Waterloo Engineering in one word:
Swanky
I choose Waterloo Engineering because:
I participated in a lot of outreach programs (Catalyst conference, science field trips) and really liked the vibe. Of course, the co-op program was also a large factor. I also liked that UW engineering programs have a cohort system, where you have the same people in all your classes, so you really get to know them and make close friends over the years.
The best thing about my program is:
I like that the mechatronics courses are super diverse – I get to learn about mechanical, electrical, and software engineering. As someone who didn’t immediately know what they wanted to specialize in, having time to get to know many fields has really given me insight.
About my Co-op experience:
Last term, I was a teaching assistant for some circuits courses here at UW. I really enjoy talking to younger students and helping where I can, especially during online learning.
I wish I had known before I came:
You can study the theory as much as you want, but you won’t really understand something until you work at some practice problems yourself! I think a lot students coming in from high school take a while to adjust to a more hands-on style of learning, but the sooner you start digging into practice problems, the easier the transition will be for you.
Outside the classroom, I’m involved with:
As an eng ambassador, I get to talk to prospective students (and showed them around campus before the pandemic started). I also played volleyball with my friends (back when that was allowed) in the gym on campus with the UWSERVE club. I was briefly a part of Robot in 3 Days in first year, and this year I’ve joined Midnight Sun to hopefully get some PCB design experience!
A fun project I’ve completed:
For my first-year design course, my friends and I programmed an EV3 to pick up blocks by reading their colour to build parts based on user input. We had a lot of fun figuring out how the system would be mounted to a track to move and programming until 3am in the morning… The demo day was cool, and we got to see all the other groups’ final products.
One more thing about me:
I totally know what it’s like to feel as though you don’t have enough technical experience, so if you’re worried about that, send me an email! Everyone starts from not knowing a lot of things and everyone’s constantly learning new things – coming to UW is a great place to start!