Ryerson, UofT, or Waterloo?

[siverstorm]

Hey, I'm a longtime lurker, but I had some questions that I couldn't really find answers too elsewhere.

I just finished Grade 11. (Currently a final 90% average) I know I still have a while before making any choices, but I want to do as much research as possible.
Initially I thought Waterloo was the school to go to just because "it's the best." according to many people. (Lot's of elitists in there which worries me)
And I realize there's a lot of dislike for Ryerson, but I wanted to know what's better?

I'm looking into Computer Science or Computer Engineering, but I'm leaning more towards CompSci.
If I were to go to Ryerson and (hypothetically) finish with great marks what are my chances of getting a good job versus going to Waterloo and getting good marks? I mean I've seen various blogs (Not just this one) where people say that there's a high demand for people in the field then I read that demand is low elsewhere.
Ryerson is much closer and much cheaper for me than Waterloo is, and if I have an equal footing in terms of getting a job I don't really want to make a trek all the way to Waterloo. (not to mention the debt which i'm not fond of)

UofT is also in there as my third option, but I don't like how crowded it is. This is mainly between Waterloo and Ryerson.

I also ask this because I have a friend who's much smarter than the entire grade at my school. (She has a 94% average or so, which is pretty insane for our school) And a lot of people (some elitists and some friends) are saying she's making a bad choice by going to Ryerson for CompSci over Waterloo due to money issues.

Sorry for my long winded-ness, but what do you guys think? Would Ryerson or Waterloo provide me with access to a decent paying job after uni?

Thanks in advance.

[andrew.]

Well I made my choice to go to Waterloo purely because of the co-op program. Waterloo's co-op engineering program is 5 years longs and is comprised of about 3 years of classes and 2 of work. This, in my opinion, is really great because you get a job in your field during school. This means that once you get out, you're going to have experience in your field, and this may be the difference between you and the guy who went to U of T. The employer will most likely hire you because of your experience.

[Tony]

work experience

If you do internships, then for a lot of top tier students there are full-time job offers on hold well before they graduate. This also covers all of the tuition and living expense costs. In hard numbers, how much more expensive is Waterloo, over the duration of undergrad? I'm assuming it's just the tuition difference + housing rental (vs. continuing to live with parents).

To be fair, you could do co-op yourself from any school. You'd need to do the interviews just the same, in either case. It's just that Waterloo allows for a schedule that better fits this approach, sell their co-op students as "they have so much potential" to the employers, and then bully the students into taking the first job with a match.

[[Gandalf]]

If you're a smart or hard-working person, and have initiative, it really doesn't matter where you go -- you'll get a good job and learn a lot.

Let me break down just a few pros and cons to each choice of university.

Ryerson:
-Much lower tuition.
-Commute?
-Has a co-op program.
-Some crowded classes.
-Lower "reputation".

UofT:
-High tuition.
-Commute?
-Has the PEY program.
-Some crowded classes.
-High "reputation".

Waterloo:
-High tuition, high residence fees.
-Live right on or near campus.
-Has a co-op program.
-Some crowded classes.
-High "reputation".

I know people in all three of these universities, and they're all happy with some things about their university, and unhappy with others. There are some superb profs at Ryerson, and some quite bad profs at Waterloo. Some people find good jobs while studying at Ryerson, and some people go through Waterloo's co-op with great difficulty finding any paying job. It's not as hard finding a job without co-op as people seem to think... It's just up to you to fulfill your destiny, instead of just following along with the co-op program.

If you get accepted to Waterloo, which you will if you keep up your marks, and you decide to go to Ryerson, you don't inherently have any disadvantage compared to a Waterloo student. Go where you will be happier.

IMHO. I am a UofT student.

[[Gandalf]]

I think my above post is long enough, so I'll just add this:

The crucial assumption I made is that you attempt to find a job while in university, during the summers, in between terms, or in a year-or-so-long hiatus. Tony is right, you'll pay off a chunk of your debts, and you'll be a lot more hire-able after you graduate.

Go above and beyond school.