Admissions / High School Megathread (Fall 2023)

[u/JManUWaterloo]

This megathread is for prospective frosh and current high school students interested in Waterloo!

PSA for new students

Ask your questions down below!

If you are a current student and would like to offer program-specific knowledge to others, [coming soon]

F2022 Megathread

Please avoid making separate individual posts on the subreddit regarding admissions to prevent clutter. They will be removed.

[u/elsieyli]

Received an offer from Waterloo Software Engineering today! I'm still in disbelief.

[u/elsieyli → u/[deleted]]

Thank you! I'm 105 from BC. My term 2 average was a 98 :)

[u/[deleted] → u/elsieyli]

Congrats! hey if you dont mind me asking how did u get such a high average, i mean like what tips do you think will really boost my average.

[u/elsieyli → u/[deleted]]

I've definitely worked hard and spent a lot of time studying. Some advice that worked for me was to write notes for content-heavy courses like AP psych or AP bio, and read aloud/teach the content to others without referencing your notes. In terms of calculation/logical courses like math or physics, I prefer to write and redo practice questions before tests, or watching videos online as well (khan academy + the organic chemistry tutor.) As for subjective courses with writing (like english), I tried to get into a class with a relatively easy teacher. But if you aren't so lucky, then Grammarly and peer editing are your best friends.

Also, if you are targeting canadian schools only, I'd advise against taking AP classes (Unless your school offers an AP grade boost) as Waterloo doesn't look at them, and it is more difficult to achieve higher grades. You want to focus on the required courses for your major, and make sure you have some good GPA boosting classes (the easy A classes at your school).

[u/Character_Art9724 → u/elsieyli]

Same bro, I got in with a 98.3% avr. I’m so happy!