Hey, I wanted to know what the vibe at UWaterloo is like. Heard it can be depressing sometimes. Do students get isolated often? Does the co-op program also affect a person’s loneliness?
D16 is at Waterloo. Here are a couple of things that may contribute to student unhappiness at Waterloo.
Waterloo attracts CS/math/engineering nerds. (I say this as a science nerd myself. It’s not pejorative). So, the general student population has a more difficult time making social connections than possibly at other schools. The co-op terms don’t help this. There is a lot of anxiety and competition about getting co-ops. Moving every 4 months is stressful. During work terms, students aren’t around the buddies that they make at university.
Students who are admitted to Waterloo had grades in the low to high 90’s in high school. At Waterloo, those grades become high 60s to low 70s. This is not so different from other Ontario universities.
D16 just finished her third co-op term. This term was her second with the same employer. She is in line to get a well-paying full time job with that employer when she graduates. She is excited to be going back to Waterloo for school. She is involved in several extracurricular activities. She has learned and matured a lot.
So, I would say that the vibe can be stressful but the payoff in terms of employability will more than counteract it.
Waterloo has more than Engineering and Math/CS students. Would help if the OP specified what they plan to study there.
I don’t see it being any more or less depressing than other schools. It’s got reasonably pleasant surroundings, isn’t isolated, is safe, and with a reasonable amount of amenities.
If you are in Engineering/Math/CS, it won’t matter, because to survive you’ll have your nose in a book all the time. The rigor is real in those courses. There’s a little strip mall right beside the school with about 10 restaurants(about half of them Asian of one kind or another)that you can scoot over to when you need a breather.
I don’t understand your point about loneliness and the Co-op program.
@57special re loneliness and co-op I imagine the OP means because students are moving in and out of co-op at different intervals depending on the program so that can interrupt being able to make connections on campus. You might meet someone but then they go on co-op and you’re in class and when they come back you’re on co-op. Also when you’re on a co-op term unless there are other students there you’ll be on your own after work with no one to hang out with.
I wouldn’t recommend Waterloo CS/Math/ENG if you are a high maintenance type person that is emotionally needy. It will be a challenge to get through with just a pass for the vast majority of their students. Having said that, there is a certain “esprit de corps” that you will have with your peers.
@57special, @gwnorth explained what I meant by loneliness during the co-op term. Are you guys all studying at Waterloo with co-op?
I have applied for CS there.
@Lionking123 I’m a parent of a D19 who has applied to 4 B.Sc/Physics programs, 1 engineering program (looking to do Engineering Physics), and a specialty science program (also with a concentration in Physics). Waterloo is his 3rd school choice out of the 4 schools he has applied to (incl MacMaster, Queen’s, & Western. U of T is also not on his list for other reasons) and program 5 out of 6. It is a very well renowned STEM focused school and the goal for very many top STEM students here. We toured and I definitely liked the campus and the facilities. The thing that struct me the most was that despite being a comprehensive university, it really came across as more of a polytechnic with it’s major focus on Eng/Comp Sci/Math/Phys Sci and entrepreneurship/co-op. That’s not a bad thing but it certainly attracts a certain type (career focused, wants to work in Silicon Valley, looking for prestige/$$$ career, not necessarily academically curious).
When we toured and asked students/professors in the physical sciences about electives the response we got was that most students take more science & math courses. They really weren’t interested in a broad based education encompassing the humanities and the arts which my DS is. The #1 response we got from student representatives when we asked “why Waterloo” was “co-op”. Co-op is definitely on DS’s radar but to make it the one and only redeeming thing of value of the school was off putting. I don’t think it’s accurate to say that that is in fact Waterloo’s only redeeming value, but the fact that many of the students that go there think it is, says something about the type of student it attracts. My son has a wide range of interests and would prefer a school body where broad based intellectual curiosity is more valued. He also would prefer a co-op internship structure with fewer longer term placements rather than the 4 months on/4 months off approach Waterloo takes. Again not necessarily a bad thing, but juggling constant switching from school to work and back certainly takes some getting used to.
Basically it comes down to different strokes for different folks and what you want to get out of your university experience. One thing that Waterloo can not be faulted for is it’s top notch STEM facilities and programs as well as the depth of it’s co-op program.
@gwnorth The same can be said for Northeastern University and Drexel University in the US. Those three coop schools are not for everyone, certainly not for someone looking for a traditional four year college experience. I don’t know about Waterloo but Northeastern emphasizes its coop/experiential learning requirement in all promotional material and in campus info sessions.
@TomSrOfBoston, co-op is definitely at the forefront of Waterloo’s marketing campaign. It’s something they do very well and have a lot of experience with and they certainly promote that as one of their best features.
@Lionking123 No, I’m a parent of a HS student who is very interested in CS, and we have already done a tour there… Have knowledge of Waterloo and the general area as I used to live near there, and my parents, also.
Most people fight some sort of battle with loneliness when they first leave the nest. That’s normal. I would say that Waterloo would not be the worst in that regard, but small town Ontarioans are known for their reserve. “Bubbly” doesn’t exactly describe them. Having said that, they are decent people, relatively well educated, and kind, in their own way. As I said in an earlier post, most of your time will be spent within the CS/math faculty, dealing with the rigorous course of study, so those kids are the ones you will be concerning yourself with the most. And the Profs, too, of course.
I would say that most of the bigger Canadian Unis tend to be a bit impersonal, with U of T heading the list. Waterloo will likely be filled with serious students from all over the world (many, many Asians if the tour was any indication) who will be stressed by receiving a “D” for the first time in their lives. They will be feeling anxious, and alone. Some will overcome that feeling and thrive in the intellectual stimulation Waterloo offers. Others will not.
While Waterloo is not the most impersonal of schools, it is not “touchy feely”, or “warm”. If you want that, go to Mt. Allison(two of my nieces went there and loved it). It is a place that the brilliant, or at least, the very smart, go to be challenged, and arrange jobs for their future. It is a practical place, much like the area it is located in, Kitchener -Waterloo-Cambridge-Galt.
It is not a place that you will run into “class elitism” like you might find at a NESCAC LAC or Ivy. It is a place, to “grind” as S2 says, though he also took note of the noodles places next door at the mall, and was mildly impressed.