Hi,
Felt like starting a discussion here, to get a lighter head on the hard decision of Waterloo vs. McGill for engineering.
Please share some of your opinions on the engineering faculty of these universities.

Both schools have very good programs. On a purely academic basis, my opinion is that McGill has a slight advantage in Chem. Eng. On a practical level, Waterloo's co-op wins.

In my opinion, the two factors with highest weighting would be:

1. Campus and community.

McGill is nestled in Montreal. If you prefer living in a big city and are comfortable with the francophone community, then maybe this campus is right for you. McGill is a commuter school, with a lot of local and in-province students.

Waterloo is in a small university town, with no big city perks. Most first year students live on residence. The non-commuter nature of Waterloo means a tighter, better community feel.

2. Goal after university.

If your goal is to attend graduate school, McGill may offer an advantage.

If your goal is to dive straight into working, Waterloo has the edge.


You're going to be spending 4-5 years of your life on campus. Make sure you visit both campuses before choosing.

Good luck.

I applied to both too :O
I don't think rankings should really matter at this point; McGill and Waterloo are pretty much as good as they come when it comes to an engineering degree anyways. The biggest factors in my decision are internships vs. co-op. I actually wouldn't mind giving up Waterloo's co-op to live in Montreal. You can still get 2-3 internships with McGill, which already puts you ahead of most of the graduating class (aside from Waterloo grads, lol).

Yo mcgill is in Montreal (duh). That alone would be enough for me to go there over waterloo.

You can get internships etc. from any university it really comes down to who you know and where your located. Really you should be asking yourself is where you want to live and the atmosphere your looking for...

A big "THANK YOU" to you all for sharing your opinions!

Hmm.. so as a conclusion, Waterloo would seem to have a much greater edge than McGill for me because just like many people out there, I am aiming to join the workforce after I graduate.
Also, it is still possible to get into a good University for Masters from Waterloo, isn't it? If we keep those GPA's high? :)

I'mma be real. If you choose to come, you will be joining the UW Eng/CS/Math sweatshop. It's a crapload of work with no breaks for 5 years. The campus is dirt and depressing. Eventually you get used to the workload and all the other bullsh*t to the point that it makes you slightly insane.

But you'll be given opportunities even as an average to above average student to achieve things that no one else your age (18-23) in other schools can even come close to.

Im curious...what do you mean by "achieve things that no one else your age in other schools can come close to"?

Surely other schools have similar workloads although UT is probably the only one that can compare. It's not workload alone. It's the nonstop 5 years with school and co-op .. with coop searches during school, the crappy campus and weather, and so many more factors. My engineering friends all themselves "Laborers in the UW Sweatshop".

To the imaginary engineer, I mean what other school in Canada is going to give the opportunities UW co-op can give? At 18-19 years old, we can be working for real companies doing real work. One of my friends got his first co-op at Google in California at 18 years old. I know numerous people who are working in Facebook, Microsoft, etc. etc. Even the average to above average ones can find very good placements in big companies. I know UT has PEY or whatever it is, but it really can't compare.

A post by a Waterloo Engineer I read on reddit that reminded me of this thread:

"At first, I hated it. Too much work, and we don't have any school spirit because we're spending so much time doing homework. But then co-op hit and I'm like "Oh, this is why I'm here" and it was pretty sweet.
I like the way everyone just does their own thing. Its quiet here, nobody bothers you, and its nice in the spring. I would just really enjoy some extra free time to go on a walk every now and then, but then i'd risk failing an assignment."