In teams of four, first years participated by preparing a plan and presentation to address the issue: How can the University of Waterloo attract more talented students to enroll in the post-Covid-19 era?
First years were able to participate in workshops and training, led by the organizers, to help them address the scope, preparation and conditions of the case, to answer their given problem, and were able to seek guidance throughout the case timeline to prepare their solution.
On October 31, 2020, teams presented their case solutions to a panel of judges consisting of a CFM alumnus, the CFM Program Manager, and both the CFM Co-Directors. Judges asked clarifying questions and provided feedback to students on their findings as well as suggestions for future presentations and cases. The judges were amazed with the professional work and demeanour of the students during their presentations, especially given their first few months of experience at the University.
The top three teams were awarded prizes for their solutions and all teams were commended for their hard work in contributing to the Case Competition.
The event was a great success and the program would like to continue hosting this event in the future. The CFM program would like to thank its incredibly talented first year students for participating and for its upper year students in organizing this auspicious event.
Photo taken from a similar first-year CFM event in 2018. Students attended a workshop, led by students, to learn about hackathons.