Aerospace, Waterloo/Toronto/McGill

[choob]

hi Physics Forums,

im a long time lurker of this forum for physics/math help.
now, i seek academic advice

this year I am in grade 12(final year), doing international baccalaureate diploma in ontario, Canada.
so far for post-secondary i have my eyes set on the aerospace engineering field.
i know that toronto has an actual aerospace degree, offered through engineering science.
however, i know that engineering science is not the only path for me.
i know that i can do engineering at either of the three universities, which i all favor,
and proceed to do a graduate degree at mcgill or toronto in aerospace.

the help i am looking for, from you guys, is:

what are the chances, if i complete an undergraduate degree, that i would get into
a graduate aerospace program at either toronto or mcgill? also what are the pro/cons
of either programs, to those who are completing/have completed them?

how much will academics consume my life if i choose engineering science at toronto?
(i am an avid recreation sport player, i love exercise and i would love to join an intermural league)

should i actually consider waterloo? (from what i have heard/researched, waterloo is only good for high tech stuff, like computer and electrical, and aerospace requires fluid courses)

how much does bilingualism help in getting a job? (french and english)

what job opportunities are offered through engineering physics? what kind of internships at toronto would i get from studying it?

how much of a role do friends from university play in life after school?(from what my parents tell me high school friends are the most important, and at school right now i feel like i fit in between two "groups", i havnt found anyone like me, and would like to meet someone)

also, what are the dating scenes like between the three universities? i am a guy.

also, here are some facts about me that i thought id share (that are related to this thread):
-im pretty brilliant in french
-im oriental, and my parents want me to go to a university with a reputation
-im curious of living montreal/european cities
-i live an hour from downtown toronto
-i have a strong base of friends at waterloo
-i know absolutely no-one at mcgill
-taboo by my parents, i want to meet new people and explore life out of my sheltered life, not just academics
-i enjoy music
-i enjoy challenges

and having said all of that, id appreciate advice of above all, just where to go!

thank you in advance to all who reply.

 

[toombs]

I would avoid going to waterloo for engineering if only to avoid the medieval co-op program and its PDEng courses. Then again, I'm biased because I am in the faculty of Mathematics.

 

[kirab]

Engineering science can be thought of as an engineering honours program that also prepares you well for graduate studies in either math, science or engineering. Because of this, it's more theoretical than other engineering programs and is accelerated.

I would consider engineering science only if you

a) have excellent marks (preferably not at a regular Ontario school, but since you're in IB, that's OK),
b) are really smart (the least important factor)
c) WORKED HARD PREVIOUSLY and have established study habits! (THE most important factor)
d) can do all of this while being able to have a life outside of class, such as extra-curriculars (to do this you need good time management skills... this point can also fall under c) due to it being a study habit)

Having said that, engineering science at U of T can potentially be a really good fit for you since you're interested in aerospace and grad studies.

 

[choob]

yeah, being in IB voluntarily, 90% of the people are really serious about becoming doctors/engineers/lawyers, and as a result all the classes are super competitive and work hard.

also id appreciate very much input from anyone currently in these schools doing engineering.

 

[toombs]

Well, I'm not in engineering here, but my roommate last semester was in Electrical Engineering at Waterloo, the guy across the hall was in computer engineering, I knew a whole bunch of mechatronics engineering students there, and I did an engineering class on circuits. (I am in the faculty of Mathematics, but I thought I'd try some engineering courses.) Every engineer there that I've talked to considers all of their courses very hard, and everybody I know there despises the PDEng courses that all engineering students are required to take on their co-op terms (co-op is mandatory in Waterloo engineering). These are essentially filter courses. They are really hard, the subject matter is completely arbitrary, irrelevant, and useless, and you don't pass without them.

Although I really liked the subject matter of the relevant courses in engineering, I don't like the way they're taught. They introduce new theory that could potentially contradict or conflict with previously taught material, but they don't give any explanations or any proof that it doesn't. I don't know if this is the usual teaching approach among all engineering faculties, but that was my experience in Waterloo. This was emphatically not the case with the physics courses that I took there, which were very well done. All of the subject matter was well-explained and I had a much more solid understanding of the subject matter that the course covered. That being said, as I understand it—you'd have to ask a student there, though—U of T is a much more science-oriented university than Waterloo, which is mostly engineering, so maybe you'll have better luck with your engineering courses there than I did here.

 

[cvdfer157]

Hey, I am in a similar position as this guy.
Although, I am more interested in going from engineering to law school afterwards. Is there a specific program or school that facilitates this?

I have been accepted to Queens Eng, UofT engSci, Waterloo Systems design eng, Mcmaster General year, western gen year and Mcgill for Civil.

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