[box]Share your Schulich memories! As the year comes to a close, it’s been fun to see (and celebrate) the many exciting things our undergrads are up to! Tell us your lessons learned, advice for incoming students, your plans for the summer, or a highlight from your time at Schulich (and abroad!) You can e-mail us at undergrad@schulich.yorku.ca or tweet your stories to us @schulich_BBA using hashtag #SchuMemories.[/box]

Baldeep Singh is a BBA candidate who just completed her third year of the program, specializing in Accounting. She’s wrapping up an incredibly well-rounded (and busy!) term participating in a variety of clubs, working part-time as a graphic designer, and landing a huge career opportunity (details to follow below). She has also just announced that she’ll be taking on the role of 2016-2017 VP of Student Life! With so many exciting achievements underway, Bal was kind enough to reflect back on her student experience at Schulich.

Below, she details what her years here have meant to her, and what she’s learned along the way.

Bal’s #SchuMemories: On Success, Student Life & Being Flexible

by Baldeep Singh, BBA candidate

Schulich’s BBA was the right choice for me because of the many success stories I had heard about the students that graduated from the program.

Yes, I heard it wouldn’t be the easiest program, but the benefits of having a head-start on your career is one of Schulich’s main selling points. Schulich seemed like the perfect environment to build a community and get involved, which I had always wanted to do since I was in high school.

For me, Schulich was never only about studying. That’s the reason I keep myself busy with extra-curriculars like CSRS (Corporate Social Responsibility Society). It’s a student-run club with a focus on connecting students with a passion for responsible business and like-minded businesses that value the same qualities through case competitions, conferences and panels throughout the year.

Another one of my hobbies is art – primarily graphic design. Because of this hobby, I have been working for the Undergraduate Programs Unit since 2015 designing materials and helping market numerous events and activities that are organized for students. It’s been an interesting two years with the UPU – two years that have taught me so much about students and faculty and how they think.

 

During my third year, I was also involved with the Undergraduate Business council’s Student Life team as the Executive Coordinator. The Student Life committee plans various events for students that are not the typical “case-competition and networking” events that are planned by numerous other clubs at Schulich. We’ve planned games nights, talent shows, pub nights and even a week-long trip to Montreal and Mont Tremblant.  I’m proud to say that this past year attendance at all of our events had either been sold out or filled to capacity.

It was this success that motivated me to run in the UBS elections, leading me to be elected the VP of Student Life for next year!

I’ve realized that the further I go in my undergrad, having patience and self-regulation will be the biggest challenge that most undergrads face – me included. It can be very difficult to balance work life, school life, personal life on top of being involved in extra-curriculars. My biggest struggle is learning how to say “no” to opportunities. Sometimes I want to be involved in everything; case competitions, networking events, social nights – but at the end of the day being able to prioritize school work and these extra-curriculars is one of the keys to success at Schulich.

“My biggest struggle is learning how to say “no” to opportunities. Sometimes I want to be involved in everything; case competitions, networking events, social nights – but at the end of the day being able to prioritize is one of the keys to success at Schulich.”

A Fork in the Road Ahead

I recently interviewed for (and landed!) a job as a Financial Analyst Intern in Sales & Distribution at IBM. The offer came after a series of interviews, one of which had some added pressure when I realized my interviewer happened to be a Schulich graduate as well! I also completed my first ever Excel test – I’ve never had to do one of these before at any other interview. After the most stressful 10 minutes of my life, (I had forgotten everything that I learned in my OMIS 2000), I thought that I was done for the day.

But I was wrong. I’m very excited to announce that I start my internship later this month!

The catch? It is a 16 month internship that will end in August 2017.Before this opportunity came about, I was set to graduate in April 2017. That can no longer happen as I will still be working during my expected graduation date. Therefore, I have to take the year off from school and complete my degree the following year, in 2018.

One thing that I’ve learned in choosing to take this job opportunity and during my years here in general is: You can handle more than you think you can.

This is something that I never really thought of before attending Schulich. However, because I’ll now be taking next year off in pursuit of furthering my career, I’ve been looking back and realizing all of the things that I’ve gone through. Be it getting into university, being able to land an interview/job, coming into Schulich not knowing a single person – I’ve made it through. I’ve made friends and learned how to “network” with people (which is simply being able to talk and engage with anyone and everyone in my eyes).

I’ve figured out what I want to do as a career and have found ways to start on that path – even if the timeline is different than I expected.

Lastly, what I’m going to take away from all of these experiences is the importance of building yourself up. Sometimes a bad grade on a test or even being declined a job offer can do you a world of good. It’s my honest belief that your true character comes out in the midst of your failures and as long as you are willing to build yourself up again, learn and try harder, you can be set to accomplish what you came to Schulich to do.