning, when I look around, I realize how privileged I am: the best talents in Canada and abroad, all united in the same classroom. And everyone is here for a reason.”

And though the Ivey MBA program is starting to pick up speed, Chour feels that everyone is ready to collaborate and share their knowledge and experience. In fact, he feels that he has already learned more from his classmates than he has from the books.

Though that doesn’t mean the academic experience hasn’t been rigorous. The class is starting their first 24-hour report, “and the stress is palpable,” he said. “But I am excited for this experience, the first of many that will strengthen our bonds and forge our resilience and character as future leaders. Next time I’m asked how the program is going, I will be able to answer that I’ve made a hundred new friends.”

regions: Toronto

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