UWO (w AEO) or BBA/CS at Laurier + Waterloo?

Hey guys, looking for some canadians on here to provide some insight as to which program I should choose.

Neither choice would be a "conventional" four year degree, with one being a double degree (although I could drop down to just CS after a year) and the other being a 2+2 with a fuckton of stress in the first two years. I wouldn't mind grinding out the double degree because I could probably get away with a less-than-ideal average, given its irrelevance for SWE and the fact that a double degree (especially with one being CS) would give me some leeway when it comes to my GPA for traditional finance recruiting (please correct me if I'm wrong here). On the other hand, if I fuck up my first two years at UWO and fall below the maintenance average for third year entry into the bschool, whatever degree I would be left with would be vastly more unemployable than something involving CS at Waterloo.

I'm pretty much deadset on going into traditional high finance, with some sort of tech role as an absolute worst-case scenario.

Money isn't an issue, but the double degree would be cheaper by ~30k CAD.

Any advice on which offer I should take?

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Go to Ivey if you're deadest on finance. DD is overkill if you're gunning for the traditional IB/PE route. Your time will be much better spent networking and doing mocks rather than pursuing another degree that will provide very little (if any) incremental benefits  

 

If you want to go into IB, PE, etc, definitely go for Ivey. Ivey is hella easy compared to DD, which is far more rigorous. 

However, if you want to go more quant side, whether it be like a legit quant fund, or even S&T, I'd take double degree. DD also gives you more optionality. 

Pros of Ivey: Easier, more free time, more established pipeline into non-quant finance

Pros of DD: Gives a lot more optionality regarding careers, Waterloo coop is absolutely blessed

 

I know Ivey is far less rigorous than the DD, but the stress of maintaining an 80% cGPA in the first 2 years is a pretty big turnoff. Besides, I can drop down to a single degree (probably CS, given that it's more employable/selective/prestigious) after the first year.

 

Fair enough. Personally, if I had any interest in tech or programming whatsoever, I'd choose DD too. I chose a different program over Ivey anyways, as did almost everyone I know.

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

I mean from what I have heard, the averages in most core classes are 65-70, while electives are just a tad higher. Besides, if I fail a single course (some hellish calculus course, which is a real possibility), that's failing the requirement too.

 
Most Helpful

As a Canadian (and Ivey Grad), if your heart is set on finance, your best chances are with UWO w/ AEO aka Ivey (even more so for the BB/EB and US recruitment).

However, I will say that if your heart is set on Big 6 banking, then I would choose Waterloo for the Co-ops (not sure if that applies for the DD as well). Having  4-5 co-op opportunities with A LOT less competition in my opinion makes it a little easier to break into the Big 6 as they always take Co-ops. Summer is quite competitive (mostly because Ivey, Queens, McGill, UofT etc are gunning for these) so these Co-Ops are easy ways to sneak in and get good experiences and even potentially leverage those for a solid summer at more global places. (assuming DD co-ops are structured the same as a Waterloo program as I have no idea if they are).

Of course, this is just my opinion!

 

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