Ivy Leaguer has Okanagan roots

July 2011

Zosia Kossowski waited six long months to find out if she was accepted to one of the best business schools in North America. Finally the email came that confirmed she will be one of the youngest students entering the Yale School of Management MBA program this fall.

Kossowski graduated this spring from the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences at UBC Okanagan campus with a BA in Mathematics and Honours in Psychology. She credits her acceptance into the prestigious Yale MBA program to the quality of education and opportunities available at UBC’s Okanagan campus.

“I chose UBC’s Okanagan campus because I was young and wanted to stay close to home,” says Kossowski, who is from Kelowna. “What I found here was a real sense of community, great friends, and a lot of opportunities like small student to professor ratios that you don’t find at other schools.”

During her Yale interview, Kossowski described her involvement with the Student Research Society, the research she conducted through her Undergraduate Research Award, and her work as a teaching assistant.

“The interviewers were really impressed that I had experience as a teaching assistant,” comments Kossowski. “This is something most undergrads don’t get to do at other institutions, but because of the size of our campus, undergraduates can gain valuable experiences like this.”

Kossowski also says that UBC Okanagan campus provided great mentors for her to learn from, and because of the small class sizes, she was able to develop close relationships with her professors. Paul Davies, associate professor of psychology, was Kossowski’s supervisor for both her Undergraduate Research Award and her Honours thesis.

“Professor Davies' knowledge and enthusiasm really helped me develop my research interests and honours material which focused on how different economic conditions affect support for diversity in the workplace. He had a lot of insight and was very excited when I mentioned applying to graduate school. He wrote my reference letters and provided a lot of support through the process.”

Kossowski is grateful for her time at UBC Okanagan campus, but acknowledges the importance of looking ahead and going after your dreams. She was waitlisted for six months and didn’t think she was going to get in to Yale – only a handful of students are accepted directly from their undergraduate studies.  She contemplated accepting an offer at another school, but realized her heart was set on Yale.  She decided that if she didn’t get in, she would wait, get some more experience, and then reapply.

“I never would have gotten into Yale if at some point I didn’t think I could do it,” she says. “My best advice to current undergraduate students is make the most of your time here and don’t give up.”

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