BY: EVAN KULA

On November 30th, PBSN and CIBC partnered up to bring you the Case Competition of the year! With almost 200 competitors from First and Second year, it was one of the largest case competitions held on campus. 

Note from the event organizers

Hi everyone! We are excited to announce the success of our Catalyze Case Competition with over 160 participants in both first- and second-year divisions! This year, we hosted the event alongside our title sponsors CIBC, where students competed for summer internship interviews for any role at CIBC, alongside over $1000 in cash prizes. We were particularly proud to see all the incredible presentations generated over the span of three hours from teams in both the first-year division which featured a written case and a second-year division which featured Canada’s first-ever undergraduate LIVE case. The Development portfolio would like to thank our sponsors, HBA judges, and all of the participants for joining us last weekend for the case competition, panel, and reception, and we look forward to seeing everyone at future events! Thank you,
Vishal and Sajin

We’ve gone ahead and interviewed past winners and finalists from the previous PBSN case competitions. Here’s the final collection of the finest tips for all of your case competition needs!

1. Storyboard

When presenting a slideshow to a panel of judges a presentation must be relatable and captivating. The best way to obtain both of these goals is to create your own story. The concept of storyboarding involves starting your presentation with a relatable piece that makes the solution that you’re about to present relevant, and then making sure to continuously stick to this story throughout the presentation!

Take this example of presenting to a children’s toy company: Show a photo of a child and tell the judges to imagine this to be their child and explain how your presentation and product will directly influence that child. This brings a more personable factor into your presentation and makes for a more realistic pitch.

2. Have prepared slide deck

Many case competitions will actually let you bring in pre-made slide decks that will save you a TON of time on the creative finishes to your presentation. However, when creating your team’s deck make sure to make it general enough for any case competition. Examples of things to include in your deck could be an executive summary, implementation of the product and aesthetic animations!

3. Have a diverse skillset

Diversity is important anywhere in the business world. Different outlooks on topics can help approach a problem from unique angles and the same can be said for a case competition team! When looking for your team don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone and work with some un-likeminded people!

4. Read the room (before and during your presentation)

Whether it be your first or one hundredth case competition, chances are you will have a different panel of judges whom you are trying to impress. Cater to your audience! For example, if your judges are nodding off, pick up the energy! If you notice confused faces after presenting one of your solutions, pivot quickly to another topic. Also, understand that presenting to an external consultant will be much different than presenting to a CEO. The biggest thing to keep in mind is to show that you are professional, compelling and persuasive. Every team member has an image to manage and impressions go a long way!

5. Have ideas that are feasible and unique

It’s not always about “ticking off all the boxes” in a conventional manner, but rather the fact that sometimes straying away and providing a unique solution is what ends up having a greater impact. Everyone will follow the basic framework to an extent, but it’s how a team can think “outside the box” and strike that balance between creativity and framework that will really determine how impactful their overall pitch ends up being.

6. Budget more time then you think to make your presentation look good

Picture this: you have the perfect solution to the case presented. You and your team are confident presenters BUT you ran out of time making your presentation visually appealing! Don’t let this common mishap happen to you. Devote enough time to making your presentation easy to follow and engaging for your judges.

7. Divide work based on aspects of the case 

After you’ve come up with a diverse team will an array of skillsets, put them to work! Make sure you distribute the different components of the case and your solution equally among your group members to maximize your efficiency. An example of this could be splitting the content up to marketing, presentation, product and market structure.

On a side note, be sure to try changing it up every once in a while and take on a different role. You never know what you’ll enjoy and maybe a hidden talent could be uncovered!

8. Be open and accepting

Confidence is key when presenting, but avoid being over-confident to the point of believing your solution is flawless. Sound like you are presenting a leading solution but be honest with your idea and the judges. Be realistic and understand that no solution can be perfect in a day. Failing to do so can come off as defensive and give judges the impression that your explanation is too good to be true!

9. Be genuine, confident, and bold!

Be confident and natural while you’re presenting. Also, the passion that you show for your idea is obvious to your judges gives a fantastic impression that your solution is something special. It’s always easy to be nervous when going into your presentation so trust that your team has your back and that all of the hard work you put in will pay off!

10. Work through small goals throughout the competition

Time management is one of the biggest factors in many case competitions. If you set goals and work towards checkpoints throughout the solution your progress will be much more structured and cohere with the organization of your presentation. Just remember to be flexible, adjustable and trust the process!

And that’s all folks! Make sure to keep up to date on Facebook and Instagram for updates on future case competitions and events!

BY: WALI AHMED 

As a university student, managing your money can get extremely overwhelming. Every year, we are bombarded with tuition fees, new textbooks to buy, rent payments, grocery costs, and several other purchases. It’s a shame that personal finance isn’t a course in high school, or we’d all be a lot better off financially. Luckily, I have compiled a list of 5 tips that you can implement right now to start building your wealth and be financially free!

One of the most important things to understand about your money is where it is going. The main reason you’re going to want to do this is to identify your spending habits. Do you spend a lot of money on food? Is shopping an issue? Too many Amazon orders? The answers to all these questions come up when you track your spending. If you don’t know where your money is going, you won’t know which habits to change to minimize your spending. Small purchases can eat up your money if you’re not careful about how often you spend on them. But don’t you worry! Tracking your spending is easier than ever with the Wally app. Wally allows you to connect every bank account you have and track spending on the go. This app helps you understand your finances like no other with its ability to track expenses automatically and categorize each transaction in real-time. I highly recommend this app to get on top of your spending.

Making sure your finances are organized with a budget is essential to your financial success. By creating a spending plan (budget), you can determine in advance whether you have enough money for the things you want and need. A budget allows you to outline your spending priorities and allocate enough money to your needs, wants, and savings. A standard methodology for budgeting is the 50-30-20 rule. It’s a simple rule popularized by Elizabeth Warren that states 50% of after-tax income should go directly to financial needs/obligations, 30% towards things you want, and finally 20% to savings. Your needs are bills that you must pay and other items necessary to survive. Some examples are rent, groceries, and insurance. Your wants consist of everything non-essential to your life. These include dinners, movies, Netflix subscriptions, etc. By recognizing what your needs and wants are, you’ll find creating a personal budget much more manageable. A great app to help you with your budgeting tasks is Mint. Mint helps you take charge of your finances with their online budget planner. This app brings together all your accounts to easily create budgets while also making personalized suggestions based on your spending. Using Mint will help you effortlessly manage your needs and wants in one place.

The terms “saving” and “investing” are often used interchangeably, but what you choose to do lies within your overall financial goals. Saving is putting away money away right now for future emergencies or purchases. This money should be able to be accessed quickly, easily, and with little to no risk. On the other hand, investing is buying into mutual funds, bonds, stocks, and other assets that are expected to make money for you. The key to both saving and investing is starting EARLY. As a young adult, you have the benefit of time being on your side. This is where the exponential growth of compound interest comes into play. Consider this example: if you invested $100 every month at 20 years old at an annualized interest rate of 5%, your investment would be worth $148,252.48 at age 60. That’s $100,252.46 of PURE INTEREST. However, if you started just ten years later, your investment would only be worth a measly $81,537.59. Almost a 70-thousand-dollar difference! This just goes to show that the earlier you start, the better off you’ll be in the future. Hence the name, Wealthsimple has made saving and investing accessible for everyone. Wealthsimple allows you to invest on autopilot with automatic deposits, dividend re-investing, and rebalance portfolios. With only a 0.5% management fee, Wealthsimple takes care of all your investing activities.

Once you turn 18, your bank reaches out to you with an endless variety of credit cards. However, if you aren’t careful with how you use them, you could end up in a horrible, never-ending financial situation. Think of a credit card as a loan you take on every month. It comes with a monthly bill that you must pay off and carries a balance that accrues interest if you make less than the full payment for that month. Using credit cards with caution is extremely important as they can make or break your financial future. Whenever you make a credit card payment, you are building your credit score. A credit score is a number that represents the risk a lender is taking when you borrow money. The higher the credit score, the lower the risk. A good credit score (700+) is essential to have because it shows banks that you can repay debts on time. This will ultimately help you qualify for mortgage loans when you want to buy a house.

If you’re going to build your credit score, make sure to follow these three core tips: 

1. Pay credit card bills on time

2. Pay the full amount on the bill

3. Don’t spend more than you have

After you’ve followed these tips for a few months, sign up for a 30-day free trial with Equifax to check your credit score. If you’re using Mint, you also have the option for free credit score checks.

Financial goals, in a nutshell, are the personal objectives you set for how you save and spend money. Do you want to pay off your student debt? Save for retirement? Go on vacation? Well, all these objectives require feasible spending and savings plans to be achieved. By setting financial goals, your behaviour and spending habits are influenced because of that goal. Say you’re looking to go on a mini-vacation. You may cut back on eating out to reach this personal objective of yours. Overall, financial goals are imperative to set because they help guide you in your path to achieve monetary success.

A 3-step process to set the perfect financial goal is as follows:

1.  Figure out what’s important to you

Ask yourself these questions: What are your goals for the future? Are they short, medium, or long-term goals? What goal takes priority?

2. Create a realistic budget

Figure out the costs of your goal and how much money you can put away each month to achieve it.

3. Check on your progress

Once you’ve identified your financial goal and created a plan for it, you want to make sure you’re staying on track.

At a glance, managing your money may look like a daring task. However, all it takes is 2-3 apps on your phone, along with building a few habits to steer yourself towards financial success. If you implement these five tips, your personal finance efforts today will pay dividends down the line – literally. Good luck and happy saving!

Preparing Your First Stock Pitch

My first stock pitch was rough. My comparable companies analysis was a paragraph “comparing” companies, the discounted cash flow was missing multiple components, and the first question I got asked was “You’re in first year right?” Whether this is the first time you have thought about stocks or you’re the person who has been to every Western Investment Club (WIC) meeting since September, putting together your first stock pitch is going to be challenging.

I started by searching for stock pitch guides, reading over the pitches posted to WIC’s website (which you should check out), and still felt overwhelmed. If you feel like you are in a similar boat, this guide is for you. It was written with the help of HBA’s and WIC’s executive team to help students make their first stock pitch. As a result, this guide focuses on the bigger picture and spends less time on technical concepts. Keep in mind that your stock pitch doesn’t necessarily have to follow the same order as this guide.

What goes into a stock pitch?

Before starting a stock pitch it’s a good idea to understand what you are going to be putting together and why you are doing it. Keep in mind that most competitions emphasize value investing. You want to show the judges you have found a high quality company at a reasonable price.

As you read through this guide I recommend opening one of WIC’s pitches as an example of what a full stock pitch might look like. You can find examples at this link under “buy/sell presentations”: https://www.westerninvestmentclub.ca/resources

Company Overview

The company overview is how you start your pitch and should answer the question: “What does this company do?” You should cover core operations which often includes explaining where the company operates, what product/service it offers, and key financial metrics like revenue, costs, and profit.

At the end of a company overview someone who has never heard of your company before should be able to understand–at a high level–what it does.

Internal Analysis

Internal analysis is your chance to start diving into the parts of the business that make it strong. Maybe it sells a unique product, has a monopoly in a niche sector, or a strong supply chain that keeps costs low. You could also focus on recent business developments or explain how the company has evolved over time.

Through your research, you want to show a strong understanding of this business, and more importantly, that there are good reasons it could be worth buying. Keep in mind, before getting to valuation, this part of your pitch should focus on explaining why this is a good company.

A lot of the internal analysis is started for you in a companies annual fillings where they discuss the most important parts of their business. One of the best ways to develop a strong understanding of your business is by reading through their 10-K. To find a 10-K, you can search “Company name, investor relations” or go to a website called BamSEC where most US companies fillings can be found.

External Analysis

By now, the judges know what your company does and what makes its business model strong. The next question you need to address is how they fit into the broader competitive landscape. Two things that are almost always relevant are competitors and the global business environment. A few questions you could ask yourself when creating this part of the pitch include:

• Who are their competitors and what do they do?
• Why should I buy this company and not their competitors?
• What is this businesses market shares?
• What trends will affect my company’s business?
• Some trends to consider include: seasonality, if the market is growing, how social trends (i.e health conscious eating) affect demand for their product, or risk due to ongoing trade disputes?

There are lots of ways to look at external analysis and it is up to you to think about what is relevant to your business. For example, if you are pitching a car maker the judges might expect you to talk about the shift towards electric vehicles and the effect of tightening emissions regulations. If you are pitching a retail business, you might want to look at mall traffic and consumer preferences.

Investment Thesis

Your investment theses should build on your understanding of the company to explain why it is undervalued. While the theses should always be specific to your company, some common reasons you might think a stock is undervalued are strong growth opportunities (that the market has missed) or an overreaction to recent news. Generally, pitches have 2-3 theses backed up by both qualitative understanding and quantitative research. One thing to keep in mind is that each thesis should move beyond explaining why this is a good business, and focus instead on why it is a good investment. There is no one way to go about structuring a thesis, and your theses are also one of the most important parts of your pitch, so you should spend a good portion of your time developing them.

Valuation

Value investing is not just about finding good companies, but buying those companies at a reasonable price. Valuation can be used to show that the company is trading at a low price relative to its quality and is often split into intrinsic and extrinsic valuation.

Intrinsic valuation is concerned with valuing the company based on its own ability to be profitable. You typically do this with a Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. If this company can generate strong returns for investors simply because it is very profitable, that could be a good investment. You can read more about DCF’s here: https://macabacus.com/valuation/dcf/overview

Extrinsic valuation is concerned with showing this company is cheaper than its competitors. It is typically done with Comparable Companies Analysis (CCA). Value investors believe in the Law of One Price, meaning that similar companies of similar quality will eventually trade at the same price – there is no reason to pay any more for one than the other. If you can show that your company has a better business model and is cheaper than its competitors, that would make a good investment.

Risks and Mitigations

Every investment has risks. You should identify the key risks to this companies performance and then explain what the company is doing to mitigate that risk (not eliminate it completely, or it wouldn’t be a risk). Judges understand that every business has risks and would rather see someone who has thoroughly considered them than a team that ignores them.

Companies have sections in their reports dedicated to identifying the risks to their business and that is always a good place to start finding risks. You should also consider risks to your theses. For example, if you think the stock could appreciate because of strong sales associated with a captive customer base, you could explore the risks related to these customers leaving.

Catalysts

There is one question left to answer, and in my experience, it is one of the most challenging parts of putting together a good pitch. At the end of the day, finding good catalysts will require you to answer the question:

“What is the market missing?”

Catalysts are things that will send the stock moving up and “confirm your thesis”. They are often broken up into short, medium, and long term catalysts.

Keep in mind that every professional manager has read the same financial statements as you, conducted similar analysis, and built similar models. Even if you believe that the company will expand, that expansion may already be factored into the stock price. When thinking about catalysts, you should also be able to show that they aren’t already reflected in the current price and understand why the market hasn’t come to the same conclusion as you. Catalysts should answer the question: “What events would lead the rest of the market to agree with my thesis?”

Slides, Slides, and More Slides

When I made my first pitch, I completely underestimated how long it takes to make a solid slide deck. There is no one way to go about it, so this guide will cover some principles I recommend thinking about.

• Make a master slide deck (this will save you a lot of time)
• Figure out what your pitch will look like before putting your thoughts into slide form
• Ensure each slide is consistent (font and size are the same, title is in the same location, the deck has a “theme” and looks well planned)
• Plan to spend at least a few hours making your slides

Practise Makes Perfect

During my first pitch our team had our first practise the morning of the presentation, realized our pitch was 10 minutes too long, panicked, and didn’t do so well.

You should plan to spend at least a few days practising and refining your pitch. Almost every team I have met starts off with presentations much longer than the (often) 10 minute limit you have. It can be challenging to cover a few days worth of research in just 10 minutes!

As you practise it can also be helpful to get others feedback. Did your company overview make sense? Did the external analysis cover the trends others think are relevant? Was your thesis convincing? Were the catalysts believable? Having a fresh set of eyes review your pitch is never a bad idea.

Once you and your partner(s) are comfortable with the content, have the timing figured out, and finished polishing your slide deck, you are ready for competition day!

Competition Day

Stock pitches can be intimidating, you’re going to see upper years who seem to have their entire careers figured out, and “finance hardos” who you have seen answer questions at every club meeting. Knowing who both the judges and the competition are can be a nerve wracking experience – it’s a feeling I have at every stock pitch.

Just keep in mind that you put a lot of effort into your research, learned a lot during the process, and that everyone else is only there to learn. Results can be incredibly unpredictable. I have seen pitches win at one competition, then get refined at reused at the next only to go completely unrecognized. Every judge brings in their own personal philosophy and whether you place or not says nothing about your ability to become a great investor.

BY SUNNY WANG

It begins each year as a slow buzz; an incremental rise in excitement towards new ideas, new faces, and a brand new PBSN leadership team. As a student, the month of March is notoriously packed with midterms, events, and competitions at Western and abroad. More than anything, it’s also a time of self-reflection ― for it is election season, after all.

A hallmark of PBSN’s leadership selection process, elections have long been the historical standard for selecting fresh faces to replace the outgoing President, VP Communications, VP Finance, and VP Operations. This year, we are excited to announce a slight change to this process! After months of careful consultation, PBSN will officially undergo an internal restructuring ― the first in over 6 years. A holistic overview can be found at this link.

What are the 2020-21 elected positions?

In the interest of improving PBSN’s internal functions, the portfolios of Operations and Finance have been reformed into Internal Operations and External Affairs. As the voice of PBSN’s members, Student Affairs will also shift into an elected position. And, of course ― the role of President will remain publicly elected. 

President

Description: Responsible for the vision and strategy of PBSN. As an elected representative, this student is responsible for managing the club at all levels.   

• Responsibilities: Club management, advisory board relations, sponsor relations.

Vice President of Internal Operations 

Description: Tasked with managing the internal face of PBSN. As an elected representative, this student represents members of PBSN, holds signing authority, and assumes the position of Chief Returning Officer in elections.

• Responsibilities: Room bookings, budgeting, reimbursements, culture, teambonding, diversity and inclusion, apparel, and internal metrics.

Vice President of External Affairs 

Description: Responsible for the external side of PBSN. As an elected representative, this student is responsible for the club’s diverse partners and growth strategy.

• Responsibilities: Alumni socials, advisory board management, USC relations, sponsor relations, Pre-Ivey Conference, intercollegiate event strategy, event metrics.

Vice President of Student Affairs 

Description: Tasked with serving PBSN’s general members. As an elected representative, this student is responsible for overseeing PBSN’s human relations and perspectives by facilitating relationships, mentorship, and media content.

• Responsibilities: Summer Dinners, Fall Social, Members’ Network, IMPACT Series.

Why restructuring? 

Brian: It’s easy to stick to the status quo (go wildcats), but we cannot be afraid of change. While PBSN is one of the biggest business clubs on campus, there are always improvements to be had. A critical look at our current structure revealed organizational inefficiencies and workload inequalities between portfolios. By restructuring, PBSN will have the capacity to improve the member experience through interactive opportunities for growth. I am beyond excited to see how the changes will affect the future of PBSN!

Sunny: As an organization with such a rich history, it can be hard to make the first move towards shaking up the status quo. PBSN’s portfolios, the events that we run ― all of it is rooted in the work that has been put in by generations of PBSN alumni. However, one of the first things that we are reminded of is our responsibility to the club. To deeply care for something is also to have faith in change; especially if it can improve things for the better. I believe in all of the careful adjustments that we have made, and I’m so excited to meet the future faces of PBSN.

Why should I get involved with PBSN? 

Sonya: One of the main reasons I decided to go to Western was because of the 2+2 structure, I loved the fact that I would have the freedom to explore my interests outside of business. However, this also means that many first and second years feel disconnected from the business community at Western. That’s why I decided to join PBSN! Whether you’re a member, an exec, or a VP, it’s an amazing way to meet other students interested in business.

Glen: PBSN was a key component of my first year experience ― I immensely benefited from the events, programs, friends and mentors. While considering if I was to continue with PBSN, chief on my mind was finding a means to give back to the community. I think this is why a lot of PBSN alumni are still actively involved in the organization. If you are considering returning to PBSN next year in whatever role, I would definitely go for it, it’s a great community to be part of! 

Where can I find more information about elections?

Check out our Facebook Page for updates on deadlines and campaign rules! A link to applications will also be made available on our website. For any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact Brian at brian.chang@pbsn.ca or Sunny at sunny.wang@pbsn.ca. Best of luck, and we look forward to your applications!  

With the last few months of your high-school classes being online and learning to navigate the virtual environment, the time has finally come to begin planning your courses for the next chapter of your life. The announcement of Western’s classes following a blended model – a mix of face-to face and online instruction, will allow you to retain the social aspects of learning that can be more difficult to replicate in an online environment.

Course selection is the most pivotal step for setting yourself up for success during the upcoming semester. This can be an intimidating process, and you might not know where to begin, but we’ve got you covered! Our PBSN team is ready to shed some light on our personal favourite courses and share a few resources that will help you get started with this process.

On June 6th, you had the opportunity to begin enrolling in courses. However, this does not mean you’re not “locking in” your courses on that day – you will be able to switch/swap course, given that there is still space in the class, right up until classes begin!

To help you get started, the PBSN VP team has compiled a list of our favourite first-year courses!

Favourite Course: Going into first year I thought I had a pretty good understanding of what courses I’d like and what courses I might not, and honestly I was wrong about practically everything; however, one course that stood out was PoliSci 1020. Throughout the year I had mixed feelings about it: It had essays which I didn’t like, but the topics covered in tutorials were super interesting, the profs were great, and throughout the course I could see how much I had improved and learned, more so than any other course I took. Going to class was engaging and fun, I got to practice structuring debates and looking at complicated multi-faceted problems in easy to manage chunks, and I did pretty well in the course which did not hurt. While the lectures were strong, and the professors did a great job keeping it fun while also covering timely issues and concepts, the tutorials were my favourite part because of how deep the discussions would go and how engaged people were in the content. Whether it is this course or another, find something that challenges your thinking in a way different to what you are used to and helps you build important skills

Favourite Course: No other Western course compares to the amount of personal development, business acumen and classroom environment that you’ll find in Business 1220. Coming into university, I was shy, afraid to fail, and lacked both the knowledge and charisma of a typical business student. Although I wasn’t going to be a star student in 1220, I knew that it was the challenge I needed to push my comfort-zone and learn essential soft and hard skills— and a challenge it was. But, a rewarding one. In 1220, you’re exposed to a highly dynamic and approachable learning environment that involves real-life business problems. You and your classmates are challenged to formulate, defend and deconstruct ideas utilizing your own critical thinking and communication skills. You learn to ask quality questions, share your opinion and deeply engage with the course material in real-time; this is something unique to the Ivey case-based method— something you’ll come to fall in love with. Despite any initial reservations, by immersing yourself in the classroom experience, getting to know your classmates and solving real business issues, 1220 offers an experience like no other, with a professor that actually knows your name.

Favourite Course: If it weren’t for History 1807 (History of Business), I would not have found my passion to pursue studying history. The course content was intellectually stimulating and lecturers would cater the syllabus to challenge each student to think critically about the reasons things are the way they are. Our professor started from the beginning of economic systems and guided us to what we know of business today, I never felt that I was just digesting dry content. Some cool topics that we touched included; human psyche, the Great Depression and the 2008 Financial Crisis. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone that’s just always curious!

Favourite Course: Taking Business 1220 was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life. Its unique and dynamic case-based method allows students to reach outside of their comfort zone and hear a diverse array of opinions and perspectives all in a classroom setting. Each class consists of approximately 70 students, which gives you the opportunity to form long-lasting relationships and strong bonds with your peers and Ivey professor.  This course gives you a good grasp of business fundamentals, covering five key areas: finance, marketing, operations, organizational behaviour, and general management. The Ivey case-method provides students with the opportunity to take on the role of a decision-maker and solve pressing real-world challenges for various businesses. This style of learning really pushes you to think critically, and problem solve, as no two cases are ever the same. My one piece of advice would be to keep up with all the cases and make sure you are actively contributing in class. Honestly speaking, it is a challenging course, with 4-hour case-based examinations, however, I do believe that it teaches you an incredible amount about business and is an experience that will help you grow as a person. I would highly recommend taking this course and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Favourite Course: Psych 1000 is, hands down, the most interesting course I took in first year. It pairs nicely with my philosophy that you’ll inevitably find a way to do well in the courses you’re genuinely interested in. As a MOS student, I found that there were several times throughout the year where the courses I took kind of “blended” together –– like simultaneously learning the same topic in MOS Finance, Business 1220, and Microeconomics. However, psych offered a break from this “business” bubble by exploring more scientific topics from the anatomy of the human brain to the effects of COVID-19 on mental health. Not to mention, having Dr. Mike as a prof was one of the most rewarding experiences on campus. My advice to students taking this class is to keep an open mind. Psychology applies to so many facets of business –– from organizational behaviour to creative design. And although the course structure may be a bit different next year, I promise that you’ll find the content as enjoyable. Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions!

Favourite Course: Coming out of high school, I had very little coding experience and didn’t know what to expect when I decided to major in Computer Science. Fortunately, the first-year Computer Science courses offered at Western start by teaching you the fundamentals of a language. My favourite first-year course would be CS1027, as this course has helped foster my love to code, design products, and solve problems! As a hands-on learner, the projects assigned in CS1027 gave me an abundance of practical experience in grasping the fundamentals of Java, data structures, and object-oriented design principles. It’s no secret that the nature of Computer Science and debugging code can provoke frustration and sometimes tears – every programmer has been there! To ace this course, one of my tips would be to start early; you don’t know what errors are going to appear and how long it’s going to take you to debug. My second tip is to learn how to use your IDE’s debugger; this tool works magic when finding logic errors. My final tip is to find a friend to code your projects with! It’s a lot more fun and less stressful to have company coding at 3am. If you have any questions about Computer Science or need any resources, feel free to reach out to me!

Favourite Course: My most enjoyable first-year course was CS1026 (taught by Steven Beauchemin) because of its real-world applicability. Coming into university, I was conflicted about whether I should pursue computer science or not. One of the best decisions I made was taking 1026. The course consists of a mix of assignments, labs, and exams, allowing you to gain a fundamental understanding of the Python language. As someone who prefers learning by doing, the assignments gave me the opportunity to solve problems through code. Even if you aren’t particularly interested in computer science per say, I would still recommend this course because it teaches you to think in different ways—to tackle a problem by deconstructing it into smaller sub-tasks. My only word of advice would be to find a group of friends to bounce ideas off of when working on projects and assignments. Try to first approach the task at hand independently prior to consulting others. It makes the process much less stressful while also ensuring that you’re building critical skills in the process (which will be of benefit for the final exam). Don’t hesitate to message me if you have any questions!

Favourite Course:  One of the favourite courses in first-year was HS1002, as I found it provided a great fundamental understanding of different social determinants of health in Canada and in other countries around the world. I’ve always been interested in different public health issues, but I found a lot of the topics I gravitated towards were very specific, so I hadn’t developed a holistic view of the field. This course is great in the sense that it covers a myriad of different issues (ie. healthcare systems, environmental health, colonialism), their respective health outcomes, and simultaneously creates clear connections between all of the different determinants. The lectures were also very informative and easy to understand and they somehow made 8:30am class a little more tolerable. Another reason I enjoyed the course is that the testing points, 3 exams throughout the semester, were based more on understanding topics rather than intense memorization. Overall, the lectures are very applicable to health issues in everyday life and I would recommend it if you’re interested in the social aspects of healthcare!

Favourite Course: Contrary to what I would’ve thought at the beginning of the year, Anthro1020 became my favourite first-year course. It was an elective I chose to satisfy my breadth requirements and had nothing to do with my program or general interests. However, it was a beautifully refreshing course that allowed me to critically analyze modern ideas and concepts. Each of the four units provided a unique perspective on society, history, human evolution, and much more. We even had the opportunity to directly interact with human, pre-human, and primate skeletons, which was an odd, but a fun distraction from some of my other more “serious” classes. Therefore, I would highly recommend that everyone who needs a breadth requirement completed, or some excitement in their schedule, take this course. It allows you to examine some important societal beliefs (even if you don’t agree with the overall consensus of the class) and understand what it truly means to be “human.” Additionally, it is important to mention that evaluations are far from difficult and exceptional grades are definitely achievable (a HUGE bonus when you are taking courses like Calculus and Business 1220).

Favourite Course: As an IB Diploma graduate, I had the advantage of taking a 2000s course in my first year.  Geography 2144, taught by Wes Kinghorn, was arguably the best and my favourite course of the entire school year. Despite it being a 3-hour lecture, I found myself constantly engaged with the content I was learning, not just because the professor was extremely personable, but also because the course itself was logical, interactive, and relatable. An addicted Harry Potter fan and an avid traveler, I was captivated by the theories behind why “imaginary places” attract so many visitors worldwide. I learned about the different types of tourists, their stereotypes, and was even able to identify myself within these groups when I thought about my own experiences. This is what learning should be – taking in information and applying it to your own experiences so you are able to have a new and unique perspective. I did not have a “conventional first year course load”, and was even questioned by my peers who laughed at why I was taking such “random” courses. But when exam season rolled around, and I didn’t need to cram for a course I hated/only took because everyone else did, I knew I made the right decision for myself. Take courses you’re genuinely interested in, engage in discussions that help you see the world in a different light, challenge the status quo, and stay true to yourself. You only have four years – graduate knowing that you were not molded from a cookie cutter because that’s how you’ll stand out.

Favourite Course: My favourite course this year was MIT 1020, taught by John Reed. It was a very unique course in that you were not expected to memorize material, spit it back out in a multiple choice exam, and forget all the content two days later. This course focused on teaching broad media theory concepts, giving many relevant examples, and then giving you an assignment to apply these concepts into your life and write about it. I don’t think I have forgotten anything I’ve learned in this class because of the way it was taught. We learned how our technology shapes our actions and behaviours, the theory of signs and language, and the new world of surveillance capitalism. This class has changed the way I see the world in everything from Tiktok to Uber to super bowl commercials. This course was also taught in a very unique way. He would condense about 300 slides into 6 pages that you are expected to print out prior to class. Then, you are not supposed to have a computer in class and are instead, told to handwrite your notes in a Cornell style method. This really allows you to engage more with the course material.

Western’s Academic Calendar 2020

Draft My Schedule 

Enroll in Classes

Campus Map

Western Buildings 

Our last piece of advice is to enjoy the process – no matter what courses you end up choosing, we can guarantee that you will come out of it learning something new and still make the most out of your first-year experience. Take risks! Don’t shy away from enrolling in unconventional or challenging courses, you may even love that course by the end of it! 

All of the PBSN VP team is here to help you! If you have any questions about course selection, or Western in general, please feel free to reach out. Happy planning!

BY: CATHERINE ZHANG

Staying organized in an online environment can be challenging. With deadlines and due dates constantly being thrown at you, it’s important to practice time-management skills to stay on schedule with your classes. I’ve gathered a few different organizational/study methods based on different platforms and programs that have been proven to boost efficiency and concentration.

• Write, write, write! I’ve found that the physical act of writing down your tasks and being able to see it checked off not only gives a sense of satisfaction, but also allows you to stay on track and focus on the task at hand. This method may be slightly old fashioned, but it produces consistent results.
• Pomodoro technique: set a timer for 25 minutes, and until the alarm goes off, work on your task. Then set another timer for 5 minutes where you can take a quick study break and relax. Allowing yourself to take breaks betters your ability to pace your productivity and prevents burnouts. 
• Zoom: While Zoom is great for lecture style classes, it can be very hard to pay attention given the lack of interactive features. Just the simple action of turning on your camera has been proven to increase attention span. By knowing that others can see whether or not you are paying attention is a key motivator in staying focused in class.

• Being in the same zoom lecture as 100 other first-years can make it difficult to be able to have all of your questions answered. I highly recommend reaching out to TAs to clarify any questions that you have and attend office hours held by your prof (specific Zoom office hours can be found under the OWL sites for each course)! They are there to help you through your studying, so you don’t feel like you are burdening them!

Productivity apps can completely change your note-taking game. These apps can help in holding yourself accountable when completing assignments on time and paying attention in class. Here’s a list of some of PBSN’s favourite ones! *note: all app titles are conveniently hyperlinked for you so you don’t need to spend time searching for the correct download link

Notion (online and downloadable app): A popular option for staff and students alike, Notion offers a wide variety of productivity tools. From tasks list to bucket list, there are plenty of templates to choose from to organize your day.

Momentum (chrome extension): This is one of my personal favourites. With all of my courses being online, chrome has become my most frequented application. Momentum is a start page that transforms a new tab page into a focused, productive, and inspiring dashboard.

One Note: A classic option for Microsoft application users, one note allows users to seamlessly switch between their mobile and desktop devices when writing notes. Using a Microsoft login, you can save your notes on the cloud and access them whenever and wherever. You also have the ability to organize your notes based on section, which can be extremely useful in organizing notes for each class.

Slack: Slack is a team communication software that offers  features such as chat rooms organized by topic, private groups, discussion threads and direct messaging. It’s great for staying connected to your team and the discussion channel feature keeps your inbox clutter free!

Forest: Can’t stop scrolling? Keep off your phone with Forest, and unleash your productivity! Forest is a mobile app that aims to eliminate distractions and increase efficiency through the simple act of planting a tree. If you commit to your task without getting distracted (i.e. go on your phone), your tree grows; if you cannot resist the temptation to use your phone, your tree dies.

Google Calendar: As a staple to an organized work week, Google Calendar is a platform that allows you to manage all your meetings and tasks in one. All you have to do is sign in with a google account and start scheduling away! With features like task list checkboxes and multiple calendar sections, it’s never been easier to declutter your agenda!

Morning Brew: Morning Brew delivers all the need-to-know and some of the fun-to-know business news straight to your inbox every morning. It’s the only newsletter where you’ll see Federal Reserve policy, Spotify streams, IPOs, and Shaquille O’Neal all in a single email. It’s a great way to stay up to date with current news and events! 

With tight restrictive measures still in place, this is a challenging time to meet and socialize with new people. Thankfully, there are plenty of resources available to help us stay connected to our friends and also connect with mentors during these times.

I’ve found that the best way to reach out to older year students is as follows:

1. Set a goal for the type of person that you would like to meet, whether that may be a club exec, someone who is working in the industry that you are interested in, or even just someone in your program!
2. Draft a quick introductory note introducing yourself and your program, and express interest in connecting with them to learn more about their experiences (message example down below)
3. Send your message through Facebook Messenger, LinkedIn, or email!

I reached out to current and former PBSN presidents Logan Kieller and Danilla Xing to learn more about how they stay organized in an all-online environment and any tips they have on reaching out to older students for help/advice!

How do you stay organized in a completely virtual environment? 

Something I’ve always used is an app called fantastical which is a great calendar / productivity app. I use it to track all my activities and time block out my days. On top of that I heavily use a whiteboard in my room and I have a wall for post-it notes to track and manage any tasks. All of this is really important with online school because tracking all 50 things due each week really adds up.

Any tips for first year students on reaching out to upper years?

My biggest piece of advice is to just start sending messages and understand that everyone is happy to give back. Now as a second year, I love being able to support first year students as they navigate through their experiences. Western has a huge culture of paying it forward so take advantage of that network.

What’s one thing you do to stay organized in the all-online environment?

Working in an organized and clean digital environment is very important to me, which is why I strive to make time to do a digital declutter every once in a while. We’re all spending so much time on our computers, so cleaning up your desktop using some folders or other systems can go a long way.

How do you keep yourself accountable in completing course work and paying attention in class?

 Taking care of my health and the basic habits like sleep, hydration, and exercise is really what keeps me attentive in class. It’s great to have a whole range of strategies, but from my experience, if the basics aren’t in order, it’s hard to do anything productively. I strongly believe that when the foundation is there (i.e. your physical and mental health), everything gets done faster and it becomes more enjoyable!

Hopefully these tips and app recommendations will help you stay more organized throughout the year! Just remember that even though doing well academically seems like the most important thing, health and mental wellbeing are equally as important!

BY: HARDIK SHRESTHA

If you had won the cosmic lottery and could make one of these 3 statements true, which would it be?

1. Alzheimer’s disease was a progressive disorder that caused brain cells to degenerate and die.

2. Cancer was a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade other parts of the body.

3. Misery was an involuntary state of mental anguish, common to humans of all eras and circumstances.

A lot of people hold a lot of misery. Chances are you know someone who would describe their mere existence as miserable. Presumably, they’re struggling to take care of their MH – their mental health. So, what should they do? What does it mean to have good mental health? What does it mean to be happy?

That’s what this article takes care of, maybe you can start looking for that inner peace after cleaning up your mental space!

What better way to start than with some good-old self-care?

Now we all know that self-care is important. You realize that you should be:

• Eating well
• Sleeping enough
• Being active
• Reflecting, etc. 

But it’s not quite so easy to create and maintain those positive habits. Fortunately, there are ways to make it easier on yourself so you can let out that breath you were holding in and get ready to say

Image from Instagram @youareawesome_co

No seriously, understand what your mind and body need from you. Often, it becomes painfully obvious that you need a break right as you’re starting to burnout, the goal here is to avoid that by continuously checking in with yourself. It’s absolutely vital in both improving and maintaining one’s mental and emotional well-being. How can you start? 

• Balance through self-discipline.
  • Holding a superb balance between responsibilities and enjoyment can be unbelievably beneficial towards feeling good. In turn, you can start to untangle your life and delve into those pesky thoughts and feelings that you may have previously ignored. 
• Planned positive impact. 
  • Some people make your laugh a little louder, your smile a little brighter, and your life a little better. Try to actively be one of those people. Plan your positive impact.
  • Engaging in simple daily acts of kindness can create so much joy and weirdly, a sense of meaning in our lives. Hold that door for him, send that thank you note, give her that compliment, or universally, if you see someone without a smile – give them yours! 

For real, it’s probably a large part of why you can’t ever seem to break out of that endless loop you hate being stuck in. More on this later, but tl;dr: get out of bed in the morning, don’t take too many naps, and stick to a regular sleep schedule! Please, it’ll do wonders for your body and its natural cycles. 

Impeccable stems from the Latin word, impeccabilis, which means “faultless” or “not liable to sin.” Using language against oneself is harmful, and in turn, sinful. Do not use your words against yourself. This means no self-judgement, hatred, or blame. Fight to exterminate such thoughts. How can you start?

• Realize this, a word is just a few synonyms stuck together, but when they come from within you, they mean so much more.
• You can use them to liberate yourself or have them be used against you to chain you down. The way that you use language not only allows you to communicate and express yourself — it transforms the way you think. Be kind to yourself, and others. You might just surprise yourself with how easy it is to spread positive energy in this manner. 

Although it may sound crazy, your words can shape your sense of reality itself and create or dispel ideas that affect yourself and those around you. Hence, it is imperative that you must be kind to yourself and others verbally and mentally.

If you’ve never done the bullseye activity before, take 20 seconds to mentally do it right now. Mark an X in each category, the closer to bullseye, the happier you are with yourself in that aspect of life. 

Now, for some reason, we really like to associate our self-worth with productivity. Let’s stop doing that. This one category seemingly haunts us because we’re never good enough. We always carry some guilty-conscience telling us to do more. How can we change? 

A good place to start is establishing with your inner-self that self-worth should NEVER be conditional. Instead, it should be a primary value – one that you refuse to disregard. If you start spiralling down the rabbit-hole of “I must accomplish ____ to feel worthy,” you’ll find yourself continuously moving the goalposts. Stop it! Pat yourself on the back for your victories, no matter how small, and continue to value yourself regardless of whether or not you’re “productive.” 

Ensure that you’re allocating plenty of down-time. In our last blog, we mentioned how important it is to be organized and prophylactic in our planning. But sometimes, the best thing that you could do at that moment is absolutely nothing at all. Or if you’re a particularly sensitive victim of boredom, then take time to rediscover and fall in love with the things you truly enjoy. Do things that make you feel great, inside and out, as often as you can! 

A healthy, low-stress, and focused morning routine sets the tone for the whole day. On the flip side, a night routine is about getting your ducks in a row in the evening so that you fall asleep quickly, enjoy some quality rest, relieve any pent-up stress/ anxiety, and wake up feeling GOOD. 

Here are some morning habits, asterisks indicate that I’ve tried and enjoyed them myself. 

1. Dodge your phone for an hour. * 
   1. The idea here is that upon waking up, you’ve (of course) been sleeping and are in a comparatively relaxed state. Your phone can bring all of that crashing down in an instant. Terrible tragedies on the news, pressing emails from that guy again, snaps that you have to open right then and there, and more all exist to break you out of your relaxed state as they’re riddled with stress-inducing aspects.
2. Write something, anything. *
   1. Writing is an excellent way to prepare yourself for the day. Whether you choose to sort through your feelings, make a to-do list, or simply journal about the last day – it can be a surprisingly effective outlet for stress relief and an effective way to ease yourself into actually waking up.
3. Just make your bed dude. *
   1. “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. And by the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.” ~ Admiral William H. McRaven 
4. Think of the things you’re grateful for. 
   1. Embody a grateful mindset, try picturing three to five things that you’re reallllllly grateful for, and keep them present in your mind as you start your day. Gratitude is so powerful that you’ll (scientifically) benefit from it without even realizing it.
5. Magical morning meditation minutes.
   1. Vacations are excellent stress relievers because they remove people from the activities and environments that they associate with stress and anxiety. Essentially transporting you not only physically, but also mentally to a new place. 
   2. A few minutes of meditation in the morning has been shown to have that same magical effect on us. It won’t hurt to try, and there are plenty of excellent guided meditation apps/ videos out there. My personal favourite that you can (and should) try right now is this 5-minute experience. 

Here are some nighttime habits that you can work into your personal night routine, once again asterisks indicate my personal liking.

1. Guided nighttime (self-hypnosis?) meditation. *
   1. I’ve preached the benefits of meditation already, but this is something else entirely. A good guided meditation session, leaves me feeling like I’ve just been reborn. 
   2. Mild self-hypnosis via positive affirmations or a guided journey can be an excellent way to put yourself to bed. I would 10/10 recommend that you try it – just tonight, you might’ve found your fix. 
2. Light prep for the morning. *
   1. You wanna run in the morning? Set out your shoes and a change of clothes before bed. 
   2. You don’t want the dishes silently yelling at you as you have some cereal? Do them tonight.
   3. You want to hop straight into an important application at 8 a.m.? Jot down any random thoughts for the questions before you close your eyes. Your future self is someone that you can keep on gifting, knowing that they’ll receive everything with gratitude.
3. Dodge all electronics for an hour. 
   1. Melatonin is useful for helping you sleep. Blue light suppresses melatonin production. Electronics emit blue light. Enough said? 
4. Quit consuming that drug you caffeine-addict! *
   1. No, but seriously, it’s really bad for your sleep. Caffeine can delay the timing of your body’s natural clock, leading to you staying up and binge-watching Netflix until 2 a.m. 
   2. If you can’t quit coffee, or 5-hour, or however you consume coffee, at least limit and lower your dosage slowly over time. 

• Western’s own vast array of Mental Health Resources
• In London Ontario (not affiliated with the university) 
• If you want a PenPal, just to be friends. 
• Positive Affirmations on YouTube
• Guided Sleep Hypnosis on YouTube
• Call +1 (844) – 880 – 9142 for 24/7 access to EFAP (Employee and Family Assistance Program)

Hopefully, these tips, recommendations, and resources will help you stay afloat mentally in the new year! Never forget that while doing well academically is important, one’s health and mental wellbeing are equally if not more valuable.

BY: PBSN GM – AMY LI

Have you ever felt like you’re doing business, but not really? Have you felt as if you are not as well equipped for business applications compared to your peers? Imposter syndrome in the business community is inevitable. It may be especially prevalent in those of us that are not currently studying something in the business/tech field.

Imposter Syndrome: describes feelings of severe inadequacy and self-doubt that can leave people fearing that they will be exposed as a “fraud”, usually in their work lives. It can affect anyone, regardless of their success.

For the majority of people, the words “Western business” automatically equates to the renowned Ivey Business School in the third and fourth year of university. That pathway also involves 2 years of studying “whatever you are interested in” as long as certain broad requirements are met. Due to Covid-19, one aspect that I have found to be especially difficult this year was staying connected to the business community as a first-year outside of a traditional business major.

Currently, I have felt extremely disconnected from clubs, opportunities, and the heart of the student body. It all just feels like a community that I am spectating, rather than engaging with. When attending these workshops and seminars, I feel like an imposter intruding on a meeting that I have no right to be at. This sense of belonging is a missing component that I, as well as many other business students, yearn for. How can I be just as qualified when I haven’t taken a single accounting course, barely know how to use excel, and don’t even know how to network? I could, however, tell you the way rotational motion is connected to tension and force with ease. So, do I quit business before even starting?

To get a better understanding of upper-year student perspectives, I spoke to a few HBA students about their experience on having an unconventional pathway into business.

Rachel Rothstein, an HBA 2 student that originally started out in neuroscience, shared her experiences navigating the world of interviews, networking, and internships for the first time in second year. She also expressed the same feelings of uneasiness, feeling unprepared for technicals or the field in general. However, she offered me some advice.

1.) Diversity in thought is extremely valuable.

She explained that each field brings a unique skillset. For example, pursuing stem might give you the analytic skills and problem-solving abilities that you might not have had if you were experiencing a traditional business major. The important part is recognizing and capitalizing on these abilities.  

2.) Be open to reaching out to older students.

It feels incredibly intimidating, and even though it is very cliche advice, hearing it time and time again reinforces how important it is. Reaching out to the 3rd and 4th years on LinkedIn or Facebook doesn’t do you any harm; in fact, they can be especially helpful in guiding professional etiquette for Ivey/recruiting. Although school can get busier during the school year, there will always be someone willing to speak to you.

3.) Block out the noise.

Although this pretty much sounds impossible to do, the only way to stay on the right path is to focus on your own foundation of knowledge. It is always important to step out of your own comfort zone. That being said, it doesn’t make much sense to compare yourself to others’ experiences. Why not compare your own experiences to your past?

In addition to Rachel, I spoke with Bhapushon Thayalan, an HBA 2 student that started out in astrophysics. Although he had felt similar experiences to Rachel, he also offered some valuable insights.

He noted that the competitive nature of the business community can sometimes make one feel as if their worth is defined by the projects, experiences, or opportunities that they’ve been a part of. It can be quite difficult to open up about the rejections, self-doubting or academic concerns that each individual has had to go through. 

Bhapushon was able to fight this sense of imposter syndrome by focusing on the soft skills that he had gained from outside the business field. For example, he said that he wasn’t as nervous about underperforming at the job, despite feeling “under qualified”. He knew that the workplace would teach him the skills AND because he knew that he had honed the abilities TO learn new techniques. By having a more unique background, he had already been exposed to difficult concepts and ways to apply them, which showed his adaptability, strong analytical skills, and perseverance. 

On the topic of soft skills, Jayshree Bhargava, another HBA 2 student that started out in Medical Sciences, gave me the reassurance that being “behind” in business is completely okay! She noted that she only really started getting into business not too long ago, spending time in her earlier years finding her passions, hobbies, and interests OUTSIDE of business. She explained that having individual hobbies and passions are just as important as having “business” experience and skills.  Jayshree emphasized that it was never too late to catch up and that exploring different pathways is never a bad idea. To her, the time she spent in science was not a waste of time, rather, it was crucial for her self-development

I also spoke to a couple of second years: Ali Malik, a history student and Nazm Grewal, an applied mathematics student. Ali emphasized that what helped him have confidence in his abilities was being self aware of his strengths and weaknesses as a history student, and how he could use this to his advantage. Ali highlighted that first year is a time for experimenting and trying out new things that you may not be 100% comfortable with.

Nazm shared her experiences about realizing the importance of creating and working towards your personal goals and interests, rather than what others are interested in. As someone who had an interest in the Venture Capitalism space, she often felt like an imposter; as if she had an obligation to take an interest in finance and consulting instead. She emphasized that it’s more important to find what you are genuinely interested in, rather than treating extracurriculars as a checklist of initiatives that you have to be a part of in order to get into Ivey in the third year.

All of these students are real people with real stories. Talking to them has helped me realize that there is no one dimensional way of measuring one’s success on the path of a business student. I learned that my business journey is driven by personal experiences that help me grow and develop as an individual. Diversifying your skills and experiences is what makes a person unique! As cliche, as it is, fighting imposter syndrome, is a day-to-day task.

 Although this has been an incredibly overwhelming year with feelings of disconnect and uncertainty, just know that there is always a community for you here at Western. Even as just a general member of PBSN, I have been exposed to so many workshops and opportunities and am looking forward to several more. Even though I feel as though I am less knowledgeable, I know that I belong to the business community, just as much as anyone else.

Black Walnut Bakery Café is a family business story, with two locations in London- one on the Richmond row, less than a 3-minute drive from Western’s front gates, and the second is on the South-side of campus, about 8 minutes from the Ivey building. This business balances a homey feeling with modern touches to provide comfortable and relaxing settings to connect with fellow customers and communities.

In addition to the incredible atmosphere, Black Walnut has genuinely delicious food. This Cafe provides customers with from-scratch baked goods & pastries, in-house made savoury meals and their incredible in-store roasted coffee. One of our executives went to take a look- and said both the coffee, croissants, and cruffins (a combination of muffin and croissants with a custard filling) are to die for!

Due to the lockdowns, Black Walnut is fighting to save their business. They have had to let go of all their workers, and now only the managers are left, working to hopefully make it out of this unforeseeable lockdown period above water.

We ask that you please support this local business, you will not be disappointed, and you would be helping to save a dying family business that has been in the heart of London for 10 years.

BY: MIREN VIJAYARANJAN

It’s time. You’ve been putting it off all year but you can’t ignore it anymore, recruiting season is finally here. By now, you’ve certainly heard hundreds of different things from countless people, surely leaving you extremely confused as to where to start.

Contrary to popular belief, the first issue at hand isn’t deciding where you want to work, it’s deciding what you want to learn and what experiences you want to gain. With so many different career paths available to you, it’s important to take the time to explore each possibility. Admittedly, no one in first year should have a definitive career path in mind, but here at Western, you have the resources to make the best possible guess. After doing some preliminary research of your own, narrow down some careers that you think you’d be interested in and begin coffee chatting with upper-year students who have completed internships in those very roles. The goal here is to gain insight on what they do and to gauge whether or not you’d truly be interested in pursuing such a career. 

Here are some possible career paths to get you started:

• Management consulting 
• Tech Consulting 
• Project Management
• Finance (Investment Banking, Private Equity, Venture Capital, etc)
• Marketing
• Accounting

Now for those of you who’ve done the research and are still confused about what you want to do, it’s time to reiterate the MOST important advice for any first year. It doesn’t matter what you do in your first year so long as you do SOMETHING and demonstrate some degree of experiential learning and interest in a particular field. To gain more insights into recruiting, I asked Robert Di Marco and Judith Chen to tell me more about their experiences in startups and corporate roles and this is what they had to say.

Robert – CIBC Finance Intern

During the Summer of 2020, I was grateful to have worked at CIBC as a finance summer intern. CIBC was very welcoming in maintaining their commitment to interns during the pandemic, and made huge efforts to ensure that the internship program was memorable for all students in the virtual environment. CIBC is well-known for hosting their annual Summer Leadership Academy for all 500 of their summer interns, and it was one of the highlights of my summer. The program is highlighted by competitions in which interns are placed in teams to solve CIBC’s largest and most pressing problems, where they are directly mentored and guided by senior executives at the bank to develop their solutions. After being announced

as one of the winning student teams, we were able to connect directly to the CEO to present our findings.CIBC actively draws from the projects from the Summer Leadership Academy to implement bank-wide. Within finance specifically, my manager and team was very encouraging and played an instrumental role in connecting me with dozens of employees from all corners of the bank to have virtual coffee chats to grow my network. They truly value a willingness to learn and grow new skills among interns, and support those who are interested in this growth mindset. Even in the virtual environment, everyone I interacted with or reached out to was very welcoming and always made it their goal to try and help out in any way they could. I believe that the diversity of opportunities within the bank and the culture among employees makes it an amazing place to work.

Pros of corporate:

• Reputation 
• Can specialize in specific skills
• Can rely on specialist teams to help solve problems
• Compensation
• Career development events/workshops

Cons of corporate:

• Low authority
• Less “meaningful” work

Judith – Swiggle Intern

Last summer, I had the opportunity to work as an intern at Swiggle, a B2B SaaS startup in Toronto that serves e-commerce sellers. I really enjoyed my internship experience because I had the opportunity to take on different roles, make an impact through my work, and collaborate closely with

leadership. Throughout the internship, I was able to work with my team in many different functions, including digital marketing, sales strategy, and operations. While I was able to wear many different hats, there were still many projects that I completed with nearly full autonomy, including the development of a new sales playbook. Also, Swiggle is supported by the MaRS Discovery District, so I was also able to leverage the expertise of industry professionals who provided feedback and guidance with my team’s projects. I think working at a startup would be a great fit for anyone looking for a fast-paced work environment with lots of opportunities to learn through hands-on experience.

Pros of startups:

• Flexible work hours
• Opportunities to learn and gain skill
• More responsibility
• Can try things outside your given “title”
• Space to innovate

Cons of startups:

• Heavy workload
• Have to solve problems on your own
• Less job stability

Now that you have a better idea of what some of the options are, you may be wondering how you should approach recruiting. Let’s get you started with a collection of useful job boards to kickstart your job search. You can surf these sites for hundreds of job postings for both startup and corporate roles.

• AngelList
• MaRS
• OneEleven
• Prospect Job Board
• LinkedIn

So you’ve found a firm that you’d like to work at but you want to connect with an existing employee and learn more about it, what should you do?

1. Use LinkedIn to find an employee (preferably recruiters or employees currently in the role)
2. Connect with them and ask if you can have a quick chat
3. If they are unresponsive, try other employees or use resources such as Snov.io to source their email address instead

Good Luck!