It’s the season for campus visits and open houses, including our own on November 7 2015. (See here for arranging visits to Waterloo.) Here are a few thoughts on how to maximize the benefit of a campus visit, here or anywhere else. Continue reading
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How co-op breaks the mould of linear education
An interesting story from the Waterloo website about one of our Chemical Engineering students. I like the story because of the broad range of experiences, including web administration (not a traditional Chem Eng area!), and an international job placement.
by Nicole Simec.
“Co-op showed me that I am not one-dimensional,” says Sheryl Peters, a fourth-year chemical engineering student finishing up her last work term.When people think about chemical engineering, they often think about jobs in oil and gas – but Sheryl says because of co-op, it is so much more than that. Currently, Sheryl is on the other side of the world helping to develop a graduate course for the National University of Singapore. “Co-op has been an amazing and diverse experience. I purposely wanted to try many things, not just the expected.”Sheryl says the proudest moment of her co-op experience came when she was working as a web administrator for Lug Life, a travel accessory company. During her time there, she initiated a number of projects to re-design and enhance their website.“I didn’t get to see all of my work and ideas carried out because my co-op term was ending but when I checked back later I saw that all of my initial ideas were being implemented.”In another work term, Sheryl was able to apply almost everything she had learned academically while working as a process engineering technician for Fluor, a multi-national engineering and construction firm. This role taught Sheryl how to work for a very large and established company. Sheryl also learned how to collaborate with other engineers and organizations on a multi-million dollar project which enhanced her project management, communication and teamwork skills.Some of the roles Sheryl has held throughout her co-op career may seem unconventional for a chemical engineering student, but this is exactly why the program is so great. Sheryl explained how her program teaches students to manage and prioritize large workloads and hasty deadlines. It has also taught her what she calls “a very practical way of thinking and problem solving”. This real-world application of skills, in conjunction with a strong educational background, is what allows chemical engineering students and grads to excel in any field. With her graduation on the horizon, Sheryl is thankful for her time at Waterloo and admits that her initial attraction to the university was its reputation for innovation and being the world leader in co-operative education.Sheryl admits that landing your first job is tough. “Co-op gets your foot in the door and gives you a way to prove that you can apply your knowledge in the workplace.” Co-op also offers students up to two years of work experience, which Sheryl thinks helps to alleviate the struggle of finding a job after graduation since most employers prefer practiced applicants.“By fourth-year, I quickly realized that I could do anything I wanted. This gave me a sense of empowerment – I felt prepared and I felt valuable.”Thanks to co-op, Sheryl has a clear picture of what her future has in store: either chemical process engineering or working with a startup to enhance their web presence. Sheryl’s story is a shining example of how chemical engineering students possess the skills that are desperately needed in the workplace. Employers of chemical engineering students can be sure that they have hired intelligent, hardworking individuals capable of problem solving, project management, and exceeding expectations.
Admissions 2016: How it’s going to work
We are getting ready for our first major Open House event on November 7, and that reminds me that I should do an update on this popular post, with some revisions and clarification for the upcoming September 2016 admissions cycle. No major changes from last year.
Here is an overview on how the process works and the approximate timelines. As usual, this is specific to Waterloo Engineering admissions; other programs and universities will have their own unique variations. Also, make sure you look through our admissions webpages for exact deadlines and official requirements since this is just an unofficial, quick overview and I can’t cover every detail for every variety of applicant and situation. Continue reading
Visit to Qatar
Here’s an update from our Associate Director of Engineering Admissions, Ally Morrow, who is currently meeting with prospective applicants and parents in the Gulf region, as mentioned in a previous post.
We have final arrangements for the Study in Canada fair in Qatar. It will be on Sunday October 25th from 5:00 to 9:00 pm at the Mercure Grand Hotel, Musherib Street, Doha. If you’re in the area we hope to see you there.
Visiting Persian Gulf Countries
Here is a guest post by our Associate Director of Engineering Admissions, who spends a few weeks each year travelling to select countries to inform students, parents and teachers about Waterloo Engineering. In October 2015 she is in the Persian Gulf area (also known as the Arabian Gulf). If you are in one of these countries, feel free to attend an event and say hello.
Hello everyone!
My name is Ally Morrow and I am the Associate Director for Admissions for the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo. I am lucky enough to work alongside Professor Bill Anderson for the Faculty of Engineering to implement policies and help make decisions on admissions. I also manage international undergraduate recruitment activities for Engineering, travelling around the globe to promote the University of Waterloo and Canadian education. Next week I will be traveling to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait. I will be participating in Education Fairs in the following cities: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait City. It would be wonderful for those of you who are in the area to come by and say “hello”. I would be more than happy to provide you with information about our engineering programs as well as studying in Canada. This will be my second time visiting the area, I am looking forward to another great experience and to meeting you!
I have listed the Education fair dates and locations below:
Abu Dhabi Fair
Monday October 19th 5:00pm-9:00pm
Le Royal Meridien Hotel Abu Dhabi
Dubai Fair
Wednesday October 21st 5:00pm-9:00pm
Crowne Plaza Hotel Dubai
Kuwait City Fair
Tuesday October 27th 5:00pm-9:00pm
Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel Kuwait
See you soon!
Ally
Why I’ve Stopped Doing Interviews for Yale | Math with Bad Drawings
It’s a random process, disguised as a deliberative one.
Source: Why I’ve Stopped Doing Interviews for Yale | Math with Bad Drawings
I like this blog posting, especially the drawings!
When students have choices among top colleges, which one do they choose? – The Washington Post
(ProfBillAnderson: Yet another ranking, but one I haven’t noticed before. This one puts Waterloo in the top ten of student preferences when choosing between offers. An interesting article and worth a look.)
Stanford University tops another new college ranking list. But the rest of the Parchment Top 25 might surprise you.
Source: When students have choices among top colleges, which one do they choose? – The Washington Post
What’s New in Nanotechnology?
There is some impression out there that “nanotechnology” (and our Nanotechnology Engineering program) is all very research-oriented, with no practical applications or career prospects yet. Graduates can only look forward to doing lab research or a PhD degree. Those are certainly potential paths, but not the only ones by any means.
Nanotechnology has been around for about 30 years (see it’s history). In many ways, it’s just a specialized way of approaching Materials Science/Engineering, and there are already over 1,500 products on the market that incorporate nanotechnology. Making products requires more than just lab research, and one of the reasons we launched our Nanotechnology Engineering program was in response to industry needs for people with this expertise.
It also seems that the nanotechnology area is one where there is a lot of room for innovation and entrepreneurship by our undergraduate students. Here are a few recent examples (mainly based on senior design projects) that have led to start-up companies:
- Nanotechnology-based ink for counterfeit prevention
- A system for analyzing vitamin levels in the body
- Detection of sun overexposure
- Windshield protection from frost and stones
It’s interesting to see what creative new ways that nanotechnology can be used to make new products or improve existing ones. In my own research lab we are working with companies to develop novel test methods, based on nanotechnology, for detection of water contamination, and this is on the verge of commercialization. Some day soon I’ll finish a post on that topic.
So for a high school student thinking about different career paths, don’t exclude Nanotechnology Engineering if you’re interested in materials and commercial product development. It’s not all theory, lab work, and graduate research.
Engineering Tuition Bargains
I have been meaning to do a comparison of US and Canadian tuition costs for a while, and now a U.S. News article has come out describing the benefits of doing a degree in Canada (presumably aimed at Americans). So it’s a good time to complete my comparison.
First thing to point out, since 2014 the exchange rate between U.S. and Canadian dollars has shifted significantly. Where they were once nearly equal, now $1 Canadian is worth about $0.76 U.S. So if you have income or savings in US dollars, that’s how you can get the big bargain (about 30% more for your dollar!).
Next, which schools should we compare? Although I don’t particularly like rankings and question their value for selecting an undergraduate education, lots of prospective international student and parents do use them. So I decided to use the 2014 QS Rankings for Engineering & Technology, centering on Waterloo with a few universities above and below our ranking. Here are the results of my survey, converting Canadian to US dollars where appropriate: Continue reading
Canada versus U.S.
Usually, when Canadians speak of “Canada vs. U.S.” here it is with reference to a hockey series. However, in celebration of Canada Day (July 1) and Independence Day (July 4) holidays, here I’m going to point out a few differences in terminology and other things that you might run across when looking at engineering programs at Canadian and U.S. post-secondary institutions. (these are based on my observations, and there will be exceptions of course, because this is a huge and complex topic) Continue reading
A Professor in Waterloo Engineering 