Student experience blogs

Gabriel, Ish, Akshat, and Ansaar reflect on their experience at the 2024 Business Valuation Challenge, where they tackled the art of balancing technical aspects with clear, client-focused communication.

Luka and Josh (AFM students) secured 3rd place at the Boston Stock Pitch Competition, impressing judges with their "buy" recommendation of Pet Valu backed by extensive research. They credit SAF extracurriculars with helping to prepare them for the competition and emphasize the value of learning from peers, alumni, and competition experiences.

In this blog, the AFM 334 International Study Course class shares their experience travelling to the tech-bustling city of New York during reading week.

In September, students and staff of the SFM program collaborated with Sustainable Waterloo to plant trees at a local elementary school.

Learn about the exciting experience Cynthia and her team had at the Tax Executives Institute Case Competition!

In this blog, our International Study Course class shares their experiences, from culture to business, during their trip to Japan and reflects on them.

These students, divided into three subteams — Marketing & Culture, Corporate Relations, and Meals & Logistics — have particular roles and responsibilities which ensure the class can become immersed in a new culture, meet with company executives from various industries, and gain insight into the world of global business operations.

The Corporate Relations Team for the upcoming International Study Course trip to South Korea shares their process for connecting with and setting up meetings with companies that are sure to provide the group with valuable insights into various industries.

AFM students Ronis, Michael, Charlene, and Josh recently won the SAF's 11th annual Investment Research Challenge (IRC). 

Read their blog to learn more about how the team sharpened their skills for the competition and nailed their pitch.

Recent Accounting and Financial Management (AFM) graduate, Nicole, reflects on her time at the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF), discussing her experiences with the University of Waterloo community, co-op, learning and working remotely, and more. 

A student team reflects on their participation at the Global Case Competition at Harvard University. The students discuss the competition itself, the weeks leading up to the competition, the gala following the event, and what they learned throughout the process. 

Rachel (CFM), Shilp (AFM), Mischa (AFM), and Tony (AFM) recently won the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) Case Competition. 

Read their blog to learn more about their experience during the competition and their innovative solution for BP's transfer to more sustainable and renewable energy model. 

Students from our Sustainability and Financial Management (SFM) program recently won the final round of the Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) International Case Competition.

Learn about their experience and prize-winning solution that led them to surpass teams from Germany, Norway, the United States, and Canada, to securing the top spot and a coveted prize of $10,000.

As the lucky students who recently travelled to Switzerland for the winter School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) 2024 International Study Course trip, we are reflecting on and sharing our once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Cayla writes about her passion for sustainability and why she chose to study at the University of Waterloo.

In honour in National Volunteer Week, Michelle shares her experience tree planting on campus.

Since I moved from Hong Kong at fourteen years old, finding “home” in a new country was a scary thing. With time and new experiences, I have learned to be independent, gained intercultural skills, and developed curiosity for the people and things around me. Starting university at Waterloo was a learning curve too (with co-op as well). 

Jaiden, John, and Thamirah, students at the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF), recently competed at the ACHIEVE Case Competition, and placed SECOND!

We are a team of Accounting and Financial Management students from the University of Waterloo who had the opportunity to participate in this exciting Eclipse Case Competition open for undergraduate students across Ontario. Our team, consisting of Mohammad, Robert, Bryce, and Nathan, had an incredible time at the competition, and we’re excited to share our experience with you.

A Journey of Learning and Collaboration

Participating in a case competition is an incredible opportunity to challenge oneself and learn from talented peers. That's precisely what myself and my colleagues, Pratham, Katherine, and Chloe, experienced when we competed in the ACHIEVE Case Competition in January. 

In January, we participated in the Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (I.C.B.C.) in the ethics stream. I.C.B.C. is one of the most academically rigorous undergraduate case competitions in the world, and this was our experience participating in the competition.  

A very big thank you to everyone who came to enjoy chilli, a candy bar, midterm survival kits, and tons of board games at Games and Sweets Night. It was a pleasure to see you all having so much fun! A special thanks to CFM Program Manager Kim Tremblay as well. 

The event began with a delicious dinner of chilli and warm bread rolls catered by Jacqueline’s Catering. The bread rolls were a hit for sure! 

Learning to understand the “WHYs” and exploring career prospects

“You’ve got to look at the incentives!” - My professor Adam Vitalis always stresses. 

How we won "The Broker," stock pitch competition.

As fourth-year students, me and my teammates, Josh and Natasha, are always looking for opportunities to expand our horizons while giving back to the community. Which is why when we first heard about the St.

If you have ever been unsure of what course to take, then you aren’t alone! At first, I was unsure about what courses to enroll in, but I decided to go for the Internal Audit course (SAF 415), as I had no prior knowledge of the subject, and I wanted to learn about audit from a new perspective.

Our team was interested in trying something new, stepping into the world of finance, and were drawn to an event that raised money for healthcare. We were a bit worried since we came from accounting-focused career paths, but we were all excited to explore and learn more. 

In early December, I had the chance to participate in the finals for the Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge hosted by the University of Arizona, and it’s something I encourage every student to sign up for next year. It served as a great chance to hone my Excel skills, network with top financial modelers in university and abroad, not to mention I was able to escape the snow for a few days

You know that feeling you get when you’re about to embark on a new journey and you’re super nervous? That voice in the back of your head is telling you that something will go wrong? When it came to my first day of orientation at the University of Waterloo, I decided to stop listening to it.