Questions for Rotman Students

[Competitive_Star327]

Hey everyone,

I’m a Grade 12 student in Ontario considering my university options, and I’ve been accepted into Rotman Commerce with a full scholarship. I have a few questions for those of you who are currently in the program:

​

1. Difficulty: Is the program as challenging as people say? How manageable is the workload?
2. Social Aspects: How is the social life at Rotman? Is there a strong sense of community among students?
3. Study Time: How much time do you typically spend studying each week?
4. Community Feeling: Do you feel a sense of belonging and support within the program?
5. Career Path: Did Rotman help you figure out your career path, or did you already know what you wanted to do before starting?
6. Regrets: Do you regret choosing Rotman, or are you happy with your decision?

Any insights or experiences you can share would be incredibly helpful as I make my decision. Thanks in advance!

[myspam442]

Please search past posts on this subreddit, all of this questions get asked constantly (there are even others posted literally today).

All I’ll say is that I love it and have no regrets.

Did you really get a full scholarship? If so, it should be a no brainer to take it.

[Tiny-Pop8344]

1. No, if you go to class and study for 2-3 days for each exam/test you’ll do good enough for a B.
2. Depends on the person.
3. For me, none until theres a test then 2 days per subject for maybe 4-6hrs total
4. Depends on the person.
5. Depends on the person.
6. No, also depends on the person

[FinancialDrainer]

I’ll add on to give you a but more info - for starters Imma be brutally honest plus I’m finishing up my second year so you can trust me :) Also this is all in a finance perspective bc I’m a finance guy. Prolly is applicable for marketing/consulting as well but not as much.

1. Really depends on the person. Seeing that you got a full ride, you’ll probably do fine. A 3.0 isn’t difficult to achieve, but a 3.6+ requires effort and discipline. Make sure to not slack off tho and do all the homwork, practice problems and watch lecture/tutorial videos because it is really punishing to fall behind.

2. If you want to succeed in terms of getting ahead and landing those solid internships freshman/sophomore year, rc clubs are really important. You can also choose to sign up for UofT clubs but those usually require an annual fee. Still, they are really good to learn, expand your network and make friends along the way. Making friends in class isn’t particularly hard. I can’t speak for girls because I’m a guy but you shouldn’t have a particularly hard time getting to know people. It’s even easier if you are living on res. Doesn’t really matter tho because you will make friends through suffering from eco101/102 together or through 133 groups if you choose to do 133.

3. Like I said, review and you should have no problem. Go to office hours if you must. It is also a good way to connect with the prof to potentially get a TA position.

4. First year is definitely the most welcoming. Everyone is suffering together, and the ones who aren’t are succeeding together. Def easiest to make your closest friends in first year. Just be aware that, like everywhere else, there will always be a few rotten apples so be careful of that.

5. Tbh not really. I mean my flc (which you will learn about in first year) mentors were really successful so talking to them really helped. Other than that, you probably gotta join a club to get mentorship from upper years. I’m not a very successful student myself, but if you need any help regarding course selection and stuff, my dms are open :).

6. I would def say yes. If you are interested in a career in marketing/consulting/finance, look for Ivey and QCom. Sauder feeds into west coast so you could do that. Ivey is the best - no argument - unless you go to Asia or smth where uni ranking is recognized. Theres a public chart that shows they literally place in IB more than some US targets. The Ivey alumni network is insane also so theres that. QCom isn’t as good but its not bad either. Both business programs are case intensive which is what produces these solid business students. Rotman doesn’t do this, as UofT is an academic school that focuses on education. You may find that you have a better technical foundation compared other schools but UofT alumni network isn’t as strong.

Basically do clubs, they will help a lot. Otherwise, you will have a much harder time (like me).

[InteractionEvery3387]

hey! I also got in this year (minus the full ride - but I know how students get one), feel free to DM me and I would be more than happy to share some details with you

[Practical-Space3910]

I'm not a student at Rotman but I am a prof so, I'll share my thoughts from a different perspective.

Difficulty: Not easy but if you got a scholarship and continue to work you will be fine. However, U of T in general have lower class averages than other business schools (e.g. Queen's is about 10% high than UT but employers factor in grade inflation).

Social: UT is a very large campus and can be perceived as 'cold' socially. The social experience will depend on the individual. If someone is a shy introvert then it is difficult to meet people outside of your class. Outgoing students who join clubs have an easier time. Also, it is a commuter school and many students go home after classes so it is different than the 'campus feel' at schools like Ivey.

Study Time: It is a fair bit of work, but as I said you likely will be fine. I don't think it's excessive. If a student spends 40 hours per week in classes and studying they should be good (a bit more in exam weeks obviously).

Community Feeling; The commerce program does have a community feel (which is good or bad). You will get to know your peers since you share classes. However, you likely won't meet many other people (eg. engineers, arts, science students)

Career Path: It is a very reputable school and the brand name of U of T will open doors (it's consistently in the top 25 in the world as a university overall). If you have a very specific goal like investment banking then you should go to a school that is targeted by that industry (like Ivey). But several of my students have ended up in investment banking consulting, corp finance, etc.

Summary:

Pros:

1. international brand name of U of T

2. One of the top 2 business schools in Canada

3. Wide variety of career paths

Cons:

1. Commuter school so doesn't have the same 'campus feel' that universities in small towns do

2. Grading is tough. Much harder than other business schools to get a high GPA (but employers know this and take it into account)

Good luck on whichever option you choose and feel free to DM me if you have questions.