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University of Waterloo

University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
3.91 / 5 based on 78 reviews.

Reviews
International Partners
Programmes
Accreditations
67% of students recommend
78 reviews
Housing
3.9/5
 All experiences (78)
Student life
3.8/5
 5 stars (30)
Academic
4.1/5
 4 stars (24)
Languages
4.1/5
 3 stars (18)
Expenses
3.6/5
 2 stars (6)
Overall
4.3/5
 1 star (0)
“Well, my experience is definitly not an example for those who want to juice from an exchange. Im sure this is a great opportunity in many case. Nevertheless, be sure to go in a big animated city; there is nothing worst than a lost city in the middle of nowhere...” Read Review
gabigab, France

1 2-star review of University of Waterloo

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Review by Gabriel, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Engineering, Computer, University Agreement
HOUSING    
Personal assessment
Cost
KEY:
Couldn't have asked for more.
Pretty good.
Could've been better, but didn't lessen the overall experience.
Disappointing.
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Type of housing: On campus
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why? The architecture of the building Im living in is pretty bad: There is no place to live, no "social place" to meet people. By choosing to live on campus, you have less opportunitiers to go out from university.
Personal comments:
For my experience, I must say that the suite Im living in is pretty small; it's pretty difficult to meet people: Im in this since 6 month, and I do not even know who are my neighbours!
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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STUDENT LIFE    
Personal social experience
Activities
KEY:
Amazing! Hardly had time to study.
Plenty to do when I had the time.
So-so.
Did not get involved.
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Describe host city: Students interact with the local community without much university involvement
Activities: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Nightlife: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal comments:
Everywhere except Ontario! I do dont want to be always negative, but the only cool activities I had this year was my travel thru USA & Canada. Else the social life sucks.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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ACADEMIC    
My academic experiences
Quality of courses
KEY:
Fantastic.
Pretty good.
Could've been a bit better.
Disappointing.
Variety of courses
Availability/access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with other international students
Interaction with local students
Course recommendations:
The amount of work required is pretty different from one course to another.



My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
KEY:
Liked it.
It was alright.
A bit annoying.
Didn't like it.
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course.
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Personal comments:
none

This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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Language difficulties
Social
KEY:
No problems.
I coped pretty well.
Sometimes it was difficult.
It was a constant struggle.
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Language of instruction: English
Was learning English a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my English
How much did you improve your English?
My level before: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: At ease in most situations
Personal comments:
It was first difficult to meet people because of the difficulties to work, nevertheless I managed to meet others, essentially internationnal student, after a fiew weeks
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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EXPENSES    
The accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
KEY:
Very easy.
Minimal effort.
Accessible but required effort.
Almost impossible.
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings
Work opportunities:
It was not legal for me to work
Personal spending habits:
equals
Travel, Housing: was more expensive than at home.
Nightlife, Overall, Telephone: was the same price as at home.
Food: was less expensive than at home.
Personal comments:
no
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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OVERALL    
Important to choosing this university...
Academic reasons
KEY:
Very Important.
Important.
Not really important.
Unimportant.
Culture
Costs
Activities
Campus life
Party / people
Weather / Location
I wish I had known...
Well, UW is definitly not the university I would choose if I had to do it again. The major problem is not the university itself, but much more the city around and the people. There is almost nothing to do in this city, looking like a living/commercial area, without downtown to go out, & and the culture is essentially the worst face of american culture.
In my opinion:
Stay home.



During my experience abroad, I ...
Became familiar with another culture
KEY:
Happened all the time.
Happened quite a lot.
Happened a bit.
Didn't happen.
Traveled
Improved language skills
Met people from other countries
Became more independent
Partied a lot
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies/career
Personal recommendation:
Choose another one. The international experience is something really cool you will enjoy, but 1) Dont choose UW or any place out of town in america/Canada (go in hudge city, that's fun) 2) Do not imagine your experience like a dream where everything is gonna be fine. Wherever you go, I think you ll have some difficulties.



FINAL COMMENTS

Well, my experience is definitly not an example for those who want to juice from an exchange. Im sure this is a great opportunity in many case. Nevertheless, be sure to go in a big animated city; there is nothing worst than a lost city in the middle of nowhere...
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
Was this review useful?   Yes · No