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 À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ. 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, À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ 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 À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ 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 À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ, 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!