The Road to Engineering

This Fall, we have received quite a few inquiries regarding early admission.  We attempted to answer many of these questions at the Fall Break Open House (shown below) but for those who missed the event, I will try to answer a few of the most common questions on early admission that I have received.

 

Does Waterloo Engineering do an early round of admission offers?

Yes.  Our plan is to select a small number of applicants to fill a small percentage of the available spaces in each program prior to our main round of admission in May.  The early round of admission is expected to happen sometime in the middle of March.  We wait for first semester grades to arrive prior to making any early admission offer decisions.  We do not expect to receive first semester grades until the first week in March.  This is why we cannot make informed decisions earlier in the admission process.

Why does Waterloo Engineering only accept a small number of applicants in the first round of admission offers?

We have a duty to applicants, their families, members of the university community, and the government to ensure to the best of our abilities that we only accept applicants who are likely to be highly successful in our programs.  Grades in high school courses are an important part of our assessment process.  At the end of the first semester, some students have completed most, if not all, of the required courses for admission to our program.  These students are considered for early admission.  Students taking several required courses for admission in their 2nd semester will not typically be considered for early admission, regardless of how exceptional their grades may have been in previous years.

Does completing my application early improve my chances of being given early admission to my program of choice?

Certainly, you will not receive an offer if your application is incomplete.  However, the exact date that you complete your application is not a factor in our decisions.  As long as your application is complete prior to our early round assessments, you will automatically be considered for early admission.  For engineering, the deadline for completing applications is February 1, 2019.

Is there any advantage to being selected early?

There is no advantage to being selected early.  While it might be comforting to know that you have an offer, being selected early does not factor into scholarship decisions, residence decisions, or program decisions.  We do not allow students with early offers to ask to be considered for another program while holding on to their early admission offer.  For example, a student accepted into Computer Engineering early could not ask to be considered for Software Engineering without giving up the offer for Computer Engineering.  You may not use an early admission offer as a “safety net”.

Is there any disadvantage to being selected early?

There is no disadvantage to being selected early.  Some students worry that they might miss out on a scholarship awarded in the main round of admission.  This is not the case.  We consider all accepted students when awarding entrance scholarships.  Receiving an early offer of admission does not increase or decrease your chances of being awarded an entrance scholarship.

How can I ensure that I will get an early admission offer?

If you are applying this year, there is no way to guarantee receiving an early offer of admission.  Do well in your courses, ensure your application is well written, and make sure you application is complete by the application deadline.  If you are in Grade 11 or earlier, you might be able to take a few of the required courses early.  Doing so might allow you to complete the rest of your required courses in the first semester of your final year of high school.

If I already have an offer from another university with an early acceptance deadline, what can I do?

If you find yourself in a situation where you would prefer to attend Waterloo Engineering but another university (or college) is asking for a firm commitment prior to May, let our Engineering Admissions Office know.  You can do so by e-mailing enginfo@uwaterloo.ca.  While we cannot guarantee that we will consider your application early, it may be possible in certain cases.  If you ask for early consideration of your application, you will be required to provide proof of your acceptance to another university (or college).

Some final thoughts…

Remember, there is no advantage to being selected early.  An applicant receiving an early offer is not necessarily more qualified than an applicant receiving an offer in the main admission round.  As an applicant, your goal should be to gain acceptance into your first choice program.  Hopefully, you will receive a letter of acceptance during one of our two rounds of admission.

The Fall Break Open House has begun at the University of Waterloo. This year, a record number of prospective students registered to attend. We have over 6,000 prospective students expected to visit our brand new building and attend presentations on our engineering programs. Here is a view of our atrium in Engineering 7 where students are gathering to go on tours with current students.

If you would like to check out our new building today, feel free to drop by our campus for a visit. We would be happy to give you a tour!

I’ve been very busy since my last blog post on the Ontario University Fair.  I spent 9 days travelling through California and New York to attend two large university fairs specifically organized for students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) related fields.  Here is a brief summary of my trip and its highlights.

The first fair was held in Santa Clara, California on October 7th.  This fair was held in the Santa Clara Convention Center.  My colleague and I were able to answer questions about Waterloo Engineering and our many programs.  We were pleasantly surprised to meet with some alumni of our programs who now have children interested in applying to the University of Waterloo.  There were also some students who have learned quite a bit about our university and its programs through friends who have attended the university.  However, it was also apparent that we still need to make greater efforts to inform high school students and guidance counselors in California about our university and its unique co-op programs.  Some other prominent Canadian universities were in attendance at the fair including McGill University and the University of Toronto.

We had a few hours free on October 8th so we arranged to visit the Intel Museum with a friend who studied Computer Engineering with me.   Mattias now works in Silicon Valley at a company named Synopsys which is well known in Computer Engineering circles.  They make EDA (Electronic Design Automation) Tools for the purpose of building computer chips.  The Intel Museum is worth a visit for anyone wishing to learn more about the history of the computer chip.  It is a small museum but the exhibits were interesting and interactive.

After touring the museum, we were off to another university fair.  This one was held at Henry Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California.  As the night progressed, traffic at the Waterloo Engineering booth increased steadily.  We met some more alumni as well as a friend of a current Waterloo Engineering student.  Most student questions focused on our co-op program and student life.  There were a few questions about Canadian weather as well.  Looking at a map, it appears that 5 states (Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Washington, and Alaska) are entirely further north than Waterloo.  Prospective students were also quite happy to hear that many of our buildings are connected by tunnels and indoor pathways.

The next morning, we visited Lowell High School in San Francisco to meet with their guidance counselor and students.  Then, we were off to visit the new home of RaiseMe, a California-based startup that tracks student achievements and arranges micro scholarships for students to study after graduation from high school.  The University of Waterloo was the first Canadian university to partner with RaiseMe so we had a special invitation to tour the new office.  My colleague and I met the CEO briefly, toured the new office, and then met to discuss new opportunities for attracting exceptional students to our university.

On Wednesday, October  10th, we visited Bellarmine College Preparatory School in San Jose, California for another university fair.  This was a small university fair specifically for students attending the school.  We have a long history of students applying from Bellarmine and succeeding in our engineering programs so it was important to attend.  That night, my colleague and I hosted a dinner for alumni in the Silicon Valley area.  We had representatives from Facebook, Apple, and Synopsys in attendance.  We learned quite a bit about life in Silicon Valley and the many opportunities for co-op students.

The next day, we were off to New York City.  Most of the day was spent travelling.  Rush hour traffic meant a long drive to the San Francisco airport followed by a 5 hour flight and a long drive from the airport to Manhattan.

On Friday, October 12th, we visited NEST+m, a school dedicated to new explorations into science, technology, and math.  We had specifically chosen this school given its focus on students interested in STEM.  We wanted to provide the guidance counselor with some information on our university so that students might consider us in the future.  We then visited Stuyvesant High School to meet with interested students.

On Saturday, October 13th, our alumni in New York were organizing an event around the Terry Fox Run to raise funds for cancer research.  We attended a luncheon and met with some of our alumni working in New York City.  I met a former student I had taught back in 2005.  I also met a civil engineering graduate working on the tallest residential building in Manhattan.  I also met quite a few graduates of actuarial science who are working in New York.  I had some free time late that afternoon so I walked through Central Park and visited the New York Historical Society.  The museum had quite a few interesting exhibits.  A special exhibit on “Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow” was particularly informative.  The museum also had a special exhibit entitled, “Harry Potter: A History of Magic” that was entertaining.

On Sunday, October 14th, my travels ended with a large STEM fair held at the Jacob K. Javits Center.  This was a large fair attracting students from New York State as well as students from nearby states.  New York is well connected by train to the eastern seaboard so it is very easy for students to attend the event.  Our booth was surprisingly active.  Only a few students made the mistake of thinking we were from Waterloo, New York.  Many students had heard of our university.  Quite a few students were interested in pursuing engineering programs so it was a very productive trip for us.

While I very much enjoyed visiting California and New York, I was quite happy to return home to the University of Waterloo.  I made it back just in time for my 8:30 am lecture on Monday, October 15th.

This year’s Ontario University Fair attracted a smaller audience than previous years.  Over the three days, 118,357 visitors attended the fair.  The University of Waterloo scanned 17,333 OUF passports at our booth and 5,695 visitors attended a presentation on the University of Waterloo.  Over 550+ students, staff, and faculty from the University of Waterloo attended to answer the questions of prospective applicants and their family members.  It was another successful year for Waterloo Engineering.

Many questions were asked about Waterloo Engineering and the admissions process.  Here are some of the most frequently asked questions for those who might not have been able to attend the fair:

Does Waterloo have a general engineering program?

Waterloo Engineering does not offer a general engineering program or even a common first year program.  Students must select a specific discipline of engineering when applying to our university.  We strongly encourage prospective applicants to speak with current students to learn more about each discipline.  Applicants should also investigate the course requirements for each discipline to get a feel for the course material taught.

There is a very good reason why we require applicants to select a specific discipline.  Our unique co-op program requires us to provide specialized instruction to our students starting on the first day of classes.  We need to prepare students for their first co-op work term which can happen as early as 4 months into a program.  We want to make sure our students are successful in both their studies and their co-op employments.

Is the co-op program mandatory?

Yes.  Co-op experience is a requirement for graduation from any Waterloo Engineering program.  Students are required to successfully complete at least 5 co-op work placements.  We have a process in place that assists students with finding a suitable co-op work placements.  Employers advertise openings on our online system, students apply through the online system, employers interview students on-campus, and a ranking process is completed by both employers and students to match students with co-op work placements.  We have an extensive list of co-op employment opportunities.  Students may also elect to search for a co-op work placement independently.

What are the most difficult engineering programs to get into?

The answer varies from year-to-year.  Software Engineering and Biomedical Engineering were the two most difficult engineering programs to get into in 2018.  Other highly competitive programs include Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, and Systems Design Engineering.  In 2018, 90% of all students admitted to Waterloo Engineering programs in first year had an average of 90% or greater in high school.

How are averages for admission calculated?

For students applying to Waterloo Engineering from Ontario high schools, we use Grade 12 grades in the 5 required subjects (English, Physics, Chemistry, Advanced Functions, and Calculus & Vectors) plus the student’s highest grade in a 6th course at the 4U or 4M level.

Students retaking any required course will have 5% deducted from their admission average.  Alternatively, if the original course grade was greater than 70%, we simply use the original course grade for average calculation which benefits the applicant slightly.  Our experience shows that students who retake courses to improve their average for the purpose of admission do not succeed in our engineering programs.  Students only have a realistic chance of being successful if a suitable (e.g., medical emergency, family emergency, etc.) reason exists for retaking a course.

Students taking courses outside of normal day school may also be subject to deductions from their admission average.  Students who take courses outside of normal day school should clearly indicate why they did so on their Admission Information Form.  If a suitable reason is provided, deductions may be reduced or eliminated altogether.

Do Grade 11 courses factor into admission decisions?

We do not typically look at grades from Grade 11 or earlier.  Grade 11 grades are only used to predict a missing Grade 12 grade for the purpose of early admission.  We will do this if a student is missing 1 or 2 required courses at the time of early admission consideration.

The decision to make an early offer of admission is a challenging one.  Sometimes, exceptional students are not given early offers of admission due to the fact that too many required Grade 12 courses remain to be completed at the time of consideration.  A slightly weaker student that has completed all of the required courses may receive an early offer of admission.  Students applying to U.S. universities also tend to be given early consideration due to the fact that U.S. universities have earlier acceptance deadlines.  In general, offers of early admission are extremely rare.

How are IB courses considered?

IB course grades are converted into equivalent course grades prior to assessment by the admissions team.  A conversion chart can be found here.  Applicants are encouraged to indicate that they have taken IB courses when completing their Admission Information Form.  While many high schools clearly identify IB courses, some do not.  Students who have completed the IB program tend to be slightly more prepared for first year engineering courses.

If my high school has a high adjustment factor, will I still be considered for admission?

Absolutely.  We carefully consider every application we receive.  We review Admission Information Forms to find exceptional students.  We believe that all high schools are capable of producing exceptional students.

We use adjustment factors to help rank students for admission consideration.  The adjustment factors change from one year to the next.  If a school has an adjustment factor, it is a clear indicator that we have accepted students from the school over the past 6 years.  You should not assume that your school will have the same adjustment factor this year.  Adjustment factors are just one tool that we use to assess students.

How many students are accepted into each program?

This is a very difficult question to answer.  We accept many more students than we admit to our programs.  There are many excellent universities in Canada that offer engineering programs.  While Waterloo Engineering is clearly among the best for an undergraduate education in engineering, we are not the only good choice.  Our top competitors include engineering programs at the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia.

It is slightly more useful to know how many students we admit to each program.  Each year, we set targets for newly admitted students to our engineering programs.  In Fall 2018, our targets were the following:

We will not know our targets for Fall 2019 until December.  We revise our targets every year but they rarely change significantly.  These targets do not include students repeating academic terms.

Class sizes may be smaller or larger than those listed above.  In some cases, students are split into multiple sections.  In other cases, students are grouped together for common courses.  In first year, our classes rarely exceed 140 students per class.

How are extra-curricular activities assessed?

When assessing extra-curricular activities, we consider the time commitment and the skills required.  Since our engineering programs require co-op work placements, we look for skills that might lead to employment.  Soft skills such as leadership skills, communication skills, time management skills, and teamwork skills are valued.  We like to see some breadth and some depth.  Volunteer experiences and paid employment may be given the same consideration.

When can I apply?

The Ontario University Application Centre (OUAC) sends out information to high schools notifying them when students may apply.  Due to the high number of applications that must be processed by the online OUAC system, invitations to apply are sent out in small batches to balance the load on the system.  When you receive your code for the OUAC system, you should immediately start applying to universities.  I recommend completing all application requirements as soon as feasible.