What is My Plan?

How does my future pathway affect my course selection moving forward?

My co-op placement has influenced me to take statistics and business courses in university to best prepare me for my future career in financial services. After struggling through various tasks involving statistical analysis, I have been inspired to take entry-level statistics courses in order to learn how to use Excel effectively in the context of data. In addition, I want to take courses to learn more about the inner workings of business.

This includes everything from marketing to accounting, where every aspect of running a business is crucial to understand in order to figure out whether a private company is a good investment (which is what private equity is). Using these courses, I am confident that I will be able to improve my ability to conduct due diligence into a company’s information, digging up whether or not it is a good investment based on their business fundamentals, industry outlook, and competitive landscape.

As well, even if I do not pursue finance, I enjoy learning about business, where these courses are a pathway into individual disciplines like marketing or accounting. Thanks to my co-op placement, I have developed a clearer picture of what kinds of courses and experiences I want to have in university.

Which post-secondary institutions and programs will suit my future career goals?

I am committed to Western University’s AEO program, where I am provided with automatic admission to the Ivey Business School following my second year. In my first two years, I am majoring in BMOS (Business Management and Organizational Studies). I believe that this pathway is the most suitable for my goals because I am able to take electives and pursue a major of any kind for the first two years of university.

With this freedom, I will be able to take the statistics and business courses mentioned above. That will help me develop the skills that are necessary for finance, which is much more difficult than other four-year programs since they offer less flexibility. Then, in my third and fourth years, I will be placed in a case-based learning system with a highly rigorous but interactive courseload. In this program, I will have the opportunity to deal with real-life business situations and apply the business knowledge I learned in my first two years to simulate what it is like to work in an intense field like consulting.

These skills will be crucial to help me dissect business scenarios when I enter the workforce, where no other postsecondary education has such a dynamic, high-pressure method of learning.

What additional experiences will I need to pursue to be successful?

I am committed to Western University’s AEO program, where I am provided with automatic admission to the Ivey Business School following my second year. In my first two years, I am majoring in BMOS (Business Management and Organizational Studies). I believe that this pathway is the most suitable for my goals because I am able to take electives and pursue a major of any kind for the first two years of university.

With this freedom, I will be able to take the statistics and business courses mentioned above. That will help me develop the skills that are necessary for finance, which is much more difficult than other four-year programs since they offer less flexibility. Then, in my third and fourth years, I will be placed in a case-based learning system with a highly rigorous but interactive courseload. In this program, I will have the opportunity to deal with real-life business situations and apply the business knowledge I learned in my first two years to simulate what it is like to work in an intense field like consulting.

These skills will be crucial to help me dissect business scenarios when I enter the workforce, where no other postsecondary education has such a dynamic, high-pressure method of learning.

What challenges might I face? How will I overcome them?

Even though I have a comprehensive plan for success in university, I recognize that there are a number of obstacles that could potentially make my journey difficult.

First, I understand that many of the professional experiences that I have mentioned earlier like clubs, competitions, and internships are highly competitive to get into/win, where I may be rejected/lose often. To combat this, I will employ two strategies. I will ensure that I apply/compete for as many clubs, internships, and competitions as possible, conducting in-depth research into what opportunities best fit me. In addition, I will prepare thoroughly in order to have the best shot at performing well, therefore decreasing my chances of rejection.

Second, I will always have a positive attitude, understanding that even though these extracurricular experiences are important, they are not absolutely necessary to my success. I will practice positive thinking habits in order to ensure that even in the worst case scenario, I can still maintain my mental health. Another challenge that may set me back is the transition from high school curriculum to university. With more freedom also comes larger responsibilities, and my schoolwork will also become more difficult. In order to minimize this change, I will setup good habits throughout the summer before university to hit the ground running. I will make sure I have a consistent sleep schedule and control my time through a calendar system, forming a sustainable framework to succeed in university.

Therefore, though these challenges will be difficult to overcome, my proactive approach toward battling them will ensure that I have the best chance of doing great in university.