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Originally posted by Michael Russo Look at all the engineers I just got accepted into Waterloo Computer Engineering today I couldn't believe it, I thought I'd have to wait till the end of May (or early June!) to hear. And I wasn't even sure I'd get in... Suffice to say, this package that says "You're In!" with the UWaterloo logo in the bottom right corner is quite a relief I'm going to set up a campus visit soon. Which residence (there's lots to choose from!) would you recommend? How's the city? Am I going to have 18 hours of homework a day?

Wow, congradulations!
What were your marks?

All the residences are different. If you like private life, and you don't wanna be bothered when you study, go to UW place. If you wanna party every goddamn day of the week, go to Village1, Meckenzie, and Village 2. Plus, they have their own little differences.

Universities have only been giving out early acceptances to those with 95+ averages. He must have had an amazing average.

edit: This applies to only the big bad universities. Ryerson, Windsor and Laurier have been chucking out early acceptances like there's no tomorrow. UofT, Queens and Waterloo have only sent out acceptances to those with 95+ averages.. the main round of acceptance letters comes around mid-may for those of us unfortunate to be in the double cohort.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Russo Look at all the engineers I just got accepted into Waterloo Computer Engineering today I couldn't believe it, I thought I'd have to wait till the end of May (or early June!) to hear. And I wasn't even sure I'd get in... Suffice to say, this package that says "You're In!" with the UWaterloo logo in the bottom right corner is quite a relief I'm going to set up a campus visit soon. Which residence (there's lots to choose from!) would you recommend? How's the city? Am I going to have 18 hours of homework a day?

Well, engineers have around 30+ hours of classes a week. And you'll have to spend a great deal of your time on homework. But then it all depends on how organized you are, study habits, etc.

Also, I would suggest to not skip frosh week. You'll meet many smart and energetic people from your program with whom you'll be spending most of your time partying and studying.

In terms of residence, try to get into village 1. It's a 5 minute walk to the engineering buildings. V1 also has better food . Village 2 (aka REV) only has double rooms (I think). V2 also has coed floors, which rock!

thx for the response guys...

my average is I don't think incrediabily high (91%) but I do believe that I have a good chance of getting in Waterloo because I am involved in a LOT of extracurricular activities and that has to count for something huh?

I do want to go to Waterloo but the only thing I am worried of is that I won't have a life there... but then again... I don't think i would have much of a life in UT also so I guess Waterloo would be the better choice for me...

thanks

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Originally posted by kewlness I do want to go to Waterloo but the only thing I am worried of is that I won't have a life there... but then again... I don't think i would have much of a life in UT also so I guess Waterloo would be the better choice for me... thanks

Whether you have a life or not depends entirely on you. If you wanna have fun, you will.. There are a lot of responsible people in Waterloo who definitely know how to party. But then again there are many people who only study all day long. It's your choice with whom you will hang out.

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Originally posted by kewlness thx for the response guys... my average is I don't think incrediabily high (91%) but I do believe that I have a good chance of getting in Waterloo because I am involved in a LOT of extracurricular activities and that has to count for something huh? I do want to go to Waterloo but the only thing I am worried of is that I won't have a life there... but then again... I don't think i would have much of a life in UT also so I guess Waterloo would be the better choice for me... thanks

To be honest, I think this depends more on the program you go into than the university. Engineering is never going to be much of a social atmosphere. But if you're worried about a sausage fest at Waterloo, it bears repeating that Laurier is right across the street (it's what, 80% women or something?). And when people talk about Waterloo being anti-social they probably are talking about the engineering faculty - if you scout around and make the right friends you'll probably find lots of parties.

(Queen's Eng. was boring as hell for me until I started making friends outside the faculty and learned where people tend to hang out)

P.S. When I applied to Waterloo (sans double cohort a few years ago), I had a 93 and an insane amount of extracurriculars and did not get in... there are certain other factors that come into play which I'd probably get flamed for talking about...

This might dissuade you from going to UW:
Engineers dissatisfied with their program at UW

Please read it.

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Originally posted by DigiNut To be honest, I think this depends more on the program you go into than the university. Engineering is never going to be much of a social atmosphere. But if you're worried about a sausage fest at Waterloo, it bears repeating that Laurier is right across the street (it's what, 80% women or something?). And when people talk about Waterloo being anti-social they probably are talking about the engineering faculty - if you scout around and make the right friends you'll probably find lots of parties.

that's like sayin that ur "all boys" school is right beside an "all girls" school. my engineering friends at Waterloo always boast about that one fact yet i've never seen any Laurier chicks at any of their house parties ..

me think thats Laurier girls are lookin beyond Waterloo for their source of sausage ..

I have a friend that is going to waterwoo for sciences, and i quote : "Dont go to waterloo!!!"
yup, it all boils down to that, HUGE guy to girl ration, mostly nerds, and generally people that dont know how to have fun. thats the general consensus from my friends.
the engineers at waterloo are known to be the quiet type
the engineers at mcgill are known to be the craziest
waterloo is a shithole
montreal rules

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Originally posted by 404 Science I have a friend that is going to waterwoo for sciences, and i quote : "Dont go to waterloo!!!" yup, it all boils down to that, HUGE guy to girl ration, mostly nerds, and generally people that dont know how to have fun. thats the general consensus from my friends. the engineers at waterloo are known to be the quiet type the engineers at mcgill are known to be the craziest waterloo is a shithole montreal rules

Well, I wouldn't be that harsh... Waterloo engineers graduate with $0 debt, 2 years of professional experience and have very high chances of getting a job within a few months after graduation. Can your engineer friends from McGill say the same?

Waterloo can't be that bad. I mean great guys like Durafei go there. For all you saying that you won't have fun at UW, there isn't that much to do at U of T and all the people are just out for themselves. And because engineering is such a demanding program, you only hang out with your classmates and don't have time to enjoy the rest of Toronto. I go to U of T now and let me tell you I had way more "fun" in Ottawa at Carleton University. Now that was fun!!! (remembering the good times)

If you got in at Waterloo, go there. It will be much more rewarding at the end. And you can always come to Toronto to party like everyone else does.

party....so much fun.

I go to Waterloo for the educational value, not for the party value. I am paying them big money to teach me.

quote:

Originally posted by psychosomatica Universities have only been giving out early acceptances to those with 95+ averages. He must have had an amazing average. edit: This applies to only the big bad universities. Ryerson, Windsor and Laurier have been chucking out early acceptances like there's no tomorrow. UofT, Queens and Waterloo have only sent out acceptances to those with 95+ averages.. the main round of acceptance letters comes around mid-may for those of us unfortunate to be in the double cohort.

That's not really true... I don't have a 95, and I've gotten into all of the "big bad universities" you've mentioned. And so have many people I know, with marks under 90.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. Z Wow, congradulations! What were your marks? All the residences are different. If you like private life, and you don't wanna be bothered when you study, go to UW place. If you wanna party every goddamn day of the week, go to Village1, Meckenzie, and Village 2. Plus, they have their own little differences.

Thanks

Around 93 I think... but you also have to consider the forms about yourself, as well as the school you currently attend's calibration factor.

NightCreature: Thanks for the info

V1 sounds like a good option.



Durafei:

I honestly didn't need to read that...

Can anyone studying engineering at Waterloo give their honest opinion about the program? There were complaints about everything, not just the amount of work... ie. not learning anything relevant, not being on the cutting edge, not enough work with computer hardware...

Well, I don't think there are any Waterloo engineers on this board.. I do know a lot of engineers who study at UW and they all pretty much say the same thing: It's a lot of boring and useless work.. Having said that, most of them got good jobs, something that UofT engineers don't.

Having said that, I think most UW engineers are a bunch of whiners. It's true that they got shitload of work to do, but most of them never fail any courses. Why not? Cause their exam schedule is always perfect(they have a "class", so everyone's taking the same courses, so they can make schedule really good), and cause engineering profs usually pass everyone.. Fail out rate from UW engineering is relatively low compared to fail out rate from UW comp. sci. for example, even though engineering is MUCH MUCH more work.

I can say a lot of negative things about UW engineering, UW math, UW comp. sci.. But it all boils down to one point: it gets you the job early, it gets you the money and most importantly it gives you knowledge..

quote:

Originally posted by 404 Science yup, it all boils down to that, HUGE guy to girl ration, mostly nerds, and generally people that dont know how to have fun. thats the general consensus from my friends.

this means that any prospective Waterloo engineering students who are also TOTA's should feel right at home ..

Don't want to steal this post, nor start a new one. that would be a waste. Since we're on the subject, I might as well post this:

Anyways, I have a similar situation, but different Universities and a different program.

Program: Busniess

Univ: MacMaster, UofT, or Western (ugh...NOT Ivey..grrr)

If it wasn't for my lovely bloody English teacher, I would've ended up in Laurier. But ..okay...not gonna get into that.

Any suggestions?
Right now, I'm STRONGLY looking at MacMaster. The reasons for not going into UofT is a desperate urge/need/necessaty to get out of the parent's house. What I don't know is, which is better. UofT or MacMaster <---business wise. My lifelong best friend is going to MacMaster(which is a bonus..health sciences ..that bitch). I know nothing about the party scene in Hamilton. I know nothing about the "sausage" ratios. From what I hear, UofT is too competative and you simply don't make a lot of friends. (btw, I'll go to Scarborough campus).

Regarding Western...well...nothing really to say. They party and they party HARD!

One more question:

If you go out of town Univ, do you get a car? How do you get around the city like Hamilton or Kitchner? Say you have a car, how do you manage to pay for it with the parking and insurance? Is it worth iT? Eh...I'll shut up now.

Regarding the GENERAL post:

I say go to Waterloo! I hear it has one of the most beautiful campuses. If you get bored, you can party with fellow TAs like Durafei!

quote:

Originally posted by Durafei Well, I wouldn't be that harsh... Waterloo engineers graduate with $0 debt, 2 years of professional experience and have very high chances of getting a job within a few months after graduation. Can your engineer friends from McGill say the same?

ya but its not that hard to come out of univesity debt free. infact, if you go to any other school, you have a WHOLE YEAR to pay off your debt, cause you graduated in 4 years, not 5. remember, waterloo engineers are in school for 5 years, not 4, without summers off. its really the same amount of hours in class and hours working wherever you go. and if you look hard enough there are always summer factory jobs that pay decent wages, and i dont think that the jobs that UofW engineers get are that much more enjoyable, most coop placements are in unrelated fields. becoming teaching assistants, working for the government or not finding jobs at all. and a mcgill engineering degree carries ALOT of weight, mcgill is probably THE most recognized school in canada, and beside them is UofW.
Of course I was a little harsh but thats because im bitter, they gave me early acceptance but didnt give me a scholarship. I got $12,000 from mcgill and $8,000 from queens. waterloo asked me to send THEM 500 bucks. bastards.

And what is university about anyways? learning. i wanna do more than learning in the class, i wanna have a good learning experience outside the class. and you cannot argue that waterloo is the place to go for that. there is too much of an outcry from waterloo kids. check out the survey the Globe and Mail did about canadian universities. everyone from waterloo badmouthed their school when it comes to the "fun" aspect and the "community" aspect. I mean, you go to school for one or two semesters, then you're out of there on your own in a coop placement. bye bye friends that you met. see you next year. at other schools its easier to build relationships with people cause they stay at the school. and waterloo is known for the math and engineering crowd it attracts. loads of fun those guys are....

and thats what it boils down to, thats why mcgill is for me, and waterloo isnt

but hey, everyone is different, thats just how i see things.

quote:

Originally posted by DiS I say go to Waterloo! I hear it has one of the most beautiful campuses. If you get bored, you can party with fellow TAs like Durafei!

No!! waterloo has an ugly campus. check out macmaster or queens
mcgill has one of the best. waterloo is so plain. big cement boxes.

404 science, you seem to really hate Waterloo? Is there a reason for this? Did you not get accepted to the program that you wanted at Waterloo?

Hehe.. thanks for all the kind words people! We try to have some fun here in Waterloo and I think we manage just fine. We always come up to parties in Toronto whenever there is something happening.. School has never stopped me from partying, if anything I owe it to Waterloo for giving me the opportunity to go to Europe last summer, to go to NYC to see Paul Van Dyk and in general to attend too many other parties which I otherwise wouldn't have missed because I wouldn't have any cash.

Now in Response to 404 Science post:

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Originally posted by 404 Science ya but its not that hard to come out of univesity debt free. infact, if you go to any other school, you have a WHOLE YEAR to pay off your debt, cause you graduated in 4 years, not 5. remember, waterloo engineers are in school for 5 years, not 4, without summers off. its really the same amount of hours in class and hours working wherever you go. and if you look hard enough there are always summer factory jobs that pay decent wages, and i dont think that the jobs that UofW engineers get are that much more enjoyable, most coop placements are in unrelated fields. becoming teaching assistants, working for the government or not finding jobs at all. and a mcgill engineering degree carries ALOT of weight, mcgill is probably THE most recognized school in canada, and beside them is UofW.

First of all, where did you get all that teaching assistant crap? I'm going on my 4th work term, and every single work term I've been working in a very very related field. I have to admit that I was pretty lucky, since on 1st work term most people do get crap jobs, but towards the 4th work term(out of 6) pretty much everyone has normal jobs, which pay not too bad for a student(anywhere between $16 to $25 an hour). You also have a real good chance to work for US companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Sun etc, which all pay around 4,500USD/month + all living expenses. The kind of job you get depends entirely up to you. Try comparing this to factory job..

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Of course I was a little harsh but thats because im bitter, they gave me early acceptance but didnt give me a scholarship. I got $12,000 from mcgill and $8,000 from queens. waterloo asked me to send THEM 500 bucks. bastards.

TOP students in Canada want to go to UW. Essentially you are competing with top 100 students in Canada for those scholarships.. There is really nothing to be pissed about, unless of course you are so confident that you think you are one of those top 100.

quote:

And what is university about anyways? learning. i wanna do more than learning in the class, i wanna have a good learning experience outside the class. and you cannot argue that waterloo is the place to go for that. there is too much of an outcry from waterloo kids. check out the survey the Globe and Mail did about canadian universities. everyone from waterloo badmouthed their school when it comes to the "fun" aspect and the "community" aspect. I mean, you go to school for one or two semesters, then you're out of there on your own in a coop placement. bye bye friends that you met. see you next year. at other schools its easier to build relationships with people cause they stay at the school. and waterloo is known for the math and engineering crowd it attracts. loads of fun those guys are....

Waterloo is as fun as you make it. As I have said before, there are LOTS of cool people here and there are LOTS of geeks here. It's up to you with whom you hang out. But yeah, if you expect too "breeze" through this school, don't even think of coming here. On the other hand, with a little bit of responsibility, you can party all you want and still get decent grades.

quote:

and thats what it boils down to, thats why mcgill is for me, and waterloo isnt but hey, everyone is different, thats just how i see things.

have to agree with you on this one!

Hmmm...

I got to UofW, and have lived in Kdub (Kitchener-Waterloo) all my life, and must say that the place is nice. If yer planning on focusing on yer studies, if yer planning on being a devoted student, then go here. I'm not saying that UofT is worse academically speaking, as I'm neither an engineer nor knowledgable on the relative strength of either program. But, the city of Waterloo itself is far more condusive to academic pursuits. You may be bored on weekends, if going out and getting hammered somewhere isn't yer thing (that's all there is to do really). And you may be surrounded by sausages and misfits for the most part. Yet, you'll graduate from one of, if not the, best technical universities in North America. Yes, that's including teh Ivy Leauge contingent. Someone also mentioned it being more of a community here. This is true.

As far as UofT is concerned, there will obviously be far more distractions, and far more fun to be had. And if you can handle all that, as well as the rough academic routine, then choose UofT.

I don't know. I'd say choose Waterloo. Unless yer moving from a big city like Montreal or something, Waterloo should be alright for you. Moving into a smaller city, compared to what you live in now, wherever that is, might be depressing though. I don't know. A lot of my friends are always saying, "You know what the best thing about Kdub is? The fact that it's an hour from downtown Toronto." If you can get into Waterloo, I say go there.

I think another question you might want to ask: should I go into engineering?

Right now, it's exam time, taking comp eng. at U of T, and I want to kill myself.

quote:

Originally posted by Bizz I think another question you might want to ask: should I go into engineering? Right now, it's exam time, taking comp eng. at U of T, and I want to kill myself.

Good luck...

How do you like engineering at Toronto?

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Originally posted by Michael Russo Good luck... How do you like engineering at Toronto?

I can write a very long post about U of T engineering, but I won't Overall, I would have to say that there have been no surprises.

If you want to do well, expect to devote a lot of your life indoors, studying.

Unfortunately, engineers do comprise mostly of males (although the first years that came in this year have suddenly changed that trend -- wish I was in first year). Because most of them came in with high grades, they expect high grades in university. No matter where you go then, UW or U of T, expect lots of competition. What I noticed though and what really pisses me off is that engineers talk more about grades than anything else (e.g. more than current events, or even the actual course material, lol) and at that point you know that the company you're in is relatively a geekfest.

The competition, the course load and difficulty, and the sheer size of the university promotes antisocial behaviour. A lot of people at U of T do complain that there is no sense of community, and it is partially true. What you need to do to avoid this is to get involved in things going on in and around campus. It's up to you whether you want to sacrifice life for grades.

With respect to physical surroundings, the engineering buildings are damn ugly compared to the rest of campus (except some of the new buildings that have been built recently).

Mentioned before, though, it's very easy to get distracted at U of T. To me this is a good thing And in the end, everyone taking engineering at U of T vie for a common goal: the iron ring. U of T is known worldwide for its engineering program (especially Engineering Science) so once you graduate, you will be getting the prestige associated with the name. I know a lot of engineers across Ontario, and U of T Engineering appears to be one of the most difficult programs province-wide. This is the price you'll be paying for the name.

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