Rotman Commerce Supplementary Application Essay Examples

Written by Stephanie Pugh and Matthew Tran

Rotman Commerce is looking for exceptional students who have excelled academically, have a strong sense of leadership and community, and have a love for business. All Rotman Commerce applicants must complete the Rotman Commerce Supplemental Application in order for the admissions committee to properly analyze these qualities.

Want to know what questions to expect on the Rotman Commerce Supplementary Application Essay? Keep reading to find out!

Rotman Commerce Supplementary Application

Short written and video replies are included in the application, giving Rotman Commerce the opportunity to learn more about you. When considering you for admission to the programme, your supplementary application will be reviewed alongside your academic record— it will hold a lot of weight in your admission decision.

How It Works

A $50 Supplemental Application fee must be submitted along with your OUAC application. You will get an email acknowledgment from U of T shortly after completing your OUAC application, which will include your JOINid/UTORid, your University of Toronto Applicant Number, and information about the next steps in the application process.

You may check the progress of your application(s) and get a list of any needed papers, including the Rotman Commerce Supplemental Application, once you have access to the Join U of T site. Applicants will be able to get detailed instructions on how to fill out the Supplemental Application through the Join U of T site. Applicants will have limitless practice sessions available to them.

Note: Your information will be collected and held for the University by Kira Talent, a company that provides an online platform for video interviews and essays.

Rotman Commerce Supplementary Application Essay Examples

So what can you expect with this application? Well, there are three written replies and two videos included in the application. It is necessary to finish all five parts. You can prepare your responses in advance for the first two questions, one written and one video question.

The first written essay question will be similar to this one below:

Please list up to three activities that you spent a significant amount of time on outside of class. Focus on activities from the last 4 years – they can be any kind of pursuit, including sports, clubs, employment, volunteer activities, research activities, or hobbies.

For each activity, provide the following information:

  • (1) briefly describe what you did
  • (2) state how long you were involved in the activity (in months or years)
  • (3) if applicable, list any achievements, awards, leadership positions, etc. that you consider noteworthy. Use approximately 50 words for each activity.

You will have 20 minutes to respond to this question.

Essay example:

In my last two years of high school, I have been the leader of my school’s student council’s Fundraising and Advertising Committee. With experience from my work on the DECA club and my leadership through sports teams like hockey and volleyball, I knew that I could come up with a strong fundraising plan and follow through with it using my good team communication skills. I helped to market a community cookout fundraising event, which I had promoted through social media advertising and gained over 200 RSVPs to the event. Through my efforts, my committee was able to raise $1,500 for our school’s council. At the end of the year, I was awarded the Student Marketing Award for leading this initiative.

For the second question, which is a video response question, you will be asked to:

  • (1) Briefly introduce yourself
  • (2) Tell us about one thing that you are passionate about
  • (3) Describe what unique perspectives or experiences you will bring to the Rotman Commerce community.

You will have 45 seconds to record your answer. Before you begin the official Supplemental Application, you will have the option to rehearse your answer to this question during the practise session.

The next three questions (2 written, and one video) in the application will be picked completely at random from a question bank. There will be two written questions, each with a time limit of 20 minutes to answer. You’ll have 60 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to record your answer for the final video question.

Some example questions from past applications have included:

  • Why do you want to pursue a career in business?
  • Is artificial intelligence good or bad for our society?
  • Find a business-related article. In 100 words summarize it, and in another 100 words explain its implication on business.

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