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Yes, it's that time of the year again. The time when kids like me begin to panic about university applications.
I honestly don't know why there isn't just a giant sheet every year of exactly what is going to happen leading up to the day. Would save us tons of trouble. They still haven't told any of us when the dates for registration are.
I just have a few (a lot) of questions I hope the fine folks at TeamLiquid could help with.
I live in Toronto. I'm planning to apply to maybe four universities. I'm just unsure of where I should be going if I even get in any of them. I'm equally unsure of what programs to apply to at each university.
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Getting all the useless information out of the way...
I'll be applying to
Queen's
Western
Waterloo
UofT
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.
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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)?
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.
3) How does each school fare in each course? Are there particular schools I should be applying to for any specific course?
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?
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?
6) What's life like on residence? Any tips? How does it even work?
7) Got any tips?
Thanks for all the help. Maybe it'll help some other confused people too.
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1) With an 89 and absolutely 0 extra-curriculars, I was accepted into every engineering program in those schools. Computer Science shouldn't be too much harder to get into, if at all. However, higher marks means a higher entrance scholarship, and can reduce your tuition by a few thousand for first year or possibly a few thousand each year. Just applying to OSAP with a decent average will get you 3500 a year in scholarship (just from OSAP, this does not include whatever the school wants to give you).
2) Can't answer this one.
3) Can't give unbiased answer.
4) Lack of AP or whatever was not a problem for me.
5) They always include English, it will always count, both for admission and entrance scholarship.
6) It's fun.
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I dont think Canadian universities give much weight to extracirriculars except the business schools(faculties). 90 average gets you in to most egineering programs (if not all) in Canada from what I've gleaned from my buddies in Engineering.
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It seems to me that Computer Science is essentially Discrete Math and more math... :D
edit: You need English for everything, its always going to be in the general curriculum.
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I'm sorry, am I insane or did I read Computational Science twice? I'm having trouble seeing the difference.
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Hi, I can answer a bit about SE and CS differences, but not much (I'm a 1st year SE major at RIT). CS is more theory based, while SE goes more into applications of the software. From what I understand so far from my courses is that CS is more coding (basically that's all it is), and SE is about 70% coding, along with interacting more with your customer. My brother was a CS major and is now a Software Engineer, so there is A LOT of overlap in these fields.
Residence is different with every school, I enjoy my dorms, but one of my friends actually hates everything about his school's residence halls. I'm not sure about Canada, but it seems like every school has a lot of partying on the weekends, and some even on weekdays, I know it was definitely a change in pace for me  .
Tips: Don't stress too much about getting into school, when your 1st year starts, you'll look back and be like, wow, it's not so bad.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do!
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90 average gets you everywhere in Canada. Quit worrying.
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It does not, entrance average has been skyrocketing past couple of years.
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Hey OP. I was in the same situation as you last year. I applied to Ottawa (I'm from Ottawa), Queen's, York, and Waterloo for business programs.
1) I'm assuming you're applying to computer science or engineering from question 2. You should not have any problems with getting acceptances, but do not panic if your offer doesn't come until the very end. I did not hear a response from the program I wanted until the beginning of May. Queens tend to emphasize more on extracurriculars than grades for certain programs.
2) I'm not too sure on this, but I HIGHLY recommend that you e-mail the program directors at each university. If you enjoy math and want some challenge, then definitely consider Waterloo as one of your options. (You will be taking two math courses per term for first year)
3) Waterloo seems to be the prestigious school anything related to math/computer science/engineering, followed by U of T. Western and Queen's are probably average.
4) Your high school should not have any impact on your acceptance. My high school did not offer any AP courses either, but I got into university just fine.
5) English is ALWAYS used to calculate your top 6 average. Don't forget to meet the minimum requirement for the programs that you applied.
6) I HIGHLY recommend residence for first year. This is where you will make most of your friends since the majority are from outside the city and no one really knows each other. There will either be a dorm-style or suite-style. For dorms you will either get a single or double room. I recommend single room if you're the type of guy who needs peace and quite often, or double room if you're outgoing since this is where most of the party happens. If you're in a suite then it's like an apartment; you will live with 2 or 3 people, have a kitchen, bathroom etc.
7) Just do your best and enjoy your last year at high school! It was certainly the best year for me with spares and going to lunch with friends who can drive. If you happen to get an offer, make sure you don't slack off in second semester since the offer is CONDITIONAL you will lose the offer if you fall on the requirements.
I hope this was helpful.
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1) Extracurriculars do count for something, but really depends on the program you are planning to get into. For example, I didn't have much extracurriculars in high school, just a high average (around mid-90s), and I got accepted into some programs, and didnt get accepted into others. The top ones, such as Math CA at Waterloo, Schulich, Commerce at Queens, most definitely require you to have good grades + legit extracurriculars (by legit I mean not just clubs during your last year of high school, more like consistent stuff such as sports teams or any hobbies you spent alot of time on)
4) I don't think it matters where you come from.
5) English is always included in your top 6. If you plan to get into CompSci or anything math-related, i guess you dont really have to worry about English that much (except if you have to write essays or something as part of your admission requirements).
Tips for university? Learn to manage your time; learn to balance work and social relations. I'm at Waterloo with Co-op, and it's really hard to get a summer job at a good company with a crappy transcript; marks are VERY important (but don't aim too high because you'll only get disappointed). Always go to class, tutorials, office hours, do your assignments, and everything to keep on track. It's very hard to catch up sometimes, especially in math/CS courses.
No matter what you do, DO NOT PLAGARIZE in university. One of my friends got caught recently and man...it was sleepless nights and constant worrying for him. But then again, if you keep on with your work, there won't be any needs to plagarize.
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It really depends what program you are applying to, but I think average is right where it should be. I can't speak for any of the other schools, but I know that the PSE (Personal Statement of Experience) for Queen's is worth a significant amount of your application. I'm convinced that I was accepted because of extra curriculars, as my average was at the low end of their acceptance range.
That being said, it seems you are looking into studying computer science or math. All of these schools have great programs, but from what I've heard Waterloo would be the best choice in terms of the quality of the degree for math and compsci. Queen's has a great community though. I wouldn't give it up for anything.
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waterloo co-op program is very good. If you plan on going to graduate school, I recommend against UofT.
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!! No warranty on these explanations, but its what i think these courses will probably be like !!
Computer Science -> Building computers, Optimizing them, algorithms, data structures, a lot of formal math, logics, a little electronics
Computational Science -> thats about calculating stuff basically. so its more like robot modeling, physics simulation, basically anything you do with a computer thats related to simulating, monitoring or controlling real life machinery.
Computational Science and Software Engineering -> this is probably quite similar to the last one, but with focused more on developing software. So, you'll maybe have a little algorithms, data structures and programming theory in this, and a couple of things like quality management, requirements analysis, project management. Software engineering is half of what the average firms IT department is good for (the half that is not hardware and customer data maintenance).
well at least thats about what it is at my university here.
You also asked what to chose if you like maths. Well - in it depends on what kind of math. If you like just multiplying a bunch of numbers and doing function analysis, your probably okay with the computational science thingy. But if you are more into formal math, like automata theory, logics, algorithms, basically a lot of discrete mathematics (the stuff where you use a lot of integers instead of continuous real values), then definitely go for computer science.
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Hey, I'm a 1st year at Waterloo (Doing Comp. Sci) so feel free to PM questions if you have any.
1. I think a 90 average should be fine for most school and courses. Of course, that doesn't mean you can slack off now XD It's always nice to get a big entrance scholarship so keep working hard! :D
2. Like most people have mentioned, CS is more theory based, with a lot of math involved (At least here at Waterloo), and SE is more application based. Plus I don't think SE students get many electives compared to CS students (Although that always isn't a good thing -.-)
3. Um I don't know about other schools, but I know Waterloo students and Profs are always talking about our graphics course, and how people come to Waterloo just for the Graphics course, so I guess that's one "unique" one we have. Here is the course site, but it's a fourth year course so... yeah : http://www.student.cs.uwaterloo.ca/~cs488/
Oh and we have a new Machine Learning (How computers learn from their mistakes) course that was recently added, so there's that too (But it's also fourth year; I'm sure all first year classes at all universities are pretty much the same XD)
4. Um I don't think so. My high school didn't have any honours or AP either and I was perfectly fine.
5. I'm sure every school looks at your English mark, and at Waterloo you have to take the English Proficiency Test (Which isn't all that bad really, I guess it depends on your English mark right now).
6. Life at residence is awesome, live at res during your first year, or you will probably never end up living at res ever. Tip-wise, make sure you actually apply and pay your deposit (My friend missed the deadline and he has to live off-campus XD) and make your choices wisely when choosing which res to live at. I guess that's all about res.
7. As long as you have good work skills, university will be similar (Strongly stressing similar and not same) to high school, it's just that all your classes will be moving at a super fast paced compared to what you have seen. And make sure you go around and meet new people!
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Stop worrying about your average, you'll get in. Your top 6 Gr 12 marks will probably give you a solid 90 average. I applied for 6 programs (including Engsci at Toronto) with a 92 average. My (Chinese) parents thought I wouldn't get into anywhere, but I got in everywhere.
Live in res, you'll probably meet a people who will be your good friends for the rest of your life. Not living in res is a big mistake in my opinion.
You probably don't even need to worry too much about which program you choose if you pick one of Compsci, Compscience, or CompMath, because it's relatively easy to switch programs if you have an okay university average. SoftEng will be more trouble since it's cross faculty. There are good jobs in SoftEng, but pretty much everyone will look down on you in disdain, for no reason. Just sayin'.
If your highschool was bad you might not do as well in university as in highschool, but that's life and there's nothing you can do about it. You'll probably do fine. Personally I enjoy it a lot when people come into university with great highschool averages and then fail miserably because I feel justice is being enacted. But seriously it's probably fine.
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Hyrule19029 Posts
As I'm from the US, I can only really answer 2 and 7, so here I go:
2) Computer Science is about 60% theory, 40% application. You'll learn various languages, but you'll spend most of your time working with math and learning algorithms and optimization techniques. You'll have some pretty cool classes (like Boolean Math) and some pretty boring classes (Linear Algebra). Computational Science is more about building models for data analysis and such. I never really dealt with it, so that's about all I know. Software Engineering is more about how to go about building a program, with a focus on things like modeling a program before writing it and things of that nature.
7) Relax. During the application year(s), a lot of people tend to go into "holyfuckholyfuckholyfuckholyfuckholyfuckimsostressedholyfuckholyfuckholyfuck" mode. Get everything done as early as possible, that way if you feel overwhelmed you can just stop for a while. Leaving things to the last second will really suck hardcore.
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Hello, I'm currently in my 4th year of undergraduate studies at U of T, Engineering Science - Infrastructure Major. I think I'm in the right position to offer my opinions/responses, so here they are:
1) If you have a 90+, chances are you'll get in with the entrance scholarship, of course. The guidelines they give you (last year's entrance averages) are just approximate, most likely you'll be accepted even if the program says "high 80's to low 90's" or "low 90's to mid 90's". Extra-curriculars don't really matter in terms of getting in (especially since you have a 90+), but they do help you get extra scholarships in some cases (Waterloo - Nanotechnology offered me a ton of extra scholarship on top of entrance one because of my extra-curriculars... but I ended up in U of T lol).
2) I really don't know, but just because I'm an engineer, I recommend software engineering! haha. Different departments for sure, and it will probably determine your residence, tuition, and also the group of people you'll spend time with. If you're part of Arts and Science department, then you'll at least have some girls nearby...
3) For software engineering and computer science, I'd actually give Waterloo the upper hand (over my home school, U of T). Queens and Western engineering... you will be looked down upon. Yes. We (the U of T Engineering Science people) look down on other U of T engineers, all other engineers, and ESPECIALLY "engineers" at Queens and Western and York and what else. I put the quotations in there deliberately. You see what I mean? You will certainly hang out with more caucasian people if you go to Queens or Western, and probably more Asians if you go to Waterloo or U of T.
4) AP or IB is recognized by some schools, but as far as U of T engineering goes, they are not recognized at all. It certainly helps to have some extra education I suppose, but from my experience, everyone got on even grounds at 1st year 2nd semester. As for the high school ranking, they don't matter much, as long as your mark is high. Being the best at your school does help in terms of getting the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship (I hope you looked at this one, it's a free 3500 dollars PER YEAR).
5) I was 3rd (unofficial.. but everyone knows who's top in each subject, right?) in English in my entire graduating year ("class of 2007") with a 86. Yes, that pulled my average down significantly. Did it matter much? No, because my overall average was good enough. Repeating the same point, it's just the top-6 average that you should care about. You can't really get a 90+ with a 70 in English, anyway.
6) 4 years of commuting. It sucks. Go to rez for first year, then grab a couple of close friends and live off-campus after. Commuting WILL suck. For example, in my case, I basically have 21 hours per day (3 hours lost in commuting time, total) as opposed to everyone else having 24. It's super-difficult to study during commute, even harder to get a "comfortable" nap... it's basically a complete waste of time.
7) Software engineering, computational science, computer science... you'd better make some tight friendships with girls and hang on to them for your dear life. Don't worry too much about university yet, it'll come when it comes. For now, focus on getting as high as mark as possible right until the end (scholarships are FREE money, you'll appreciate it when you get 'em), get a bunch of graduation awards, make your parents proud, and yeah.
Actually, one technical tip: if your experience in programming is limited to Java or Visual Basic (as is the case with most high school programs), I strongly recommend you learn C. If you've tried C++ but not C, still learn C. Buy a book, learn it. You will not regret learning C.
Best of luck! If you're interested in U of T engineering programs, feel free to PM me.
(off to lecture I go~)
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1) 90% is enough to get you anywhere I would imagine, I doubt you need much extra-curricular on top of that with ~90%. That said, it's good to do other stuff not from an academic stand point- but from a personal development stand point. So I would highly recommend doing something volunteer related
2) Don't know :/
4) Doesn't matter which school you came from, I went to a shitty school in the middle of nowhere.
5) English... well communication skills are probably the most important thing ever in any job. However, English doesn't really encapsulate that well. So mark wise I wouldn't sweat over it at all, a lot of asians I know didn't so so well in English and were accepted into Engineering.
6) I really enjoy residence. Basically, you look through a bunch of different residences, pick the one you think will have the best looking women you will enjoy the most. Then you move into a super small room, use a shared bathroom, and get to know bunch of great people.
7) Honestly, I don't think that people can give you any relevant advice. I went into University with all these great ideas of what I was going to do, all this great advice- and... really none of it mattered in the end. It's not something you can be told, it's something you learn.
3) You may have noticed I didn't include it above.
Do not go to Waterloo if you want a normal life! For undergrad education the schools you are applying for will make little or no difference. The social aspects will have a much greater impact than the academic in between top tier schools. Therefore I would recommend Queens and Western over Waterloo and UofT.
You didn't mention it, but come to McGill- it's awesome!! :D
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Computational science is about modeling thigns with math, this is prob the most math intensive major you mentioned
Computer Engineering is a mix of programming, and hardware design. If you wanna build processors this is the route to go
Computer Science is about how computers work in theory, and in practice. You learn a lot about how stuff works at the lower levels of computers. Generally you can learn about operating systems, encryption, computer graphics, parallel computing, network communication, CS theory and more. If you want a nice mix of theory, and work applying the theory this is the right one.
Software engineering is about filling out paper work to justify your existence to your boss. About half of what you learn is practical programming skills, the other half is about documenting a projects progress, making time estimates, and creating a paper trail to convince people you are actually working. Also focuses on design, mostly for maintainability. This has little to no theory involved. If you want less technical education, and more pay go for this one.
Of course this is a biased answer from a CS major that hate SE. But in all honesty SE is not the way to go if you like math and theory
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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
