Blog posts archive

This year, after completing all of my co-op terms, I decided to join the UWaterloo team for the McGill International Portfolio Competition (MIPC). While the prize money was a good motivator, I figured I could also come out of this competition gaining more skills at my disposal.

I think one of the best things about participating in case competitions is getting to experience the benefits of being part of a diverse team. Each of my team members had different strengths and abilities, although we were all in AFM, we were in different years of the program and had different interests and backgrounds. Looking back, the diverse experiences among my teammates helped forge the strengths of our team and offered me a unique opportunity to learn from them.

I would never have thought that we would place 2^nd in the STRIVE Conference competition. I’m not saying that we do not deserve to win, I am just so thrilled to see this result from my first ever case competition I participated in.

Launch Your Career is a must-attend event!

There is no better time to try new things than in this virtual learning environment! In early November, I participated in my first case competition with a few friends at the University of Guelph’s first ever Lang Tax Case Conference.

I was not exactly sure what to expect about university or co-op. Job application? Who is she? Despite all of this, the Launch Your Career conference organized by SAF opened my eyes to a wide array of opportunities that I would have been too scared to think about months ago.

Hi, I’m Nicholas B. and I’m in my 1A term of the Accounting and Financial Management (AFM) program. The story I have for you is one of seizing an opportunity and achieving greatness. Anyone can get lucky, but it takes a true Waterloo Warrior to make their own luck and ensure greatness.

Our names are Joyce, Effy, Danielle, and Muhammad, and we competed in the Schulich RISE Case Competition in the Entrepreneurship discipline. After two days of hard work, we emerged with a third place win! 

My teammates and I participated in the first ever virtual Schulich RISE Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) competition earlier this term. It was definitely an interesting experience... 

Throughout my university career, I’ve always strived to become the best person I can be. That’s why I believed that entering the Schulich RISE competition would not only help me work towards this goal but also provide me with learning opportunities and a great experience. 

When applying to jobs and taking part in interviews, I often get the question “Why Accounting?” My answer usually goes along the lines of “I believe it’s the language of business” as it provides us with the fundamental knowledge to understand any business.

The AFM 415: International Study Course to New York City, offered us the opportunity to interview professionals from a variety of industries ranging from accounting, finance, consulting and entrepreneurs.

Attending this workshop was helpful because I was able to analyze my character traits more in-depth and establish what my strengths are. Coming out of Steps to a Successful Co-op I feel that I have a better grasp on how I work best, what my strengths are, and how I can be successful in my co-op work term!

The most important lesson I learned, however, was not that teamwork leads to winning, but that teamwork leads to progress. I am very happy to have won the competition but am even more ecstatic to have done so alongside my hard-working team members.

With a co-op work term coming up, many of us are worried but also excited about the accompanying recruitment and application process. I know I speak for many people when I say this: Applying to your first co-op job can be daunting — but trust me, you’re not alone!

A great thing about the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) is how they are always there to support students.

Hello, current and hopefully future UWaterloo students!

My name is Tyler S. and I’m a second year AFM student currently undergoing my first co-op job search and I want to tell you a little bit about it in this blog - because soon you’ll be doing the same thing.

Acclimating to a new virtual reality while working for the Boston Consulting Group

Here are my top five tips for excelling in a co-op job while working from home (WFH)!

Through the Waterloo Ready program, I have been able to assist my mentees in preparing themselves for their first year at the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF). It has brought back a lot of memories and gave me the chance to reminisce as well.

Hello, my name is Keidon, and I am an undergraduate student in the Recreation and Sport Business program at the University of Waterloo. I have been a co-op student at the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) for two terms now! Fall 2019 term, and spring 2020.

Hi, I’m Lisa, a third-year AFM student. During my time at Waterloo, I’ve been very lucky to have plenty of personal, professional, and academic opportunities for learning and growth.

My name is Jared, and I am going into my second year in the Accounting and Financial Management (AFM) program at Waterloo. This summer, I decided to be a peer mentor for the Waterloo Ready program. You may have taken part in it, but if you didn’t, Waterloo Ready is a new initiative by the university to help incoming students with their transition to university.

Reposted from Medium with permission.

Similarly, to all businesses in the past several months, Microsoft also went through a transition phase because of COVID-19 (C-19). I was about three months into my internship as a Product Marketing Manager (PMM) for Microsoft when the transition to fully remote work started.

For as long as I can remember, just hearing the word “tax” makes many people anxious, frustrated and immediately want to change topics. It wasn’t until my experience with taking my first tax course and being part of the YTP that made me look at the monstrous Income Tax Act as an exciting opportunity.

Hello Fellow Students!

We are the logistics team reporting from our virtual International Study Trip course classroom. Our team, consisting of Cedric, Dawson, Matthew, and Michael, has been working extremely hard to make sure the organization of our virtual trip goes smoothly and seamlessly.

Reprinted from LinkedIn with permission

My Journey to the CFA Research Challenge Big Stage

After meeting Minghao Ji, from Bain & Company, at the UWMCC competition, I asked him if he would like to be a speaker at our class during a virtual coffee chat. Not only did he agree, but he also brought a private equity partner, Andrew Edwards, and a Waterloo alumnus, Cameron Capel, to help maximize our learning experience. This opportunity became a truly amazing interview.

I had the opportunity to lead our meeting with John Nicola, the Founder, Chairman & CEO of Nicola Wealth. With a background like no other, I found his insights, as well as the delivery of those insights to be extremely unique.

Isaac, a 4^th year AFM student met with SAF to talk about his experience with this program and how it prepared him for the recent CFA Institute Research Challenge (IRC). "Every student coming into SAF had heard about the 2016 team’s win on the CFA IRC international stage with Canadian Tire. As a result, I was always keen to represent Waterloo on a larger stage and knew this was a great opportunity."

Shortly after graduating from the University of Waterloo, I began my full-time career in the investment banking group at TD Securities. I obtained this opportunity thanks to the University of Waterloo’s fantastic co-op program

Putting the knowledge I obtained from SAF to the test 

I spent my last co-op work term as a business finance co-op student at the Ontario Public Service, more specifically, the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. I didn’t work directly with Premier Doug Ford, but I did receive a few emails from him!

Like many of us, Miljana Prelic, Performance Measurement Analyst at SAF is learning to adjust to the new remote workplace. A big difference for Miljana is that she has a new co-worker, Oliver, her toddler at home. We wanted to catch up and find out how she is managing the new normal and if she has any insights to share.

As a co-op student at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), “the new normal” was a phrase that I and many others were not expecting to experience during our work terms.

Presenting research virtually, taking online classes, and staying connected to SAF faculty – a student’s account of the last few weeks in the PhD Accounting program.

"With a month left to go in the winter term of my first year in the PhD Accounting program, we were told to pack up our offices and prepare to not be back on campus for a while… little did I know that I was about to experience one of the most challenging yet reflective times of my life."

We’ve all heard on many occasions that co-op work terms are a great representation of the real world. It gives students a perspective on how our lives will be after we graduate.

The bond we built allowed us to motivate and push each other to be better. We want you guys to know that even the smallest get togethers or moments with your Crew can make a big difference when it matters.

Working in Crews has taught us so much, ranging from learning how to cohesively work together as one, to finding all the best places for Shawarma in town. On a more serious note, teamwork is one of the best attributes of the Crew system in the School of Accounting and Finance.

Your Crew is essentially your team for first-year. There’s four to six of you, and you get to share plenty of classes and other team-building experiences with one another. Working in Crews has made us comfortable sharing our ideas and opinions more openly, and it has made us more responsible. When you know someone is counting on you, you’re much more likely to put your best foot forward. Our Crew also keep us accountable.

In our first year, SAF placed us into small groups (four to six students) referred to as Crews which acts as a support system, providing each other with support regarding academics and personal growth. What are the dynamics of our Crew you ask?

The IBM Technology Consulting Competition was a perfect example of how being in SAF allowed me to explore an exciting and unique experience. The competition is the largest tech-focused and student-run case competition in Canada, and in the past, over 400 participants from schools across North America competed.

For those who are interested in business strategy and technology, the IBM Technology Consulting Competition is second to none. I had the opportunity to combine two of my passions and develop a creative solution all while meeting industry leaders and like-minded individuals.

Centered around IBM’s technology, our task was to determine the best course of action for a medium-sized bank looking to expand its operations nationally. With four hours to pull the deliverables together, we as a team were able to identify and play to the strengths of each individual. Our team was able to leverage a diverse set of backgrounds, as we’ve all completed a variety of co-op placements including private equity, accounting, management consulting and tech.

In order to be ready to take on new challenges and opportunities I must develop myself as a professional. This means stepping out of my comfort zone, building and maintaining a strong support system and sharpening my technical and durable skills. Stepping out of my comfort zone began when I was deciding which university to attend.

Sometimes making our career defining moments can be difficult. As undergrads and aspiring students, it is important to take some time and really savour the moments you share.

Dear Grade 11 Anthony,

This is your future-self sending you an email (yes unfortunately we still use email in the future) in order to help guide you in the upcoming few months. SPOILERS AHEAD!