Is Waterloo the only option...

[justin6768]

Hey guys,

I am a grade 12 student looking into university options for computer science. I was reading the forum and its pretty obviosly that everyone agrees that waterloo is the best. My question is are there any other good computer science universities out there? The reason that I ask is that everyone that I talk to is saying that waterloo is very boring and that I will not enjoy myself there. What universites are out there that have a good reputation but also a good social aspect? I am looking for a balance between both.

Thanks

[Tony]

Well you really have got to define your "social aspect" here. University of Toronto has a pretty good reputation (arguably, it has a better grad program). Toronto is a big city, lots more to do...

BUT, with most students in UofT living off campus (campus being almost the downtown core), it's much more problematic actually meeting people. Waterloo's community is really concentrated around it's campus, and as such I find it to be much more social, than I would have found it to be at UofT.

[Bobrobyn]

Waterloo is NOT the only option. Look at many different currliculums (you'll probably notice that they're pretty similiar), and visit the campuses if possible, because limiting yourself just because of a universities reputation is a bad thing. I'm at the University of Guelph, and it was one of my last choices until I saw the campus and met some of the faculty. We have tours every year, depending on your programs of interest, and I'm sure most other universities do too.

And now I'll pitch my university:

We have a smaller department, so it's closer and more personal than something like Waterloo, plus you get the advantages of being at a middle sized institution. We're also rated the number one comprehensive university according to Maclean's -- and have had this ranking during the years 1999, 2002, 2003, and now. The ratio is quite decent too, with something like 60-70% female. I don't know if this is a plus or a minus, but you also, at this time, don't need an 85% average to get in, either. You can usually get in if you get over 75%, I believe. (Really, it's the bi-product of people not really thinking "Guelph" when thinking compsci, and it being a smaller department). They're also desperate, at this time, for co-op students, because there's like three times as many job offers as there are students.

A neat thing is the B.Comp degree (Bachelor of Computing). Instead of making you take tons of math, or tons of science (like other institutions), you can take an area of application in something you enjoy, and even turn it into a minor if you want. Popular area of apps are: Business Admin, Psychology, Math/Stats, Criminology, and others that I can't think of right now. I'd suggest looking into it:
http://www.uoguelph.ca/registrar/calendars/undergraduate/current/c10/c10bcomp.shtml (Although I'd look into the Honours one)

(And now I'm done pitching my university)

Really, go to the actual campuses. It can totally change your mind about an institution. It did for me with Scarborough Toronto, as an example --- I found out that I hated it !

Waterloo is not the only option for CS. I'd pick an institution for reasons other than just reputation.

[Dan]

Not only is Waterloo not the only option but it is not even nesaraly the best option.

In my option it is very imporent to find the university that is right for you. This dose not mean finding the university with the best repuation for your program but aucatly finding a university you are excited about going to and aucatly like in all apscepts including acdemic and social. You could be going to this place for the next 4 to 5 years of your life (more if you whont graduate studys) and you are paying for it so you whont to find a place you like not just one that others say is good.

For ontario, if not even all of canada most of the university offer a simluar level of education and from what i can tell the cirumaulm (for computer sci at least) is almost the same in them with only a few diffrent names and mostly the optional corses being diffrent.

The best way to find out if a university is good for you is by going there. You whont to check out both the social aspcects, rez, the caf, what the city is like, ect and the acdemic ones like what kind of labs and teaching phscisliys they have.

Not all of us think waterloo is the best but as i metioned above this realy is a personal desion.

[Tony]

Dan @ Fri Oct 05, 2007 12:43 am wrote:

You could be going to this place for the next 4 to 5 years of your life (more if you whont graduate studys)

Or do stupid things like me, and start out in the wrong major. Though I personally like Waterloo, so it's alright.

Dan is absolutely right though, you've got to visit the University campus and see if it appeals to you. This is why each year I host an unofficial UW tour, like this last one. Of course each University has their own official tours, and campus days, and other events designed for you to come out and take a look. Do that.

[Bobrobyn]

Dan @ Fri Oct 05, 2007 1:43 am wrote:

Not only is Waterloo not the only option but it is not even nesaraly the best option.

In my option it is very imporent to find the university that is right for you. This dose not mean finding the university with the best repuation for your program but aucatly finding a university you are excited about going to and aucatly like in all apscepts including acdemic and social. You could be going to this place for the next 4 to 5 years of your life (more if you whont graduate studys) and you are paying for it so you whont to find a place you like not just one that others say is good.

For ontario, if not even all of canada most of the university offer a simluar level of education and from what i can tell the cirumaulm (for computer sci at least) is almost the same in them with only a few diffrent names and mostly the optional corses being diffrent.

The best way to find out if a university is good for you is by going there. You whont to check out both the social aspcects, rez, the caf, what the city is like, ect and the acdemic ones like what kind of labs and teaching phscisliys they have.

Not all of us think waterloo is the best but as i metioned above this realy is a personal desion.

I couldn't have put it better myself. If you don't visit the campuses first, you might decide you hate it within the first week....OUCH! Wasting that much money just hurts.

I've never heard of that happening....but theoretically, it would totally suck.

[Tony]

Bobrobyn @ Fri Oct 05, 2007 1:13 am wrote:

If you don't visit the campuses first, you might decide you hate it within the first week....OUCH! Wasting that much money just hurts.

I've never heard of that happening....

Maybe not within the first week... maybe in 2 weeks

It's not a waste of money though. Here in UW you get your full tuition back if you change your mind in the first month of the term, and 1/2 of your tuition if you decide to drop out in the 2nd month. It is a waste of time though. The way a lot of Universities are set up, sometimes you might have to wait for the rest of the year to start again with the next round.

[Dan]

Bobrobyn @ 5th October 2007, 1:13 am wrote:

I couldn't have put it better myself. If you don't visit the campuses first, you might decide you hate it within the first week....OUCH! Wasting that much money just hurts.

I've never heard of that happening....but theoretically, it would totally suck.

I have sadly, one of the users of this site who shale remain nameless whent to lakehead with out ever going there to see it first (even tho i recomend seeomg it first to them serveral times) and got a bit of culter shock when they saw the diffrences between south ontraio and north western ontraio. There problem did not seem to be so much the school as the small city (compared to Taronto) and the fact that we are sourned by about 1000km of nothing in every direction (other then the city and small towns that are luky to get on a map). However as much as they expresed there hateread for it, they seem to be living with it for at least the rest of the year and bugging me on msn about it (sigh).

In short even lakehead is not great if you do not check it out first.

[haskell]

For an Undergraduate program, its a lot more about the experience you get. Every CS program in Canada complies the the IEEE Computer Society Computer Science Core Curriculum. What this means in, you will be getting the same core education where ever you go. Obviously larger universities have more of the specialized courses, but I'm going out on a limb to say that all Canadian Computer Science programs have some of those. Since you only have so many electives, you can only choose a few of them at any rate.

I'd actually recommend not looking too much at the Grad reputation of a university and also not taking what everyone says to be the final word on anything. Look around, get a bearing, and make the choice to go where you will be the happiest to spend the most crucial time of your life.

[justin6768]

Alright thanks a lot guys, you have all been very helpful. I'm going to visit the UofT, Waterloo and McMaster campuses. Anywhere else I should look into?

[Dan]

justin6768 @ 7th October 2007, 12:19 pm wrote:

Alright thanks a lot guys, you have all been very helpful. I'm going to visit the UofT, Waterloo and McMaster campuses. Anywhere else I should look into?

Lakehead! All the universitys you listed there are rather big, you might whont to look at a small one of persective (tho lakehead might be a bit far away from you to check out).