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Rank: Senior Student
Joined: 1/8/2012
Posts: 67
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By any chance, do you know of anyone who completed his/her bachelor's degree in three years?
And, in your opinion, do you think finishing bachelor's degree in three years by taking summer school courses is better than getting a summer research position (if I am able to) if I am seriously considering to pursue graduate studies?
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Rank: Student Body Vice-President
Joined: 5/15/2011
Posts: 702
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waterfall wrote:By any chance, do you know of anyone who completed his/her bachelor's degree in three years?
And, in your opinion, do you think finishing bachelor's degree in three years by taking summer school courses is better than getting a summer research position (if I am able to) if I am seriously considering to pursue graduate studies? I don't know of anyone who's done this. Students that are interested in grad school usually stay longer than four years to take extra courses. I would absolutely not recommend trying to speed through your degree at the expense of gaining academic breadth/experience and/or research. Research is *extremely* valuable experience for consideration for grad school.
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Rank: Senior Student  Joined: 8/26/2011 Posts: 87
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GreyGoose, what is the history behind your username? Why did u name yourself after the "The best tasting Vodka in the world!"
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Rank: Student Body Vice-President
Joined: 5/15/2011
Posts: 702
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It was bestowed upon me in my early days in IRC, for its alcoholic connotations among others. It was intended to be ironic.
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Rank: Senior Student
Joined: 1/8/2012
Posts: 67
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Hi again, :)
I am also interested in pursuing Joint PMATH&CS, but I am really worried about the course workload. What is a typical day in your life like?
And how are CS minor courses? It seems like CS 430 - "Applications Software Engineering" kind of superficially covers the CS 445, 446, and 447. Do you think CS 430 with through supplementary self studies will be enough to become a software architect?
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Rank: Student Body Vice-President
Joined: 5/15/2011
Posts: 702
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waterfall wrote:Hi again, :)
I am also interested in pursuing Joint PMATH&CS, but I am really worried about the course workload. What is a typical day in your life like?
And how are CS minor courses? It seems like CS 430 - "Applications Software Engineering" kind of superficially covers the CS 445, 446, and 447. Do you think CS 430 with through supplementary self studies will be enough to become a software architect? Joint PMATH is significantly less of a workload than a full PMATH major is. I wouldn't be too worried about that workload. Here is a typical day in the life of greygoose: 9:00 AM - Alarm goes off, check email on iPod and answer anything urgent 9:30 AM - Eat something resembling breakfast 9:52 AM - Attempt to catch bus on time to school 10:14 AM - Failed, catch next bus to school 10:25 AM - Run across campus, late for class; walk in and sit at the back 10:30 - 11:20 AM - Class #1 (MATH 249) 11:20 AM - Stay behind and talk too long with the prof/classmates; become late for next class... 11:28 AM - Run across campus, late for class again; walk in and sit at the back, more gingerly this time 11:30 - 12:20 PM - Class #2 (CO 487) 12:20 PM - Run to prof's office hours in MC 12:30 - 1:15 PM - Prof's office hours in prof's office 1:20 PM - Continue to stick around chatting in prof's office, making him too late 1:30 PM - Go to plaza for lunch 2:30 PM - Return to campus; procrastinate by answering emails, dealing with club/MathSoc involvement stuff, read reddit, OMGUW, etc. 3:30 PM - Discover the cutest cat picture on imgur. Continue staring at cat pictures for the next hour 4:30 PM - Start working on assignments on campus. It's a CS assignment due, so I get obsessive and forget there are people/things around me. 7:30 PM - Realize 3 hours have passed coding. Poke friends to go for dinner 8:00 PM - Friends' "one more minute" turns into 30 minutes. Rant at them until they finally get up 8:10 PM - Return to plaza for food; things are closing soon because we took so damn long 9:00 PM - Consider drinking at the bar. Recall that on current medications, drinking is not permitted. Attend bar and order cheese sticks, while stealing tastes of everyone's beer. Play dominoes. 10:30 PM - Return to campus. Recall that assignments are due. Freak out and start working. 11:57 PM - screw. Missed the second last bus. Prepare to catch the last bus. 12:16 AM - Depart to catch the last bus 12:40 AM - Arrive home; take pills and go to bed Sure, I don't get everything done 100%, but I have pretty decent marks. I invest my efforts in where it's most worth it. And I get 8 hours of sleep a night! As for the CS minor courses... they suck a lot. Don't take them. I've warned you. Seriously though, they are really lousy courses, the major courses are significantly better.
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Rank: Senior Student
Joined: 1/8/2012
Posts: 67
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greygoose wrote:
Here is a typical day in the life of greygoose:
9:00 AM - Alarm goes off, check email on iPod and answer anything urgent
9:30 AM - Eat something resembling breakfast
9:52 AM - Attempt to catch bus on time to school
10:14 AM - Failed, catch next bus to school
10:25 AM - Run across campus, late for class; walk in and sit at the back
10:30 - 11:20 AM - Class #1 (MATH 249)
11:20 AM - Stay behind and talk too long with the prof/classmates; become late for next class...
11:28 AM - Run across campus, late for class again; walk in and sit at the back, more gingerly this time
11:30 - 12:20 PM - Class #2 (CO 487)
12:20 PM - Run to prof's office hours in MC
12:30 - 1:15 PM - Prof's office hours in prof's office
1:20 PM - Continue to stick around chatting in prof's office, making him too late
1:30 PM - Go to plaza for lunch
2:30 PM - Return to campus; procrastinate by answering emails, dealing with club/MathSoc involvement stuff, read reddit, OMGUW, etc.
3:30 PM - Discover the cutest cat picture on imgur. Continue staring at cat pictures for the next hour
4:30 PM - Start working on assignments on campus. It's a CS assignment due, so I get obsessive and forget there are people/things around me.
7:30 PM - Realize 3 hours have passed coding. Poke friends to go for dinner
8:00 PM - Friends' "one more minute" turns into 30 minutes. Rant at them until they finally get up
8:10 PM - Return to plaza for food; things are closing soon because we took so damn long
9:00 PM - Consider drinking at the bar. Recall that on current medications, drinking is not permitted. Attend bar and order cheese sticks, while stealing tastes of everyone's beer. Play dominoes.
10:30 PM - Return to campus. Recall that assignments are due. Freak out and start working.
11:57 PM - screw. Missed the second last bus. Prepare to catch the last bus.
12:16 AM - Depart to catch the last bus
12:40 AM - Arrive home; take pills and go to bed
Can't wait to start my new life at UWaterloo!!! Anyway, it kind of contrasts what I thought a typical CS major would be - few empty energy drink cans on the desk, eyestrain, always preoccupied with programming, programming, and programming... I will most definitely pursue a master's degree in pure mathematics at Waterloo, but do you think a joint PMATH degree will be sufficient (it will constitute of Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, Group Theory, Polynomials, Rings and Fields, and four more 400-level PMATH courses. p.s. I hate mostiquitoes.
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Rank: Frosh
Joined: 4/10/2012
Posts: 31
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Would it be possible to do a triple major with Mathematical Physics, Computer Science, and Pure Mathematics?
Also, are you allowed to take courses all three semesters?
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Rank: Student Body President  Joined: 12/19/2010 Posts: 1,593
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Voivode wrote:Would it be possible to do a triple major with Mathematical Physics, Computer Science, and Pure Mathematics? You can triple major I suppose, but you'd have to graduate later since it'd be impossible to fit all the requirements in your course schedule. Voivode wrote:
Also, are you allowed to take courses all three semesters?
Yes but not all courses are offered every term.
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Rank: Frosh
Joined: 4/10/2012
Posts: 31
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Would you recommend majoring in Mathematical Physics at UW? I've heard the Physics courses are mediocre, but a lot of the upper courses seem to be cross-listed with the AMATH department, if that actually means anything...
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Rank: Student Body Vice-President
Joined: 5/15/2011
Posts: 702
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Voivode wrote:Would it be possible to do a triple major with Mathematical Physics, Computer Science, and Pure Mathematics? In theory, yes. I'd expect that to take significantly more than 50 courses, however, because there is very little overlap between math/phys and CS or pmath. 50 courses is the (hypothetical-often-overrode) cap on the number of courses you can take in your undergrad. Obviously, it would require taking at least 2 extra 5-course semesters to cover all the content. Voivode wrote:Also, are you allowed to take courses all three semesters? Yes, and I know a lot of people who do this. It does burn you out, though, so beware. A lot of people will throw in a term for full-time research or work, which UW allows you to do whenever you like. Which is great. Voivode wrote:Would you recommend majoring in Mathematical Physics at UW? I've heard the Physics courses are mediocre, but a lot of the upper courses seem to be cross-listed with the AMATH department, if that actually means anything... I'm not sure I'd *recommend* it. The people I know doing it (and I know many) seem to be doing it in spite of the idiocy sometimes, because they love the field so much. An AMATH major is very close to the math/phys, especially one offered from the faculty of math (there's a BSc math/phys major as well). If you're interested in it, I recommend you apply for Honours Math, and figure out all your declarations later based on what you enjoy. And be warned, first year physics sucks balls :(
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Rank: Frosh
Joined: 4/10/2012
Posts: 31
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Er, how does first-year physics suck? I mean, is it a lot of material, or is it just poorly taught? If it's the latter I'd be worried, but the former I could probably deal with because I'm doing AP Phys. C now.
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Rank: Student Body Vice-President
Joined: 5/15/2011
Posts: 702
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It's just screwing stupid crapty courses for two straight years in a row. I took AP Physics B. I did not pay attention whatsoever in PHYS 121 or 122. I passed both, and in fact got a 99 on the midterm in PHYS 122... all based on my high school knowledge. The exams are unfair, the content is stupid, tedious, boring, review of high school, waste of time, etc. The second year courses (except thermo) are the same goddamn crap. They get better in third and fourth year. Really annoyed because they added another new first year course ("Intro to Modern Physics") where they expect you to cover fourth year material with no mathematical background. They fired all their good lecturers a few years ago for daring to speak out about the department's deficiencies... etc. It goes on and on. It's just bad =__= Sorry, recent events re: physics dept have reminded me how terrible it is and how much the three physics courses I took made me angry.
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Rank: Frosh
Joined: 4/10/2012
Posts: 31
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I guess if the later courses are better, I could probably tolerate it.
For computer science, do you have any recommendations on how I could learn Scheme ahead of time? I've never used the language before. Also are the computer science options (Digital Hardware, etc.) open to those doing joint CS degrees?
Also, do you know what the Chemistry and Biology departments are like? Are they as bad as the Physics department, or better?
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Rank: Student Body President Joined: 12/19/2010 Posts: 1,593
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Voivode wrote:I guess if the later courses are better, I could probably tolerate it.
For computer science, do you have any recommendations on how I could learn Scheme ahead of time? I've never used the language before. Also are the computer science options (Digital Hardware, etc.) open to those doing joint CS degrees?
Also, do you know what the Chemistry and Biology departments are like? Are they as bad as the Physics department, or better? You really do not need to learn scheme ahead of time. Trust me. But if you really really really want to, you can read this: http://www.htdp.org/
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Rank: Student Body Vice-President
Joined: 5/15/2011
Posts: 702
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Voivode wrote:I guess if the later courses are better, I could probably tolerate it.
For computer science, do you have any recommendations on how I could learn Scheme ahead of time? I've never used the language before. Also are the computer science options (Digital Hardware, etc.) open to those doing joint CS degrees?
Also, do you know what the Chemistry and Biology departments are like? Are they as bad as the Physics department, or better? I think a lot of people take that approach. They get a bit bitter, but they end up coming out happy. I would not recommend learning Scheme ahead of time. They choose Scheme as your first language because it puts everyone at a common starting point. It also allows them to teach you how to use the language properly. The options are only open to those doing full majors. Note that you could do, say, Honours Applied Mathematics and Honours Computer Science (BMath), Digital Hardware Option, but that would not allow you to take a minor. In terms of the value of having the "options" written on your diploma... well, it's essentially nil. The chemistry department is pretty good, and it allows people who've taken AP or IB to skip first year. The biology department is just mediocre, but that's because it's not a program that receives a lot of attention here. It's not actively bad in the same way physics is. :P I should also highlight the fact that the Earth Sciences program here is really good, also under the same faculty.
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Rank: Frosh
Joined: 4/10/2012
Posts: 31
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What is the Bioinformatics program like at Waterloo? Is it possible to do a Mathematical Physics/Bioinformatics double major?
(I know I've been asking a lot of questions, and I really appreciate that you've answered them all. It's just that in my home state of Virginia, the math programs at the flagship schools here (William & Mary, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech) seem pretty mediocre, and when I look at Waterloo's awesomely diverse major plans, I kinda drool in envy. I don't even know if I can afford to go to a Canadian school yet... But again, thanks.)
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Rank: Senior Student
Joined: 1/30/2012
Posts: 249
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Are there a lot of students that are either kicked out or drop out of CS Program? To be kicked out, what would your mark have to be. Are there any CS classes where you just go ahead and make whatever you want individually/with a group of friends? I plan to be a game developer and I was wondering if there are many people that also want to do the same thing as me, because i was planning to form a small group where wed make like apps or something for Iphone, Android etc. UTSC - Computer Science Coop 2016
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Rank: Student Body Vice-President
Joined: 5/15/2011
Posts: 702
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Voivode wrote:What is the Bioinformatics program like at Waterloo? Is it possible to do a Mathematical Physics/Bioinformatics double major?
(I know I've been asking a lot of questions, and I really appreciate that you've answered them all. It's just that in my home state of Virginia, the math programs at the flagship schools here (William & Mary, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech) seem pretty mediocre, and when I look at Waterloo's awesomely diverse major plans, I kinda drool in envy. I don't even know if I can afford to go to a Canadian school yet... But again, thanks.) I would say doubtful. The Bioinformatics program is already essentially a double CS/Biology degree. It's a pretty full program. You can see the required courses here: http://ugradcalendar.uwa...-Science-Bioinformatics
Just a note, my American friend... often international tuition in Canada is cheaper than domestic tuition in the States ;) International math tuition is about 10.5k per semester for regular, or 11.8k for co-op (see http://www.adm.uwaterloo...ees%20Spring%202012.pdf ). I know schools in the states that charge well over 30k per year for domestic students... eek.
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Rank: Student Body Vice-President
Joined: 5/15/2011
Posts: 702
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Bscit wrote:Are there a lot of students that are either kicked out or drop out of CS Program?
To be kicked out, what would your mark have to be.
Are there any CS classes where you just go ahead and make whatever you want individually/with a group of friends?
I plan to be a game developer and I was wondering if there are many people that also want to do the same thing as me, because i was planning to form a small group where wed make like apps or something for Iphone, Android etc. Waterloo tries to keep their retention rate high. I believe overall retention is like 83%, or around there, but that's university-wide. I'd say probably Engineering has much greater attrition rates than CS, though math definitely has drop-outs... See section 4. of these policies for information on failing out, so to speak. http://ugradcalendar.uwa...H-Math-Faculty-Policies
Note that CS must maintain a 60% cumulative average to stay in the program. The only classes where you're given a lot of free reign are the readings/topics courses, which are almost always fourth-year level. There are no courses that really satisfy the description above, other than possibly ARTS 304? The kind of project you've described is the kind of thing most people here do on their free time. You might want to check out the Student Developer Network (SDN)... they had an Android tutorial this semester, and are involved in that kind of thing.
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