UTSG CS and U Waterloo CS chances of getting in??

[ib4lyfe12]

 

Hi guys, I'm an international IB student from SE Asia and I was wondering if people have gotten in with low predicted grades to U Waterloo CS and U of Toronto SG CS.

Mine is currently at 38/45 points (36/42) but can go up 2 extra points by December if I perform well in sem exams. I should be getting 40/45 (38/42) as I have already shown a lot of improvement (Yes, I messed up grade 11).

Anyway, here are my predicted grades by subject (as of NOW): -

1. 7 in HL Physics
2. 6 in HL Math
3. 5 in HL Chem (will defo go to a 6 by December)
4. 7 in SL Economics
5. 6 in SL French
6. 5 in SL English A lang lit (highly likely to go to a 6 by December)
7. 2 bonus points (B in CS EE and B in TOK)

GPA is around 3.63 on a 4.0 scale, roughly in B+ to A- region. Of course, weighted GPA should be much higher as I'm getting all As in grade 12 (at least as of now). It's mainly grade 11 sem 1 dragging my GPA down.

I have done SATs as well, scoring a 1410 as of now but I'm gonna do it again and hopefully get a higher score. I've done tons of ECAs too (organised clubs and events pertaining to CS in school, done an internship, etc.)

If there's anyone who got into UTSG or U Waterloo CS with similar or worse scores, please let me know. Also, please mention if you're an international student as they have extra seats for Canadian students. Thanks for your help!

 

[DiviDivi]

I'm not a university student, but I've done a lot of research about UWaterloo.

For computer science, they require a minimum 6 in math, that you've taken English A, and have a minimum of 32 points total. So far you meet these requirements. The 7s you have in econ and physics also show your math skills.

 

You will also need to complete a supplementary application called the Admission Information Form (AIF). Basically on the AIF you describe your extracurricular activities, interests in computer science, etc. Here you can discuss your clubs and CS events. If you are applying to co-op, the internship would really help because it shows work experience. You can take a look at some AIF questions here.

I don't know of a definitive method of finding your chances of admission, however the computer science program is (somewhat) similar to the software engineering program. Below is a chart showing admission chances by admission average: (I explain how to calculate this below)

 

The admission averages are given in the province of Ontario's grading system. To convert your grades, you can use the table below:

In Ontario, universities look at your "top six" grades, which include prerequisites. To start, let's convert your English and math grades:

English 5 --> let's say 88%, if it's a 6 --> 94%

Math 6 --> 94%

In Ontario, math is actually split into 2 separate courses, so we'll say you have two grades of 94% for the two math courses, and a 94% in English. That's three grades.

The next three highest grades are your two 7s, which I'll convert to 97% (it's very hard to get over 98 at most Ontario high schools), and a 6, which converts to 94%.

Your "top six" grades (four 94% grades and two 97%) give you an admission average of 95%. According to the graph, you would have a 30% chance of admission to software engineering (the blue line). Now keep in mind that software engineering is THE MOST competitive program at UWaterloo.

The computer science page on the UWaterloo website says that computer science admits based on individual selection from the low 90s, whereas software engineering selects from the mid 90s. Based on this information I would bump up your chance of admission to at least a 50%. I know this still seems low but competition for international seats is fierce.

That said, I am not an expert on UWaterloo admissions, and my grade conversions are estimates.

The last thing I have to say is that I don't know very much about the SAT as it is not required by Canadian universities. However, submitting your score provides the university with more information (they encourage it too).

I hope I explained everything well. Best of luck for your applications!

[ib4lyfe12]

On 10/10/2019 at 11:25 AM, DiviDivi said:

I'm not a university student, but I've done a lot of research about UWaterloo.

For computer science, they require a minimum 6 in math, that you've taken English A, and have a minimum of 32 points total. So far you meet these requirements. The 7s you have in econ and physics also show your math skills.

You will also need to complete a supplementary application called the Admission Information Form (AIF). Basically on the AIF you describe your extracurricular activities, interests in computer science, etc. Here you can discuss your clubs and CS events. If you are applying to co-op, the internship would really help because it shows work experience. You can take a look at some AIF questions here.

I don't know of a definitive method of finding your chances of admission, however the computer science program is (somewhat) similar to the software engineering program. Below is a chart showing admission chances by admission average: (I explain how to calculate this below)

The admission averages are given in the province of Ontario's grading system. To convert your grades, you can use the table below:

In Ontario, universities look at your "top six" grades, which include prerequisites. To start, let's convert your English and math grades:

English 5 --> let's say 88%, if it's a 6 --> 94%

Math 6 --> 94%

In Ontario, math is actually split into 2 separate courses, so we'll say you have two grades of 94% for the two math courses, and a 94% in English. That's three grades.

The next three highest grades are your two 7s, which I'll convert to 97% (it's very hard to get over 98 at most Ontario high schools), and a 6, which converts to 94%.

Your "top six" grades (four 94% grades and two 97%) give you an admission average of 95%. According to the graph, you would have a 30% chance of admission to software engineering (the blue line). Now keep in mind that software engineering is THE MOST competitive program at UWaterloo.

The computer science page on the UWaterloo website says that computer science admits based on individual selection from the low 90s, whereas software engineering selects from the mid 90s. Based on this information I would bump up your chance of admission to at least a 50%. I know this still seems low but competition for international seats is fierce.

That said, I am not an expert on UWaterloo admissions, and my grade conversions are estimates.

The last thing I have to say is that I don't know very much about the SAT as it is not required by Canadian universities. However, submitting your score provides the university with more information (they encourage it too).

I hope I explained everything well. Best of luck for your applications!

 

Wow. I seriously cannot thank you enough for such a clear and coherent answer. It is clear that you have done a ton of research on this!

Let's hope I can get into at least one of these amazing schools (bearing in mind that I'm applying to their most competitive course!)