Business Case Competitions

When hiring employers look for candidates who stand out. Good grades, degree, and work experience, all are taken into account, however almost all of the other students graduating with you have the same credentials. So what exactly are employers are looking for?

Watch the video below;

Top 7 Qualities Employers are Looking for in Candidates

This should give you a sense of what qualities you should have to stand out to employers. However, how do you obtain these qualities ? More importantly how do you prove that you have obtained these qualities?

During your educational career these qualities will be obtained, but not just inside the classroom but outside too. University’s have business case competitions. Business case competitions can be internal (students from only your school) or external (teams for different business schools) where the teams will be given a business related case and they must come up with the best solution and present it the judges.

Business case competitions have become increasingly important aspect of business education. These competitions allow students to work together in an intense environment with complex cases, where both analytic and communications skills need to be applied. These competitions help you build important career related skills employers look out for.

First and second year students are strongly encouraged to join internal or external business competition, it is a great experience and skill builder (Dalhousie University, 2017).

queen school — (Queen’s University, 2015

University Co-op; It Will Take You Places

Why do we go to university?

To Sleep

To get good grades

To get an education

To waste your parent’s money

To make connections

To get a good job

To make your future bright

To party

Interesting enough a lot of students actually do not know the answer to this question. Primarily students go to university to get an education, in a field of study, such as accounting, computer science, or social work.

However, you will be surprised how many students enter university wanting to specialize in accounting or finance, because of the high job prospects and salaries, however when they actually get into the field and start working they hate it. So now what? You spent the past four years studying a subject and obtaining a degree in that subject, and now you hate it.

A great way to avoid encountering this problem is to take Co-op (cooperative education). In Co-op you are placed in a workplace related to your field of study. You work for one semester, with your employer, and get an idea of what the job will be like after graduation. If you do not like the job you still have time to change fields and try something different. Also the best part of university Co-op is that it PAYS!

Co-op is a great opportunity for business students as when you graduate employers look for work related experience. Also a lot of time if you do well in your Co-op placement, employers hire you as a permanent employee after graduation. Co-op is a whole work-life related process from building your resume and cover letter, to applying to jobs, interviews, and actually working. It gives you an overall great experience and a reality look at your work/ career life after your degree.

Click on the link below to read about students Co-op success stories.

https://www.recruitguelph.ca/cecs/co-op-students/co-op-success-stories

Admission Requirements for Business School

GRADES! GRADES! GRADES! Grade 12 is the most stressful time in a high school students career. Selecting, applying, and accepting universities can be challenging. One of the most important parts of a university application is fulfilling its course requirements. All universities have their own individual programs requirements listed on their websites. To pursue a degree in business studies the course requirements for Canadian students are similar if not same (grade average varies).

University’s require six courses U or M level courses including the required courses stated. For all universities degrees Grade 12 English 4U is required, usually with a minimum of 70% average in the course to be considered. Business programs university level math courses; Mathematics of Data Management, Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors. Most of the business degrees require two of the three math courses (Advanced Functions, and Calculus and Vectors, are required mostly). After fulfilling the required admission courses you can choose whatever U or M level course you wish to be considered.

Here is an example on how universities will calculate your average;

Admission Requirements for University of Guelph Bachelor of Commerce

English, Advanced Functions, & 1 additional 4U math (minimum 70 %)
3 additional 4U or 4M courses
Estimated cut-off range; 77%-81%

Student’s Grades

English 4U – 88 %, Advance Functions – 73 %, Mathematics of Data Management – 80%, World History – 91 %, Principles of Financial Accounting – 86%, Biology- 80%

Calculation: 88 + 73 + 80 + 91 + 86 + 80 = 498/ 6 (total courses) = 83 %

As you can see above this student has met all course requirements grades and cut-off average (University of Guelph , 2017).

For students planning on taking business studies in post-secondary, I recommended to take the high school business courses. The course materials and foundations learned in high school is often repeated and built upon in university.

Top business schools have non-academic requirements such as essays, extra-curricular activities list, and supplementary applications all play apart into getting into your dream school.

Please comment below on suggested high school business courses in your school.

$$$University’s Price Tag $$$

Along with a premium quality education comes a price tag. As students choose their dream school, a major factor that plays into their choice is costs. Having an estimate of how much school will actually cost is beneficial for both students and parents. For students who need assistance in paying for their education costs can apply for OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program). This program offers you grants and loans to help you pay for your education. To get a quick estimate on how much you could receive you can use the OSAP Aid Estimator.

osap — (Western University Gazette, 2017)

Here’s a breakdown to give you an idea of the costs associated with your degree per academic year;

Average cost for a Canadian full-time student undergraduate degree is $6373 in tuition fees.
Compulsory fees must be paid and vary institution to institution. On average a student pays $873 in compulsory fees.

Average Cost of Tuition per Province (Statics Canada)

	2015/2016	2016/2017
	current dollars	current dollars
Canada	6,201	6,373
Newfoundland and Labrador	2,759	2,759
Prince Edward Island	6,130	6,288
Nova Scotia	6,834	7,218
New Brunswick	6,379	6,682
Quebec	2,797	2,851
Ontario	7,865	8,114
Manitoba	4,013	4,058
Saskatchewan	6,978	7,177
Alberta	5,739	5,750
British Columbia	5,397	5,534

Most programs require a laptop, if you have one great, otherwise you are looking around $1000-$1500 for a new one.
On average books and materials cost $800 to $1000. A great way to save money on books is buying and selling used books.
Living: If you choose to go to school near your home, most parents will let you live for free. If you live on residences you are looking around an average of $6500-$7500.
Transportation: Public transportation is available which is the cheapest option ranging from $120-$370 (monthly), depending on the type of public transportation. If you have a car you would incur gas and parking costs.

There is no way out of student debt especially with all these costs. But that’s okay because in the end it will pay off once you become the CEO of Apple (or at least we hope with these tuition costs) (Statistics Canada, 2016).

student devt — (Alaska Commons , 2013-2017)

Top 5 Business Schools in Canada

Are you a high school student or a parent of a high school student? Are you interested in going or sending your child to a Canadian business school? Well here is a list of Canada’s top 5 business schools to help narrow your search down.

McGill University – Desautels Faculty of Management

Founded in 1906, Desautels Faculty of Management is located in Montreal, Quebec . It is one of the top three international business schools in the world. It has a strong faculty with years of experience, and is playing a huge role in business development, and educating future leaders (McGill , 2017).

University of Toronto – Rotman School of Commerce

Joseph-L_-Rotman-School-of-Management@2x — (University of Toronto , 2015)

Located in downtown Toronto, Rotman School of Commerce is one a Canada’s leading institutions in business education. A leading business education comes hand in hand with outstanding teachers. The professors at the Rotman School of Commerce are among the brightest researchers, industry insiders, working professionals (University of Toronto, 2017).

University Of British Columbia Sauder School Of Business

Located in Vancouver British Columbia, UBC is consistently ranked among the top 100 business schools worldwide. UBC offers Bachelors, Masters, MBA, PhD, and many executive education programs. The Faculty at UBC Sauder School of Business are recognized worldwide for their excellence in innovative teaching (University of British Columbia , 2016).

Queen’s University – The Stephen J.R. Smith School of Business

Located in Kingston, Ontario, Queen’s University business school was founded in 1919. The school is home to the most prestigious undergraduate business degree. Has a faculty who have astonishing academic credentials and business experiences. Smith School of Business has gained international recognition for its innovation approaches in business education (Queen’s Univesity , 2017).

York University Schulich School Of Business

Schulich-501-e1448307239207 — (York University , 2017)

Located in Toronto, Ontario, Schulich School of Business was founded in 1966 and today is known as one of Canada’s most prestigious business schools. Schulich operates separately from York University and has its own specialized faculty. It offers a wide range of programs from diplomas, undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, MBA, PhD, and many executive programs. Schulich is an iconic business school in Canada and worldwide (York University , 2017).