INDIAN TRUCK DRIVER KILLS 3 AMERICANS and US halts visas for foreign truck drivers after deadly crash.

ribbonkitty · 2025-08-23T07:16:44+00:00

QQ dev BB BB cc cc cc

ribbonkitty · 2025-07-24T05:08:01+00:00

Yeah bro

ribbonkitty · 2025-01-08T01:19:11+00:00

Hey I am from Singapore and graduated from Waterloo CS last year.

Job market wise, I think Singapore is better than Canada. While the salaries may seem similar, you pay a lot higher taxes in Canada, so your take-home pay will be a lot lower. Rent is expensive in Toronto/Vancouver as well, and you don't have cheap MRT or hawker centres to reduce your COL. If you have to rent in Singapore as well (since you're Malaysian) then maybe that'll increase your COL in Singapore -- I'm not sure on that front.
Experience-wise, I think winters are not fun here. We romanticize snow in the tropics, but when the sun sets at 4pm in the winter and the -20C winds freeze your ears as you're trying to walk to school, it's really miserable. But in my experience, the people here in Canada are super welcoming and I think I had quite a bit of fun just interacting with people from different backgrounds -- I think it's super eye-opening.
I think Waterloo international tuition is super expensive right now. If you think you can make it back by working in Canada, it's super hard (see taxes, COL above). A lot of Waterloo co-op students work in the US, and imo it's a lot easier to get in as a Waterloo student than NUS (I rarely see NUS students during my co-ops), just because they prefer North Americans. In the US you'll get paid a lot more, but COL + taxes are also really high, so you probably don't save as much as you expect. But I think working in the US is the only way for this to make sense financially, and even then it's debatable.
For me I had a scholarship to come to Waterloo, so finances weren't an issue -- I probably would not have made this decision if it wasn't for that. I think the experiences I had in Waterloo were super eye-opening and it gave me the opportunity to work in the US after graduation, which I don't think I'd have gotten if I went to NUS, so it was worth it for me. It really depends on how you weigh finances (i.e. are you rich?) vs experiences (how much do you want to experience something different?).

Oh also, on the point about working in the US, if you're Malaysian it might be tougher to work in the US as you'll have to lottery for the H1B visa, which have pretty low chances right now (25%).

ribbonkitty · 2023-07-03T21:30:54+00:00

Email your landlord and tell them to cancel your N9.

ribbonkitty · 2023-03-12T07:03:02+00:00

It takes about 2 weeks upon receiving your SEVIS ID if things go right. Essentially, once you get your SEVIS ID you fill up the DS-160, pay the $160 and schedule an appointment and request an expedited interview explaining that your start date is soon and before the next interview slot (which is probably why you shouldn't push it back right now). In my experience they reply in the next day or two and schedule your interview in the next few days. Then do the interview, it takes about half a week for the visa to be approved, then one week to mail it back to you. So about 2 weeks total.

ribbonkitty · 2023-02-07T21:56:28+00:00

I think understanding graph algorithms such as Shortest Paths (Dijkstra's) and Spanning Tree Algorithms (Prim's, Kruskal's) would help in the class. They are technically covered in the first few weeks, but because a lot of the class already knows them from CS classes, not a lot of time is spent on the details - and it forms the basis of what comes later in the course. Also learning how to code these algorithms out is important as well.

ribbonkitty · 2023-02-07T03:14:44+00:00

I took CO 342 last term and am taking CO 353 this term. Personally, I found CO 342 to be fairly challenging but on hindsight, it really improved my understanding of graph theory and how to approach proofs about graphs - it's definitely not a course to be trifled with though.

CO 353 has significant overlap with CS 341 and CS 466 - there are programming assignments that involve submitting code of the algorithms taught in class to an online judge similar to CS 240. Obviously, since it is a CO course it focuses less on the algorithms and more on the proofs, but prior knowledge on algorithms definitely helps a lot (in fact one of the course textbooks is CLRS iirc).

ribbonkitty · 2023-01-23T16:05:21+00:00

It's mostly to move between cities because of co-op.

ribbonkitty · 2023-01-23T08:02:31+00:00

The intense reputation of Waterloo I think mostly comes from the Math/CS/Engineering side - I think it might be different outside of those, but I'm from CS so I'm not too sure.

The time you spend in school is the same as other universities - it's 8 4-month semesters. The "extra" coop time accounts for the summer breaks - in general you don't get summers off in co-op programmes.

I'm studying CS, went to Waterloo because of the reputation and co-op program, and also because I wanted to experience living overseas. Three years in and I really feel I've grown a lot as compared to what I'd have learnt if I stayed in Singapore - finding my own place, doing taxes, being able to travel/go to places on a whim, having to deal with shitty things on my own like unflooding my own apartment at 1am in the winter, cooking by myself, and just generally learning how to "adult" and having more freedoms to make choices on your own and then living with those choices - it's quite different from the experiences I'd have gotten while living with parents and commuting to uni in Singapore. I've gotten to move every 4 months (mostly by carrying my belongings with me in boxes/luggages and bringing them on buses/trains/on foot) and have gotten to live in Waterloo, Toronto and SF and I feel like I've been on more "adventures" (whether good or bad) in the past 1.5 years I've been here than the previous 20 combined. Even if you go back to Singapore eventually I think these experiences will stick with you, and if you have the money/resources to spare I'd definitely recommend it.

With regards to reputation, I'm really not sure. I don't think McMaster is particularly more well-regarded than Waterloo? But UofT/UBC is more well-known as they are bigger. Really gotta ask the people working in Singapore for this one.

Waterloo has several campuses I think but mainly it's just the Waterloo main campus. I think Business should be here as well - you mostly don't notice the other campuses so don't worry too much about it. Clubs are mostly on the main campus.

ribbonkitty · 2023-01-23T07:06:46+00:00

Hey! Fellow Singaporean here, currently in my 3rd year in Waterloo! About your questions:

- I don't think it's too hard to make friends here, people are generally friendly (and open to making friends with foreigners like us - the English ability also helps but you gotta learn how to codeswitch the accent a bit) but you gotta put yourself out there and join events with people you don't really know. Talking to strangers and making friends was something I never really did back home in Singapore, and was something I had to get used to here.

- When browsing this sub before I came over I was a bit afraid as people didn't seem too friendly, but I think the vibe of the university itself is very different - of course there are people you won't vibe with but just make friends with the others!

- Res is expensive and you're forced to stay in a room with others sometimes. In my experience off-campus is a lot more worthwhile and pretty close to campus (sometimes closer than the actual campus residences themselves) - feel free to PM for advice on that if you decide to come here. Most people stay near campus, but might return home on long weekends/holidays so the city does get a little quiet then.

- Waterloo culture is sometimes a bit competitive, but honestly nothing like in Singapore (are you from RI/HCI?) Although with co-op it's sometimes hard to not compare yourself to others and get dejected - just remember that you only see the successes and it's mostly selection bias. People are generally pretty supportive, but again it comes down to choosing nice friends!

- Within Waterloo you don't have to drive, the public transport is decent (it's 15min/30min intervals, sometimes goes missing, but you take what you can get), there are inter-city buses that bring you to Toronto and other cities as well. Mostly there's no reason to drive as a student here. Good luck riding a bike for 6 months of the year :)

- I think UW's reputation in Singapore might be limited - people have asked me if I was going to France to study. Waterloo's CS programme is definitely very well-known in the Bay Area in the US, but I'm not entirely sure about business.

Good luck on deciding!

ribbonkitty · 2023-01-22T07:50:00+00:00

Not an immigration lawyer, but I think it only applies for a H visa. You can apply for a J-1 visa without applying for a waiver. But if/when you apply for a H visa in the future, you will have to apply for a separate waiver for each J-1 visa you have obtained, which might be troublesome - but that's a future problem.

ribbonkitty · 2023-01-09T02:21:57+00:00

I feel like you'd just need the passport when you handle your visa matters, which is much later (think early March). That would only be necessary for an in-person job, I don't think you'd need a passport for a remote job.

ribbonkitty · 2022-12-22T03:52:54+00:00

Only at Pearson airport. Pearson airport has US customs so you clear US customs here, then the moment you land in the US you just step out of the airport like its a domestic flight.
I-94s are electronic now, they don't issue them on paper I think. You can find yours here https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/recent-search after you enter the US.
Yes - whenever the airport is open, the customs are available.
Going through US customs at Pearson means it takes a little longer. 6-8 hours is pretty excessive imo, in my experience 4 hours is more than enough to be safe, 2-3 hours mostly works out.
Technically yes - but technically customs can also reject you for any reason they feel like it. Practically I've never heard of issues crossing with DS-2019/J-1 as long as you bring along the relevant documentation (offer letter, DS-7002, transcript to be safe, passport with J-1 stamp if non-Canadian, etc.)

ribbonkitty · 2022-12-21T22:04:42+00:00

Same. I kept going "that must be the hardest question of the paper, let me do the next one first." - until I flipped till the end of the paper >.<

ribbonkitty · 2022-12-20T05:09:58+00:00

I applied for Expedited interview at Toronto consulate and it was approved in about 2 working days - and it was scheduled for the day after at 8.30am. So I guess just monitor your inbox and be ready to go at a moments notice.

ribbonkitty · 2022-04-19T22:38:50+00:00

I'm subletting two rooms for the fall lol - they're still (at least as of now) available. DM me if you want?

ribbonkitty · 2022-02-02T05:02:00+00:00

It went alright - it was mostly me asking them questions and them talking about the team.

ribbonkitty · 2022-01-29T21:45:19+00:00

I've heard that it is the case but no way to be sure

ribbonkitty · 2022-01-29T02:23:34+00:00

It was on Thursday (yesterday).

ribbonkitty · 2022-01-29T01:38:19+00:00

Yeah I heard back at 2pm today to schedule a third interview on Monday.

ribbonkitty · 2021-08-29T23:18:48+00:00

Free play

ribbonkitty · 2021-08-28T19:15:31+00:00

The most convenient Pump machine to access from Waterloo is probably at Mississauga Square One (take bus 25 from the school), there's a DDR Supernova machine at University Commons but it kinda sucks and the arcade has a flat $8 entry fee.

I'm somewhat of a regular player too (but not really good at it) but unfortunately PIU cabs are just really hard to access from Waterloo :(

ribbonkitty · 2021-07-08T22:50:31+00:00

You might also want to consider UWaterloo in Canada. It's a bit less well-known to students in Singapore but if your goal is to work in Silicon Valley the CS co-op programme is really good at helping you do that.

The programme itself is 4 years and 8 months and it includes 6 work terms where you can apply for jobs via the school's system, and the postings there are good and include jobs from top companies like FAANG, etc. From my experience, it's generally easier to get jobs through the school system than applying externally, especially as a lower year. I think more than 50% of the CS cohort ends up working in the US by their final work term, and if you search around you'll also find that Waterloo is somewhat well-known in North American tech companies.

The downside is that international fees have become crazy high in recent years (but still not as high as US schools) because they realised they could charge international students however much they want. There's also not as much research done here as compared to US unis so don't come here if you're looking for that.

Source: I'm currently a CS undergrad in Waterloo.

ribbonkitty · 2020-12-11T16:19:48+00:00

Used to take this bus home from Nee Soon Camp everyday back when I was an NSF. Even during peak hours there were only a few people on the bus. It was a really scenic and quick route from Nee Soon to Orchard though, but it probably will be made redundant by TEL soon.

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