CE at UWaterloo vs. UToronto vs. UMich - Ann Arbor

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

I was sure about going to Waterloo for Computer Engineering next year because I thought I didn’t have a chance at getting into American schools, but I just got my acceptance letter from UMich for general first year engineering today. My parents think it will be easier for me to find a job in the states if I go there, but I’ve heard really great things about the co-op program at Waterloo.

I originally wanted to major in Computer Science, but after talking to my friends taking it at Waterloo, I don’t feel as confident about my math skills going in. CE feels like a better choice for me because it’s not as math based as CS, but I really do enjoy programming and don’t care so much about the hardware.

On the other hand, these friends are all taking the advanced math and cs courses in first year. Most students from my high school do that, but if I don’t follow the same path, maybe CS is still a possibility.

These are the choices I am debating:

UM: General Engineering - admitted
UW: Computer Engineering - admitted
UT: Computer Science - admitted
UBC: Computer Science - admitted

UW: Computer Science - nothing yet
UT: Computer Engineering - nothing yet

Any thoughts? I live closer to UMich than Waterloo but I felt closer to home when I was visiting the Waterloo campus than I did at UM’s. University of British Columbia is definitely far but I thought I’d just put it up for rankings. Same with UT; both have great reputations, but learning wise I don’t know if either is comparable to UM or UW.

Also, is it weird that between UT and UW, I was accepted to CS in one and CE in the other? Does that say anything about the programs at the two schools or is that just because I messed up the applications?

2

You probably want to figure out the CoA and where you want to work eventually. If you want to work in Canada in the future, I don’t see why you want to spend $55k-$60k per year at UMich. If you want to work in the US, the degree from UMich would certainly help. By the way, that is in US dollar.

3

In my opinion, unless you are going to attend Stanford, MIT, Berkeley or CMU, don’t bother spending more money on other US Universities. Although UMich has a solid CS/CE program but the high CoA would not add any extra value to your education that you cannot get at UW or UT.

I am a UW graduate myself and I faced no great obstacles in getting interviews from Apple, Amazon, Twitter and some other big tech firms in SF bay area while I was still in Canada. Also, in SF area, UW alumni network is stronger within most of the companies compare to any other Canadian university.

Also do consider that UW has medium size campus which is quieter and more laid back which in my opinion is perfect to enjoy student life, build strong network with fellow students, as well as focus on your study, which I feel UT fails to offer since its campus is located in busy downtown Toronto.

As far as your question on CS vs CE, if you are looking for a professional degree with courses catered towards developing strong leadership skills along with all the technical education then go for CE. On the other side, if you want to specialize in a certain area of CS or you want to go in R&D eventually then go for CS. Its safe to go with either, you will earn immense number of opportunities regardless of which one you chose.