U of Waterloo AIF Question

[soo_k_]

Hello,

I'm just wondering if you need to have taken the math contests from Waterloo to be considered for admission for CS co op program if you don't have amazing grades. I have a 90 average with a 98% in math. I'm also taking the IB diploma program - My overall is around 36.. with a 7 in math but a 4 in chem (will chem affect my admission decisions? I recently changed my career path because of my low chem grades.)

AIF asks if I have taken any one of : Fermat, Canadian Senior Math contest, Hypathia, or Euclid..
I haven't written any before.
The only math contests I've written were in grade 10 - they were within 25%, but not astounding.
However, I am planning to take the Euclid contest this April, though I'm not sure how I'll do in it.

Thanks!

[crossley7]

Math contests can help you in admission but are not required. However to have a chance at a scholarship, Waterloo requires you to write Euclid.

[Yves]

90 average should be enough to get you into CS but doing the math contests (and even moreso, the CS contest) always helps. I strongly suggest you try the CCC in addition to taking the Euclid this year.

[evildaddy911]

you say you have a 98 in math, so you should be ok. since you are planning to do the euclid, its less "how much do you know about math" and more "how do you do math". do you memorize the notes or how the math works? ie. did you learn how the quadratic formula works, or did you just memorize x = -b ... and basically copy-paste? that actually really matters on the euclid and other math contests, because that is how i learned my math, instead of copying down the notes, i would figure out how they got the quadratic formula, for example. i ended up with a 60% on the contest, and three other people from my school, all with 94-97s, who use the "memorize and regurgitate" method each got around 10-15% on the thing

[d310]

In my opinion it's more about practice and preparation.
If you do really well on either the Euclid or CCC, you'll be offered advanced math and cs courses at Waterloo.