Computer Science Canada Picking a University |
Author: | Bobrobyn [ Wed Oct 19, 2005 10:34 pm ] |
Post subject: | Picking a University |
I'm trying to decide which university I'd like to go to, and so far I think Waterloo (of course), Queen's, and Brock's look the best. Then, of course, there is places like Lauria (sp?), Windsor, ect. Anyways, what I'd like to know is if anyone has any knowledge when it comes to picking the actual university you want to go to. I know that Waterloo will be hard to get into, and once in, will be very hard with a lot of competetion, while a place like Brock probably won't have as much competetion...anyways, anyone have any ideas on how to pick the university you're going to attend for Computer Science? Esspeically for a co-op option. Thanks, ~Bob |
Author: | Martin [ Wed Oct 19, 2005 10:53 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
Choosing a university is a big thing. Look at a lot of universities, and a lot of different programs including ones that you don't necissarily plan on going into. It's best to make an informed choice. I love programming, but I hated university computer science, so I switched into applied math (at Waterloo), a program that I hadn't even heard about pre-university. Waterloo'll give you a good education, but truth be told it can get kind of boring, and Waterloo is very uneventful. If you want a really cool university, you should check out Queens in Kingston. Beautiful campus in a beautiful city, right down town. It's a good school too. It'd also be worth looking into universities outside of Ontario, such as UBC and McGill. For co-op though, hands down go to Waterloo. Other universities have co-op programs, but none of them are nearly as mature or large as Waterloo's. Microsoft for example hires more Waterloo graduates per year than any other university in the world. |
Author: | Bobrobyn [ Wed Oct 19, 2005 11:05 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
Curious: Since you're actually there, I figured I'd ask: what is the workload like - essepcially in the co-op program? I don't want to get into something that I'm going to regret ![]() I agree with you on Queen's, it looks great. They also have an internship thing you can do..though I'm not sure how that works out. It's like a 12-16 month job at a company like IBM or something to that effect. I didn't really think of looking at other programs besides Computer Science and Math, but I guess I could look, thanks. ~Bob |
Author: | Martin [ Wed Oct 19, 2005 11:21 pm ] |
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It's worth it - something might catch your eye. In any case, you'll know that you made a more informed decision. There's a lot out there. I'm actually in Japan right now on a co-op job with Epson. You do have to do a lot of work, but it's nothing unreasonable. Don't expect to party a whole ton after the first month of a semester though. You will have enough free time to enjoy yourself though, don't worry. My course load in 1A was Algebra, Calculus, Physics, Econ and CS. I survived. If you do go to Waterloo, take the advanced math courses (MATH 145/147). The regular ones are too easy, and if you're having trouble, you can always switch out of the advanced ones. It'd be a waste not to try them out though. |
Author: | timmytheturtle [ Wed Oct 19, 2005 11:24 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
Martin wrote: If you want a really cool university, you should check out Queens in Kingston. Beautiful campus in a beautiful city, right down town. It's a good school too.
The city (kingston) is beautiful The water front espeically, though I don't go down there alot. I've been in Queen's a few times, but haven't seen all of it. A few of my freinds go there and seem to like it. |
Author: | Bobrobyn [ Wed Oct 19, 2005 11:52 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
Thanks, I never really expected to party a lot or anything, I just need a bit of free time...I've heard rumours that you don't get any, and that would drive me nuts over the course of 4 years. |
Author: | Tony [ Thu Oct 20, 2005 8:32 am ] |
Post subject: | |
well the beauty of co-op is that you study for just 4 months, then work for as much. Repeat. Meaning you're never stuck doing the same kind of thing all the time. You'll have different kinds of lacking free time ![]() free time is subjective though. If you actually enjoy the program you're in and/or the job you find.. there isn't much of a problem. Furthermore if you're tricky enough like Martin to get a position in Japan - you get to travel ![]() |
Author: | StarGateSG-1 [ Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:18 am ] |
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I agree with martin it is a big thing, but what do you want to do, there are different types of programing, with can make the decision for you, like if you wnat gaming and entrapurnership look at www.uoit.com or the acadmey for design in toronto. If you want main stream programing Waterloo all the way. If you are looking for something else read up about each course till you find one you can do. For instance I don't wnat main stream programming, I could get into waterloo if I choose but I am more into game development so that is were i would be looking. |
Author: | codemage [ Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:31 am ] |
Post subject: | |
Wouldn't hurt to actually visit the campuses & locale of your top pics as well - if that's an option. You won't really understand the vibe/culture of each (and they're all different) without actually checking them out. |
Author: | Dan [ Thu Oct 20, 2005 12:18 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
I storty disagrea with the above, for undergratute it is NOT a big thing. At the undergraute level any uni that has compsci in ontaro will be about the same in what u learn and how valuded your degrea will be. For an undergraduate progame what you should be looking for is the other things the uni has. Like how the comunity is there, the size of the classes, the costs of going to that uni, how close u whont to be to home, if they have other elective classes that you whont to take, what schoolrships they have that u can get, what there campus and rez is like, what rescorses they have ablivable, how much of there univiesty is geared to garduite sutdents and how much is for undergards, what are the profs like ect. In my option the worst posable way for you to choses a uni whould be based on the repuataion that unvisiristy has. I applyed to every unvitrsity in ontaro that had compsci (co-op if they had it other was noraml) and i looked in to them all when i did in great deepth, consdering all the things above and many many many more. No one univistity is the best for compsci undergrad, it is greaty deedenedt on you and what you like. If you whont a big unvsisity, with lots of peoleop very decideated to math based progames u of w or u of t whould probly be a good choice. If you perfure a small close comunity with very small class sizes (about 5~10 in some) i whould go with Lakehead. Queens i did not realy like b/c they did not seem very comited to runing a compsci progame if at all. Nipssing is the smalles uni offering compsci but a bit to small and not enought resorces for it. Waterloo is big and has lots of rescorces and repuation but the comunity there is very......difrent =p.........also class sizes are large compared to other unis and they are conerstating alot of there funding to graduted resurch and progames. Also since they have that reputation they tend to do alot of dumb things to try and keep it incuding some that i find inmoral and worng. U of T is very big, to big in my option, some of my firends that go there have class sizes of over 1500. Also there campus is not in the best condtion. Wilfiredloray is over corwed right now and needs to expaned more b4 they should be taking on more students, tho they do have some of the best scholrships for less work. In summery form my resrach and the univrsity i piced was lakehead unvirsity. It is not as well knowen by peoleop in souther ontatio but it dose have a greater repuation in other places. There class sizes are small and it is very comana to be on a first name basises with your profs. lakehead has one of the highsts rates of phd profs to non phd (ie. t.a.s) teaching classes (aucatly i have never had a nonphd or t.a. teach me a class). Lakehead unvisity is an undergartue univsity meaning that all most all of there resorces go to the undergature studys and progames. Also lakehead is braching in to medial progames and new tehcongly progames and thous has bulit one of the most avadced teaching buldings in north amraica. They bulit adiational rezs including 2 aprement budlings and 3 pahses of town houses in antisaption of increasing numbers of sutdens. The comunity at lakehead is very closes and there is almost allways events going on both on and off campus. In case u did not know Lakehead is located in Thunderbay witch is basiclky a city in quite littry the midel of nowhere. This means that if u like nature and claen air it is a good place to good since a few mins and you are out of the city and in to an endless northen forest but you still have all the advagtes of being in a city. Now about co-op, it is done difrenty at every uni. At u of w it is set up as tony i blive was saying that u study 4 months then work 4 months intill u are done but this 4 moths could aucatly be b4 you have even had 1 day of class. At lakehead they blive that you should educate students b4 they are sent in to the work force, so the main work terms are for the summer semseter starting in 2nd or 3rd year. you main how ever take an optianl work term 1st year if u like. In the later years 4th and 5th you also have a work semseter as well as the summer one. Any how it is obvises that i am biased to lakehead since i go there. But i do srongly recomend that you look in to ALL of your options and do not pick a univirity b/c every one eltes likes it or b/c it has a good reputation. Choses one that you like and some where that you whont to spend the next 5 years of your life (at least). |
Author: | StarGateSG-1 [ Thu Oct 20, 2005 1:01 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
You sem to have forgotten U.O.I.T, let me fill them in in the same manner. They have the highest Phd to non Phd in Ontario and beyond. They have small class sizes considering there is only 3000 students enrolled in the university. They have a great course section for computers, and with the college on the same campus you can go there if you don't have the marks for university, you take the two year course and then reapply to university. Lakehead is actually really nice, I don't plan to check it out any further becasue it is a little far away for me. Overall Dan you have most of the bases covered, I just added the UOIT but I think maybe there should be a review sticky for universities since the topic keeps coming up again again. |
Author: | lyam_kaskade [ Thu Oct 20, 2005 5:19 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
I just did this last spring. How did I pick? Hmmm... Well, Engineering at Waterloo seemed like a good choice. Just remember that whatever you pick, you'll probably be happy with your choice. Try not to choose before you get all your offers of admission (or rejections) back, so as to avoid dissapointment (and going to your "second choice"). Choosing which to apply to though. You could always do like Dan did, and apply to all of them (provided you don't mind spending money on those application fees). Dan makes a good point though, that most compsci programs across the province are about the same (someone correct me if I'm wrong). And don't forget that programming is a subject you can learn easily (more or less) on your own as well. Especially some of the more interesting aspects. |
Author: | Cervantes [ Thu Oct 20, 2005 6:15 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
Martin wrote: If you want a really cool university, you should check out Queens in Kingston. Beautiful campus in a beautiful city, right down town. It's a good school too.
I spent a week on the campus and in a residence (forget which, but it wasn't especially good). I wasn't too impressed by the campus. Don't know why. |
Author: | Martin [ Thu Oct 20, 2005 6:53 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
I definitely wouldn't go to Queens for compsci. Their commerce program is world famous though. What Dan said is true though. No university is perfect. If you don't like bears though, steer clear of Lakehead. I wouldn't go into a specialized program like game programming though. Your degree will be much less valuable if you change your mind later on in your life (and people with regular CS degrees can still become game programmers, don't worry.) |
Author: | Dan [ Thu Oct 20, 2005 8:56 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
StarGateSG-1 wrote: You sem to have forgotten U.O.I.T, let me fill them in in the same manner.
Your right i did forget about it in my post. Tho i did not forget about it at the time. At the time i looked in to it some of thos points where not ture and i am unshure of there vailidity now. When i was picking a uni UOIT just started up and this was one of the big reasons for me not picking it. The univsity was so new that there was not enough data, in fact there was no data other then they where giving away free laptops to students. I choces not to go there b/c of the lack of infomration and that the futtuer of this univrsity is/was unknow. This has chaged now since alot more data has become avlaible since they started. Deftaly worth looking in to for compsci, tho in my option they are too small and untested right now. Also since you brougth up the topic of distacne, lakehead is making a 2nd campus in sothuner ontatio, i blive work has started on it this year. This campus will be linked to the main one (in thunder bay) by statlies and you culd have a class that is being thought in 2 places at once throw the use of the speashal equment enployed in the ATAC. All of the class rooms in the ATAC (ATAC is at the thunder bay campus) are equpited with lots of screens, computer interfaces, mupital webcames and a mic at each studensts location and many at the intructors so they can be linked together with in the buliding or to the statle campus in sother ontatio or any where eltes in the world if they like. Edit/P.S.: Why dose every one dislike the bears so much? Lakehead in reality has an exteramly safe campus and u are about 100 times more likes to be atacted by a bear then a person. (and for the recored no one has very been atacked by a bear on campus, tho there has been bears on campus many times due to the fact that the campus has a forsest on it and all around most of it). |
Author: | Bobrobyn [ Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:07 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
I remember looking at UOIT...where exactly is their uni located, anyways? They look alright, though I prefer a co-op option, heh. Also, anyone here anything about Brock's CompSci program? They have reletively small (as far as I know) classes and is located in St. Catherine's, which is a great place. Edit: I actually looked at Lakehead a little while ago, and honestly, it looks great, it's just a little too far from home. (I want to be within 10 hours of my hometown, heh) |
Author: | rdrake [ Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:29 pm ] |
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Bobrobyn wrote: I remember looking at UOIT...where exactly is their uni located, anyways? It's in North Oshawa. It's still under construction though. |
Author: | Naveg [ Thu Oct 20, 2005 11:30 pm ] |
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Staying with the topic of this thread, is anyone currently in/looking at mechatronics engineering at UW? I've been checking out all the different possibilities (mainly engineering) and it looks very interesting. Is it a valuable program to be in? If anyone has any more info than is on the UW website I'd love to hear it. |
Author: | Martin [ Thu Oct 20, 2005 11:33 pm ] |
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Mechatronics is pretty hardcore from what I hear. Most people are pretty happy in it though. It'd definitely be a good degree to get. |
Author: | Naveg [ Thu Oct 20, 2005 11:40 pm ] |
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Hardcore as in acceptance is very competitive or loads of work, or both? |
Author: | Martin [ Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:07 am ] |
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Hardcore in terms of workload. No idea about entrance requirements. |
Author: | StarGateSG-1 [ Fri Oct 21, 2005 9:31 am ] |
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First off, bears are nice, they only harm you if you harm them or threaten them. If they atatck you its your fault, if you run its your fault he beats you down. Bears are nice and if you know how to deal with one you'll be fine. UOIT is finsihed in a sense that it is open adn all its courses our running, but you could say for any university that it is not finished becasue new things will always be added. If anyone is interested in UOIT I am a knowledge bank about it, I know many of the professors and My mom does work there as well, I can find out anything. |
Author: | Tony [ Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:10 pm ] |
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Naveg wrote: is anyone currently in/looking at mechatronics engineering at UW?
I know for a fact there are at least 4 members here (including myself) who are in that program. |
Author: | brenn [ Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:29 pm ] |
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Naveg wrote: Staying with the topic of this thread, is anyone currently in/looking at mechatronics engineering at UW?
I am one of those students ![]() MTE (Mechatronics) is fairly hardcore. Since the program accreditation is still pending, the curriculum requirements have been set well above the minimum to ensure that the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board will recognize the degree. It differs from the other engineering programs here at UW in the sense that it covers a broader scope of disciplines--mainly Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, and Systems. Since it's a new program, the courses take adaptations from these four disciplines (newer courses with the MTE label are being developed). MTE is fairly competetive, both within and without: it's difficult to get into, with one of the highest acceptance averages, and you may find it competitive within your class (MTE 2011, if you enter next fall). The workload is heavy, and really tests your time management and studying efficiency skills. (Caffeine is your friend ![]() If there's anything in particular you'd like to know, don't hesitate to ask! ![]() I will also redirect you to these two places: www.tron09.com (homepage of the second incoming class, "The Tronically Hip", Mechatronics graduating class of 2009, who entered in Fall 2004) www.tron.co.nr (homepage of the third incoming class, "The Peeping TRONs", Mechatronics graduating class of 2010, who entered in Fall 2005) I hope this helps! |
Author: | lyam_kaskade [ Fri Oct 21, 2005 1:23 pm ] |
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bren wrote: www.tron.co.nr (homepage of the third incoming class, "The Peeping TRONs", Mechatronics graduating class of 2010, who entered in Fall 2005) Ick. I still dislike that name. Lady Godiva Reference Anyway, so far Mechatronics has been okay. Hardcore is a good way to describe it. I think bren covered most of it, but if you have any specific questions don't hesitate to ask. |
Author: | Martin [ Sun Oct 23, 2005 6:56 pm ] |
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From what I hear, it also has a very low dropout rate. Study hard, and I think you'll be fine. You can always switch to another engineering program if you find it too difficult or don't like it. |
Author: | Naveg [ Sun Oct 23, 2005 7:22 pm ] |
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I'm not too concerned about the workload, I'm more interested in the content and focus of the program. Is there more emphasis on the mechanical aspects or computer/electrical? |
Author: | brenn [ Sun Oct 23, 2005 9:02 pm ] |
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1A term was much more Mechanically focused (with a course dealing in drafting, CADing); the rest were maths, chemistry, and computer programming. 1B was heavier on Electrical (with a course in Circuits) and mechanical properties discussed in Materials; coupled with the continuation of calculus, another programming course, a physics, and an complementary studies elective. This site: http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infoucal/ENG/mechatronics_eng.html Will give you a list of all the courses we take in each term, and you can decide for yourself which you feel is emphasized more. ![]() |
Author: | Cervantes [ Mon Oct 24, 2005 6:02 pm ] |
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What if I was interested in robotics and the like but was less interested in mechanically designing the robot (or whatever it is) and more interested in the electrical and computer aspect? I seem to enjoy the mechanical designing. Just... it scares me. ![]() Thanks! |
Author: | brenn [ Mon Oct 24, 2005 7:44 pm ] |
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Then you can either go into Electrical engineering, and take Mechanical electives (I'm not sure if this is allowed... technical electives are upper year courses); or you go into Mechatronics, and take more Electrical electives, and that way you're entitled to both ![]() |
Author: | Cervantes [ Mon Oct 24, 2005 8:15 pm ] |
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What about any non-engineering courses that would give me opportunity in this field? Math or physics? When I think of electrical engineer, I don't tend to think of Robotics. Should I? How difficult would you say the mechanical aspect of mechatronics is? Thanks again! |
Author: | Tony [ Tue Oct 25, 2005 7:34 am ] |
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Cervantes wrote: How difficult would you say the mechanical aspect of mechatronics is?
Take a look at the courses yourself. MTE 119 Statics MTE 219 Mechanics of Deformable Solids SYDE 182 Physics 2 (Dynamics) ME 321 Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines MTE 322 Electromechanical Machine Design ME 481 Mechanical Engineering Design Project ME 482 Mechanical Engineering Project so we don't do mechanics per say until the 4th year projects. Though both of those are done in teams, with a faculty member as a supervisor - so if you're really good at the electrics, you can get away by doing all the circuits, and getting someone else to build a shell to hold those. You could go into electrical if you're scared of the moving parts. |
Author: | brenn [ Tue Oct 25, 2005 10:33 am ] |
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Cervantes wrote: What about any non-engineering courses that would give me opportunity in this field? Math or physics?
When I think of electrical engineer, I don't tend to think of Robotics. Should I? How difficult would you say the mechanical aspect of mechatronics is? Thanks again! Maths are mostly Calculus (first year algebra, too) Like I mentioned earlier, you can take technical electives that may or may not be directly related to mechanical. |
Author: | Cervantes [ Tue Oct 25, 2005 5:18 pm ] |
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Looks good. I guess I'll I've got to find out some more about Mac now. Then visit the campuses. Cervantes wrote: How difficult would you say the mechanical aspect of mechatronics is?
I was more looking for a qualitative response. What sorts of things do you do (brenn mentioned CADing, which I've never done before. Perhaps I should have taken some of those tech courses)? Do you find it harder than the programming or electrical & computer engineering courses? Thanks once again. |
Author: | Tony [ Tue Oct 25, 2005 7:46 pm ] |
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don't worry about CAD, almost noone had any experience with that. You could use 3DSMAX and restrict yourself to 2D, but it wouldn't matter since they really start the course from 0. As I said - you will end up doing some mechanics.. computer controller mechanics at that, but not until upper years. The University will prepare you for that, but if that's not something that you want to do - computer/software might be a better choice. |