IMI’s 2023 Grad Open House
On November 18th, the Institute for Management and Innovation (IMI) hosted their 10th Annual Grad Open House, welcoming over 150 prospective students to the Innovation Complex at UTM. Designed to give prospective students an opportunity to connect with staff, faculty and current students, the Open House offered a wide range of programming focused on IMI’s graduate programs, including interactive panel discussions, a meet and greet with IMISC (IMI’s Student Council), and a bustling info fair with representatives from each of IMI’s grad programs and associated units and hubs. The day provided an experiential opportunity to learn what it’s like to study at IMI and connect face-to-face with admissions representatives, alumni, and current students.
As an institute dedicated to academic and professional excellence and engagement, IMI offers a variety of graduate-level programs that allow students to explore theoretical and applied perspectives on their subject matter, connect with others via extracurriculars, and forge meaningful industry connections through work placements. At the annual Open House, attendees were able toto gain a deeper understanding of what their program of interest entails and a firsthand look at the IMI experience, both at a program and institute level.
At the popular panel discussion “Admissions Tips and Tricks,” prospective students heard from a panel of program coordinators and had their questions answered about building the strongest possible application to their program of interest. Fatimah, a fourth-year biochemistry student at UTM, plans to apply to the Master of Biotechnology (MBiotech) program and said the panel was incredibly helpful in easing the anxiety that comes with the application process: “one thing I learned is how to structure an effective letter of intent - there are so many recruiters here and they have wonderful advice on how to get started,” she said.
Another prospective MBiotech student, Khadijah, says “[at the open house] I learned how approachable the recruiters are and how encouraging they are when it comes to supporting students.” Khadijah goes on to add that if undergraduate students are interested in grad programs, they should consider reaching out to professors, program coordinators, or other staff members to gain valuable insights. Moving forward, both Fatimah and Khadijah are looking forward to meeting new people, developing themselves both personally and professionally, and exploring MBiotech’s breadth of internship opportunities.
The Open House also featured the invaluable “Experience IMI” Panel Discussion, which gave attendees the rare opportunity to hear from a cross-program panel of current students and alumni, who offered their firsthand insight and advice on their respective experiences within their programs. Prospective students heard from students and alumni from MBiotech, MMI, MUI, MMPA and MScSM about student life at IMI, and in their respective programs.
David, a first-year student at IMI in the MScSM Program, says that “prospective students should speak to alumni and [current students] to get their advice on [their] application and talk to [alumni] about their experience in the Program.” Using social and communication platforms like LinkedIn to reach out to alumni can be a step forward in easing application anxiety and receiving personalized feedback. Matt, a second-year MScSM student and Chair of the IMI Student Council (IMISC), urges new students not to be too concerned with how well their educational background might fit into the program. “In [the MScSM Program], many people are worried about either having a science or management background, but we welcome all different backgrounds academically and looking forward [to everyone’s unique perspectives]. Don’t overthink it!”
Many prospective students had questions about careers, co-op, and the professional development embedded in each IMI Program. Almost all of IMI’s graduate programs offer advanced work integrated learning opportunities in many areas, including co-op, capstone projects, research, independent study courses, electives, exchange, and more. Seif, a current student in the MMI Program, believes that incoming students should not be too worried about what industry they want to pursue a career in; instead, Seif says that “there are a broad range of industries [one] can go into from the MMI Program, so don’t worry too much about [professional direction at the start] because you will eventually figure it out.” At IMI, each graduate program has dedicated career strategists who work both 1:1 and in groups with their students to help them learn what they can do with their degrees, secure internships and co-ops, and form broad professional networks.
From campus tours to connecting with Program Directors and learning about what grad student life is really like, prospective students came away with the tools and connections to explore what graduate programs suit them best, and the knowledge to create strong applications. Regardless of what program individuals choose to pursue, IMI is dedicated to empowering the future innovators and leaders of tomorrow!
For more information about application and program specifics, visit our Graduate Programs page.
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