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 Best Canadian universities for CS?
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PaulButler




PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 11:03 pm   Post subject: Best Canadian universities for CS?

What are some of the better universities for computer science in Canada? I know Waterloo is one, but what are the others?
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Hikaru79




PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:49 am   Post subject: Re: Best Canadian universities for CS?

I believe Lakehead (in Thunder Bay) also has a good reputation. It's also got a shiny new quantum computing research lab if I recall correctly. I'm sure Dan will jump in here with the details Razz
Dan




PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 6:07 pm   Post subject: RE:Best Canadian universities for CS?

Lakehead deftly dose not have a quantum computing research lab, tho waterloo dose. I would recommend lakehead to people who whont a closer community and small class sizes. Some of my courses right now have 4 people including my self in them.

As i have stated many times before most university in ontraio that have a real computer science program will give you a good and about equal education for undergrad. What you realy should be picking a univeristy for the comunity and if you can live there for 4 years if not more.

Many univeritys aversits things like a 'quantum computing research lab' or how good there profsers reacher is but as an undergrad that realy dose not effect you at all.

Anpother thing to keep in mind is pirmaly undergrad univeritys vs compersive univeritys.

Lakehead for example is an undergrad univeritys witch means most of it's funding and resorces go to the undergradute program and most of the univeritys reacher is done with undergrads.

Howver other univeritys like waterloo is compserive and much bigger so there funding goses both to gradute and undergrade studys. In many cases thess unis put more funding in to the gradute side since this is where there reputation comes from.

Not to say that one is better then the other tho, some peolepo mayperfure a compsive univerity as it will be easyer to get in to a garadute program at the same univeristy.

I saw look in to all the univeritys that offer your porgram and see what one apleaes to you the most and check them out in real life. Things like how there resdence look, might seems trvial now but if you are going to be living there for 4 years it could make a masive diffrence.
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Cervantes




PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:51 pm   Post subject: Re: RE:Best Canadian universities for CS?

Doesn't UofT have a decent computer science program?
Really though, Waterloo is the place to be for CS. It's miles ahead of the other universities around.

Hacker Dan @ Fri Feb 16, 2007 6:07 pm wrote:

Many univeritys aversits things like a 'quantum computing research lab' or how good there profsers reacher is but as an undergrad that realy dose not effect you at all.

Funny that you should say that; I've got a summer job at the Institute for Quantum Computing. Very Happy
Dan




PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:12 pm   Post subject: Re: RE:Best Canadian universities for CS?

Cervantes @ 16th February 2007, 7:51 pm wrote:

Funny that you should say that; I've got a summer job at the Institute for Quantum Computing. Very Happy


Doing what?

Also if you wont to be a troll and say u of w is the best with no logical backing i am not going to play along. Belive what you whont, but i think picking a univerity based on the facts is better then reputation.
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haskell




PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 9:11 pm   Post subject: RE:Best Canadian universities for CS?

I'd recommend looking at the course list for eligible universities.

Universities I'd recommend taking a look at(not in any particular order):

- University of Waterloo
- McGill University
- University of Alberta
- Memorial University of Newfoundland
- Dalhousie University
Cervantes




PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 9:47 pm   Post subject: Re: RE:Best Canadian universities for CS?

Hacker Dan @ Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:12 pm wrote:
Cervantes @ 16th February 2007, 7:51 pm wrote:

Funny that you should say that; I've got a summer job at the Institute for Quantum Computing. Very Happy


Doing what?

A research assistant. I actually haven't got the project description yet, but I can tell you that the guy I'm working on studies superconducting qubits and quantum dots. I think a fair chunk of the work I'll be doing will involve computer work: MATlab in particular.

Hacker Dan wrote:

Also if you wont to be a troll and say u of w is the best with no logical backing i am not going to play along. Belive what you whont, but i think picking a univerity based on the facts is better then reputation.

Sorry; I meant that as my own personal opinion, not as pure fact. I don't want to argue it with you, as I'm sure we've done this before. I do agree with you, however, that picking a school based on its reputation alone is a terrible idea. There are plenty of smaller schools that don't have anywhere near the reputation some of the larger schools have but they are likely to offer just as good an education (keep in mind that knowledge and employablity are two totally different things). Great big universities attract the top students, but that doesn't say anything about whether they can teach the top students.
PaulButler




PostPosted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 4:15 pm   Post subject: Re: RE:Best Canadian universities for CS?

haskell @ Fri Feb 16, 2007 9:11 pm wrote:
I'd recommend looking at the course list for eligible universities.

Universities I'd recommend taking a look at(not in any particular order):

- University of Waterloo
- McGill University
- University of Alberta
- Memorial University of Newfoundland
- Dalhousie University


Thanks for the list, Dal was already my main choice but I didn't realize they were comparable to Waterloo or McGill. I will still probably apply to Waterloo, and look into the others as well.
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haskell




PostPosted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 9:12 pm   Post subject: RE:Best Canadian universities for CS?

Computer Science is a really strange science. There are merely a few parts to choosing a university for Undergraduate study for it:

- Community;
- Tuition;
- Course list; and
- Faculty research interests(if you are planning on doing an Honours Degree).

I mean, the only real issues are the first 2. Course lists are basically the same except for specilizations, and all the Profs are qualified, or else they wouldn't be hired by the University. The issue about research interests is basically for graduates, and possibly for Honours students.

What I'm trying to say is, go to the university most convienient to you for Undergraduate studies. I mean, if you live in Halifax, 2 blocks from Dal, than it is logical to go there. Sure, McGill, Waterloo and UofT have reputations, but as previously stated, this is basically from the Graduate level.

I mean, if you are really good, opportunity comes your way, despite what Canadian university you are headed to.
rdrake




PostPosted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:32 am   Post subject: RE:Best Canadian universities for CS?

Really just make a list of universities you want to go to based on what is said about them on paper, and what they offer. Then visit each and every one of them to get a feel for what the community is like. This is where you will be spending at least 3-4 years of your life, make the right choice. Don't choose a university based on what others think of it, only you can make the decision.
Cervantes




PostPosted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 2:49 pm   Post subject: Re: RE:Best Canadian universities for CS?

haskell @ Sat Feb 17, 2007 9:12 pm wrote:
and all the Profs are qualified, or else they wouldn't be hired by the University.

No. There are profs that are terrible teachers, but they are hired by the university because of their research interests. This happens a LOT, particularly at schools that are focussed more so on graduate studies. Schools like Waterloo that are focussed on undergraduate studies tend to care more about whether their profs are good teachers and less about whether their profs do great research, and as such, you'll tend to get better profs at these undergrad focussed universities.

haskell wrote:
Sure, McGill, Waterloo and UofT have reputations, but as previously stated, this is basically from the Graduate level.

No. Reputation is not just an graduate thing. Waterloo, in particular, has an amazing reputation for undergrads. Look at the co-op program: employers love to hire Waterloo students.
haskell




PostPosted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 6:32 pm   Post subject: RE:Best Canadian universities for CS?

The profs are qualified. Teaching quality is a matter of opinion any way you look at it.

Waterloo is more comprehensive than focused on Undergraduate.

Yes, Waterloo has a great Co-Op program. But, nearly every Canadian university has Co-Op, and every university with Co-Op claims that they have a high Co-Op employment rate and that employers come to <enter school here> for students.

Also, every university has its strengths and focuses that they are known for. Such as UofT and McGill for their Medical Schools, Waterloo for their Mathematics, CS and ahead of the pack Co-Op, Memorial University for their Earth Science and Marine courses, and so on.

But yeah, the best advice is to not take what anyone says as fact, its basically all opinion.

The best bet is to try rdrake's suggestion.
Tony




PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 12:16 am   Post subject: RE:Best Canadian universities for CS?

University of Waterloo has indeed been ranking well for comprehensive, not undergrad specifically.

They've got a pretty darn awesome co-op system - Microsoft, Google, Morgan Stanley, RIM, etc are all over the students. Then again to be fair I'm sure that some people would much rather prefer that I would not disclose all of the system's flaws I came to realize.

There are pros and cons for each aspect of each University. rdrake has nailed it - you have to visit each University you are considering and see what's it like in person.

Paul - I'd give you a tour through UW if you're interested, send me a PM or email.
Latest from compsci.ca/blog: Tony's programming blog. DWITE - a programming contest.
Brightguy




PostPosted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 5:07 am   Post subject: Re: Best Canadian universities for CS?

Hikaru79 @ Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:49 am wrote:
I believe Lakehead (in Thunder Bay) also has a good reputation.

Let me guess where you heard that. Wink

Also, an important consideration that's often overlooked is that Lakehead has a 1:2 student-to-bear ratio.

And it seems not a lot of people have heard of it down south... no one from Waterloo anyway. Then again, most people from Waterloo only have a vague awareness of other universities anyway. Laughing
silent1mezzo




PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 1:57 am   Post subject: Re: Best Canadian universities for CS?

The University of Guelph has a great CS program. I was talking with a friend who was in CS at Waterloo and we're taking exactly the same courses. As for Co-Op, students have been getting placement at RIM, IBM, Logitech, Rogers (web dev), Microsoft, etc...

As for graduate studies theres a great program with HCI (Human Computer Interaction) and Algorithm design and such.
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