Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (EECS) Applications

Student Lounge International Students
1

Hi, I am a grade 11 student from Calgary, Alberta who is looking to enter a computer science program and work in Silicon Valley or a company such as Microsoft in the future. I was wondering if anyone can give me some insight on if Canadian universities such as UBC, U of T, and Waterloo have a good reputation in the US for EECS, and if anyone knows people who went to these universities and are working in Silicon Valley or a high end company.

I am a grade 11 IB Diploma student in Math SL, Chem HL, English HL, World History HL, Bio SL, and French ab initio who will be self-studying to take AP courses (Calc BC, Physics 1 and 2, Computer Science A) in grade 12. According to Berkeley, I have around a 3.9+ unweighted if not 4.0, and they consider me as having a rigorous course load for an EECS applicant.

Berkeley and Stanford are my dream schools for EECS, followed by the likes of:

UCLA
U of Washington
UBC
U of T
Waterloo
Cornell
Carnegie Mellon
Princeton
UCSD
U of Illinois

Can someone give me advice on improving my application as an EECS applicant, and recommending other strong EECS universities? I am more interested in CS than EE.

My stats are:

UW GPA: 3.9-4 according to Berkeley
W GPA: Probably around 4.1 or 4.2 at time of application, but that is just because most of my IB HL classes are in grade 12, and Berkeley said that it’s fine
SAT Score: Yet to take it, but practice was 1380/1600, and I’m pretty sure if I study for it I can reach 1500.
SAT Subjects Test: Yet to take; will take in September and October of grade 12

For fellow Canadians:
Average is around 84 percent currently with IB courses, but when I apply for the pick 5/pick 6 depending on the Canadian university, I expect to have a 92 or 93.

My ECs:

Note: Dad was really worried about my grades dropping when I joined a new school in grade 10 and the school I attended in grade 9 virtually had no clubs/ECs.

Model UN since grade 11
Basketball and Track since grade 9 (On track team but not basketball)
Swimming since grade 9 (Not on team)
Lifeguard Certified since grade 11 (planning on finding a job from summer of grade 11 and onwards)
Science Olympics since grade 11
Volunteering as YMCA basketball coach and ref since grade 11
Vice President of Physics Club since grade 11
Vice President of Comp Sci Club since grade 11
Robotics Club since grade 11 (Joined around end of school year, so not really anything to do)
I am also planning on creating gaming apps in the summer

What are your thoughts about me attending Canadian institutions that have strong reputation in Canada if I cannot get into an amazing university such as Berkeley or Stanford in the US and still having a chance to work in Silicon Valley or for a top US company? What should be the bottom line American University that I attend before looking back at Canada? For instance, I know University of Washington alumni make up a ton of Microsoft employees, yet UBC is ranked around the same as U of Washington, and I would have to pay significantly less (probably around 40-45k less per year, but my parents said not to worry about international tuition since they will pay for me). I am most concerned about being able to find opportunities at top computer science companies and at Silicon Valley after I complete my Bachelor’s degree, so I just want to know the best universities I should attend, and what I should do if I cannot get into one of the top universities.

2

A Canadian university will not hold you back from being hired in the computing industry in the US. However (assuming that you do not also have US citizenship along with Canadian citizenship), you would be at some disadvantage compared to US citizens and permanent residents regardless of which university you attend because you would need a work visa.

3

Can you give me a recommendation which American universities are the best choices to attend if I plan on working in Silicon Valley or a major tech company? Thanks.

4

@ucbalumnus

5

Waterloo probably gives you as good a shot at Silicon Valley as any school on your list except Stanford and Berkeley.

There is no direct admission to computer science at U of T. Admissions to the major happens after first year and is extremely competitive. UWashington admits few students directly to the major. The majority of the slots are allotted similar to U of T’s process.

I would not choose a US public university (except maybe Berkeley) above the Canadian schools on your list. And I don’t think that Berkeley is worth the price premium. I’m not sure I would choose Cornell above the Canadian universities either, especially at full price.

6

@bouders What about computer engineering at U of T? I heard that CS and Computer Engineer grads are offered a lot of the same jobs. Thanks for the help.

7

Computer Engineering at U of T would be great. You can apply for both engineering and the Faculty of arts and science at U of T, but you can only apply to one program under Arts and Science, including CS. Even with the lack of direct admission to CS, there is a huge number of students who apply under the CS admissions program at U of T, and many get denied simply based on the fact that they applied under CS. As recently as 2013, there were no restrictions on declaring CS as a major. Now it’s insanely competitive. I expect (with no other evidence than my gut) that they might change the admissions procedure for CS either for 2018 or 2019. The current system is not sustainable. So check their website in the fall. The info I am giving you might be out of date by then. If you really want to go to U of T, I’d recommend applying to some other program than CS in arts and science and applying for engineering as well. It is possible to get into the CS major or specialist without being admitted under CS. The bar is set higher for these students however. http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/futurestudents/admissions/guidance/grades http://web.cs.toronto.edu/program/ugrad/admission.htm

For Waterloo, make sure you write the Euclid next spring. It would also help to write the CCC. Your high school arranges these exams.

8

Several US high tech companies have some engineering in Canada. One option would be to attend a very good university in Canada, get a job in Canada with a US company, and then transfer within the company. This would probably make the work visa easier to get, and the Canadian university would probably be MUCH more reasonably priced than a comparable university in the US.

UBC, U of T, Waterloo, and McGill all have strong reputations in the US. Also, if you can do the work, and if you can get a visa, then you can work down here even if no one has heard of the university that you went to. Frankly, I have never heard of the universities that half my colleagues went to (whether in the US, India, or elsewhere). Thus other good Canadian universities such as U. of Alberta and U. of Calgary should be able to get you a job with a US company in Canada, from which you can transfer.

One thing to be aware of: If you do end up getting a permanent resident visa to the US (this would be way down the road, of course), then you essentially get to pay US taxes for a long time (not quite life, but close), even if you leave the US and return to Canada. You should be sure that you want to stay down here forever. However, I don’t think that this would be true with an H1 visa if you later gave up the visa and returned to Canada. Also, unlike Canada, a degree from a university in the US does NOT come with a work visa.