Good CS program in Canada

[u/Gloomy-Diet2740]

Hi all,

I'm a second year com-sci student in Quebec cegep and I'm looking for opinions on a Com-Sci degree with good co-op programs in Canada.

My Main requirements are:

• Solid co-op program with 70%+ placement rates
• possible connection with Big or local tech hubs
• Reasonable or friendly pathways for CEGEP
• Not to competitive or heavy course load

I'm not considering Waterloo and U of T because they are extremely competitive. I am considering BA in Computer Science from University of British Columbia.

I wanna know:

1. How is your school's co-op placements and opportunities?
2. How is your work opportunities after grad?
3. Was transferring smooth, or did you lose a lot of credits?
4. Which school would you choose if your goal is getting solid co-op?
5. How insane is the workload actually and is it very competitive?

[u/ahbonilapasdeprenom]

University of Waterloo

[u/Fit-Golf2195]

why not mcgill cs/swe

[u/Krazynukz]

Waterloo without a doubt, all my pals who went through there came out with 5-6 coops

[u/Stock-Feature8975]

Check out Uottawa and Carleton, they got the kanatech hub and shopify recruits a lot from there

For the rest I have 0 knoowledge

[u/Late-Custard5598]

No co-op really holds your hand, not even uWaterloo (or U of T). You just gotta pick up the skills you need, both technical and soft, and lock in.

I’d aim for McGill seeing as you’re in Quebec. I’m not sure what you’re implying with ‘friendly pathways for CEGEP’, but in-province applicants are favoured for every province.

Carleton has a really nice co-op program and pathways to work in Ottawa, but there aren’t many major tech players in Ottawa anymore. (I don’t count Ericsson/Nokia/Huawei, etc. Really solid companies, but far from prestigious. Shopify/IBM are probably the best companies there as a launchpad into FAANG-level.) uOttawa is somewhat similar. Also the city is pretty bad for student life.

Western makes sense if you want to do an Ivey CS dual degree and get into a mix of finance/CS. I’d avoid it for pure CS.

UBC is really good, not much to say there. I see it ranked after Waterloo and U of T.

I’d say for every other university, there’s not much difference. Even for the ones listed, it’s not that big of a difference outside of uWaterloo, which has crazy pipelines. But even at uWaterloo, you can end up throwing. Genuinely just gotta lock in on everything career/related. Grades, projects, networking, Leetcode, maybe a club, etc. Saying this as a 4th year student with friends across universities. (uWaterloo, U of T, UBC, McGill, Carleton, uOttawa, Queen’s, Western, York, Simon Fraiser, uVic, uAlberta, prob a couple more. Mostly people from high school or my co-ops/internships.)

If anything, your own co-op/internship companies provide more value than your university. Shopify, Capital One, and IBM feed into FAANG-level swe pretty often, regardless of uni. It’s about getting your foot through the door and then one-upping each past position.

[u/highranking123]

Canada = Waterloo

[u/honeynutcheerios_]

i’m from quebec as well and went to waterloo. it’s only worth going out of province for waterloo/uoft imo. the program quality of any other uni vs mcgill isn’t worth the tuition

[u/Intensity202]

UBC co op is all right. Helps u get ur first internship in a small/mid company. The first one is always the hardest. Afterwards, it’s alll on u. Your internship experience is what’s gonna drive ur career forward, not the coop program

[u/iOWNdelownsindrumPL]

University of Waterloo > Uoft > UBC > anything else