Incoming

For incoming Waterloo Engineering students.

How to Prepare

  • What do you need to do?
  • Between accepting your offer to Waterloo Engineering and your first day on campus you’ll need to do a few things.
  • Set-up your UWaterloo outlook account.
  • Your UWaterloo outlook account will provide access to the suite of apps offered by Office 365.
  • Set-up your WatIAM (Waterloo Identity).
  • Your WatIAM account will provide access to UWaterloo services such as LEARN, Quest, WaterlooWorks and more.
  • Complete your WatCard (student card) application and submit an ID photo.
  • Your WatIAM ID photo will be printed on your student card and can be used for official university business.
  • Purchase your required textbooks which can be found and purchased on the Waterloo store BookLook service here.
  • Used textbooks can be found on various UW Facebook groups and are a great way to save, just make sure they aren’t out of date!
  • You can ask an upper-year student to make sure buying a used textbook is safe.
  • If you plan on staying on residence: complete your residence application and submit the required deposit.
  • Make sure to read-up on each residence building to see which suits your need.
  • If you’re looking for a tight-knit community you can also consider one of the four University College Residences.
  • Pay your tuition. In early August, your tuition information will become available on Quest in the finances section.
  • If you are expecting to receive OSAP, scholarships, bursaries, RESP or any other financial aid you will need to complete a “Promissory Note” on Quest. A Promissory Note tells Waterloo that you will pay your tuition once you receive your financial aid. If you will be receiving any financial aid you will need to complete a Promissory Note.
  • If you are not expecting to receive financial aid, or your financial aid will not entirely cover your tuition, you will need to pay outright your remaining tuition.
  • By completing a Promissory Note and/or by paying your tuition your account will show that you have “Fees Arranged”. Your account must show Fees Arranged by the deadline, August 25, to avoid late fees.
  • What should you do?
  • Even though these things aren’t absolutely necessary for your time at Waterloo, they are still very helpful and should at least be considered.
  • Financial Aid:
  • Apply for OSAP Funding.
  • If you are eligible for OSAP funding, it is a good idea to apply. You can receive a government grant and/or student loan with smaller interest rates than from a bank student loan.
  • Apply for scholarships.
  • The University of Waterloo offers many scholarships that you may or may not be eligible for. It’s worth checking the Scholarship Database and applying for what you can.
  • There are also numerous scholarships available from organizations outside the University. Check your high school’s scholarship list, your local community organizations, your parent’s employers, and websites like Scholarships Canada.
  • Student Life:
  • Join online communities.
  • Joining UW Discord communities is an easy way to meet new people going to UW and to ask upper year students any questions you may have.
  • UW Discord server
  • UW Engineering server
  • EngSoc server
  • Facebook communities are another great way to meet new people and find group chats on Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Snapchat.
  • WUSA Clubs & Societies Community
  • Reddit also has a large UW community.
  • r/uwaterloo
  • Learn about clubs and activities available at UWaterloo
  • WUSA (Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association) is the voice and legal representative of UW students. They offer clubs, student-run services, health & wellness and many other services.
  • EngSoc (Engineering Society) offers many student events, mental health support, and an exam bank of past exams to help you study.
  • Design Teams are extracurricular teams of engineering students that work on a variety of projects such as WatSub who builds and races a personal submarine or Waterloo Formula Electric that builds and races an electric formula one car.
  • Class:
  • Complete the Aleks Math preparation course.
  • The Aleks Math Prep. course will assess your math skills and create a personalized course to prepare you with all the math necessary for your first year at Waterloo Engineering.
  • Refresh core concepts in any course you feel necessary such as Chemistry and Physics
  • DO NOT throw away your notes from grade 12
  • Co-ops:
  • Update your resume.
  • If you’re in stream 4, you will begin co-op prep. Within your first few weeks at Waterloo. It is a very good idea to bring your resume up to date (or create your first one) for the first day of classes. You will need your resume for resume critiques and co-op applications sooner rather than later.
  • You can check your stream here
  • Build your resume! It’s important to try and stand out to co-op employers and get as much experience as you can:
  • Work a summer job.
  • Volunteer
  • Participate in side-projects related to your field. (this website was a side-project!)
  • Program a website or an app
  • Participate in Hackathons.
  • Work on an Arduino Project to build your hardware skills
  • You can also purchase cheaper "Knock-off" Arduino kits which are compatible with Arduino software.
  • Update or create your LinkedIn profile and start connecting with other UW students and professionals you may know.