Next door to the garment business, workers in another shack pulled out cotton textiles from large steel drums filled with dye. Textile dyeing is a large contributor to Dharavi’s annual economic output. I watched the red liquid dye snake its way across the shop floor into a gutter running in front of the shop, curious to know where it ended up. Later, we visited a residential area within Dharavi. A three feet wide passage led us through rows of cement and brick rooms that were individual dwelling units. A glance into once such room showed a living space of about 9ft x 6ft which included a tiny bed, a stack of books over a steel chest and a tiny carpet. We were told that a space this size would typically accommodate three or four people. I was struck by how relatively clean the insides of the rooms were, even as exposed raw sewage ran under our feet as we walked through the alley. At the end of the lane there were two community toilets that catered to about sixty people; must be one heck of a morning line-up. As we emerged from the residential division, I was surprised to see a handful of multi-storey apartment buildings – not the sight you would typically expect to see in a slum. I was even more startled to learn that the square footage rates rivalled that of downtown Toronto! Apparently the residents of these apartments were owners of businesses across Dharavi who chose to live within the slum due to the convenience of proximity. These people could live anywhere in Mumbai but chose to live here instead.

During my time in Dharavi, I observed entrepreneurial, hard-working people who made a living in conditions that could be called deplorable at best. Yet in their eyes I saw a drive to achieve more, to provide a better life for their children and fulfill the dreams that led them to Mumbai. The story of our tour guides was equally inspiring. The tour company, “Be the Local”, was started by three college students who were raised in Dharavi. The company offers both group and individual guided tours across Dharavi and Mumbai, including hotel and airport transportation. Its policy of hiring local students from Dharavi as tour guides ensures a more authentic and insightful experience than other larger companies that offer similar tours. The day at Dharavi was an amazing experience, one that I will probably not forget anytime soon.

Pat earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Windsor. He has worked in the automotive industry across North America, where he has led vehicle launch teams and conducted business development activity. Pat also contributes his time to a number of pro bono strategy consulting engagements for non-profit organizations across Toronto. In his spare time, Pat enjoys playing squash and practicing photography. At Ivey, he is a member of the Consulting Club and the Business in Asia Club.

The MBA Games experience was one that all involved will cherish well beyond our time at Ivey. Ivey’s representation this year was less than expected due to our study trips in December, although this did not take away from a fun-filled weekend of academics and athletics. This year’s Games featured 19 schools across the country and over 500 total participants. Our hosts, the University of Alberta, held an incredible event featuring case competitions, sporting events, a jeopardy competition, a scavenger hunt and two mystery events.

The Ivey team was not able to compete in all events due to our size, although we were well represented, especially in the case competitions. The team entered into the marketing and strategy case competitions and finished 1st and 3rd, respectively.

The social events were a definite highlight of the weekend as well. The Games featured a Western Canadian theme which carried on into the evening’s social events. Western Canadian themed bars and clubs created the perfect venue to network with our fellow participants and bond further with our fellow Ivey team members.

As an Ivey student, I would highly recommend attending next year’s MBA Games in Hamilton, Ontario.

Brad Hill completed a BComm from Queen’s University in 2005 and has spent the last 5.5 years at IBM Canada in financial analyst and sales representative roles. At Ivey, Brad is VP of the Golf Club and an Ivey Games Senator which entails leading the Ivey team at the 2012 MBA Games, organizing the Ivey Cup hockey tournament and other Ivey specific sporting events. Brad is also an active member of the Marketing, Sales and Sustainability clubs.

The brand new Ivey building opened it’s doors to us, and while we’re very excited to be in the gorgeous new classrooms, we sure do miss Marshall’s cooking at Spencer.

Some of the most exciting electives of the year are happening this month, from the inspiring Transformational Leadership, to George Athanassakos’ famed Value Investing course, and of course the feared and revered Competing with Analytics.

And if these demanding courses weren’t enough to keep us busy, this month caps off our New Venture and Consulting Projects with client and investor presentations and final deliverables due in a few short weeks.

Clubs and other activities continue to move ahead with a wonderful Bordeaux tasting Event from the Wine & Spirits Club, a Marketing & Sales Club Networking event in Toronto and the IBK Business Plan Competition hosted by Ivey.

In the coming weeks, we’ll share our favourite stories and photos from our recent Study Trips, and the recent MBA Games in Edmonton, so stay tuned.

Darlene Santos completed a BComm in Business Technology Management from Ryerson University and has spent the past 4 years at Rogers Communications, in the Corporate Strategy group. Apart from her role as Social Media Senator and VP of the Wine & Spirits Club, she’s an active member of the Sustainability Club and the Marketing Club. When she’s not busy at Ivey, Darlene can be found baking cupcakes and watching sci-fi flicks.

For many students, recruiting consumed a large part of the fall, which can only be described as a roller-coaster ride. Initial seeds of drought formed as e-mails were received thanking students for their applications while simultaneously informing them they had been rejected globally. As the weeks passed, on-campus information sessions increased, first round interviews turned into second rounds (and for some firms third rounds), and for many students, offers. Like everything in the program, time management and prioritization is never far from mind, so with recruiting ramping up in September, classes ramped down. Many Fridays and Mondays were reserved for interviews, starting on-campus and as we got further down the process, trips to Toronto become commonplace. By October, it was not uncommon for the corridors of Spencer to be filled with students talking about their interviews in Calgary, Chicago, or New York. However as formal recruiting wrapped up, our last set of core classes, featuring Leadership, IT and Strategy made one final push, all culminating in 12 hours of exams last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. This marked the end of the majority of the MBA core classes, the second module in the program, and the last opportunity until the end of the program to share classes with the sections (1 and 2) we were assigned to back in April.

However, the fall wasn’t all work and no fun. A variety of sports teams kicked off, including Dodgeball, Volleyball, Basketball, Ultimate Freebee, and Hockey. There is even a date set up for Ivey’s Hockey team to take on Queen’s in mid-November! Of course, the end of October brought Halloween, and in MBA style, a large portion of the class attacked a local establishment dressed as Waldos and Wendas. One of the great things about Ivey is the variety of students, which made Halloween especially fun to introduce to our international students, who had never experienced pumpkin carving, dressing up and all the other festivities Halloween brings.

As November begins, we have moved into a month of electives, where students have the opportunity to select courses in areas they wish to specialize or build greater knowledge. Electives range from Financial Strategies with the renewed Bob White, to New Media Marketing, to a focused examination of the Canadian Health System, among many others. With electives mixing all Ivey MBA students together, we are also getting the opportunity to gain new perspectives with students we’ve not yet had the opportunity to be in class with, from both the opposite section and the Accelerated MBA (AMBA) program. Looking out into December, most students are heading overseas on International Study trips to China, India, or South America … the excitement is building!

What an adventure we’ve had, and with five months remaining, we’re all focused on making the most of it!

Robert Clarke is a Professional Engineer, having completed an undergrad Computer Engineering degree at Queen’s University, and has spent the last 5 years in various technology and strategy roles at TELUS Communications in Western Canada. At Ivey Robert is VP of the Business Technology Club, an active member of the Ivey Consulting Club, Wine & Spirits Club and on several sports teams.

So why come home? I’m sure AMBA students have a variety of reasons, but in my opinion I’d say it all comes down to the opportunity to complete a highly respected MBA in a fraction of the time and get back into the workforce and moving up the career ladder.

With an existing foundation in core business areas from the HBA, AMBA students can uniquely focus our course loads on our areas of interest. And with the shorter eight month duration, it’s an ideal opportunity to quickly accelerate our existing career path to the next level or to make a career transition (which many AMBA students have already successfully done this year).

But beyond the career and education benefits, I’d say the final pull enticing AMBA students to come home again is the Ivey experience. Being back in the classroom, building new friendships and having a lot of fun being a student again doesn’t hurt either.

Following completion of an HBA in 2007, Lisa Olsen went to work at NATIONAL Public Relations, Canada’s largest PR firm. As a Senior Consultant in the Corporate Communications practice she managed a variety of communication mandates specializing in corporate reputation and issues management. At Ivey she’s the AMBA Section Representative and member of the Ivey Ultimate Frisbee and Dodgeball teams.

It’s not just about the fellas though; the MBA ladies have stepped up and shown their support for the cause in many ways as well. Pairing off with the guys as a “Mo Sista” they’ve not only dedicated their time to help fundraise but also helped organize events throughout the month to sustain the Movember mo-mentum. Pool tourneys and hockey games are just the lead-up to the capstone event for the month – a Scotch & Cigar night held here at Spencer Hall. A resounding success last year, this is a chance for the entire class and faculty to come together and celebrate a full month of fundraising efforts before the December study trips take students to all corners of the globe.

This year the target is lofty, $15,000 for Movember – more than a 50% increase over the fabled class of 2011. Can we do it? It’ll be close, but with over $2,500 on the books with just five days down – I like our odds!

Raised in Burlington, Ontario A.J. attended nearby McMaster University where he completed an undergraduate degree in Commerce. Upon graduation, A.J. joined the financial and banking sector, first working for CIBC and later CIT Financial. In his spare time, his hobbies include hitting the gym and travelling whenever possible to wherever possible. A community-focused individual, A.J. has previously been a tutor to those with cognitive disabilities and is actively engaged in food distribution organizations that help those who are less fortunate.

Darlene Santos completed a BComm in Business Technology Management from Ryerson University and has spent the past 4 years at Rogers Communications, in the Corporate Strategy group. Apart from her role as Social Media Senator and VP of the Wine & Spirits Club, she’s an active member of the Sustainability Club and the Marketing Club. When she’s not busy at Ivey, Darlene can be found baking cupcakes and watching sci-fi flicks.

This has been for many the most tumultuous time of the program, filled with nervous anticipation, anxiety, joy and disappointment. The next few posts will illustrate what recruiting time is like in the MBA program.

To start us off on the theme, Eriver and Kavitha have done a great job illustrating some of the highs and lows of the recruiting process on their Financial Post blogs.

Check out their posts:

Eriver Muwanguzi, The recruiting battle zone

Kavitha Pachagounder, They’re just not that into you

Law school teaches one to think precisely, and with rigor. Law school is like a marathon that you run alone. One needs to have endurance, diligence, and a good solid plan as everything cumulates to that final stretch of the race called final exams. Classmates tend to be slightly younger, and the educational demographic contains numerous liberal arts majors. The ability to be detailed oriented, to read quickly, and to write well go a long way to succeeding at law school.

On the other hand, business school teaches one to lead. Business school is like a team sport that is comprised of many quick competitions one after another. It’s highly intensive, and one really learns how to work with a variety of personalities. You pick some teams, you get assigned to other teams – just like real life. Classmates tend to have around 5 years of work experience, and the educational demographic contains numerous engineers, and those from the hard sciences. Because Ivey uses the Case Method, the key skill that is rehearsed is strategic decision making. The ability to distill big picture issues and analyze the complexity in a team environment, and subsequently to communicate those ideas effectively is crucial to succeeding in business school.

The education that is gained from both degrees is incredibly valuable. Being a great business lawyer means being able to understand the business context in which legal issues arise. Similarly, being a great business professional means understanding the legal framework in which deals can be made. All these experiences, admittedly, come at a cost. It is a tradeoff that I feel is worthwhile for individuals that see themselves in a profession at the intersection of law and business.

In the coming months, the current JD/MBA class will be preparing for fall recruitment, whether for a summer internship or full time employment. Some will be pursuing careers in business, while others will pursue legal jobs. I’ll be sure to write more about this in a subsequent post. In the meantime, I’ll extend an offer for coffee to anyone interested in learning more about the program!

Sam Ip is currently pursuing both JD (law) and MBA degrees at Western. Prior graduate school, he spent 5 years working at Research In Motion in a variety of teams that spanned from the Carrier Business Units, to Product Management and Corporate Development Mergers & Acquisitions. Sam is also an alumni of the University of Waterloo where he obtained his Engineering Degree.

Check out their posts:

The unglamorous truth
Considering an MBA with your spouse? One reason not to