Archive for February, 2010
Vancouver Winter Climate – Doing Your MBA in a “Mediterranean” City
Posted by: ryan-schmidt in Student Life on February 26th, 2010
Until recently, when the Vancouver 2010 Olympics showed the world that Vancouver weather is capable of 10°-15° C in February, Canada was thought of globally as a “cold place”. In fact in Vancouver, the temperature rarely dips below freezing. Snowfall, while possible is seldom and largely gone after a few days of milder temperatures. The diagram to the left has not been altered in any way, it’s the fourteen-day forecast for Vancouver in late January, 2010, the beginning of the second semester of SFU’s Full-Time MBA program. Even though it threatened to snow a few days that week, the temperature didn’t ever fall below 5°, and there wasn’t much more than a sprinkle of rain. Read on for more info about typical Vancouver weather and activities. Read the rest of this entry »
Money Well Spent: 3 Cheap Essentials Online for MBAs
Posted by: MBAStudent in Academic Survival, Student Life on February 24th, 2010
Let’s face it – an MBA is an expensive thing to do. Once you’re into an MBA program, one of the first lessons you’ll learn is that small cost-cutting activities can go a long way. From an accounting perspective, as a student, cutting $100 from your costs is just the same as adding $100 to your profit. Here are some ways to get great value on some of the essentials you’ll appreciate as an MBA student. Read the rest of this entry »
Avatar for MBA’s – A Graduate Business Perspective of Ethics and Sustainability
Posted by: ryan-schmidt in Student Life, Sustainability on February 17th, 2010
“If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success.” – James Cameron
I’ll do my best not to spoil the movie, however if you haven’t seen it, do so… today. How I view Avatar is a great example of how the MBA has changed the way I perceive and think about the world around me. Beyond the classes specifically devoted to topics of social responsibility and ethics, most every class in the SFU MBA program, from Finance to Graduate Marketing, addresses these important issues. Read on for a brief look at how the Ethics and Sustainability sections of SFU’s Full-time MBA effected my analysis of the movie. Read the rest of this entry »
Quick GMAT Tip – Put More GMAT Study Emphasis on the Verbal Section
Posted by: ryan-schmidt in Tips on February 12th, 2010
As you read this post in preparation for the GMAT, you’re likely more nervous about one section over the other. This is totally normal, some people are really good at GMAT math, and others at GMAT verbal. Interestingly, and this is backed-up by the makers of the GMAT test, the verbal section has more weight attached to it than the math section. Read on to learn a bit about the explanation behind this, and how you can benefit from the knowledge. Read the rest of this entry »
Graduate Business MBA and Your Personal Brand – Authenticity
Posted by: ryan-schmidt in MBA Experience, Student Life on February 10th, 2010
This post is part-one of a multi-part series from the international branding expert Christof Appel. Christof was born and raised in South Africa, and has been consulting with individuals and groups on their online brands for over 5 years. In this series Christof will write about personal branding techniques which can be used by current and soon-to-be Graduate Business students.
Students at SFU’s Graduate Business School have the unique ability to be involved with his “Mastermind” program. This is an elite group selected to be involved in an ongoing online workshop with Christof, building their own personal online brands. As newly minted Graduate Business students in Vancouver, this online presence is critical for networking and job seeking. Be sure to read Christof’s first article below, and feel free to comment or email for more detail. Read the rest of this entry »
Podcasts for MBAs (Not Just Graduate Business)
Posted by: MBAStudent in Student Life on February 8th, 2010
Long commute to B-school? These Podcasts will help pass the time. Best of all, you’ll arrive a little smarter and be warmed up for the day’s MBA learning experience. Below are a series of links that will take you to podcast “channels” suited well to graduate business students, or anyone keenly interested in business.
Many of these Podcasts can be listened to and easily understood buy non-business students.
BC Hydro MPID Program – Lindsay’s Second Management Rotation
Posted by: Lindsay Angelo in Student Life on February 5th, 2010
A crucial element to the MPID program is the field rotation, a rotation that exposes you to the bare bones of BC Hydro, which is of course the generation of electricity. Although we have an array of functional areas at Hydro, generation is the core of what we do. For this reason, it is important to learn as much as possible in the MPID “field rotation”.
My field rotation at Burrard Generating Station was one-of-a-kind. I spent these precious months familiarizing myself with operational processes at the Plant while trying to learn how a Thermal Plant actually operates. My project portfolio included developing several tools to help the Plant better prepare for major outages (where the Plant will shut certain equipment down in order to perform work). This project was aimed at improving workplace safety and reducing risk. Read the rest of this entry »
BC Hydro MPID Program – Lindsay’s 1st Management Rotation
Posted by: Lindsay Angelo in MBA Experience, Student Life on February 3rd, 2010
Having worked in business for the majority of my career and as a newcomer to BC Hydro, I was unsure what to expect entering a rotation in Engineering, Aboriginal Relations and Generation. In general, since I had just finished my MBA, I had was excited and nervous to begin my career here in Vancouver. Would this new graduate business degree make a significant difference in my post-mba job? I was pleasantly surprised at the diversity of experiences I gained during this rotation. From managing a $3.3 million Capital project to developing an Organizational Impact Assessment for a large project aimed at improving Project Delivery practices and processes, I wore many hats in this role – each one an entirely different style and colour! I was fortunate to work with two amazing project teams and a manager who provided mentorship, coaching and overall, a great introduction to BC Hydro. Read the rest of this entry »
List of All the Free Online GMAT Practice Tests
Posted by: ryan-schmidt in Tips on February 1st, 2010
The goal of this post is to become the one-stop, definitive guide for every single free online GMAT test that exists on the web. We will include tests for download, online, and section-specific practice tests for all your GMAT dry-run needs. If you know of a free test somewhere on the web that we have missed, please enter the address into the comment section and we will immediately update. Also, if you find a broken link, or have any comments whatsoever about any of the tests on this page, please let us know about them in the comments and we’ll respond appropriately. Please make sure you follow the advice written in the CAT Best Practices post; never do a practice exam less than 24 hours before your real exam. To read all of our other posts on the GMAT experience, studying, and what bschools look for, read the GMAT and MBA Admissions archive page. Read more for 10+ links to free GMAT practice tests: Read the rest of this entry »