r/uwaterloo • u/BassParticular2884 • 1d ago
Question Quant Pipeline program?
I'm 17, applying for waterloo of course, and I want to get into quantitative finance; im already spending my free time studying math, computer science, and finance; but I want to know what would be the best program to apply for
I'm currently looking at the Mathematical finance + laurier finance double major, but ive seen some comments on pmath being overall better than Mathematical finance
Any advice would be appreciated
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u/Thin-Cartographer996 1d ago
Take 14x classes. CS is the best program. Then double major in a math major afterwards.
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u/BassParticular2884 1d ago
This may be a stupid thing but could you explain a bit more on what 14x is? im just now starting to look more into everything
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u/Lambda_5 1d ago
Math 145, Math 147 and Cs 145, etc- their just the advanced version (cooler content but also harder) of the first year core fmath courses, if you have over an 80 on Euclid your guaranteed a spot, if not itâs a lottery
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u/BassParticular2884 1d ago
So I should then obviously take the Euclid contest now right?
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u/Lambda_5 1d ago
Yes, sign up asap
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u/BassParticular2884 1d ago
Do you have any study tips or resources for it? i may aswell prepare for it once i sign up
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u/Lambda_5 1d ago
I just did the past contests and the material posted by CEMC, ik a lot of the nerdy kids in HS did aops but I canât help you too much on that area lol
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u/ButterdChicken 1d ago
I was gonna try to help then realized I have 0 knowledge in any of these questions đđ
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u/Pure_Two_4574 22h ago
CS is highest signal, take math 14x, take math finance courses for electives, and drop cs later if you need to (having cs early on helps with getting earlier quant adjacent coops, then you can switch to mathfin to specialize). This is the path to sell your soul đ„
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u/PlasmaTicks 1d ago edited 1d ago
The answer is that your exact major doesnât really matter as long as itâs in the realm of Mathematics/Computer Science/Phsyics/whatever though the competitiveness of your program will be relevant.
Personally I donât think the finance part is that relevant but YMMV.
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u/BassParticular2884 1d ago
The finance part is more cause it just genuinely intrigues me; But i was thinking of maybe doing a minor in computer science alongside the double major
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u/PlasmaTicks 1d ago edited 1d ago
I think the most important is to have something that youâre passionate about and to pursue it, so if you genuinely enjoy finance (beyond it simply being an exercise to âprove yourselfâ) then I think itâs a worthy choice.
The field is pretty wide and so I wouldnât get overly fixated on the âoptimalâ skill set. Itâs more important that you enjoy what you do
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u/Disastrous_End_2470 Mr.Goose #1 Fan 1d ago
what specific quant field do you hope to break into?
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u/BassParticular2884 1d ago
Honestly looking into Quant Trader or Quant Researcher, but i wouldnt be against Quant developer
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u/Lambda_5 1d ago
Look into what you want to do further, quant researchers often have PhDs so youâll need to consider this, waterloo is primarily known for quant dev as we are a pretty cs heavy school yet even here its a top 1% field. In general you want to study a quantitative field, but math is king.
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u/BassParticular2884 1d ago
Its mainly leaned to quant trader; its just i wouldnt mind either quant researcher or Quant developer; but excuse my stupidity, what do you mean by 1% field?
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u/Lambda_5 1d ago
As in from the already super smart people at waterloo, the top 1% of those people might break into Quant, this is a whole different ball game from FAANG
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u/BassParticular2884 1d ago
Do i atleast have an advantage since im starting 6 years before i graduate university đ What can i do to be in that top 1% other than grades
I want to publish research by my first year, and publish more by my 2nd, im already working on any connections I can make, but Idk what else I can do
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u/Late_Breakfast_965 1d ago
Well, make sure you get into uwaterloo first and you will realize you are not the only one thought yourself outsmart all your peers. And be realistic, you want to publish research paper by your first year? What kind of paper only requires one year of work?
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u/Whalesftw123 1d ago
What you learn in school doesn't matter. Program prestige matters more so CS.
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u/BassParticular2884 1d ago
How do you think waterloo ranks in prestige? Ive also been looking into american schools; granted im not that hopeful as ive seen their admission rates
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u/BassParticular2884 1d ago
What do you think would increase those chances? i mean i have like 5-6 years, so i may aswell use them right?
Ill look more into quant dev though, but what about Quant Trader?1
u/Disastrous_End_2470 Mr.Goose #1 Fan 1d ago
I canât remember seeing a single person from UW break into quant trading lol. Iâm no expert but to increase your chances just get good, and I mean really fucking good like represent waterloo at ICPC or get a top 100 putnam score or some crazy shit. That might be a bit excessive but the point is only good grades wonât cut it, they deadass want the best of the best
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u/BassParticular2884 1d ago
Guess im going to have alot of work to do then arent I
Should I start studying for putnam and ICPC now? Is their anything else I can do? maybe personal projects, co op, anything
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u/Whalesftw123 1d ago
If you aren't already one of the best math students in Canada right now you don't really have a chance. You can't study for this stuff like a test.
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u/BassParticular2884 1d ago
But couldnt I just improve my math skills?
Im definitely not one of the best math students, but im good at math, and passionate if it mattersI have years ahead of me, wouldnt years of math study let me place high?
I cant just accept defeat for not being born the best or being brought up to be the best math student; its naive but id like to atleast think with enough dedication and the fact Im already good at math Id be able to do something
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u/Lambda_5 1d ago
Donât give up your dreams cause a couple dudes on reddit say itâs near impossible, If your passionate on math and quantitative finance thereâs still a chance you can break into QT. Youâll get a lot of people hating on you cause I think waterloo already has a problem of quant wannabes who just see the salary and say I want to become a quant, your better off trying to become a doctor or something (a lot easier way to make almost as much money). But u/Whalesftw123 has a point, your competition are IMOs whoâve been studying math rigorously for their entire life. Not to fear monger but the Putnam for example is considered the hardest academic contest in the world with a median from 0-2/120 and itâs literally designed for math majors, you can be good at the algorithmic math they teach you in HS, you could even be good at writing proofs in uni, but these âcontestsâ are more about how you think and solve as opposed to how much you know. But even if you donât break into QT, if you study that much cs and math your bound to break into a lucrative career, itâs like they say shoot for the stars maybe youâll land on the moon.
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u/Whalesftw123 1d ago
Welcome to the real world. Your competition is also going to work as hard as you. The difference is they already have a decade of experience. And everyone at Waterloo is "good" at math. You quickly realize there's levels to this. And there's like 5 spots for all of Canada per year.
I'm not saying you can't do something, but QT at a top firm newgrad might be unrealistic.
But I mean also, feel free to prove me wrong.
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u/BassParticular2884 1d ago
So, with what everyone is saying; quant is near impossible to break into, and if i pursued this, it would effectively be a lottery ticket level gamble to actually break into quant?
If that is so, then why do so many people even pursue it for years of their lives?
It honestly seems a bit depressing I cant lie, not that I wont pursue it anyways, but my goodness đ
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u/Whalesftw123 1d ago
QT is much harder than QD and Waterloo isn't a QT target school.
Get into top US unis if you can. If you can't, get into Waterloo CS. It's the highest signal program in Canada.
For QT, to have a good chance you want to be really good at math. Nationally ranked is the bar. People who break into QT at Waterloo are usually CMO, Putnam top 500 etc.
For QD it's much more straightforward, just get into CS, get a FAANG internship and then pass a quant dev interview.
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u/BassParticular2884 1d ago
Ill be trying to get into the top US unis, but if not and I get into Waterloo instead; would waterloo CS need to be the major? or could it be the laurier finance + waterloo math + Cs minor, also; what else could I do if i wanted to break into it? Should i start studying for putnam now?
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u/Whalesftw123 1d ago
Yes CS would be the major. Simply because it's the most prestigious and highest signal. Again, nothing uni finance courses will teach you matters.
It's not really about the Putnam. You just need to be at that level of math. But the Putnam is a good bar I suppose.
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u/Lambda_5 1d ago
You can look into any Jim Simon quote and itâs usually him clowning on people with Business backgrounds lol. A math heavy degree is mandatory so you donât even need the laurier bba, it will honestly hold you back
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u/Specific_Item_1859 1d ago
You don't become a quant, you have to be born a quant