More pre-program!

Last week was another full week of pre-program classes: Spreadsheet Modeling (an extension of the first Spreadsheet Modeling class) and Foundations of Accounting. I enjoyed Spreadsheet Modeling – as I said before, a class in MS Excel always offers the opportunity to learn something new.

But Foundations of Accounting! I express similar sentiments to fellow Rotman blogger Haider Nawab in that I never thought I’d hear myself say, “Hey, accounting is pretty cool!” We learned about the different financial statements and put our double-entry accounting convention skills to the test. But our professor, Dragan Stojanovic, also made us contemplate WHY we account for things the way we do: why office supplies are considered a business expense and not capitalized on the balance sheet; do you express the social network of a company’s CEO as an asset; and how do you value the company’s buildings? I enjoyed discussing these issues with my classmates and thought Dragan did a superb job of engaging the students.

And now, for my very first piece of advice to prospective students: If you have the opportunity, take ALL the pre-program classes. I opted out of some of the math and finance courses because I had done well on the self-assessments, but I am fully regretting not signing up for them anyway. Why? Because even if you are a business whiz and think you wouldn’t learn anything new (but you probably would!), the connections and friendships you will make before classes even begin are invaluable!  

I also met my official second-year buddy, Su, for lunch at a sushi restaurant close to campus. Last February I met several other second-year students when I sat in on a couple classes to get a feel for the classroom experience, and they have been present at the various social events organized by the GBC (Graduate Business Council). They have made us first-year students feel so welcome and have given us lots of valuable advice which will undoubtedly help us in our upcoming two-year journey.

I'm looking forward to hanging out with my new friends at Rotman!