I may or may not know what I'm doing.
2020-09-06
Note: Fees, tuition, email, campus geography, streams
This is part of a 3-part series on preparation for first year at the University of Waterloo.
Today’s topic will be on other administrative tasks. I will talk about fees, email, the UW campus, and streams (also known as study/work sequences).
UW fees include mandatory fees, such as tuition and co-op, as well as optional fees, such as student societies. The exact amount you must pay can be found in Quest, and can be paid through a financial institution.
Fees are charged a few weeks before the next academic term, and not for co-op terms (unless you take extra courses on those terms). Co-op fees are charged every academic term as they are amortized over your undergraduate career.
For the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), if your course load is above 100%, enter 100%. There are also scholarships you can apply for for more financial aid.
There are several optional fees that you can opt out of. However, if you opt out of something you might not be able to access the related resources, and if you change your mind later (because you actually need it) it’s a huge hassle for everyone involved. It might not even be possible to opt in again. I suggest not opting out of your student society and Waterloo Engineering Endowment Foundation (WEEF). In particular, the Engineering Society has résumé critique resources and the exam bank, and WEEF maintains lab equipment and teaching assistants (TAs) for help.
Health and dental: You have to opt out at an external site by proving you’re already under some other insurance (e.g. parents). Opt out period is some time in September and the money will be refunded in 3 months. This fee is charged on your first academic term of every school year (e.g. fall study will be charged in fall, fall work then winter study will be charged in winter).
Legal: Same thing as health and dental I think but for legal matters and you don’t need proof of coverage. Legal protection includes things like dealing with landlords.
Public transport (GRT): Apparently you can opt out of this as well if you are not on campus during online terms.
You must also set up your email, as it is the primary means of communication with the university, either with the Registrar, academic advisors, or professors. How exactly to set up this email, I have no clue. I did it once and never did it again. Search engines are your friend. Perhaps WatIAM?
Also you should set up your personal information on Quest so UW knows who to contact in an emergency and where to refund your money.
All of the important buildings on the UW campus are either inside the ring road or just outside of it. Online maps such as Google maps and UW’s online map can help you navigate through these Geese-infested lands. The app WatIsRain is also useful if you want to spend even less time outdoors by allowing you to take the various indoor building connections.
I have compiled some footage of campus, if you want to do a “choose your own adventure” tour. It’s focused on the buildings I had to visit for classes, but I can probably get more footage to post.
Residences (outside):
Buildings (inside):
I am legally required to ask you to “like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon so you won’t miss any future videos”.
The stream or sequence determines which terms you will be on an academic study term or co-op work term. The stream 8 sequence starts with consecutive study terms, 1A and 1B, and then alternates between study and work terms until 4B. The stream 4F sequence starts with alternating study and work terms until 3A, when the 3B study term follows immediately after to sync with the rest of the program. There are slight differences in the stream 4 sequences, so make sure to check the undergraduate calendar.
The sequence in which you are placed is usually random. I speculate there is probably a 1/3 chance of being placed in stream 8 and a 2/3 chance of being placed in stream 4 for computer engineering, based on the 3 sections (1 in stream 8 and 2 in stream 4). It is possible to request a specific stream by contacting the university. How exactly, I have no clue. For those entering in 2018, 2019, and 2020, it was by emailing a specific email address. After you are placed in a stream, it is difficult to switch as many other students are also trying to do the same. Generally, it is easier to switch into stream 4 than it is to switch into stream 8. When streams are assigned you can find yours on the stream lookup page.
Opinion: A UW alumnus summarized the two streams:
S4 - Easier to get first co-op, more school summer terms, doesn’t compete with SEs in the same year, two sections (more people)
S8 - More time to settle into university, 2 co-ops in third year instead of 2 in first year, more summer co-op terms, tends to have less competition with upper year ECEs and SEs, one section (less people)
I heavily recommend stream 8. I’m struggling to think of any significant pros for stream 4.
Do note at the time of the writing, S4 referred to stream 4S (terms 3B-4A back-to-back), while the current stream is 4F (terms 3A-3B back-to-back which moves a co-op from third year to fourth year as compared to 4S).
I am in stream 4. Would I have done better in stream 8? I have no clue.
The important information to take away is to pay UW fees on time, to be able to access student emails, know how to navigate campus to get to classes, and know which stream to follow to be able to plan out courses and housing. This concludes the main parts of this 3-part series on preparation for first year at the University of Waterloo, covering student housing, courses, and other administrative tasks.
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