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 A Couple of Questions About Waterloo
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Zeppelin




PostPosted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 6:22 pm   Post subject: A Couple of Questions About Waterloo

Well I'm thinking about going to Waterloo to study CS after I graduate so I just have a couple of questions adirected to people who go there.

1) How much does it roughly cost to attend (Also since I live in Toronto now could you also tell me how much the dorms are)

2) What average would you recommend I aim for to get in (I already know what courses I need)

3) If I do get in which programs should I take

4) What is it like (Professors, Dorms, Food, etc.)
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Clayton




PostPosted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 6:44 pm   Post subject: RE:A Couple of Questions About Waterloo

Well, first, look forward to 2008's CompSci.ca Waterloo Tour, usually hosted by Tony and a slew of other UW students from CompSci.ca.

1) Depends on your choices, I've looked at it, and it's going to cost me ~$18,000 per year (two terms), including residency and allowing a couple hundred dollars for leisure time.

2) Anwhere from the low 80's and up should be fine. Although you really shouldn't sweat, as I know people that had a high 70's average and still managed to get in. Waterloo isn't the unpenetrable beast it's been made out to be.

3) Again, this is totally dependant on your interests. Do some research on their site for all the details you might need.

4) I went there last March, and had the oppurtunity to stay with some friends and sit in on some lectures, as well as stay in a dorm and eat from the cafeteria. In other words I lived the university life at Waterloo for 4 days, and I loved it at Waterloo. But really, you're just going to have to see it for yourself to be sure.
PaulButler




PostPosted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 11:31 pm   Post subject: Re: A Couple of Questions About Waterloo

Quote:

1) How much does it roughly cost to attend (Also since I live in Toronto now could you also tell me how much the dorms are)


Clayton's figures sound about right.

Quote:

2) What average would you recommend I aim for to get in (I already know what courses I need)


If you have mid-80s you should be fine. If your marks are lower, there are other things they look at like contest participation (CCC, Euclid, etc.) so definitely write those.

Quote:

3) If I do get in which programs should I take


Next year, first year CS students will be able to choose from CS135 and the new CS145. As far as I know the other CS1xx courses that now exist will only be for non-CS students. Both 135 and 145 will be in Scheme, which is a bit of a shock to students who have only used Java or Turing in high school. CS145 is the advanced version, I would probably advise you to take that because CS135 is a bit slow-moving.

As for extra curricular, I can only speak for the two I have taken. Psychology is good and management isn't (honestly, I've read enough Dilbert that I can only blame myself for not knowing that one).

Quote:

4) What is it like (Professors, Dorms, Food, etc.)


The instructors for the first year are alright, but nothing to write home about. Can't speak on the dorms because I am living off campus. I hear the food is pretty bad on campus.

The good stuff: being around smart people, lots of interesting stuff going on on campus, lots of opportunities to expand your knowledge outside of class, more freedom (in all aspects). Waterloo has a bit of a tech community outside of the university too, which is nice. Tony mentioned a Rails group recently, theres also a UX group (not sure what that is) and BarCamp.
Euphoracle




PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 3:29 pm   Post subject: Re: RE:A Couple of Questions About Waterloo

Clayton @ Tue Nov 20, 2007 6:44 pm wrote:
Waterloo isn't the unpenetrable beast it's been made out to be.


From what I saw at cs4u day, the math/cs building sure acts the part. :p
Tony




PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 4:00 pm   Post subject: Re: RE:A Couple of Questions About Waterloo

Euphoracle @ Wed Nov 21, 2007 3:29 pm wrote:
From what I saw at cs4u day, the math/cs building sure acts the part. :p

It's been determined that the Math building is the fortress of choice, for the last stand against an invading zombie attack. We can discuss that in detail during the next UW Tour Wink
Latest from compsci.ca/blog: Tony's programming blog. DWITE - a programming contest.
Clayton




PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 4:34 pm   Post subject: RE:A Couple of Questions About Waterloo

Actually, if you fly over the MC, it really does look like a microchip from the air.
Tony




PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 10:00 pm   Post subject: RE:A Couple of Questions About Waterloo

That's DC Clayton, not MC.
Latest from compsci.ca/blog: Tony's programming blog. DWITE - a programming contest.
Clayton




PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 8:21 am   Post subject: RE:A Couple of Questions About Waterloo

Shhhh! 'tis what I meant. I was thinking DC, but typed MC. Don't ask me why. I just did.
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Cervantes




PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 3:22 pm   Post subject: Re: RE:A Couple of Questions About Waterloo

Clayton @ Tue Nov 20, 2007 6:44 pm wrote:

1) Depends on your choices, I've looked at it, and it's going to cost me ~$18,000 per year (two terms), including residency and allowing a couple hundred dollars for leisure time.

My first year cost me under $12,000 I think. That's with a meal plan. CS tuition is more expensive though. Mine was under $2500 a term. CS was over $4000 per term in my year. Still, that wouldn't bump my expenses for one year to 18,000. Where are you getting the rest of this from?
Clayton




PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 3:31 pm   Post subject: RE:A Couple of Questions About Waterloo

Well, according to those books that they hand out every year, CS tuition is ~$4300 per term, so that's at least $3600 more, plus, depending on your meal plan, it could end up costing more as well. Also, I have a bit of money in that figure left over for whatever leisure/gas/etc that I might need over a school year.
milton.ignites




PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2007 5:51 pm   Post subject: Re: RE:A Couple of Questions About Waterloo

Cervantes @ Thu Nov 22, 2007 3:22 pm wrote:
Clayton @ Tue Nov 20, 2007 6:44 pm wrote:

1) Depends on your choices, I've looked at it, and it's going to cost me ~$18,000 per year (two terms), including residency and allowing a couple hundred dollars for leisure time.

My first year cost me under $12,000 I think. That's with a meal plan. CS tuition is more expensive though. Mine was under $2500 a term. CS was over $4000 per term in my year. Still, that wouldn't bump my expenses for one year to 18,000. Where are you getting the rest of this from?


sounds like someone forgot to buy their books hahaha =P jkjk

tutition aroudn
9k
books 1k
res - + meal plan.. ~ 5k

(talking about two terms.. (1A,1B)) <- notice the brackets.. hint that youve been doing too much scheme hahahahaha
Ultrahex




PostPosted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 12:13 pm   Post subject: Re: A Couple of Questions About Waterloo

All the information is posted on their website, and its pretty accurate give or take about $1,000 dollars or so.

But my reasonable pricing scheme states: "One Arm, Two Legs, and Your First Born." for the years attending.

However, this is pretty much true of a lot of university, just sometimes its one less arm or leg.
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