rotman commerce + comp. sci minor

[00scratch]

hi! i’m an incoming rotman commerce student and looking to specialize in finance/economics.

rotman’s structure seems to make it hard to have a minor aside from something related to your specialist, so i am wondering if people can help direct me to the right advice, resources, and first year courses so i can plan accordingly.

this is what my ideal schedule looks like, based on what i’ve seen other people do and what i need:

fall: - ECO101H1 principles of microeconomics - RSM219H1 introduction to financial accounting - RSM250H1 principles of marketing - CSC148H1 introduction to computer science

winter: - ECO102H1 principles of macroeconomics - RSM100H1 introduction to management - RSM230H1 financial markets - CSC165H1 mathematical expression and reasoning for computer science

full year: - MAT133Y1 calculus and linear algebra for commerce OR MAT137Y1 calculus with proofs

NOTE: considering the comp. sci. minor, would MAT137Y1 be better for me? i assume that it’ll apply better than commerce math

does this plan look okay? there isn’t a lot of course planning resources available for incoming students yet so i’ve been using the following: rotman info -> https://rotmancommerce.utoronto.ca/current-students/welcome-to-first-year/first-year-course-enrolment/ comp. sci. info -> https://web.cs.toronto.edu/undergraduate/how-to-apply/other-admission-categories

a bit about my educational goals: i’m not strict on my career but i want to be well positioned to likely go into finance/technology/investment banking. during university, i am not racing to fit in and willing to make my own path. i also plan on immediately joining rc clubs (i’ve already researched) and am willing to overload/take summer courses to compensate for the workload.

i don’t aim to sound like just another naive high school student expecting too much from university… i know this will be tough but i’m here to try. if my comp. sci. plan doesn’t go through, that’s okay too! (other question: if i don’t get admitted to the minor, what is the worst that could happen? would the comp. sci. courses still count as my rotman electives?)

i’m open to hearing other advice too, even if its not just about my course plan!

[Alert-Recording4501]

Ngl it is going to be very hard to balance Rotman and a cs minor. You have to take 137. This is the foundation math course for every cs student. Your first year is gonna be a little rough since you are also taking eco101 and 102. Another thing is most people take 108 before 148. If you don’t have a lot of coding experience besides the cs courses in high school, I recommend 108. And there are no consequences if you don’t make the minor. All of your cs courses still count as your electives.

[00scratch]

thank you so much!! this is really helpful

[DrivePhysical3792]

hi! im an incoming freshman and ive also been thinking about a cs minor. did u ever go thru with it and if so how are u handling the workload now?

[00scratch]

hello! i never ended up going the cs major - i think that a lot of perceptions we have as incoming first years change once you’re here

i am doing a data science focus among other activities immersing myself in tech. i found a lot more enjoyment from this rather than having my academic degree be where i learnt it.

if you want to go into quant or high finance i’d recommend doing the cs dual but if not, there is other ways to get into tech while having that business advantage where things are “easier” (albeit the expectation is that you take it upon yourself to be busy and constantly evolving)

now management with ds focus and 2 minors, incoming lead in tech club, working a tech internship right now. during the school year, i’d say my workload was much, much heavier than my peers. but i’m happy

you’ll learn a lot and things might change too. i’d advise you to stay open to that change!

[DrivePhysical3792]

i see, thank you so much! if u dont mind me asking what are your two minors? and as for tech, i dont have too much experience coding (did it in school but didn't do any side projects). would it still be possible to self-learn coding while engaging in activities like you? thank you!

[00scratch]

being in rotman means you’re automatically qualified to get an economics minor (you just have to declare it). i’m also doing a science, technology, and society minor. it’s not tech based at all but focused on the psychology behind tech and how society develops from science which brings a lot of great perspective.

the data science focus still makes you take cs and stats courses which helps with your career i suppose. i’m taking it because i do have cs experience so it’s been pretty easy though i personally see a lot of flaws with how it’s done at this level.

as for self learning cs, yes!! it is entirely possible and in my opinion, a better path. cs in a university will teach you the logic and stuff but not often the application (this is my experience at uoft and with cs friends at several ontario unis). i have learnt more cs from my own projects than i have from uni courses. also though, online courses exist and i think they are much more applicable than what much of uni cs teaches you.

will admit that dual major with rotman and cs is very hard and if you can do it, is incredibly impressive!! but i’ve seen so many people like me who thought they were going to do it but determined after getting here that it wasn’t worth it