Blog

Reprinted from LinkedIn with permission

We proactively responded to the COVID-19 crisis by pivoting and seeking global opportunities, which was a huge success with so many organizations from diverse industries agreeing to meet with our International Study group.

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.

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."

Mitchell, 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). "It was the hard work and commitment that our team put in which ultimately made the difference. Our team members during that time were either on co-op or exchange and so it took a lot of planning and dedication for us all to stay connected."

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

From office to home, the new working reality amid COVID-19

To prospective UWaterloo students, I would like to share a recap of my Winter 2020 co-op experience as one that was very unexpected, yet valuable. The skills I developed as a student in the AFM program prepared me for the new working reality during my first work term.

When I was debating between two co-op job offers, one as a forensic accountant at a public accounting firm, and the other as a financial analyst at a software company, I met an industry professional at a networking event and had a great conversation with him that helped me decide.

During my COVID-19 home quarantine I have had some time to reflect on my first year of university. Below are the three most important things that I learned: