Coby Savage

Returning to Ivey was a difficult decision to make. Although I truly enjoyed my HBA experience, I had to consider if the program would truly allow me to develop new skills, or if it would simply be an extension of my undergrad degree. After nine months, I can confidently say that any reservations I had were unfounded, and that the Ivey MBA has provided me with a unique and valuable learning experience, allowed me to recruit for positions that would not have been available otherwise, and introduced me to a new network of classmates and alumni. The program has exceeded my expectations and helped me to achieve my goal of starting a career in consulting.

I graduated from the HBA program in 2013 and began a career in the advertising industry. After over three years in the industry and serving in a managerial role, my career growth started to stagnate. Although I enjoyed many components of my job, I didn’t see a future for myself in the industry and wanted to pivot in my career. With the goal of breaking into consulting, I made the decision to return to Ivey as it would provide an opportunity to elevate my credentials and allow me to participate in fall recruitment — which I believed was the best opportunity to achieve my career goal.

I was extremely impressed with the level of support the career management team provides, as well as the support of classmates and alumni. Given the smaller class size relative to HBA, career management is able to work with you weekly to develop and practise different skills and this allows them to get to know you personally. Classmates and alumni were also fantastic resources to prepare for recruiting. Having friends and even strangers willing to dedicate hours of their time to help you succeed was humbling and critical to my success during recruitment.

Having now gone through the AMBA program, I have developed strong friendships with both my AMBA classmates as well as the full-time MBA’s. The program has allowed me to take interesting courses that aren’t available to HBA’s, participate in international study opportunities, learn from a diverse group of classmates with wide ranges of experiences, and ultimately get the job I wanted. The length of the program was an added benefit, as it allowed me to complete my degree and return to the workforce quickly.

Overall, the MBA program combines cornerstones of the HBA program such as the case-method and participation, while being challenged by a high calibre of classmates and professors in a variety of unique and interesting courses. I’m pleased I made the decision to return the Ivey and look forward to helping future classes as a part of the alumni network.