----------------------------------- jzc1995 Wed May 15, 2013 6:20 pm Is Computer Science Honor Regular (without coop) worth it? ----------------------------------- Hi guys, I just got my offer from Waterloo and have a few question. So Waterloo rejected my coop application and give me an alternative option of regular Computer Science. (dammit, average of 88% and top 10% in Euclid doesnt help?) I am also accepted by Western and McMaster, both in Computer Science Coop. And I think McMaster is better in these two. So should I go to Waterloo, take the risk that I may not be able to transfer to coop after the first year, and will have to try really hard to get summer job, or do I just go to McMaster? Is there anyone who has been to Waterloo, or is in Waterloo can tell me that are the courses in Waterloo CS really hard? And is it really hard to get a summer job without been in coop? Many thanks in advance. ----------------------------------- Tony Wed May 15, 2013 9:50 pm RE:Is Computer Science Honor Regular (without coop) worth it? ----------------------------------- Just to be clear, co-op does not guarantee any jobs -- you have to find, apply, interview, and compete against other students just the same way. Co-op just makes it easier by prescheduling taking time off from University (e.g. many non-coop students choose to take summer off, but winter often works just as well). UW co-op also puts together a list of employers interested in hiring students, but you can probably figure out a few on your own as well. ----------------------------------- incyc70 Wed May 15, 2013 10:59 pm Re: RE:Is Computer Science Honor Regular (without coop) worth it? ----------------------------------- Just to be clear, co-op does not guarantee any jobs -- you have to find, apply, interview, and compete against other students just the same way. Co-op just makes it easier by prescheduling taking time off from University (e.g. many non-coop students choose to take summer off, but winter often works just as well). UW co-op also puts together a list of employers interested in hiring students, but you can probably figure out a few on your own as well. I heard coop job placements give employers an incentive to hire compared to regular student as the salary of coop student is partially subsidized by the gov't. Is this true? And if so does that greatly affect competition against other students who aren't enrolled in coop CS? ----------------------------------- Tony Wed May 15, 2013 11:36 pm RE:Is Computer Science Honor Regular (without coop) worth it? ----------------------------------- tax credit, up to $3000. http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/bulletins/ct/4014.html It will matter in cases where the company is looking to pick up some cheap labor, and not at all when the companies are outside of Ontario, are looking for high tech skills, and are paying more than that just to fly you over there. The reality is that you'd need to grind out some of those entry level jobs, and coop makes it easier to land that first and second position, before it starts to get in the way as an extra layer of bureaucracy. ----------------------------------- mirhagk Thu May 16, 2013 2:32 pm RE:Is Computer Science Honor Regular (without coop) worth it? ----------------------------------- Co-op very much does not guarantee you a job, I know many people in co-op programs who didn't get a job the first few years, and many people not in it that got a job first summer. If you can't get a job in computer science, you're not looking very hard. Worst case scenario is you can do an unpaid internship for a little bit, and then get a job (I did one as a high school student, which led to a job, and I got re-offered this summer and had to turn down.) ----------------------------------- andrew. Thu May 16, 2013 4:56 pm RE:Is Computer Science Honor Regular (without coop) worth it? ----------------------------------- I just want to point out that UW has a very large number of employers and (in ECE at least) most people do get jobs by the end of each term. I'm sure other schools aren't like this, but then again, it's a requirement at UW to have a certain number of coop jobs in your coop terms.