LIVE Conference w/ Jessica Orellana!

As a management student, we are exposed to numerous events from MESA, but among all, the LIVE Conference is one that requires the most work and needs the most allocated time, but it is also among the finest executed events the University of Toronto Scarborough has to offer. The LIVE executives--whom are a subsidiary team to MESA--put forth a great deal of effort in bringing the LIVE Conferences to life each year.

LIVE Conference is a two-day national business conference hosted by the University of Toronto Scarborough. Held in downtown Toronto, LIVE brings together the brightest and most ambitious undergraduate business students from across Canada. A significant component of the conference is an intense competition spanning all major areas of business, which challenges delegates to apply their knowledge in a real world simulated business environment. 

Jessica Orellana, the curriculum manager for the 2012 LIVE Conference, was pleased with how the event turned out and was more than happy to answer a few questions on behalf of the hard-working 2012 LIVE Conference team. Here's what she had to say!

      1.  As a LIVE executive, how do you feel the event turned out?

Being a past Delegate, I was very anxious to see how the conference played out now that I was an executive; it was beyond my expectations. Delegates and supporters our conference gave us great feedback. I had many people tell me how unique our curriculum was, how much fun they had at the socials and how happy they were to take time off school to experience LIVE. It was specifically during the end of curriculum that I saw how proud everyone was for having completed two days of conference. I knew then, we had done a great job.

2.  How was this LIVE event different from past ones? 

This LIVE Conference is different because of the diversity in our team. Coming from a business program, it is sometimes hard to find different mindsets contributing to an innovative project. However, many new ideas came to play; some of these included new telecommunications rounds, a new Corporate Connections set-up and seating arrangements for more delegate interactions. These contributions from our team definitely made LIVE 2012 different than previous year’s conferences.

3.  What is/was your favorite part about LIVE?

From a curriculum perspective, my favorite part was interacting with the delegates. I loved seeing how entrepreneurial and strategic the delegates were. Every time I was asked questions during curriculum was not only guidance to them but a learning opportunity for me.  I would say it is definitely the 150 delegates that makes LIVE come to life!

4.  Why should students attend LIVE 2013?

Students should attend LIVE 2013 because the conference gets better by the year. Each year a new team comes with new ideas and the previous teams come in to support them; it is combination of innovation and experience. From the curriculum to networking and social opportunities, this experience is a must-do at least once during a student’s university career. I strongly encourage people to experience LIVE 2013; they will not regret it!

For more information about LIVE 2012, or a place to keep updated for what is in store for LIVE 2013, click here. 

  

Jessica Orellana

MESA Target 4.0!

Listen up fellow students! Earlier this semester, the Communication Executives at MESA, asked management-related professors about how to achieve in their respective courses. While studying a lot is commendable, and shows great dedication to your academics, studying smart is what sometimes differentiates an outstanding student from an average student. Professors often have their own helpful strategies that students can follow in order to achieve high marks and an excellent understanding in courses. I strongly encourage students, especially those in their first year, to head over to the MESA website and check out their blog. You will find useful, rresourceful and even entertaining information, including the full-length interviews in the Target 4.0 series. While the articles in their entirety can be found at www.mesa.ca, below are samples from 3/6 professors.

Professor Quan Fun - Financial Accounting / MGTB05/06 

Biggest tips for student success in the course:

1. Stay on top of the weekly course reading materials
2. Attempt as many class discussion problems before the lecture
3. Participate in all class discussions
4. Attend the optional tutorial sessions
5. Reach out to your instructor in a timely manner if you require further explanation or clarification of any problems or concepts.

Professor McConkey - Management / MGTA03/04

Q. What are some common mistakes that some students make when taking this course?

A. Many don’t come to class or to study group time. Those that do are better able to apply the material of the text. Reading the text only once is not enough either – there are too many lists of things that end up seeming really similar during an exam.

Professor Grinnell - Mathematics / MATA32/33 

Q. What are some common mistakes that some students make when taking this course?

Professor Grinnell listed 6 common mistakes, in order of severity. Below is the top issue and the last issue students sometimes have:

1. Not knowing enough of the course, which is almost always caused by the double threat of not enough consistent serious studying and too much procrastination.  Statistics have shown that the very best students in MATA32 and MATA33 study those courses seriously every day and they make those courses a priority in their daily schedule.

6. Not getting enough (free!) extra help from tutors and the course instructors.  Students think that their TAs and profs will think that their questions are dumb, or that they should know better.  The same students could not be more wrong!  Profs and TAs are extremely willing to help their students and they really can help!

Elmaan Masood

Say Your Peice! Become a Blogger.

Do you have something interesting to share with your fellow management students? Are you interested in writing for the Department of Management? Do you have an article, website, video, audio podcast or simply a special topic in mind that management students would benefit from reading?

The Department wants to hear from you! We are currently looking for new student bloggers! It could be one idea or it could be many ideas, you could share one or you can share all. All blog posts will be written by management students and for management students.

For more information, please contact Cornell Jones, the Communications Coordinator, at cornell.jones@mail.utoronto.ca or Sheri Browne, the Co-Curricular Coordinator at sbrowne@utsc.utoronto.ca  with the following information:

1. Full Name 
2. Student Number
3. Program of Study 
4. Email and Telephone Number 
5. Along with one of the following for consideration to be posted: A written ranging from 50 – 400 words or an Audio/Video! 

Sheri Browne

Awesome! A bird course.

As a newcomer to UTSC, there were several terms and abbreviations that seem like a foreign language, at times. For instance, where and what is the UofT blackboard? Or where is the ARC? Of course it didn't take me long to realize that the Blackboard is a place to view our course content and that the ARC was unfortunately not a boat but simply an acronym for the Academic Resource Center.

But something that fluttered around, especially near the course selection periods, was the infamous term; bird course. I had heard the term before in high school, so I assumed that a bird course represented one that is supposedly "easy" in nature. I learned that to some extent this was true. Naturally, some UTSC courses are easier than others, but what is the criteria and how do we measure this supposed "easiness" That is the question. As a first year student, it is important to select electives carefully. What is easy for one student might not be easy for someone else. Where one student might excel in courses that require extensive memorization and an abundance of writing, might struggle more in a technical or science course that requires a significant amount of problem solving or mathematics.

All in all, it is sometimes unwise to chose an elective course because it has been branded "a bird" course, but chose an elective that interests you. This is especially important for Management students as the BBA has lengthy list of compulsories, choosing electives should be a delicate process. You might even find a new calling in the process! 

Cornell Jones