Rotman Commerce is considered as one of the top business schools in Canada. When we talk about the top three undergraduate business schools in Canada, we usually think of Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto, Schulich at York University and Ivy at Western University.
All three of these schools are very top, but they each have their pros and cons. Rotman Commerce has the characteristics that many students are looking for in undergraduate schools such as connections, huge networking opportunities and global reputation. But some students may choose to go to different business schools because they like what other schools offer better than Rotman now.
Class and Curriculum
In terms of curriculum, Rotman has both required and recommended courses for first-year students. Math 133, Econ 101 and 102, and management are all the required courses. You need to get over 63% in all these courses for you to move on to the second year of Rotman. When students first hear the number 63%, they all think it’s going to be too easy. But once you’re in the course, you will realize it’s actually tough to get 63%, because professors will try to rid out some of the students in their first year, and they’ll do that by making some of the exams really hard.
You may wonder which is a management class mentioned earlier. Not only there are required courses, but there are recommended courses as well in Rotman Commerce. You don’t need to take these recommended courses in your first year, but most students take these recommended courses in their first year because it really helps with your understanding of the future concepts that you will learn in Rotman Commerce. And these recommended courses are RSM 219, which is accounting. RSM 250, which is marketing, RSM 230, which is finance.
Unlike required courses, you don’t need to get 63% in these recommended courses to move on to your second year, but you still need to pass in order to get credit. In all these required and recommended courses combined, Econ 101, which is microeconomics, is the hardest. Math 133 is a full-year course, and all other courses are half-year courses. So it means Math 133 is worth one full credit while other courses are 0.5 credits.
After taking all these required courses, and when you successfully move on to your second year, you will then be able to choose your mainstream. There are three main paths you can choose, which is Management, Accounting, and Finance&Economics.
Rotman Commerce students by specialist program (years 2-4):
28%
Accounting
50%
Finance and Economics
22%
Management
Clubs and Networking
So those are all the technical aspects of Rotman. Now let’s talk about more of the soft side of Rotman. Let’s start with clubs. So Rotman has exclusive clubs that only Rotman students can join. These are called R/C clubs. And all these are RC clubs starts with RC—for instance, RCSA, which stands for Rotman Commerce Students Association. There are so many clubs that you can join as Rotman students, and these clubs are crucial in terms of making networks within Rotman.
One of the main things taught at Rotman is the power of networking. Professors often say that networking is more important than getting good grades. When you join these RC clubs, you’ll now have access to upper-year students and aluminized who are actually in the industry that you want to go into. As a first-year student, you’ll have an opportunity to join one of these clubs and work as an intern and often, getting these intern spots can be very competitive. Especially for the clubs that are kind of popular among students, there were about a hundred applicants, and they only pick six first-year interns. When you come to Rotman, make sure to look for some of these clubs that you want to join in the future.
Events and Atmosphere
Lastly, I want to talk about events in the atmosphere. So these RC clubs will host a lot of events throughout the year. Some of these events will be very good for your networking opportunities. You’ll get to meet upper-year students in different RC clubs and different interns in different RC clubs. Make sure to check these events out when you have time because these are helping out a lot in the future.
Other events might include events like case competitions. In these case competitions, you’ll compete with other students. When you win, you’ll get some money. It’ll also look very good on your resume. You realize lots of RC students and professors will encourage you to do these case competitions because it’s a good practice and a really good opportunity to network. Sometimes in these competitions, recruiters from big companies will come and see your cases. If you do good enough, you might get a summer internship or great offers from big companies. So think of it as your golden ticket. If you do well, it may bring the opportunities that you’ve never even imagined.
The general atmosphere at Rotman Commerce is very friendly. All the people around are very friendly and are all eager to meet each other. As all business students, they’re very good at talking, interacting with each other. But when it comes down to competitions, everyone is very professional!
More Discussion
I hope this article is helpful for you if you are interested in business schools in Canada. Here we have a forum that connects real students or graduates at Rotman to prospective students interested in it. You can ask any question you want. Thank you.
