A combination of academic excellence and a global reputation makes the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto Canada’s top business school. There are so many ways for MBA students to customize their experience at Rotman. One excellent way is through case competitions where students can test their skills and knowledge in real time. Chris Daniel, Morning MBA Class of 2019 competed in the MLSE Case Competition in October. In this blog post, he shares his enthusiasm about the value of case competitions and how they enhance the learning experience beyond the classroom.

Apply Your Knowledge

In the MLSE Case Competition hosted by the Rotman Marketing Association and the Rotman Sports Business Association, teams of five students pitched new partnership opportunities for the sporting franchise giant. Teams had one week to analyze and prepare recommendations to MLSE executives. Out of the 15 teams that competed, one team was comprised of entirely Part-Time MBA students.

The Part Time MBA Team finishes in the top 5! (From left to right, Suraj Bhardwaj, Morning MBA 19, Fraser Scott Evening MBA 19, Mihae Ahn, Evening MBA 19, Aditya Ramesh, Morning MBA 19, Chris Daniel, Morning MBA 19)

Although he had just begun the program a month prior, the skills and concepts from the core courses were immediately applied throughout this case. During his first intensive week, Chris took RSM 2607: Managerial Negotiations. He described it as “extremely relevant in my role.” The case involved understanding different organizations that MLSE would be in contact with and developing the right approach to the negotiation strategy for each of these parties.

The knowledge from this course and others is also extremely valuable to his day-to-day professional life. For example, Chris is “constantly negotiating for internal and external resources depending on the project that I am working on. After taking Negotiations, I learned how to approach these conversations more effectively.” Another example of utilizing knowledge that was gained was with RSM 1360: Leading People in Organizations. “The one thing that stood out for me from leading people in organizations was the decision making process. Having a framework of best practices has “helped make my meetings more efficient by using concepts learned to ensure that the right decision makers are in the room at the right time.”

Different Perspectives

During the MBA core curriculum, students are placed in groups based on their education and work experience which brings diversity and multiple perspectives to tackling any problem. The Morning & Evening MBA Class of 2019 students has working professionals with established roots in the industry noted by an average work experience of 6 years prior to starting the program. Chris explains that this is so beneficial “since the Class of 2019 has a great mix of experiences, personalities, and backgrounds, we all work extremely well together.” This was highlighted by the composition of the Part-Time MBA team in the case competition which comprised of two marketing managers, an insurance underwriter, an engineer and a consultant.

There are many reasons why the Rotman Morning MBA attracts diversity. Palak Sharma, Morning MBA Class of 2019 comes from an engineering background which lends to a strong foundation in critical reasoning and logic building. She believes that “a Rotman MBA will help me adapt these skills to a broader range of subjects in order to become a well-rounded business leader.” The cohort structure for the first half of the program allows friendships developed to transform into a powerful lifelong network.

Showcase Your Skills

Following the case competition was an exclusive opportunity for participants to network with MLSE representatives. A career in the sports marketing industry is something that Chris is considering upon graduation and “this is what makes case competitions unique. Instead of just having a coffee chat, I’m able to showcase my thought process when faced with a specific challenge and pitch ideas to sports executives.” Competitions such as these provide a way for students to make an impression as well as allowing Rotman to showcase the high caliber of its students to potential employers.

Teams presenting in the final round of the MLSE Competition

Chris’s biggest piece of advice is that “”you get out of the program what you put into it, and more specifically to take advantage of the unique opportunities that a Rotman MBA provides you with.”

To learn more about the Morning & Evening MBA program, visit our website.