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TossFloss
Canada606 Posts
1) What are my chances? Should I need to work harder to get a 94~ average to get into any of these universities? How much do universities look into extracurriculars (i.e. not academics)?
Depends on year and program For CS/Engineering those marks should get you into almost anything.
2) What is the difference between Computer Science, Computational Science, Computational Science and Software Engineering? What do I choose if I enjoy Maths more?
I did my CS degree at Waterloo so other schools are probably different.
Computational science is about solving mathematical models. So, for example, multiplying matricies, computing the flight path of a rocket, determining the position of twenty asteroids in space after x time has elapsed, etc...
There's no clear definition for computer science because it seems to change everywhere you go. Waterloo treats computer science as a branch of mathematics (i.e. the degree you get is a Bachelors of Mathematics (Computer Science)). CS students must take two years of core mathematics taking the exact same math courses as other math majors (calculus, discrete math, combinatorics, linear algebra, statistics and probability),
Core computer science courses include the following topics algorithms, data structures, compilers, computer hardware, logic, design patterns, computational mathematics, operating systems, (For a full list of computer science courses see here: http://www.ucalendar.uwaterloo.ca/0910/COURSE/course-CS.html)
List of full CS degree requirements can be found here: http://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/MATH-Degree-Requirements
CS students also enjoy taking 2 electives per semester (out of five courses) which is great because get to expand your mind.
As for Software Engineering. Maybe a software engineering grad can provide their insight.
6) What's life like on residence? Any tips? How does it even work?
Do first year in residence, then rent a place off-campus in subsequent years. University is a place for you to grow as a person.
7) Got any tips?
Textbooks are a scam and waste of money. Especially in mathematics/computer science where all the information is available free online. The only reason you will ever need a textbook is if the teacher assigns homework questions - in which case just copy the questions from a classmate. If you think you need a reference book buy a used old edition on amazon.ca for like $20. You will save $1200 a year not buying text books.
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On November 18 2010 01:08 TossFloss wrote:Textbooks are a scam and waste of money. Especially in mathematics/computer science where all the information is available free online. The only reason you will ever need a textbook is if the teacher assigns homework questions - in which case just copy the questions from a classmate. If you think you need a reference book buy a used old edition on amazon.ca for like $20. You will save $1200 a year not buying text books.
Or you can "buy" most of them from the internet, if you know what I mean.
Many of my peers also like to "buy" textbooks from photocopiers (the entire book).
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Wow, thanks guys. I didn't expect so much help so fast. Time to read through everything. ^^
How much does Computer Science tie in with Physics? It seems like these problems are similar to what we do in school. I'm not a big fan of Physics. I'm guessing Computer Science would be my best choice at the moment. What do you do in the pure Maths?
I have to beg my English teacher start working ridiculously hard in English now. Pull it to 85 and maybe my average won't suffer as much. Boy do I hate English.
I have one sport and I'm the leader of one of the school clubs, something like SAC's, but not really. Is that enough?
My school cancelled our Grade 12 Computer Science, or whatever it's called now, for some unknown reason. The Grade 11 course only taught us really really really basic Python. Is it worth it to go out and buy another programming book? What would you recommend?
There was another (a few more) questions I had while reading but I forgot. If I remember I'll post.
You guys are awesome.
On November 18 2010 01:39 Sufficiency wrote:
Many of my peers also like to "buy" textbooks from photocopiers (the entire book).
So... many... papercuts... 
I'll keep that in mind.
I hate reading things on the monitor. Especially from .pdf's or word files. It just feels wrong, even though it's easier to skip pages.
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2). It's hard to say which fits your math interest better. Computer Engineering is a more focused area of electrical engineering (and personally I say go for EE since it's a more diverse field), but both these areas deal with a lot of physics (and physics is pretty much math). Computer Engineers, according to my old roommate before he changed majors, deals a ton with hardware. Computer Science deals with a lot of coding, programming, and setting up the digital infrastructure (basically everything you do AFTER you turn the computer on). There is a lot of linear algebra and discrete math, so if that's your main interest this may be for you. Keep in mind that both areas of study aren't this black and white; computer engineers learn a lot of computer science and computer scientists learn a bit about computer engineering.
6). I lived in Residence Halls for two years as a resident and three years as an RA so believe me when I say that Residence Halls are the way to go! It is the best way to meet new people, adjust to a new area, make a lot of friends, learn to live with someone, discover who you are as an independent college student, and a whole lot more. Plus you get to enjoy all the amenities of on-campus living like being close to class, living in close proximity to hundreds of people of the same age group (really hard to do off campus), and of course the cafeterias mean you don't have to cook or do dishes. Don't let people tell you you have to move off campus. If you're having a good time you, and potentially some buddies, can move into upperclassman housing.
7). Your campus book store will either post their inventory online or on the shelves a few weeks before classes start. During this time look up your required text books and copy the ISBN numbers. Go to amazon or half.com and buy all your books there. You will save $100-$200 per semester buying used books online. I personally only buy books from campus bookstores if they're the same price online or if it's a course pack put out by the professor.
If you live in the Residence Halls, it's generally a bad idea to date someone who lives on the same floor. It doesn't matter if the floor is same-sex or coed - dating someone from the floor is almost always a bad idea.
Join at least one club that aligns with your interests. If you like gaming, see if there's a campus gaming club. If you like sports, find an IM sports team. Student activities are the easiest ways to find people of similar interests.
College isn't high school; your old high school reputation is now null and void. You can try new things and that's how people will know you. Decide who you want to be and what you want to do!
Make sure you study, even if you don't think you have to.
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TossFloss
Canada606 Posts
On November 18 2010 01:41 vica wrote:
How much does Computer Science tie in with Physics?
Not any real strong relationship between the two.
I'm guessing Computer Science would be my best choice at the moment. What do you do in the pure Maths?
Warp your brain. It's truly rigorous mathematics with little regard for real-world application.
Here's an example: http://www.math.iitb.ac.in/atm/atmt1/jkv.pdf
If you have a real interest in mathematics; you should get yourself placed in advanced first year maths. Better teachers, smaller classes, more interesting topics, more challenging assignments.
I have to beg my English teacher start working ridiculously hard in English now. Pull it to 85 and maybe my average won't suffer as much. Boy do I hate English.
I have one sport and I'm the leader of one of the school clubs, something like SAC's, but not really. Is that enough?
There was another (a few more) questions I had while reading but I forgot. If I remember I'll post.
You guys are awesome.
Don't worry about the extra curricular stuff. Many people get in with none.
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The first year CS courses @ U of T are taught in python, so if you know some already, it'll give u a slight but certainly not significant headstart (people here pick stuff up fast).
fyi, I got into U of T with like a 70 in english, but I still had an 88 average, and sports. Apparently, according to my professor, U of T has one of the best computer science programs in North America (probably talking about Grad school though).
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On November 18 2010 01:41 vica wrote:Wow, thanks guys. I didn't expect so much help so fast. Time to read through everything. ^^ How much does Computer Science tie in with Physics? It seems like these problems are similar to what we do in school. I'm not a big fan of Physics. I'm guessing Computer Science would be my best choice at the moment. What do you do in the pure Maths? I have to beg my English teacher start working ridiculously hard in English now. Pull it to 85 and maybe my average won't suffer as much. Boy do I hate English. I have one sport and I'm the leader of one of the school clubs, something like SAC's, but not really. Is that enough? My school cancelled our Grade 12 Computer Science, or whatever it's called now, for some unknown reason. The Grade 11 course only taught us really really really basic Python. Is it worth it to go out and buy another programming book? What would you recommend? There was another (a few more) questions I had while reading but I forgot. If I remember I'll post. You guys are awesome. Show nested quote +On November 18 2010 01:39 Sufficiency wrote:
Many of my peers also like to "buy" textbooks from photocopiers (the entire book). So... many... papercuts... I'll keep that in mind.
Computer Science isn't really tied in with physics at all, at least in my school. We learned about using logic gates, and various other hardware parts, but we never needed to learn how to build one, or need to know the physics behind it working. Computer Engineering is heavily involved with physics since you need to be able to build the hardware. Computational Science is also likely involved with physics as you would most likely be modeling physics frequently.
As for hating physics, it really is just applied math so its kinda hard for me to understand liking math, but disliking physics.
I don't have any particular books to recommend, but if you are looking to learn more programming languages I would recommend Java just because its so well documented that it is easy to learn since you only need to go to one place to get all the information you need(java API). Or you could keep going with python(it is a cool language). In general the O'Reilly books are pretty good references, and you can get one for just about any language
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Quick question to the advice givers... when you say "go to office hours", what does that mean? Professor is sitting in their office and you go in and talk to them?
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On November 17 2010 16:43 Sufficiency wrote:
90 average gets you everywhere in Canada. Quit worrying.
O_O. What is this imba. I should have stayed in Canada.
On November 18 2010 02:06 Mothra wrote:
Quick question to the advice givers... when you say "go to office hours", what does that mean? Professor is sitting in their office and you go in and talk to them?
Yes ^^. Professors have designated hours when they are free for you to visit them in their office and chat/ask questions/discuss the class/whatever.
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On November 18 2010 01:55 NukeTheBunnys wrote:
As for hating physics, it really is just applied math so its kinda hard for me to understand liking math, but disliking physics.
I don't have any particular books to recommend, but if you are looking to learn more programming languages I would recommend Java just because its so well documented that it is easy to learn since you only need to go to one place to get all the information you need(java API). Or you could keep going with python(it is a cool language). In general the O'Reilly books are pretty good references, and you can get one for just about any language
Oh, I like Physics. It's fun to apply concepts. But I don't see myself doing anything in Physics for a long time and liking it. Something like, even though I'm good in it, I don't necessarily like it. Also, my teacher is a freak. He does and says weird things no one understands.
Where would I get these books you mention? Chapters? Indigo?
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Lots of good information in the thread already. But I'll re-answer all of your questions from scratch so that you have sieve everything through together in the end.
Keep in mind that I went to UW for Systems Engineering, and everything I say is based on my knowledge obtained while I was at UW.
On November 17 2010 16:01 vica wrote:
Getting all the useless information out of the way...
I'll be applying to
Queen's
Western
Waterloo
UofT
Aside from Western, the other three are all very good engineering schools, and Western is a great school if you want to have a good social life (or so I heard...). Good choices!
Last Year's Average: 92~
Current Average: 88-92
hard to calculate myself at the moment because of recent exams and just me forgetting my marks.
1) What are my chances? Should I need to work harder to get a 94~ average to get into any of these universities? How much do universities look into extracurriculars (i.e. not academics)?
Canadian schools are great because they are almost entirely based on your academic performance. In most cases, if you are well above the bar, they would not look at your ECs. Take a look in the huge book and see the entrance average of last year. If you are ~5% above that, you are pretty much guaranteed a spot.
Good scores (number are my estimate) on CCC (>60), Open (>60), and Euclid (>80) will help you even more, and will land you more $$.
2) What is the difference between Computer Science, Computational Science, Computational Science and Software Engineering? What do I choose if I enjoy Maths more?
Only difference I see in registration is Software Engineering requires Chem and Phys, along with Adv. Functions, Calculus and English.
It depends on what you want to do.
Computer Science teaches you things like algorithms, data structures, operating systems and depending on what you are interested in, a specific field of topics (such as distributed computing, machine intelligence, etc.).
At UW, you can choose to do CS in Maths or in CS. CS in Maths is very different from what people perceive as CS, and this is sort of what I am doing for my Master's (not at UW). I almost never write code, but I prove run-time or correctness with rows and rows of equations.
Whereas CS in CS is taught at a more applied level, where you apply CS principles to construct something "physical".
Both are good, and it depends on what you like. Having done engineering in UG, I see the difference very similar to the difference between physical sciences/maths and engineering.
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Computational Science is completely different from CS, it's about constructing/solving mathematical models with computers. For example. numerical methods or mathematical modeling would fall under the Computational Science umbrella. There is some overlap, but the goal and focus are completely different.
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Software Engineering share a lot of things in common with CS CS, and focuses heavily on the application side of CS. In addition, you learn things like project management, and conflict analysis, etc.
Don't worry about the requirements, you will not use physics or chemistry past 1st term/year (I honestly don't understand why they make you take them...).
3) How does each school fare in each course? Are there particular schools I should be applying to for any specific course?
UW is very strong in Maths, CS, and Engineering. Also, the co-op program is fucking amazing (I didn't really like the school much, but I loved their co-op program). It really depends on what you want to do after graduation. If you want to do research/grad school, I strongly advise against going to UW: it's pretty tough to get good grades, it's ranked lower than UT, and you are going to have a hard time finding well-known profs to write you recommendation letters (because there is only a handful at UW). I would go to UT if grad school is your goal. If you want to find a job afterward, UW will give you a significant head start.
4) Does it matter what high school I come from? My school is not really the best. Not even close really. One of the worst ranking. Will they look at my marks differently? My school offers no Honours or AP or any of that. Just regular classes. Is that a problem?
Each high school has a multiplier (and they aren't made public). It should not matter if you exceed last year's average by some margin.
5) English is not my strongest subject. coughcough asian. It probably pulls my average down 2 or 3 percent. Does this affect the top 6 average? I have 6 other courses above 89. Do they still include English?
AFAIK, English is always included. Consult the thick book or talk to your adviser.
6) What's life like on residence? Any tips? How does it even work?
At UW, there are various residence blocks. Some are apartment style and some are dorm style. I lived in the apartment-style residence for three terms, and it was a very good experience.
This largely depends on the school.
7) Got any tips?
College is not that bad 
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On November 18 2010 01:41 vica wrote:
How much does Computer Science tie in with Physics? It seems like these problems are similar to what we do in school. I'm not a big fan of Physics. I'm guessing Computer Science would be my best choice at the moment. What do you do in the pure Maths?
It can have as much and as little to do with Physics as you want. If you don't like Physics, you don't ever have to tie them together.
I have to beg my English teacher start working ridiculously hard in English now. Pull it to 85 and maybe my average won't suffer as much. Boy do I hate English.
Working hard is always good, but I wouldn't kill myself for a percent or two.
I have one sport and I'm the leader of one of the school clubs, something like SAC's, but not really. Is that enough?
Does not matter if you average is good.
My school cancelled our Grade 12 Computer Science, or whatever it's called now, for some unknown reason. The Grade 11 course only taught us really really really basic Python. Is it worth it to go out and buy another programming book? What would you recommend?
Does not matter. At UW, they offer really basic introductory courses, and you can learn everything you need to know to get started from these classes.
Frankly, high school CS isn't even CS, it's more or less syntax with a few sorting algorithms mixed in there.
I'm not sure what language they teach at Waterloo anymore, I think you get to choose between Java and Scheme. You can learn some Java syntax if you want, it'll lighten your load slightly. But then again, I actually recommend you learning it from scratch, and take the Scheme course (functional language ftw~).
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Thanks for the great responses once again guys.
Has anyone taken co-op in the Computer Science courses? What's that like? If you went to Waterloo, that'd be even better. Good to know we learn everything from scratch in University.
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On November 18 2010 02:35 vica wrote:
Thanks for the great responses once again guys.
Has anyone taken co-op in the Computer Science courses? What's that like? If you went to Waterloo, that'd be even better. Good to know we learn everything from scratch in University.
Engineering and CS coop work the same way.
There are two streams: 4- or 8-.
You have eight terms of school and six terms of co-op.
4-stream means:
1A school
co-op
1B school
co-op
...
3B school
co-op
4A school
4B school
8-stream means:
1A school
1B school
co-op
...
3B school
co-op
4A school
co-op
4B school
I don't know if you can select which stream you want to be in, but they are pretty lenient about you switching streams. You can also play around with the co-op schedule and have consecutive work terms.
Co-op is exactly like a job: you work full time for four months. You have to interview with companies and compete with all the kids who are on campus. It's very stressful and hectic, but you gain valuable experience and earn money
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On November 18 2010 02:11 DarthThienAn wrote:Show nested quote +On November 18 2010 02:06 Mothra wrote:
Quick question to the advice givers... when you say "go to office hours", what does that mean? Professor is sitting in their office and you go in and talk to them? Yes ^^. Professors have designated hours when they are free for you to visit them in their office and chat/ask questions/discuss the class/whatever.
I've never tried this once... isn't it awkward if you don't have a specific question about the work? I see people recommending it all the time.
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On November 18 2010 04:26 Mothra wrote:Show nested quote +On November 18 2010 02:11 DarthThienAn wrote:On November 18 2010 02:06 Mothra wrote:
Quick question to the advice givers... when you say "go to office hours", what does that mean? Professor is sitting in their office and you go in and talk to them? Yes ^^. Professors have designated hours when they are free for you to visit them in their office and chat/ask questions/discuss the class/whatever. I've never tried this once... isn't it awkward if you don't have a specific question about the work? I see people recommending it all the time.
No, most professors are actually pretty happy to have students come and visit them, ask questions, interact, ect. It seems really awkward at first, but generally it ends up being "chill".
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Thanks for all the help guys. TeamLiquid really is awesome. I know where to go if I need more answers. Thanks again. Y'all made life so much less stressful. ^^
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I super recommend talking to your professors. First of all, a lot of the time they'll give free answers to assignments. Essentially they're a resource, why shouldn't you use it?
Secondly, they will genuinely give you good career advice.
Thirdly, it's super important to have a good rapport with professors if you apply for grad school and need reference letters.
The first time I talked to a professor was super awkward because he insisted I call him by his first name. But now it's quite natural to me and they're usually super nice.
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EPT
