My secondary choices were business and finance programs at universities such as York, Ryerson but Waterloo's AFM outweighs all of them on the basis of practicality, reputation, reach and job opportunities. It's simply the best business related program after Toronto but it's also one of the hardest to be accepted into. Why would someone choose second tier B-programs from Ryerson when they have Waterloo offering them a spot in one of the most looked upon business programs in the country,
Course Curriculum :
I am in the 4th semester currently and about 60% of the courses until now have been introduction to various workings of business and rest were more advanced 2nd year level courses of those fields such as business analytics, accounting, finance etc. The course offerings within the program are relevant and updated as per industry needs every now and then.
Exams :
My scores: IELTS 8.0 overall Class minimum score: IELTS 6.5 overall Attempted the exam before applying
Placement :
Placement rate is nearly 100% within 6 months of completion of the program, the placement process isn't detailed after an updated resume and cover page is drawn up which is covered by the career services at Waterloo itself. All the profiles offered are either related to finance, accounting, risk and investment management etc. Median Salary is 50K CAD upwards for any of these profiles. Most end up working in financial centres of the country such as Vancouver or the Bay Street.
Events :
Campus life at Waterloo is however not the best part of the program which is mainly due to cut throat academic competition among students in the program. People follow a regimen of leaving campus after classes for a particular day are done with to study or/and complete work related commitments. There are clubs for everything at Waterloo such as Robotics, business, law and relevant student bodies for Indian and Asian Students in general. Students were allowed access to gyms pre-covid but everything is shut as of now due to a recent spike in cases in Ontario. WiFi and Libraries are obviously part of the student resource package.
Scholarship :
Yes, an entrance scholarship of 5000 CAD
Faculty :
Faculty to student ratio lurks around 1:20ish something i guess. More or less since it's a huge program with lots of students. It's hard to seek personal attention from professors related to the program because of the sheer size and vastness of the program but that doesn't stop me from approaching professors and dealing with issues, it's all about approaching them personally and professionally.
Hostel :
Waterloo as a city is small with fewer part time work opportunities and it's better to search through sites like kijiji for housing. Before departing for Canada, I browsed through such sites and found a pocket friendly yet fulfilling accommodation nearby campus. I pay about 450 CAD for an apartment styled setup but most areas of the apartment is shared but the bedroom is however personal. WiFi is excluded but rest services such as Hydro, laundry is part of the overall cost.
