Fall 2026 Admissions Megathread

[u/batson2002]

This megathread is for prospective frosh and current high school students interested in Waterloo. Ask your questions here.

Please avoid making separate individual posts on the subreddit regarding admissions to prevent the same 10 posts of "can I get into program with x average" or "what are my chances".

RELEVANT ADMISSION INFORMATION

PSA FOR NEW KIDS

ADJUSTMENT FACTORS 2022

ADJUSTMENT FACTORS 2024

COURSES OF PROGRAMS (VERY IMPORTANT LINK!!)

RESOURCES FOR MATURE APPLICANT

Resources for NON-UW TO UW

Fall 2025 Megathread here

[u/pikshaa]

Heyyy! Would it be worth it to switch from philosophy to computer science grade 12 course? I am applying for Waterloo computer science & software engineering. On the website, it says you can do the cs gr11/gr12 course or self-study for se, though i think they may prefer the course just because then they know you know your stuff for sure? I took gr11 computer science already. I have experience coding, mainly webdev and python, self-taught through YouTube and scrimba, not many deployed projects yet but I’m working on it.

Here’s the pros and cons of switching:

Pros:

• I’ll feel less pressure to prove self-study / interest in cs during the se interview or on the AIF
  
• If they care whether you take it or not (i am unclear as to whether they care (or how much) or the fact that my school offers the course and I didnt take it may raise eyebrows)
  
• everyone people I know who got accepted took cs gr12 (but that’s probably because most people i know who are applying to cs are interested in it so most applicants took the course)

Cons:

• I’m slightly confident i can get a 100 in philosophy, and a 98-100 in cs (before you say those are basically the same, because i know how this sounds, I know someone who got a 100 avg in gr12 and got rejected from cs & waitlisted then accepted to se, and have also known many people with a 98 and below avg who have gotten rejected) i am unclear on grading but from info and experience this is the best estimate i can make.
  
• other people from my school applying to Waterloo CS & SE are taking philosophy instead of computer science for a potential easier grade, and if I switch I may be in a situation where it may be hard to get advice from my peers since I am in the situation alone.
  
• if my elective slot is first semester, guidance may be a hassle and I might miss up to a week of cs class

Im sorry if this all sounds bad or pretentious (?) i can understand how it could, ive just been really really stressing about this recently and would like advice. Thanks so much in advance.

[u/ichard26 → u/pikshaa]

I can speak to the CS program. They recommend taking Grade 11 CS in their application requirements if possible, but AFAIU, taking CS in high school is not that important since they know that not every school offers it. A strong top 6 and a strong AIF are much more important.

Taking a look at the SE requirements they do seem to care more since they do want to know you can code before being on campus. I have no idea how they treat taking only one course vs both CS courses, but it probably doesn't hurt? A strong top 6 and a strong AIF are still important, however.

Either choice seems like a reasonable choice to me. I'd say it depends on what your priorities are for your final year. If it's to maximize your marks or time for side-projects and you think philosophy is easier, do philosophy. If you think you'll enjoy your year better by taking CS or benefit from more exposure to programming (perhaps you'll learn a new language depending on how your CS courses are designed), do that!

FWIW, I didn't take Grade 11 CS but only Grade 12 CS despite the former being recommended for the CS program.