MBA Student Blog

I recently received questions on the Marketing Specialization that is part of the MBA program. Here are some thoughts and a Q&A; that might help those of you considering this path:

First of all, it’s important to remember that an MBA is a general program. By specializing in marketing, you’ll see more of those subjects than of any other topic, but it is still very broad. MBAs prepare you for general management jobs, so even though your first jobs may be in a particular functional field, you’ll be able to move into a general management job later on. It has the benefits of really opening your perspectives and enabling you to work better with other functional departments. But if you’re looking to go really in depth in marketing, you may want to pick a program that is only marketing, not an MBA.

I feel happy with the program because I feel it has really opened my perspectives and makes me more valuable in a business. My undergrad is in Mass Communications and in my last jobs I felt that I really lacked business skills. The concepts and skills I’ve learned will help me in speaking in business turns, understanding the business in genreal and in coordinating interdisciplinary teams- marketing and non-marketing. It can help me understand internal clients from other functional units too. If you’re a career changer, this will be a good start, but you will also have to do your part to advance your career. I’ve worked hard at networking (mostly at the BCAMA) and volunteering, etc. I feel really passionate about marketing and have really learned a lot. The best is that when I speak to people that aren’t marketing savvy, I can speak in their language too, and apply other business concepts.

The downside, as I mentioned, is that because it is a compressed program (only 15 months) and an MBA (which is by nature a general management degree), it doesn’t go into depth on some subjects. Even when I take a course in postcore, it is really compressed into 5 weeks, so it is hard to get into the details. What I’ve done is that I ask the prof about other readings that might help and keep my eye out for articles about the topics. There’s not much time in the MBA to do this, but I have a really long list of articles and books to look at when I finish the MBA. I also really recommend going to networking events and volunteering during your MBA. It’s a way to practice concepts seen in class and also meet people that might help you advance your career.

Do you cover all four “Ps” of the marketing mix?
The program is structured as a Core and Postcore program. In core we look over the 4Ps and basic marketing concepts. In the postcore you pick your own classes. We have classes in all 4Ps and other important areas of marketing like: M Research, Consumer Behavior, Brand Management, etc.

You mention that networking is key for success in marketing – are there networking opportunities built into the program?
We do have some networking events coordinated by the Business Career Center and some are marketing related. We also have an MBA society that includes a marketing club (I wrote an entry on it recently on the blog if you want to have a look). But I recommend going on several yourself, especially as you explore and choose what industry/area of marketing you like best.

Are you planning on taking advantage of international opportunities? What kind of opportunities are there specifically for marketing?
I plan to stay in Canada and won’t be going away on exchange. I don’t know about international opportunities, but I can tell you that a lot of the internship postings have been marketing related- it shows that this is a time businesses really want to understand consumer’s needs, respond accordingly and build awareness of their brands.

I got some more questions on career changing and internships. Here are my thoughts:

1) Does an MBA from Sauder provide a platform to change tracks in career?
A lot of MBA students do the program precisely for that. I’m trying to move into a marketing career, from a Communications background. However, changing careers can have challenges and it may not be as easy to leverage prior experience when looking for jobs. The Business Career Center will advise you on that and help you find a way to get a job in the area you want.

2) Is it easy to get internships while studying at Sauder?
It is necessary to do an internship during the summer after starting. Finding a job isn’t something you just sit back and wait to happen, as I’m sure you’ve learned from your own experience. During the months prior to that, you can take BCC workshops that will teach you how to network, write your resume and prepare for an interview to help you get a job. I really recommend being active and finding ways to network, set up informational interviews and volunteer in your area of interest to get the job you want.

Hello everyone, 

I recently received some questions about the MBA society. Here are my ideas on it…

-What sort of programming do they run?
There are a lot of things going on. The MBA Society is made up of several clubs dedicated to specific areas of business like Marketing, Strategy, Consulting, International Trade, Technology, Entrepreneurship… and some complimentary clubs like the Partner’s Club (for spouses, boyfriend’s/girlfriend’s etc) and Sauder Speaks (to teach public speaking). You can learn a little about the clubs and the events they run on www.mbasociety.ca.
As far as events go, they have speaker and networking events, workshops, etc. In some cases they also help subsidize external networking events. What you do with the club is up to you as president or member. This year the Net Impact club organized a really great career fair and the entrepreneurship club is taking people down to Silicone Valley to meet with different companies.
There are also sports clubs like Soccer, Hockey, Volleyball and Ultimate, and my favorite, the Sauder MBA Sailing Club, which travels every year to Italy for an MBA regatta.
The MBA Society also has an executive committee that supports the clubs, coordinates financing and organizes social events, etc.

-What resources do they offer MBA students?
There are lots of possibilities, as I mentioned above. A lot of it will be in your hands, as members and club presidents or members of the executive committee of the MBA Society.

-Most importantly, how does one become a member on the executive? Are there elections? When are they held?
Everyone is automatically a member of the MBA Society, and you can run for president of one of the clubs or for a place in the executive committee. The elections usually take place in November, so that the new MBA students have a chance to get to know each other before voting.

-Are there are campus clubs and organizations that cater to MBA students? How do I get in touch with them?
There are other UBC clubs. If you’re interested in sports activities, you can contact them via UBC Rec (www.rec.ubc.ca)

I’ll be asking Nikhil to leave his ideas, as he’s actually a club president, so he can give you that point of view too…

These questions were sent to me by a student interested in attending Sauder. My answers appear below. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, or any of the other bloggers or MBA ambassadors.

Q1. How are the classes in the marketing and entrepreneurship programs?

The courses in marketing are of very high quality, however, I have chosen not to take a number of these because of my background and experience in this field. In fact, I decided go against the grain in taking courses beyond my comfort zone including those in strategy and finance. This being said, I’m in a couple of marketing courses that are specialty subjects such as consumer behavior and marketing communications (advertising strategies). I’ve enjoyed them thus far. Marketing communications is a hands-on course (as opposed to case based theory) that teaches students to understand target markets, critique advertisements, construct marketing communications strategies and write creative briefs used by management.

As for entrepreneurship: it all depends on what you’re looking for and whom you ask. Personally, I find the program to be very focused on technology and entrepreneurship, which is great if that’s what you’re looking for. However, if you’re just looking to start a business and get hands on experience doing so, general MBA classes in finance, strategy and marketing might be better for you in the long run.

Let me explain: The entrepreneurship classes are taught on an academic basis (case studies with supplemental industry lectures) with exposure to venture capitalists, angel investors and serial entrepreneurs. These people provide real advice and years of experience to back it all up. The program is just beginning to take off in terms of recognition, but this is a good thing… getting in on the ground level means the courses are not “set in stone” and tend to be somewhat flexible in terms of requirements and expectations. Currently, I’m in BAEN 580D – Entrepreneurial Finance and Private Equity. It’s a great course that allows students to perform due diligence on real business plans submitted to Chrysalix, a Vancouver based Clean-Tech Venture Capital Firm. We’re learning how to value a firm, structure venture capital and ultimately decide whether or not to invest in a company. All of this is done in cooperation with the partners at Chrysalix. As an entrepreneur, I look forward to building more businesses in the near future. Understanding what VC’s look for is imperative to applying for private equity and venture capital. You just can’t put a price on an education like this!!!

Q2. Do you feel the six-week period to too little to gain a deep understanding in certain subjects?

It all depends on how “deep” you want to go on a specific subject. If you’re specializing in finance and taking all finance courses (which some of my classmates are doing), then no, six weeks is enough for some courses, as they build on previous terms and those to follow. However, if you’re simply interested in taking an investment course for the sake of learning investments, then yes, six weeks is not enough time to learn much about a subject. Of course, you’ll gain a “high-level” understanding of the topic, but depth of knowledge in any subject cannot be gained in six weeks, regardless of how smart someone is. Many people spend a lifetime learning a subject only to find out that the more they learn, the less they know!

If you’re looking to gain in-depth knowledge of a certain subject, my recommendation is that you seek a graduate degree in that specific discipline. For example: there are great degrees in Urban Land Economics, Masters in Operations Research and much more. I look at the MBA as a “Jack of All Trades,” a “Swiss Army Degree” of sorts. You’re well versed in finance, comfortable in strategy and marketing with a hint of human resources and some accounting on the side. Oh, and least we forget supply chain management, information technology and whatever else I forgot to throw in too.

I hope this helps. If you’d like to chat on Skype sometime, I’d be more than happy to do so. I’ve done this with other prospective Sauder candidates and enjoyed the conversations.

Best,

Joel

So I’ve been silent the past month or two; however, I can’t pass up a chance to wax philosophical on the Mac vs. PC debate. But first a disclaimer: I’m an avid Mac user and have been for some time. This being said, I appreciate the few merits that PC’s have (Actually, I don’t but I’m trying to appease the loyal PC users out there).

A laptop is vital to the MBA program. Whether you use a Mac or PC, that’s your choice. With regards to the program concerns that Alice discussed, this was in running an online simulation software called CAPSIM. If you’re a Mac user, you can use FireFox and Mac Office 2004, as opposed to Safari and Mac Office 2008 for the program. Windows users won’t have a problem with this at all. As well, for the Post-Core Statistics class, you will need to have the advanced plug-ins for Microsoft Excel. These are not available for Mac Office, so Windows Parallels is required if you’re rocking a Mac (Go Mac!).

Two other considerations: Let’s not kid ourselves, laptops are expensive, but the documents on them are of much more importance. I HIGHLY recommend you invest in a backup hard drive for your computer and do weekly, if not daily, backups of the data. This is in addition to a large flashdrive, which is a necessity during the program. During the core, two laptops crashed and there were several laptop thefts that occurred, only to leave the student without valuable coursework and all (The laptops were stolen off campus, not in class!).

I would also take the time to become familiar with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint prior to entering the program. There are a few program wizards in our class and believe me, they’re in high demand. The ability to wax up a spreadsheet in a few minutes, or create a PowerPoint presentation overnight is essential. Don’t kid yourself: you will have no time to acquire these skills during the Core or Post-Core modules. For Mac users you can use Keynote, but it’s much better to be on PowerPoint, as the classrooms are all rigged with two large projectors, lecture PCs and PowerPoint presenters.

On BlackBerrys, iPhones and the like: Most students have cell phones, although there are a few who have chosen to do without. Personally, I’m a longtime BlackBerry user and can’t live without it. The ability to read and reply to emails on the fly is essential to my daily routine. In the Core you’ll receive a TON of emails. Some students have iPhones too. It’s a matter of choice. My only recommendation is that you keep these silenced in classes and exams. Least we forget that one of our classmates forgot to turn off his cell phone during our Core Final, only to have his alarm go off in the middle of the exam – a four hour final worth 20% of the entire Core grade (Thanks Pres.)!

One new admit asked about laptops. You definitely need one, though if it’s a Mac or PC is up to you. I have a Mac and everything’s worked well for me. However, there is one simulation program you’ll need to work that can only run on PCs, so I recommend you get a version of Parallels to run Windows on. It’s a group project and you could also partner with people on your team to input info, but it’s always helpful to have the access to do it yourself…

Apart from that, a printer could come in handy because some papers are due early in the morning, and as we’ve discovered, those so-called 24/7 printing stores like Kinkos have a way of closing the nights before you have to hand in a paper…

Here are some more:

1. How strong is the alumni network? Are they connected to the Sauder community? Do they help the current students finding internships/jobs along?
The alumni are very important and you’ll have a chance to meet them during the program. Many of the guest speakers that come to classes and events are Sauder alumni. The BCC is also working to strengthen relations between alumni in different cities. During a trip to Toronto to meet employers, students from Sauder met with alumni who live there.

2. Are there on-campus work opportunities for students?
The full-time MBA program is really time-consuming, so I don’t recommend working during classes. There are jobs in food courts, etc. for UBC students, but you probably won’t have time for that.

3. What are the main obstacles for international students while searching jobs/internships in Canada? Does one start at entry level or do employers give credit to previous work experience?
I can tell you my experience as an international student. A big issue for getting a job (especially full time) is Canadian experience. However, the MBA program can really help. I was very lucky and got an internship with RIM, though it was really competitive (I competed with MBAs all over Canada). Of course, I made a big effort to do research and prepare for the interview. In a way, the MBA program becomes your “recommendation”. The level that you start in will depend on whether you’re changing careers or industries, etc.

Hi all,

Here are new questions and my ideas on these topics:

1. Can you advise where I can see the course details of the core classes? The school website only inform that we will study finance, marketing, accounting, human resources, statistics, managerial economics, and information systems.
Any other courses included?
The program has a lot of different courses within each of these areas of management. For example, I’m specializing in marketing and some of the courses I’m taking are Marketing Strategy, Pricing, Integrated Marketing Communications, Internet Marketing, Marketing Research, Consumer Behavior, Environmental marketing and some complimentary topics in other management areas that are really useful to marketers like Datamining… You can find more info about the different courses on the Sauder Webpage: http://www.sauder.ubc.ca/Programs2/MasterofBusinessAdministration/MBAFullTime/ProgramOverview/Modules/default.htm

2.Are there many job possibilities for international students in Vancouver after graduation (especially in Marketing area)?
I can tell you my experience as an international student. The Business Career Center (BCC) offers a lot of workshops to help you learn how to adapt to the Canadian job market, find a job and do well in that job. I’ll ask Arthur for stats on this, but from the people I’ve met in other classes, it seems that a lot of international students manage to stay and work in Canada after their internship. A lot of this will depend on your own efforts to find a job, using the tools the BCC gives you, and staying up-to-date on the paperwork for your work permits.