I remember getting into Waterloo Computer Engineering on a brisk morning during the March break. Honestly, even writing this from my dorm room feels like a surreal experience. I knew Waterloo would be home from the first time I visited the campus. At the same time, I knew Waterloo Engineering wasn’t a joke. But with the bad comes the good.

With 1A being our first term, there are still lots of mixed emotions that are forming. But what I will say is that Waterloo provides an environment that forces you to grind. Seeing people around you talking about such great things forces you to get out of your comfort zone and explore. In many ways, it’s a great thing. But at times, it can feel toxic and lead to ‘imposter syndrome’. In short, that is the essence of Waterloo.

Waterloo as a whole, has been chill. My experience kickstarted with Engineering Orientation. Honestly, it was much better than I expected. It gave me the chance to meet a bunch of people and get into the whole engineering spirit. There were a bunch of cool components to it too. I remember walking in the mud with some boys, doing some of the wackiest karaoke possible, and the engineering concert at the end of it. Oh, and not to mention our life-sized catapult at Junk Wars. Plus, being crowned our team’s hype hero. Yep, some pretty core memories.

It’s honestly what you make out of it. I feel like that applies in just some of many aspects of life too. If you read my experience at SHAD, you will see me say the same things. It’s what you make out of it.

Over the next few months, I will be explaining my thoughts on our courses a little more in-depth. So far, our courses include:

ECE 105 - Classical Mechanics
ECE 150 - Introduction to Programming in C++
ECE 190 - Engineering Practice and Profession
ECE 198 - Project Studio
MATH 117 - Calculus I (Engineering)
MATH 115 - Linear Algebra
ENGL 192 - English Communication for Engineers

Stayed tuned (let’s hope I pass).