YIP Alumni Interview (#1): Sarah Wang
“There is not one linear path to get to your dream career.”
Sarah Wang, recipient of UBC Major Entrance Scholarship, is currently a first year Sauder student and intends to specialize in the field of Accounting. Having been involved with YIP for over two years, Sarah shares her experience with YIP and tips on university application & how to do well on a business case competition!
1. What is one useful thing you learned from YIP workshops?
My most memorable YIP workshop would definitely be the Business Career Exploration one, where we got to meet various professionals from different industries. The one thing I learned from that workshop was that there is not one linear path to get to your dream career! Prior to that workshop, I always thought that if I wanted to become an accountant, my path would be high school, university, get an accounting degree and that’s it. However, from speaking with the different professionals that day, I remember being amazed at how many different careers each one of them had before finally landing at their current jobs. It made me realize that opportunities are everywhere, especially where you least expect them to be, and that I should always embrace every experience with an open mind. Even if I want to become an accountant, I should probably still go to some Marketing events, because someone I meet at that event might just help me land my dream job.
2. Tips on writing YIP supplementary application?
When writing the supplementary application, two things to keep in mind are “be yourself” and “show interest”! The Young Investor Program isn’t necessarily looking for someone who has a lot of knowledge about financial literacy or business already; we want students who are genuinely interested in learning about financial literacy in a group setting! In your answer, be genuine and make sure you address the actual question, with your word count being relatively close to the word limit. Last but not least, something that applies to the YIP application as well as any other application you may be writing in the future is that don’t try to write what you think the person on the other side wants to hear. Be creative and show hints of your unique personality! That’s what will make you stand out.
3. What is something you wish you knew when applying to university?
Looking back to about a year ago, I wish I knew that it’s not as hard to get into university as everyone in grade 12 thinks it is! I spent so much time applying to so many different schools because I was so afraid that I wouldn’t get accepted anywhere, but it just ended up being a waste of time and money! My advice for those applying to post-secondary now is: apply to the schools you actually want to go to; don’t just write as many applications as you can! If you have good grades and a variety of extracurricular activities, then you really have nothing to worry about!
4. What were your major extracurricular activities in high school?
During high school I was involved in a variety of different extracurricular activities. For athletics, I played Ultimate, as well as both played and coached basketball. At school, I was an active member of Student Council, and I also worked in my high school’s convenient store — Colt Zone — during lunch hours. Outside of school, I was involved in a mentorship program, Homework Club, as the volunteer captain. Of course, I was also involved in the Young Investor Program! I started off as a participant in grade 11, became a program ambassador in grade 12, and am currently serving as the Director of Promotions in the Vancouver Chapter.
5. Why did you choose business as your major?
I chose business as my major for two main reasons. First, after studying chemistry and biology in IB, I just realized that Science is not for me! Secondly and more importantly, I really enjoy the real-life aspect to studying business. As business students, we get more opportunities to work with real firms and real business programs, as well as the chance to meet and network with more people. Personally, I find this so much more valuable compared to just studying organic chemistry from a textbook by myself in the library all day. All in all, the interactive side and the countless opportunities I get as being a business student just really sucked me in!
6. Tips on tackling a case competition?
1. Go over the case a few times and identify the key issues that the business is facing. Performing a SWOT analysis could also help with this.
2. Depending on your time limit, try to decide on your key recommendation within approximately one-third of the allowed time. Make sure this recommendation directly addresses and solves the key issue you have identified in the case. Sometimes your recommendation could be really creative and interesting, but what the business wants is to have their problem solved!
3. Make sure your presentation flows from start to end, going from “issues” to “recommendations” to “implementation timeline” and perhaps “risks and mitigation” if there is enough time.
4. Add a bit of creativity! This could be a creative hook and closing remark for your presentation, or a creative way of thinking to tackling the issue and coming up with your recommendation. Given the same case, it is likely that many teams will have very similar issues and recommendations, which is why being creative will really allow you to stand out and be remembered by the judges!
7. What do you think someone could do to improve his or her public speaking skills?
As cliché as this sounds, practice really does make perfect. But even more important than that, I think it’s absolutely crucial for you to be confident! Remember, you prepared for this! No one knows your material more than you. So, if you sound confident, the audience will most likely believe 90% of the things you’re saying.
