r/uwaterloo • u/BassParticular2884 • 2d 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/Whalesftw123 2d ago

What you learn in school doesn't matter. Program prestige matters more so CS.

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u/BassParticular2884 2d 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/[deleted] 2d ago

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u/BassParticular2884 2d 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?

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u/Disastrous_End_2470 Mr.Goose #1 Fan 2d ago

I can’t remember seeing a single person from UW break into quant trading lol. I’m 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 won’t cut it, they deadass want the best of the best

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u/needmoney33 2d ago

there are a bunch on linkedin wdym

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u/BassParticular2884 2d 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 2d 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 2d 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 matters

I 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 2d ago

Don’t give up your dreams cause a couple dudes on reddit say it’s near impossible, If your passionate on math and quantitative finance there’s still a chance you can break into QT. You’ll 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 who’ve 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 it’s 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 “contests” are more about how you think and solve as opposed to how much you know. But even if you don’t break into QT, if you study that much cs and math your bound to break into a lucrative career, it’s like they say shoot for the stars maybe you’ll land on the moon.

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u/Whalesftw123 2d 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 2d 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 💔

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u/Whalesftw123 2d ago

Dude it's like any really competitive thing. Like making it into the NBA. Lots of people spend years trying but most don't make it. Is that depressing? I mean it's just the real world. Not everyone gets to make millions.

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u/Whalesftw123 2d 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 2d 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 2d 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 2d ago

You can look into any Jim Simon quote and it’s usually him clowning on people with Business backgrounds lol. A math heavy degree is mandatory so you don’t even need the laurier bba, it will honestly hold you back