Having a dilemma in deciding which undergrad to apply to...

[kema]

Well, I'm probably going to apply to a bunch but I want to see what people's opinions are...

I'm planning on applying to:

Waterloo - Software Engineering (on the backup on the AIF, I will put Computer Science)
UofT - Computer Science
Queen's - Computing

A few questions that I am struggling with:
- Are there any other good schools in Canada to apply to for CS?
- What would be the rankings in terms of level of difficulty for getting into the listed undergrad programs?
- Does anyone know how the colleges for UofT St.George rank in regards to CS?
- Would I have better chances of getting a job upon graduating with a S.E. degree versus C.S. degree?
- Would it be better to go straight into the work force upon graduating after 4 - 5 years undergrad, or would it be a smarter choice to go into grad studies? If so, any recommendations for grad studies?

Thanks in advance people! Help is GREATLY appreciated !!!!

[Tony]

Those schools and programs are already listed in terms of difficulty of getting in. UofT St.George (downtown) is an excellent choice for CS; satellite campuses are not so much. SE vs. CS doesn't make much difference, but doing co-op/internships does. Grad studies are good if you want to stay away from the real-world(tm) and continue in academia; in which case the University of Toronto is a good choice (unless you went there for undergrad -- variety is good).

[grace89]

I'm currently an undergrad at UFT, doing a major in CS so I can only share my experiences with one school...

I didn't apply to CS until the end of my 2nd year of university (I completely changed my majors ), but the requirements to enter a major/specialist is dependent on which 'branch' of computer science you want to pursue. Specialists are generally more competitive since they only accept a limited amount of students (ex: AI) while the basic major doesn't have any size limit, so as long as you achieve the basic marks in your pre-requisite courses, you'll most likely be accepted. Also not sure if you know this, but even though you apply for a specific program at UFT, you won't be admitted into the program until you achieve the required pre-reqs after about a year or so, after entering UFT (which I believe is the case for CS). People always say that UFT is easy to get into, but hard to stay in.

Here is the link for the CS program description: http://www.artsandscience.utoronto.ca/ofr/calendar/prg_csc.htm

UFT has always been ranked as one of the best CS programs in canada, and it has a good reputation (it is also the oldest comp sci program in canada, I believe). The faculty is great and always helpful (unlike other programs.. *sigh*), some can actually teach properly! Another good thing is the program's PEY program which is great for your resume and for taking a legit reason to leave school for a year

Hmm.. not sure if this really helps lol but I hope you find it useful