Transitioning from high school to university as a CFM student

Monday, January 27, 2020
by Alyssa, CFM

In high school, I was always really attracted to computer science and  finance, and I have always wanted the opportunity to develop my own programs, applications, and games. Hence why I decided to join the Computing and Financial Management (CFM) program at University of Waterloo. Since transitioning from high school to university, I have definitely learnt some valuable lessons:

  1. Adopt good study habits! I cannot stress this enough, especially during midterms and finals season, those 5 courses can really catch up to you and be difficult to balance. As a CFM student, I tend to prioritize my math and computer science assignments, as they always seem to take the longest, but I still make sure to allocate time to other courses too. To help me out, I go to residence tutoring at Mackenzie King Village. Visiting a professor during office hours can be quite intimidating in first year, so I prefer to go here to get homework help.
  1. Utilize your resources! CFM holds many co-op preparation sessions to help students draft the perfect resumé and attend mock interviews. The sessions are hosted by senior CFM students who have completed at least one co-op work term. The feedback from the sessions I attended really helped me realize the importance of having both a financial and computer science-based resumé. Outside of the CFM world, Waterloo has hundreds of clubs and student societies to join. Unfortunately, I didn’t join one this year as I wanted the easiest transition into university as possible, but I am definitely going to sign up for a few in the future!
  1. Have fun! Although CFM can end up being quite time consuming, it’s important to take a break from studying and take time to enjoy life. The SAF lounge in Hagey Hall is a great place to socialize with other AFM/CFM students, and events are held there often as well. As the weather starts to improve, I’m really looking forward to visiting the Alpaca Farm in Waterloo Park. For the mean time, if I want to have fun off campus, I usually go shopping at Conestoga Mall – I love it there!

Through the CFM program at Waterloo, I have realized this is the perfect place for me to be and I know I am on the right path. Not only do I love my classes and the topics I get to study, but I am now extremely well prepared for the future of the fintech industry!