Okay so I know this post is late but I just wanted to share how to get into the top Canadian business schools (Smith School of Business at Queens, Ivey AEO status at Western, Rotman Commerce at U of T, and Schulich at York). I also know that I’m a little bit late posting this since admissions are more or less done for this year but I’ve gotten in everywhere so I thought I would make this post. I know that it will come in handy one day for future students and/or those who want to compare their stats to mine to see if they have a chance 
(we all do it let’s be honest haha).
I know there are plenty of other good Canadian B schools such as Mcgill and Sauder to name a few, but I won’t be covering them in this post. I didn’t apply to Sauder, and Mcgill is based off of grades only (I think it’s going to be a 95% + avg. this year which I don’t have). Here are my stats:
Province: ON
Grade average: 95%
School: Public, IB Program
ECs: DECA head, soccer captain, ambassador for a few organizations, SHAD, organizing a conference, just to name a few. I have a lot of ECs but the quality for some was lacking.
Now onto HOW to get in:
Schulich: Honestly, I’m pretty sure anyone with a 90/91% + average can get in. As long as you don’t completely mess up you leadership profile and interview, and you have an average about 90%, you can feel pretty good about your application. For the leadership profile, they ask for learning outcomes, so provide a variety of different things you’ve learned from a variety of different activities. For the video interview, the first question is going to by WHY SCHULICH so do your research beforehand and prepare a few times. Dress nice, of course, be casual, and be yourself. The questions are personal and easy to answer if you relax. Then there’s a timed (5 mins) opinion-based question at the end, which is also easy to answer. Except I panicked because there was only 5 minutes, and wrote a half-ass answer with a typo. I still got in, so don’t fret over the small mistakes.
Applied: ~1 week before the deadline
Accepted: First week of March (this is Schulich’s first round)
Rotman: Similar to Schulich, there are some timed essay questions and a video interview. I’d say Rotman is around the same competitiveness as Schulich, but their grade requirement is significantly looser. Meaning, you don’t require a 90% + average to get in … there are people with 85s and 89s who are accepted. The first question will ask you to talk about one of your accomplishments, so fill this out beforehand. The other timed essay question will give you 30 minutes to respond, and will most likely be about either your leadership skills, business, or both together. There is no place to list any of your ECs, so if you can try to squeeze them into your essay responses. There is only one video question, and it is a personal question. Again, be yourself, relax, and appear poised and confident. Practice beforehand because for the real thing you only get 2 minutes to prepare and 2 minutes to talk, and only one shot at it. If it allows, maybe demonstrate some interest for Rotman in your video response (for example, I was asked where I saw myself in the future, I should have talked about how Rotman would help me accomplish those goals but didn’t). Anyways, getting into Rotman isn’t the hard part … staying in is.
Applied: Before the 1st deadline, which was December 19 (I suggest you do this too)
Accepted: March 15 (This is the second round - Rotman has 3 - a small one in February, one in March and one in May)
Ivey AEO: The program I applied to at Western for the first two years was BMOS. The main part of your Ivey AEO is your three essays on your extra-curricular activities. For your three essays, I highly recommend you choose the three you’ve done the most for, and NOT the three you think the admissions officers would like the most. After all, you have 500 words, so you’ve got to go in some detail. And trust me, Ivey essays are not easy to bullshit. You need references for ALL your activities, and they received EXACTLY everything you’ve written on your application. Sprinkle on some awards, jobs, and additional activities, but the most important part is your three essays. People have gotten accepted with just those three essays. People have also gotten rejected with 97% averages and crappy essays. They give you a list of qualities they look for in applicants (leadership, achievement, breadth, commitment, initiative etc.) … make sure you EXPLICITLY mention how you’ve done all those things in your essays. For example, “In my yoga class, I took the INITIATIVE to fundraise for new exercise balls.” They recommend a 90% + average, but if you have outstanding ECs, you could probably get accepted with an average around 87% - 89%. However, after 90%, I believe grades and extra curriculars are worth around the same … I did not like my Ivey essays at all. They were very basic, straight to the point.
Applied: BMOS - End of November
Ivey AEO - Around two days before the Jan. 11 deadline
Accepted: BMOS - Mid to late February
Ivey AEO - Very end of March
Queen’s Commerce: Out of everywhere I applied, I felt the least confident about Queen’s. The rumour that after 87%, grades don’t matter, is probably true. That means you’re solely judged on your achievements and writing style, which is EXTREMELY subjective. Therefore, for Queen’s, I took a risk. I didn’t write about things I thought everyone would write about (eg. President of DECA) … instead I wrote about things I was truly passionate about. I also wrote in my unique writing style, which means casual, pop references thrown in there, a little bit of humour. As I mentioned earlier, it was a bit of a risk, but worth it if you’re going to stand out. Unlike Western, they only ask for one reference. They actually contacted my reference to verify one of the awards I had put of my PSE. If your reference gets contacted, it’s probably a good sign. It means that they have read your application and are interested enough in you to verify your activities. My biggest piece of advice for Queen’s Commerce is to stand out and be different, to take a risk. I’m sure there’s a tiny bit of luck involved with Queen’s, but you are heavily judged based on your writing style. Just be yourself, and be BOLD. Don’t get intimidated by everyone applying to Queen’s with 95% averages and amazing ECs. I think at the end of the day for Queen’s, it’s all about your essays. Show that you’ve done your research and are passionate about their university (admissions love people who love Queen’s and ranks them first on OUAC). Unlike Ivey, Queen’s also wants to see creativity and passion, so write about something you truly love, and make those essays wacky and different.
Applied: ~December 20 (Christmas Break)
Accepted: Beginning of April (reference contacted end of February)
I also applied to uOttawa, Ryerson, and Laurier and my back-up schools. A few American ones too, and I was accepted to UC Berkeley (if you want to know how I got accepted to Berkeley as an international student, let me know).
GOOD LUCK to all applicants! You have all worked extremely hard and should be proud of your accomplishments no matter where you end up. By the way, I have no idea where I want to go yet. But I’m currently debating between Queen’s, Western, and the U.S. If you have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to comment! 
- Karyn D.