Thoughts on Admission Average

I was inspired by a post written by a University of Waterloo professor, it can be found here. He explains how applicants with similar backgrounds and academic achievements are differentiated in the admission process. Back when I had to submit my university applications on OUAC, I had no idea which schools or programs I was interested in. Perhaps even more important was that I didn’t know which programs I was most likely to receive an offer from. I was certainly pressured from my parents to apply to programs that would result in me being a doctor or what have you. I definitely entertained the idea of becoming a doctor, but I decided to keep my options open during applications by applying to both engineering and science programs.

One limiting factor for many, including myself, is their admission average. My admission average was not at all high (comparatively to others who apply to competitive programs). My very best 6 courses was barely a 90 and usually my calculated average was low to high 80s depending on the course prerequisites for the program. The chances of me being accepted by a super competitive program (McMaster health sci for example) were slim to none, so I didn’t even bother applying. I ended up diversifying my applications by applying to 4 science programs and 4 engineering programs. This gave me a couple more months before I had to decide if i truly wanted to go into sciences or engineering. In my opinion it’s important to apply to a few extra programs if you can afford it so you won’t regret not having enough options come time to accept one of your offers.

So how did I end up in computer engineering at the University of Waterloo? Funny thing is, I actually applied to Software Engineering which is more competitive than ECE. On my AIF I identified Computer and Electrical engineering respectively as my second and third choices. Here’s more about alternate offers at uwaterloo that you should read if you recieved an alternate offer. What I love about Waterloo’s admission process that was different from other universities I’ve applied to was the AIF. Some programs had you submit a personal essay while others didn’t require you to send anything at all. How can a university determine if you’re a good fit for the program if they have nothing to base you on other than marks?

According to the article, roughly 8000 students applied for 1500 available spaces last year. With 6000 applicants having an entry average of >90, even applicants with low 90s are at a clear disadvantage at that point. This year the AIF is still given an overall score (from 0.5 to 5) but additional points may be added for things such as:

1. Heavier academic load. I feel this is especially true in engineering. In 2A ECE we have 32/40 hours per week of lectures, tutorials, and labs. Having more work to do while doing well in high school is definitely a factor that can affect how students do in their program.
2. Applicants who show better than average “employability.” I personally did not have great extracurriculars or a part time job while in high school. But after having been through the jobmine process twice, i believe personal projects are just as important as ECs and prior job experience.
3. Significant achievements. This seems really obvious, don’t forget to mention any noteworthy achievements!
4. Participation in selected enrichment programs. This did not apply for myself but I know of a few people that suffered lower marks because they were in a particular program. From what I can tell, slightly lower marks did not affect their university applications.
5. Any other “unique” experience or attributes, such as entrepreneurial experience. This is also pretty obvious but it’s important to list anything unique that would help you be successful at Waterloo.

Moral of the story? Regardless of which university you decide to apply to, it’s important to do your research. Does the university hold values that you also believe in? Does the university dislike prospective students that retake courses, take summer/private school courses? Present yourself in a way where you have the greatest chance of getting into your dream university. Remember that it is just as important for universities to find the right students as it is for students to find the right university.