Meet The Ivey MBA Class of 2016

Harleen Kaur Ahuja 

Ivey Business School at University of Western Ontario

Hometown: Toronto, ON

Undergraduate School and Major: Bachelor of Applied Science, Management Engineering (University of Waterloo)

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: Senior Consultant, Ernst & Young

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? For GMAT/GRE, it is important to set aside time every day and put a consistent effort towards it. If you have been out of school for a while, then it helps to leverage an online course from a reputable institute. 

Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? It is important to know the industry one wants to end up in as this decision will inform target school selection. While making the target school selection it is also imperative to consider courses offered, summer internship options, and companies that recruit from that school.

What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? A critical aspect of an MBA application is self-reflection. It is important to spend some time reflecting on past experiences to truly understand key strengths, weaknesses, and motivations to do an MBA. In addition, recommenders should be the people one has worked most closely with rather than a person of higher rank or authority.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I chose Ivey’s MBA program because I found that Ivey follows a very unique case-based, leadership-focused approach to teaching. The emphasis on leadership not only improves one’s management skill but also transforms one to be leader who understands cross-function views and can make quick yet difficult decisions.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? Before I graduate, I would like to develop long lasting and trustworthy relationships with both my peers and Ivey alumni. It is a privilege to be a part of Ivey’s very distinguished legacy and I hope to embody the Ivey values of generosity and authenticity.