Application Insights

Comparing Software Engineering to Computer Science

/ profbillanderson / 12 Comments

A couple of previous posts have looked at the differences in Software Engineering, Computer Engineering and Computer Science, from my simple perspective and from a new student viewpoint.  Below are some (updated) comments from an academic expert viewpoint, as prepared by Prof. Patrick Lam in the Department Electrical and Computer Engineering (and the Associate Director of the Software Engineering program).  If there are questions or comments, I’ll ask him to respond.  Note that at Waterloo you can apply to both Software Engineering and Computer Science.  They are treated independently for admissions, so you could get two separate offers.

Comparing the BSE in Software Engineering to the BCS in Computer Science

Our Bachelor of Software Engineering degree is an accredited computer science degree, and BSE students take many of the same CS core courses as BCS students. In addition, Software Engineering (BSE) students also take computer engineering (CE) courses and the engineering core, thus satisfying the requirements to be a CEAB-accredited Engineering programme. Like all engineering students, BSE students follow a rather regimented programme and learn about the physical world. BCS students enjoy more flexibility.

Employment outcomes from the BASc in Computer Engineering, the BSE, and the BCS are broadly similar. What you get out of a university education depends less on your specific courses and more on what you put into your courses, your interaction with peers, and your work experience. However, the programmes do differ. To help you choose which programme is the best fit for you, here are some of my personal observations about cohorts and courses. Continue reading →

Computer vs Software vs CS

/ profbillanderson / 1 Comment

What is the difference between Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, and Computer Science?  This is a perennial question and generates a lot of interest from potential applicants.  I had a post on this topic (and there is some very good discussion in the comments section that follows).

Some of our incoming first year engineering students have recently produced a nice blog post on the differences.  Since they recently went through the process of researching, comparing and contrasting the programs, it provides a unique perspective from an  applicant’s point of view.  Have a look at their post and blog here.

Note that at Waterloo, if you have interest in Software Engineering and Computer Science, you can apply to both and potentially have two different offers .

Chances for 2014

/ profbillanderson / 170 Comments

The 2014 Admissions brochures for Engineering and other programs have recently been uploaded.  Last year, for the first time, we included a table showing admission probabilities (“chances”) for different programs and grade ranges.  It seemed to be well-received and many people found it to be useful, so we revised and updated a new one for 2014.  Below is a copy of it (sorry about the image quality).  This is based on the 2013 results and as usual we caution that 2014 may be different, since it all depends on the competition level (which is unknown in advance). Continue reading →

Switching Engineering Programs

/ profbillanderson / 108 Comments

A prior post dealt with transferring into Waterloo Engineering from some other program or university.  More frequently, the question is “can I switch to X Engineering if I start in Y Engineering?” (where X and Y are two of our own engineering programs).  This is an “internal transfer” process, so no OUAC application is necessary and there is a bit more flexibility.  But it is also potentially more confusing, so let’s look at some scenarios. Continue reading →

Engineering Failure Rates

/ profbillanderson / 8 Comments

We typically get a few questions each year about our failure rate.  I’m never quite sure why people ask, or what they are expecting.  Do they want to hear that the failure rate is high, so they are convinced it’s a tough (and therefore good) program?  Or maybe they don’t want the failure rate to be high, because they are concerned that they won’t be successful?  I’m not sure what the motivation for the question is, but anyways let’s examine failure rates.  Continue reading →

Comparing Scholarship Offers

/ profbillanderson / 16 Comments

During our last round of offers in May, we also decide on entrance scholarship awards based on a combination of grades and the AIF score. (These are separate from the $1000 Merit and $2000 President’s scholarships that are automatically awarded based on admission averages over 85%.  Almost all Engineering students get these.)  Our engineering entrance scholarships range in value from $1,000 to $20,000, but the majority are around $3,500.  Some are from the university, but many are gifts from alumni, companies, and other donors (thanks!).  In total, there around  200 spread among the 1500 students that come in September, so I suppose the odds of getting one are about 15%.  For those comparing offers, here are a few observations about entrance scholarships, at Waterloo and in general. Continue reading →

Transferring to Waterloo Enginering

/ profbillanderson / 128 Comments

Another common question during our admission cycle is whether someone can start a program (let’s assume engineering) at another university, then transfer into Waterloo for 2nd or 3rd year.  These might be people who didn’t get an offer to Waterloo, or maybe want to try another place first but keep their options open.  The short answer is that yes, it is technically feasible, but the likelihood of successful admission to 2nd year is pretty low.  Here are some of the major reasons why: Continue reading →

Considering an Alternate Offer

/ profbillanderson / 25 Comments

When people apply to Waterloo Engineering, they apply to the program of most interest but can also identify a second and third choice on their AIF.  That way, if they are not quite competitive for the 1st choice, we can still consider them for one of the other two.  We assume that the choices are ranked in descending order of preference, so we try to get the 2nd choice if possible, then the 3rd.  This year, about 300 people got one of these alternate offers to their 2nd or 3rd choice (a typical number each year).  Some people are quite happy with their alternate offer.  Others, not so much.  Those holding an alternate offer will have to decide what to do with it, so here are a few questions that commonly come up. Continue reading →

Decisions

/ profbillanderson / 59 Comments

It’s been a hectic few weeks with many of our Admissions team working late nights and weekends, but our last round of Engineering admission offers are starting to come out.  The OUAC Form 101 offers (i.e. Ontario high school applicants) are posted to Quest (our internal system) and will show up on OUAC soon (if not already).  The OUAC Form 105 offers are in progress and should show up on Quest in the next day or two.  At this point in the admission cycle there will now be groups of happy and unhappy people, so a few preliminary observations to put it in context.  I’ll try to post additional information and suggestions in the coming weeks.

This year we had about 9000 applicants to Engineering.  About 5500 did not get offers, so our “selectivity” is around 0.39 (i.e. 39% of applicants got offers).  In a previous post about selectivity, our number was 0.44.  So it has obviously gotten more difficult to get an offer this year.  This is not by design, it’s simply a function of more applicants for a fixed number of available spaces.  We already run at the limits of our capacity in classrooms, labs, and teaching resources, so taking more students is not presently feasible.

This year the competition was significantly tougher for the spaces in Chemical,  Nanotechnology, Software, and Electrical and Computer Engineering.  Mechanical seemed to be a bit tougher too.  The other programs were at similar competition levels as last year.

It’s sort of shocking to have to turn down so many good applicants, many with grades in the 80’s and 90’s, and I’m sure they are shocked too.  But we don’t have much choice.  Too much popularity and not enough capacity.

Try Making Admission Decisions

/ profbillanderson / 53 Comments

Here’s your chance to see what it’s like to make an admission decision.  The following is a hypothetical case, but not unusual.

Let’s say there is only one space left in our Fusion Engineering program (no, we don’t actually have a Fusion Engineering program; it’s hypothetical!).  The following 5 applicants are next in the ranked list of candidates, and have similar total scores (overall average + AIF score).  We will assume that they all come from typical high schools in Ontario and that there are no differences in adjustment factors, and no extenuating circumstances to consider.

Which one would you pick?  The one with the highest average, or highest AIF score (indicating exceptional extra-curriculars or awards)?  Or, one with better English, or physics?  Leave a comment with your choice and an explanation if you like.

Applicant:
A B C D E
English 89 72 79 70 86
Chem 94 83 78 71 87
Physics 78 82 79 88 81
Functions 81 79 81 88 72
Calculus 79 82 80 88 72
Other 81 83 96 90 95
Average 83.7 80.2 82.2 82.5 82.2
AIF Score 1 4.5 2.5 2.5 3
Total Score 84.7 84.7 84.7 85.0 85.2