I’m curious about your experience in the Waterloo FARM program. How do you like it? Also what were your grades and extracurriculars like when you applied?
I was accepted in february of last year with an admission average of 99.3 aggregated between grade 11 and 12. There were a couple of ECs that were the focal points of my AIF. Firstly, I outlined my involvement in the back end development of the stock market game which was endorsed by DECA and had a national scope. Additionally, I excelled in the AIME and AMC competitions and was invited to compete in the USAMO. All in all, I retrospectively believe that my qualifications were overkill for this program and you can likely get in by doing much less with a marginally lower average.
Congrats! That must have been really challenging, but your hard work paid off.
I have a question, I’ve heard from a few people that FARM can be a bit unstructured. Is that your experience?
What is general job path and what do think of the prog flexibility.
I am curious if you were overqualified for the FARM program why did you choose this program specifically.
I’ve only completed 1A so far, so I don't think I'm the best person to comment on the program as a whole. That said, in terms of flexibility, FARM is somewhat disadvantageous compared to programs like Honours Math. This is largely because it reduces elective space by requiring exposure to market analysis and other finance-related areas through auto-enrolled courses such as COMM 101. This can feel tedious for students who are not particularly ambitious about finance and prefer more breadth in their course load.
In terms of employment prospects, the degree appears quite versatile based on the linkedIn profiles I've stalked. Since you take foundational courses in math and computer science, you can be a competitive candidate for data-oriented roles, especially during co-op. However, most students who are deeply committed to that path will likely be in CS or Math. FARM is primarily designed to prepare students for certifications such as the CFA and PRM, and many students secure co-op positions at banks in areas like market risk and credit risk analysis.
Overall, the program is strong at addressing the intersection of mathematics and finance, though it is less flexible than other Faculty of Math programs. The career outlook is fairly dynamic, as the combination of math and finance provides a solid foundation in quantitative risk metrics, making graduates competitive for roles in financial institutions. The quantitative coursework also allows for a pivot into data-oriented roles if financial analysis or risk management turns out to be less appealing than initially expected.
Edit: To mention why I picked FARM, it ties into what I mentioned previously. My current goal is to obtain my CFA, and I believe FARM will provide me with a robust foundation for the certification requirements. That being said, if I ever want to pivot out of the field, I will always be able to capitalize on my BMATH degree which allows me to leverage other quantitative skills that can entice employers in math/cs adjacent roles.
I dont think the conditions to get into farm are very high 💀 my top 6 avg was around a 91 and did actually ass on Euclid for g11 and 12. For the aif, I stayed very focused on one ec which was volunteer group my friends and I made during hs. I did have multiple awards in deca and debate which I think also helped
Sorry for not listening to the title, but here’s my input. I’m not in FARM but I did apply. My top 6 was a 93 average (no IB OR AP courses) I had little to no EC’s (all I had was varsity volleyball and around 200 volunteer hours with some being apart of a church and the rest sports tournaments). I got accepted in around April but my AIF was pretty well written from what people told me when I showed them.
One tip I could give is make sure to ANSWER the questions. What I mean by this is get to the point and make it very clear. Alot of people ramble and don't get their point across and that cost them as many people who do read the AIF scan over it. From what I was told they scan over it quickly and what gets their attention is that is it gets straight to the point.
Currently 4B farm kid, i guess other 1a/1b people can better answer on how to get in the program related stuff. But overall program is great. You will make a lot of friends who will eventually end up working in finance industry in some pretty good roles. Though it is important to realize that this program wont guaranty your success. You still need to work very hard and make a lot of efforts to get in some really cool coops
I was accepted in february of last year with an admission average of 99.3 aggregated between grade 11 and 12. There were a couple of ECs that were the focal points of my AIF. Firstly, I outlined my involvement in the back end development of the stock market game which was endorsed by DECA and had a national scope. Additionally, I excelled in the AIME and AMC competitions and was invited to compete in the USAMO. All in all, I retrospectively believe that my qualifications were overkill for this program and you can likely get in by doing much less with a marginally lower average.
Congrats! That must have been really challenging, but your hard work paid off. I have a question, I’ve heard from a few people that FARM can be a bit unstructured. Is that your experience? What is general job path and what do think of the prog flexibility.
I am curious if you were overqualified for the FARM program why did you choose this program specifically.
I’ve only completed 1A so far, so I don't think I'm the best person to comment on the program as a whole. That said, in terms of flexibility, FARM is somewhat disadvantageous compared to programs like Honours Math. This is largely because it reduces elective space by requiring exposure to market analysis and other finance-related areas through auto-enrolled courses such as COMM 101. This can feel tedious for students who are not particularly ambitious about finance and prefer more breadth in their course load.
In terms of employment prospects, the degree appears quite versatile based on the linkedIn profiles I've stalked. Since you take foundational courses in math and computer science, you can be a competitive candidate for data-oriented roles, especially during co-op. However, most students who are deeply committed to that path will likely be in CS or Math. FARM is primarily designed to prepare students for certifications such as the CFA and PRM, and many students secure co-op positions at banks in areas like market risk and credit risk analysis.
Overall, the program is strong at addressing the intersection of mathematics and finance, though it is less flexible than other Faculty of Math programs. The career outlook is fairly dynamic, as the combination of math and finance provides a solid foundation in quantitative risk metrics, making graduates competitive for roles in financial institutions. The quantitative coursework also allows for a pivot into data-oriented roles if financial analysis or risk management turns out to be less appealing than initially expected.
Edit: To mention why I picked FARM, it ties into what I mentioned previously. My current goal is to obtain my CFA, and I believe FARM will provide me with a robust foundation for the certification requirements. That being said, if I ever want to pivot out of the field, I will always be able to capitalize on my BMATH degree which allows me to leverage other quantitative skills that can entice employers in math/cs adjacent roles.
Thank you for all this info. It was helpful.
I dont think the conditions to get into farm are very high 💀 my top 6 avg was around a 91 and did actually ass on Euclid for g11 and 12. For the aif, I stayed very focused on one ec which was volunteer group my friends and I made during hs. I did have multiple awards in deca and debate which I think also helped
What were your marks in math courses?
Adv func - 94
Data - 92
Calc - 91
I did IB HL AA math, so idk if that means anything to Waterloo lol my school was also in the avg adjustment factor
Sorry for not listening to the title, but here’s my input. I’m not in FARM but I did apply. My top 6 was a 93 average (no IB OR AP courses) I had little to no EC’s (all I had was varsity volleyball and around 200 volunteer hours with some being apart of a church and the rest sports tournaments). I got accepted in around April but my AIF was pretty well written from what people told me when I showed them.
What are your tips for a good AIF.
One tip I could give is make sure to ANSWER the questions. What I mean by this is get to the point and make it very clear. Alot of people ramble and don't get their point across and that cost them as many people who do read the AIF scan over it. From what I was told they scan over it quickly and what gets their attention is that is it gets straight to the point.
Thanks for the tip.
Currently 4B farm kid, i guess other 1a/1b people can better answer on how to get in the program related stuff. But overall program is great. You will make a lot of friends who will eventually end up working in finance industry in some pretty good roles. Though it is important to realize that this program wont guaranty your success. You still need to work very hard and make a lot of efforts to get in some really cool coops
Thank you for your input. At the end of the day, success in any program depends on the effort you put in.