DRP Frequently Asked Questions

Mentor applications for the next term are open in the 2nd-3rd week of the current term.

Mentee applications for the next term are open in the 8th-9th week of the current term.

Note that applications are due two to three weeks after they open. Results are typically announced two to three weeks after applications close.

Mentors must be current University of Waterloo graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, or faculty members. 

Mentees must be current undergraduate University of Waterloo students who identify as belonging to at least one of the following groups:

• women
• 2SLGBTQIA+
• Indigenous 
• Black 
• persons with a disability
• first-generation university students

Mentees must also satisfy at least one of the following: 

• Have declared a major in the Faculty of Mathematics; or
• Have taken a second or higher year course in the Faculty of Mathematics; or
• Intend to declare a math major.

DRP-Reading mentees: Yes, you can participate while on co-op.

DRP-Research mentees: You must be on a study term, unless you have previously arranged and received explicit approval from your mentor(s)

Yes, provided that you will be returning to the University of Waterloo as a full-time student in the following academic term

Final presentations allow mentees to showcase what they learned during their DRP project. Hosted by a faculty representative, they are organized by unit and typically take place after classes end but before final exams begin.

Presentations are followed by a 5-minute Q&A session.

The presentation lengths are structured as follows:

• Individual: 5-10 minutes
• 2 mentees: 15 minutes
• 3-4 mentees: 20 minutes

Note: Presentations for DRP-Research groups can be longer.

All presentations are assumed to be in-person. If your team can only present online (e.g., due to a team member being on co-op or studying abroad), please notify your faculty representative and the WiM DRP Committee in advance to make arrangements.

Anyone is welcome! We highly encourage mentees to invite friends and attend presentations in other units. It is also a great way for prospective applicants to learn about the program.

To request a link for a virtual presentation, please email the WiM DRP Committee.

Graduate student mentors will receive their awards directly through Quest by the start of the following term.

Graduate student mentors will receive their awards directly through Quest by the start of the following term.

Please reach out to the DRP Coordinators, Sophie Spirkl and Kateryna Tatarko.

Please notify both your mentor and the DRP Coordinators (Sophie Spirkl and Kateryna Tatarko) via email as soon as possible.