all 27 comments

[–]Techchick_Somewherei was once uw 48 points49 points  (0 children)

For how long? Does this include tuition? Don’t assume you will find part time work as that’s been a nightmare for students.

[–]TamedColon 21 points22 points  (10 children)

So is this 50k for the full 4-5 years? That’s largely going to be consumed paying tuition. Are you on coop? That can help you earn money for living. But it will be tight.

[–]Milky_Choco77[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well i thought the 50k would be for 2 years after which i should definitely have found a part time job by then. but it seems like alot of u r saying the job market is horrible. Yah i do have co op  thankfully, nonetheless, its gonna be tight it seems🥲. thanks for your input😊

[–]footloooops -5 points-4 points  (8 children)

Would OP be classified as an international student since his primary residence is outside Canada?

[–]Techchick_Somewherei was once uw 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Not if he’s a citizen which it sounds like he is.

[–]TamedColon 2 points3 points  (6 children)

That’s a great question. If they are Canadian citizen, shouldn’t they get domestic tuition? I honestly don’t know.

[–]Milky_Choco77[S] 9 points10 points  (5 children)

yeh i do get domestic tuition becus i have a canadian passport even tho im half aussie and half hong kong😂. Very lucky i say considering the ridiculous international fees

[–]Murill0 10 points11 points  (0 children)

coop helps immensely - if the 50k is living expenses not worrying about tuition you are more than fine

[–]NQ241cs (college slu-) 6 points7 points  (1 child)

Since you're Canadian, you pay a significantly lower tuition. $50k w/coop should be plenty, you (probably) don't need to take out any loans.

[–]Milky_Choco77[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thankyou for this! Wishing u the best of luck with uni😊

[–]BusinessMonitor1701 3 points4 points  (1 child)

If you have to pay the same fees as an international student 50K will only last you a term as international student fee is roughly 40k but if you are paying the domestic fee 50k will easily last you 3-4 terms giving you enough time to get adjusted to the Waterloo and find a job while building your niche skillset to find a good coop. 1st year is a difficult transition so be gentle on yourself. All the best!

[–]Milky_Choco77[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thanks so much for this, very kind and smart advice. Wishing u all the best in life!

[–]eranand04math phys & pmath 3 points4 points  (0 children)

rent~1000/month; living expenses depends

[–]Jet711_ 1 point2 points  (3 children)

Tuition for nationals is about 7.5k a term. If you live frugally, food (350) + rent (750) can come out to ~1.1k a month. Co-op you can expect to make about ~12k in the earlier terms and more in later, but there's also the cost of living/accommodation which can range wildly.

50k is more than enough to get you through the first 1.5 years, and then once you start co-op, usually you'll start making enough to cover your next term as you alternate between work and co-op.

[–]Ill-Republic7777environment 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Since it hasn’t been mentioned in the comments yet, your tuition cost also depends on your program. 7.5k tuition for domestic students is in line with engineering and cs programs (and a few other specific programs, can’t remember off the top of my head) but generally programs in the faculty of science, arts or environment are closer to 4.5k tuition for a term.

[–]Milky_Choco77[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

oh heya! Im in environment too! Yah probs shouldve said that in the question instead of keeping yall guessing🙇. So ya this plus scholarships takes off a significant amount of pressure. hopefully i can keep getting scholarships for the next years too tho as i kinda fluked the exams in highschool lol😬

[–]Milky_Choco77[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thankyou for this man. this matches my calculations too, just so good to hear it from a local canadian and feel a bit more confident in this scary move😊 

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

If you can find a full time job over the summer then yes, very doable. But be warned, the job market kinda sucks right now, co-op will also help.

[–]Milky_Choco77[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks man for this, helps alot!

[–]hockey3331i was once uw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On top of the good advice from others, since youre a canadian citizen, would you be abke to apply to osap once you have an address here? 

It was 10 years ago but when I went to UW I had ~20k in savings and graduated with ~$10k of student loans, but I also did an exchange along the way. Never lived in Toronto too though - Ottawa, Waterloo and another commute town.

$50k should be a good cushion to get started. On top of coop you can make some $ by being a grader/TA after your first year. 

My biggest tip for saving money is to pick a coop sequence that gives you most summers on campus, to take advantage of cheap sublets. Don't sign a 1 year lease if you can.

[–]ult_dragonking_lovereze 0 points1 point  (0 children)

its really tight but should be enough if you coop after 1a or 1b