hi there again! i hope you’re doing good! i apologize for the bother, but i wanted to ask what you might recommend or what advice you might have for the rotman commerce supplementary application or any incoming applicants, since i’m super keen on completing the supplementary soon and have been trying to prep with old questions/practice but it still seems super intimidating!
hey there again,
OMG a returning customer!
great question. so just to preface things: i am not a rotman student myself, but i do know a couple rotman students and here’s what i’ve gotten from them.
i’m sure you already know this, but definitely make use of rotman online resources to prep. they post the supplemental application questions in the portal, and you’ll be able to practice lots beforehand. you can also check out this recent webinar recording giving more details on how it’ll work.
the best thing you can do is prepare with the practice questions, which you’re already doing, so yay! besides that, my friend says to make sure that you can answer the questions in a clear manner, and that your thoughts are organized. like, don’t ramble, but stay direct and specific to the point you’re making. and also, practice standard interview questions. rotman students have to come across those quite often during their undergrad.
besides that, from my experience as a U of T undergrad, i would say it’s always good to be prepared to talk about your past relevant extracurricular/academic activities and what you learned from those, or what you achieved in those areas. a question i am sooo tired of seeing is to “describe a time you encountered a conflict/hardship and had to overcome it”. and from my experience doing interviews, please make sure you start your the supplementary during a time when you’re in a good, calm, and well-rested head space. i once did an interview right after something stressful happened and let’s just say i was shaking while answering questions.
yeehaw. anways, i also think it would be good to have a prepare response of why you want to go into business, or why you’re interested in this field, since they’re probably gonna ask that, right? according to their website, they want “outstanding students that have demonstrated academic excellence, have an understanding of leadership and community, and a passion for the world of business”. so definitely keep that in mind and try to highlight those characteristics!
ie. make sure you seem genuinely interested, and have evidence of community/leadership involvement.
and it’ll be really helpful to practice interview questions with someone else/different people! that’s something that will be super beneficial for the quality of your responses, since other people can give you feedback from another perspective. i definitely recommend it.
again, remember, i’ve never done this application, that’s just some general advice from being an undergrad at U of T.
overall, don’t stress too much. there won’t be anything crazy/surprising in the questions that’s meant to trick you or catch you off your guard. i know it can feel really scary and intimidating to do all this pre-U of T stuff, but according to people who have done it, the supplemental application is not as scary as it seems, and you’re gonna be so okay.
best of luck with your application! you can do it!!! wishing you lots of gentleness, sweet treats, and warm hugs this month. and omg would it be crazy if i asked you to update me if you get in maybe?
over and out,
aska