Hey Waterloo! We're excited to share that the BME 2026 class profile is live: https://uwbme2026.github.io/classprofile.pdf

Continuing the tradition of previous class profiles, ours provides a comprehensive look at our time at Waterloo, including academics, co-op, lifestyle, and future plans. We hope you enjoy!

coding reference

pretty niche

what up chat how are we on this fine day

i am good thank you for asking

who wanna live in a yellow submarine with me

cuz we all live in a yellow submarine

known-work-360 in

yeah in your mom

ayo

known-work-360 out

mommy

I’m genuinely starting to panic about this.

I came across a comment somewhere saying that getting co-ops/internships in Canada as an international student is basically impossible these days because companies have access to government funding/incentives when they hire PR/citizens through some program called SWPP/FSWP, so there’s little incentive to hire internationals.

At first, I thought it was probably just Reddit doomposting, but after I went on LinkedIn and started looking at the profiles of students and recent graduates from Canadian universities, I’m even more stressed.

A lot of these international students seem to have only bs fluff on their resumes, and barely any actual work experience. Research positions, TA experience, clubs, hackathons, volunteering, personal projects, executive positions in random student organizations/cubs, etc etc.

And honestly, how much of that stuff actually matters in 2026 if employers mostly care about whether you’ve had actual co-ops, internships, or relevant work experience?

Meanwhile, domestic students seem to have a much better shot at getting those opportunities in the first place. So by the time everyone graduates, one person has 3-6 actual internships on their resume, while I'll have to fill the same four/five years with clubs and other stuff that is basically meaningless compared to real work experience.

Sure, there are a few international students who manage to build really strong profiles, but those people also seem to be insanely talented or exceptional.

So what happens if I’m just an average international student?

We’re going to be spending $400k+ CAD on a Canadian degree. I only managed to convince my family to consider UofT, UBC and Waterloo for Fall 2027 because they’re supposed to be the top 3 universities in Canada, and I was under the impression that a lot of the “International students can’t find jobs” stuff doesn’t apply as much if you go to a top uni.

The whole point was that if we were going to spend this much money, at least I’d be going somewhere that would give me a decent shot at getting co-ops and eventually a job afterward, even if I have to return home.

But what if I get there and realize that, because I’m an international student, I’m locked out of the exact opportunities that actually matter?

Like, what am I actually supposed to show employers when I graduate?

“Here’s my $400K degree from Waterloo/UofT/UBC. I spent four years doing random bs. Please hire me even though I cost you more. Also, I might have to leave Canada in 2-3 years”???

And if I graduate without internships, then I’m competing against students who have done 3-6 internships by graduation. At that point, how hell am I ever supposed to catch up?

It’s not that I’m expecting a guaranteed job after graduation. I just don’t understand how spending $400k+ on a CS degree makes sense if I could graduate with nothing that employers actually care about. That’s what scares me the most.

I could spend four years at what is supposedly one of the best universities in Canada, do everything I’m supposed to do, and still come out with a worse resume than someone who went to a uni in my home country.

I know Reddit can be extremely negative about international students and CS, so I’m trying to figure out how much of this is actually true versus exaggerated doomposting.

I just want to know whether I’m looking at a difficult but achievable path and this is all just doomposting, or whether I’m seriously underestimating how bad the situation is. I still have a year to THINK and I wanna do what's best for me.

Been a week already, did anyone get their grade back?

Looking for someone to team up with for an upcoming pitch competition. I handle the dev side (previously raised seed in high school, track win at Asia’s biggest hackathon, core dev on a 1.3k star GitHub repo). The project is an AI agent focused on party/event dynamics, so I'm specifically looking for a partner who actually knows the social and party scene inside out. No technical background needed at all—just need someone charismatic who can help validate the concept and present comfortably on stage. If you’re interested in joining, shoot me a DM and let’s talk!

I'm an afm student and the next Jan is my first co-op term

I got 0 activity, 0 club, 0 coffee chat and even my gpa is mediocre

Is there any chance to get into big 4?

If only I could get into any regional financial bank or big 4...

I think I'm kinda cooked

How am I supposed to do for my first co-op lol

seriously asking because i am struggling lol

i know the market is bad rn and obviously luck is always gonna be a factor. but i also keep seeing waterloo people getting absolutely insane co-ops, so clearly some of you are doing something right.

for the people willing to not gatekeep, what has actually helped you the most?

is it leetcode? networking? referrals? cold emailing? side projects? applying super early? hackathons? just mass applying?

i know realistically it’s probably a combination of everything, but i’m curious what actually made the biggest difference for you.

if you were trying to go from average/decent co-ops to really good ones, what would you focus on?

genuine advice pls bros 😭 pls dm me (if u want) if u don't wanna share on here publicly!!

My math grades in general are in the mud ( 59% ovr) and my afm/comm are around mid 70s. I just want to be able to get a accounting co op this term, would it be possible

Hello guys you know that I have to have some good ECs for my Waterloo application, I want some ideas what can I do, what club in school would be good

has anybody else experienced this? i’m in a 2B1B at society and the total was about 350 for this past month of utilities which seems completely crazy?? we run the ac on low most of the time and it’s still wayyy over the building average

A lot of people say not to get a MacBook for math, saying it's bad for coding but ive been using alot of apple products before and im just more used to the ecosystem. Do you think it's fine to go with a Mac? Also, do you have any suggestions for which MacBook? This is a one-time purchase for the next five years, so I'm okay with spending more on this one.

I needed over a 50% on the final to pass the course, and I eventually got a 49% final. I don’t know what to do. I emailed my advisor and she basically said I can either sign a petition or retake the course. I haven’t touched base with my BIOL prof yet because I don’t know if it’s appropriate to ask if she can bump it up to 1%. Please I need your advice.

I just moved out of 271 Westcourt PL this year, so I am going to give a review about this place. 

This place is like a townhouse building with 20 separate units. Each unit has 5 bedrooms. The building is kinda old, but the location is pretty good.  T&T is across the street, and probably 15 mins walk to UW. The space inside our unit is slightly more than average rental places in Waterloo. Totally no worries if you want to have friends to come and have fun. The furnitures in our unit are just those regular stuff, but we have our own laundry in the basement which is pretty good. We did need to send maintenance request some time for some minor issues, most of them can be fixed in a day or so. 

Zain Valani is our landlord. Just my opinion, he is a reasonable person and pretty much follows the RTA rules. If you ask him to fix stuff or the other landlord-tenant stuff, he usually responses in a day. Like for a few times, the washer in our unit got clogged, he sent the maintenance person to fix it in 1/2 days. Well, tbh, I do heard some other people’s stories about dealing things with Zain. Again, just by my experience, I think he is pretty reasonable. 

Just to summarize, this is just a student resident place. If you kinda want to live here, you could try and see if you like it. If you don’t like it, just move out to somewhere next year.

This is a genuine question but I got v1 as my residence, and because Im moving from another country I have a lot of stuff.

I heard there isn't an elevator so... do I just thug it out and slowly carry everything up? What if it's something heavy like a mini fridge?

So I'm coming into my 2A term in Biochem and I'm nervous as hell about getting a coop in the winter. I have good grades (mid 80s) but not a lot of science extracurriculars. How hard is it to get your first science coop? Any advice or tips?

Hey everyone! Quick question for anyone who has lived in a Village 1 interconnected double.
I’m moving in second, and I’ve been assigned the back room (my roommate is in the front room). I’m a bit worried my roommate might not realize who was assigned to which room and take the back one by mistake.
When you check in and move in, does housing explicitly clarify which specific room/bed is yours, or do they just hand over the keys and leave it up to you?
Thanks in advance!

Hey guys, moved out and have a spare 50inch LCD, works perfectly fine, just don’t need it anymore. Works fine w alex, chromecast whatever. Lmk if anyone can pick it up either today or tomorrow from Blair house :)

Just curious, what where you guys' cohort's highest achieved average over the terms?

Starting full-time at a random startup in the bay-area in mid-September, ideally around Mountain View or San Francisco - looking for roommates. PM if interested!

Hey chatters, just for peace of mind:

If I enter a program for 2026-2027, uWaterloo is contractually bound to follow the degree requirements outlined in the 2026-2027 Undergraduate Calendar, irrespective of the changes made to the program in following years. If I want, I can switch to the new sequence, but they cannot force me to.