University applications were those things that just seemed to stress out everyone around me. I remember all the advice people would give me: “start early”, “ask others to edit”, and “brag about yourself”. Don’t get me wrong, all this advice helped me for sure (and you bet I followed it). Honestly, though, the biggest thing I learned was to be genuine.

I never understood the value of bragging about things you don’t accomplish. For me, writing applications became less about bragging, and more about reliving things I went through. For example, this could’ve been talking about SHAD or the clubs I had done throughout high school. Getting into Waterloo Engineering wasn’t about finding the “next big thing”. I didn’t have to talk about all my technical experience, or the “bs” side-projects I made. All my application was me talking about things I was genuinely passionate about.

That’s the one thing I try preaching to younger grades. As long as your grades are reasonable, you don’t have to stress about your university applications. Just be yourself. Talk like yourself.

This is easier said than done. I know if someone told me this as a 12th grader, I would find it cliche, and downright useless. But it’s something I could (at the very least) preach about.

That being said, I would encourage 12th graders to check out university fairs, and at least, visit campuses. There’s always a big university fair at the Metro Convention Centre in Toronto. If you have no idea what you want to do in life, it’s worth a shot. Even if you do have an idea, it’s still a nice idea to check it out. Sometimes, admissions officers can give really solid advice.

Also, remember that grades matter much more than applications. It’s worth a reminder. I know people with mediocre grades and crazy extracurriculars that don’t make it into their dream programs. While unfortunate, grades will always matter most.


Waterloo Engineering Admissions

As for Waterloo Engineering, our entrance criteria were based on four main factors: AIF, Interview, Grades, and Adjustment Factor. As far as adjustment factor goes, don’t even stress. It’s out of your hands - it will either benefit you or not - just do what you do.

The AIF was really short, maybe 4-5 paragraphs in total, but really short paragraphs. Nothing to stress over, but still, get it peer-reviewed, and have a really good idea of what you want to say. Maybe go over a few drafts until you get it right.

The video interview was not bad at all. It was 2 very short questions. Honestly, just act human in those and you should be fine. I know a couple of friends who got harder questions, but as long as you’re confident and human, it shouldn’t be an issue. I did my video interviews for other universities before doing the Waterloo interview, so I had a bit of practice beforehand. Helped a little.

Lastly, grades were grades. I didn’t have the craziest grades ever. That’s for sure. But I suppose they were good enough. I got in with around a ~95% top 6 average, with the sciences (SPH4U and SCH4U) tanking my top 6. But hey, I’m here. I took SCH4U in grade 11 and ended that with a 90. But honestly, stick with it, and just aim for your best. It’ll work out in the end.