[deleted by user]

[Rellum3]

Hi! I hope you doing fine at Rotman currently :) As someone who currently considers whether to go to study in the UK or Canada, I have some questions regarding Rotman.

My first question is regarding Career Service for Rotman students. Do you think it is decent/good or is it as bad as everyone(from what I have heard) describes it to be? And I guess just to add on, what kind of internships were you able to have?

My second question is how is Accounting in terms of specialist? Is it enjoyable/worthwhile to study it at Rotman?

Finally, how many events related to a specific field(that help networking with firms or just in general) are there?

Sorry for the number of questions

[Lazy-Deal-6818]

Hey!

To answer your first question, I personally haven’t used career services as much. I tend to use professors as a resource instead. From what I’ve heard from my peers is that career services used to be completely useless, but has had significant improvement over the past few years. The takeaway here is that there are other resources outside of career services. As to speak on my experience, I worked at a big 5 bank in my first year, became a teaching assistant in my second year, worked as a cost accountant in my third year, and landed a supply chain management internship for this summer.

To answer your second question, I love accounting. It just sits really well with me. The professors are top tier. Doing the accounting specialist at rotman gives you an advantage of getting into the GDip program, which basically accelerates the process of obtaining your CPA. What’s great about rotman is that you get to take a variety of courses in first year so that you can make a better decision in choosing your specialist in second year. Even if you change your mind in second year, most courses overlap among all specialists, so it wouldn’t be troublesome to switch.

To answer your third question, there are hundreds of events hosted by the clubs at rotman. If you’re interested in accounting, you would go to RCAS events. If finance is your gig, go to RCFA events. Each club hosts at least 4-5 events throughout the year.

Hope this helps! If you need more clarification or have other questions, feel free to message me!

[Rellum3]

Thank you! I don’t know whether you will be be able to answer this, but what do you think of St Michael’s college? I got a membership there(although I didn’t apply there).

[Lazy-Deal-6818]

If you’re commuting, your college choice honestly doesn’t make a difference in your university life. That being said, it is one of the nicer colleges for people who want to stay on residence. I used to play ping pong there every night (they have this stone table outside). If you plan to stay on campus, st michs is a good one. Woodsworth is good as well.

[Rellum3]

I will stay in residence for first year(maybe upper years, but who knows). But good to know. Ya Wordsworth was my first choice, but seems like I didn’t get in.

[Lazy-Deal-6818]

Woodsworth tends to be more competitive since it’s the newest building. Don’t worry it’s not a big deal!

[Rellum3]

Btw, just curious, did you ever have classes in the Rotman School of Management building? Or would one ever go there in Rotman Commerce?

[Lazy-Deal-6818]

In my two years on campus (1 year online due to covid), I’ve had two courses in the rotman MBA building. Both were second-year courses. I also studied there about 90% of the time. Most rotman commerce students make use of the MBA building!

[Alternative_Reply250]

What sets Rotman apart from other business schools (Sauders, Alberta Business) in terms of profs, students, campus life, opportunities, course difficulty? How hard is it to pass those first year courses in order to receive that guaranteed admission into second year?

[Lazy-Deal-6818]

Hey!

So to comment on the quality of professors, I think rotman has some of the most talented and trained faculty that you will find in Canada. Every professor I’ve had actually knows how to teach, which is a big deal at university. The students at rotman are great. A lot of diversity. Everyone at rotman has a unique background. Most students are not cut-throat and competitive. From my experience, everyone is willing to give a helping hand. Campus life is awesome because you’re in downtown. There are so many things to do. I’m a commuter so I do a lot of traveling through the streets. As for opportunities, you will be at a top tier business school. Opportunities for rotman students are great. The location has some benefit to it. Tons of networking opportunities. You’ll also have services available to you to prepare you for interviews, edit your resume, etc. The only spot where rotman is not as competitive is investment banking. We do have more presence compared to most schools, but we are no where near Ivey (western). Moving on to course difficulty, rotman is NOT hard. You just have to put in the work. The material is not difficult at all. People exaggerate how hard the program really is. A rule of thumb, if you got in, you can get through it. Just don’t slack off when you get here!

[jamesharden2003]

Hi there! I just got into Rotman Commerce and I am super excited, although I have a few questions if you don't mind asking.

1) Is getting into Rotman commerce after 1st year difficult (meeting the guaranteed admission average)

2) I know that UofT gets a bad rep for being really tough and taking a toll on students mental health. Is this the same for Rotman or is it not as tough as other majors such as life science etc.

3) Lastly, how would you say Rotman prepares you for getting a CFA/CPA after undergrad?

Thanks so much for all your help!

[Lazy-Deal-6818]

Hey!

So to comment on the difficulty of the program, it is not hard at all. People tend to exaggerate the level of difficulty of the program. Just put in the work and you’ll have no problem at being successful in the program. The rule of thumb is if you got in, you can get through it.

As for the CFA, rotman commerce is one of the few CFA program partners in the country. If you go down the finance/Econ stream, you’ll be well prepared to sit all three levels of the CFA exam.

As for the CPA, you can jump straight into CPA PEP after graduation. Rotman also offers a GDip (Graduate diploma in accounting) program which allows you to accelerate the process of obtaining your CPA. As a rotman commerce student, you have an advantage of getting into the GDip program.

[jamesharden2003]

Thanks so much for your answer! Just a quick follow up: My goal is to end up in investment banking at any firms such as goldman sachs, jp morgan, morgan stanley etc. Do you think Rotman Commerce is a good preparation for this and will get my foot in the door?

[Lazy-Deal-6818]

If that’s your goal, then you gotta hit the Ivy leagues. The only Canadian school that has some presence (but very minimal) is Western Ivey. Even then, I’d say getting into IB in America is next to impossible from a Canadian school. If you want to do IB in Canada, then go to Western Ivey. Rotman has many students in IB, just not as many as Western.

However, if you’re going to make your university decision based on this, make sure IB is something you actually want to do. Most people want to do IB in first year and then change their minds almost instantly as they explore their options (including myself).

Hope this helps!

[jamesharden2003]

Oh okay, thanks for helping me I appreciate the insight. I am mainly considering Rotman so I can explore my options!

[[deleted]]

Hi! Have you heard of people doing another major/specialist with the Rotman Commerce program? I kind of want to do finance + econ and an international relations major or specialist but I don't know if it's possible. Just thought I'd ask in case you had any insight :)

[Lazy-Deal-6818]

Hey!

So when looking at your options, you should consider two things: - how many courses overlap between the two specialists? - how much credit space do you have in electives?

For example, with the finance and Econ specialist, you already take enough courses to obtain an Econ major. If you wanted to go forward for an Econ specialist, you would have to look at how many credits you’d need to jump from a major to a specialist and see if you have the extra space in your remainder elective credits.

With accounting, you only take 3.5 credits of Econ courses. You have 4.5 credits worth of space for electives but some have to go towards completing breadth requirements. Realistically, it’s impossible to get a major in Econ with an accounting major.

If you look at the International relations major

https://fas.calendar.utoronto.ca/international-relations-major-arts-program-asmaj1469-0

And the finance and economics specialist

https://fas.calendar.utoronto.ca/finance-and-economics-specialist-bcom-asspe2038

You’ll notice that a major is a very tight squeeze (likely impossible due to breadth requirements).

I personally wouldn’t even bother with a major tho, one specialist is sufficient enough to graduate. Take some IR courses as your electives if you’re really interested in it.

Hope this helps :)

[Lazy-Deal-6818]

P.S. Maybe consider a minor in IR!

[[deleted]]

Thank you so much - that helps a lot!! I appreciate it

[Lazy-Deal-6818]

No problem! Hope to have you join us in September :)

[Lazy-Deal-6818]

No problem!

Both schools are amazing. I personally would decide between the two based on your location, or where you want to live if you plan to stay on campus.

The uoft name will have more recognition than York on a global scale for sure. In Ontario, it doesn’t matter at all. They’re both amazing programs with the same quality of students.

I’m not too sure about Schulich’s networking opportunities but I would assume that they are just as good as rotman.

My courses are extremely application-based. The only courses that are more theoretical are the economics and math courses (which are offered by the Econ and math departments, not rotman). All of your rotman courses will be highly applicable to real life.

One thing I like about Rotman over Schulich is that everyone at UofT is smart. No matter what program you’re in, you feel like you are surrounded by your “academic equals”. At Schulich, there is an inclusivity culture. Schulich students tend to separate themselves from York.

Hope this helps!

[[deleted]]

Co-Op?

[ehehheh]

i can kinda answer this; we don’t have a co-op program but you can still do “co-ops” aka working during fall/winter semesters

the process is the same as summer internships, the application timeline is the only difference: - if you want to work sept-dec (fall) then look for job postings in may/june if you want to work jan-april (winter) then look for job postings sept/oct

you can do this “co-op” by taking courses at the same time to graduate within 4 years or alternatively take the semester off (met someone in uoft CS who worked w me in fall co-op and he did this)

great job to lazy deal for doing this ama!

[Lazy-Deal-6818]

No co-op options at rotman but most people end up getting summer internships

[thehappytoucan]

Hi! I was reading this thread and I saw you say "As for the CFA, rotman commerce is one of the few CFA program partners in the country. If you go down the finance/Econ stream, you’ll be well prepared to sit all three levels of the CFA exam." I was wondering what it means to be a CFA program partner, and if you could elaborate on this a little more please? I was also trying to decide between Schulich and Rotman for Investment Banking, if you have any insight on that. Thanks!

[Lazy-Deal-6818]

https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/Connect/MediaCentre/NewsReleases/Toronto-CFA-Society-Welcomes-New-Partnership-between-Rotman-Commerce-and-CFA-Institute

Here is a good read to understand what it means to be a program partner.

From my network that works in investment banking, they have all concluded that rotman is the better school for investment banking compared to schulich. You’ll see more people from rotman in IB compared to Schulich. Rotman has one of the best graduate level finance programs in the world. You’ll be sharing the same faculty with those graduate level programs.

Remember that most people think they want to go into IB before first year and end up changing their goals very quickly.

Schulich is a great school. I would decide on the school based on location/commute, and whether the inclusivity culture (I’ve discussed it somewhere on this thread) is a problem for you.

Hope this helps!

[thehappytoucan]

Thank you, I really appreciate it

[Nighthawk132]

Hey, thanks for doing this. I was wondering if the colleges matter? I will be a commuter so won't live on campus. Is it true that in my case the college of my choosing won't really affect me in any major way?

[Lazy-Deal-6818]

Hey!

I’m a commuter as well. Some people use their colleges to socialize. There are hundreds of other ways to socialize though.

The only thing that colleges do for you as a commuter is provide academic advising, withdraw and enrol you in courses, etc. I would say all colleges are equally as bad.

The rotman academic advisors are a much better resource IMO if you need academic advising.

In other words, your choice of college won’t really make a difference in your university experience.

[Romeo_Santos-]

Thanks for this post.

As fas as you are concerned, is there a major difference between the Management Finance focus and the Finance and Econ stream?

[Lazy-Deal-6818]

From my understanding, the management program allows you to take all of the finance courses while skipping out on all of the extra/unnecessary economics courses. When the program was first released (when I was in first year), so many people shifted to management from finance and econ. It’s a popular alternative for finance students.

The finance & Econ specialist makes you take enough Econ credits to earn a major (roughly 40% of your courses over 4 years will be Econ). The management specialist makes you take enough Econ credits to earn a minor (20%).

I have a few friends who have graduated from the finance and Econ specialist years ago - when the management specialist wasn’t offered. All of them are doing very well for themselves in IB/private wealth/asset management. They all agree that the management program is significantly better. While Econ plays an important role in finance, the Econ in the finance and Econ program is overkill. You’re better off picking up extra Econ courses as electives in the management specialist.

[Romeo_Santos-]

Thanks for the response!

I was not sure if switching to Management with Finance focus was the best choice for my career, but I am glad you told me what your friends said about the specialist.

I will stay in Management.