University of Waterloo
speciality: Art & Design

Being an Arts student at the University of Waterloo has been an experience that combines creativity with real-world focus. The program encourages you to explore ideas freely while connecting them to modern challenges and opportunities. Professors are engaging and open-minded, always ready to guide discussions that push your thinking further. The co-op and research opportunities make studying here feel great. you’re not just learning theory, you’re learning how to apply it. Waterloo gives the arts a fresh, forward-looking energy that’s both inspiring and practical

University of Waterloo promotes a really positive studying environment, encouraging students to focus on their studies. DC Library provides a lot of space needed for students to study and strive for success. Just outside of the campus are a lot of eats within walking distance for students to eat at before or after studying.

Overall, the University of Waterloo is great. The services the university offers, staff, and most of the professors (not all, most, and based on my experiences) are very understanding, caring, and passionate. And, you have a variety of clubs and events to attend to gain experience in your field of choice. Now, I will talk more about GBDA, so buckle up.

From a GBDA student standpoint, this program is amazing if you are considering entrepreneurship or UX/UI design and research, digital design, interactive media, etc, as your future career path. GBDA offers innovative classrooms with exciting topics, technologies, and resources for you to unleash your ideas in interactive design. You would be surprised at how easy the designing courses are, but you can only excel and shine if you put in the effort and time for the courses.

However, there are a few things to consider. First, the program is offered in Stratford, a hardly student-friendly city. With that said, the time you spend commuting to campus is a sacrifice of your sleep if you have 9 AM classes, or you will need to move to Stratford for 3 years if you cannot find car pool to school(after the first year, all GBDA courses will be offered in-person on the Stratford campus). Although there is a business aspect to it, the business courses in GBDA are very general. Most of them are offered in 3A and 3B terms, depending on what your cohort is. Hence, if you are considering to pursuit a more business-centric or marketing career path, I would recommend choosing a different program than GBDA.

During my journey at the University of Waterloo, I found a nurturing haven for intellectual growth and personal development. The unwavering support of professors, a vibrant campus life, and the chance to collaborate on groundbreaking projects have left an indelible mark on my academic and personal growth. Waterloo was not just a university; it was a launchpad for my future.

Waterloo is definitely an academically rigorous university, but the academics allow you to grow and explore various fields of interest. Waterloo is well-known for their hands on learning opportunities. Their co-op program is one of the largest in the country and allows for students to experience industry based learning whilst in school.

University of Waterloo is one of the prestigious schools, which has the best co-op program. I experienced my first co-op term and it taught me a lot of skills and helped me network a lot as well. The education is fantastic as well.

UW is an integrative university that incorporates a work/life/academic balance. It allows students to indulge in fulfilling work experiences while meeting their academic obligations. Along with this, they encourage an enriching social and personal life through programs that incorporate wellness, recreation and mental health.

At the University of Waterloo, many opportunities await students. The institute’s integration of professional working and study terms provides them with the skills and knowledge to succeed in the workplace or future studies!

Waterloo is a solid university with great professors and informative classes. It’s location in Waterloo also offers students access to a nice city full of young people also attending UW, or the surrounding schools.

The GBDA program also offered a wide variety of classes to teach everything from international business and project management, to digital media capture and user centric design. There are countless careers that can use GBDA as a starting point, which is a real advantage.

As a proud member of the Global Business and Digital Arts graduating class of 2023, I must admit that the program felt somewhat general in nature, and without the benefit of integrated co-op experiences, we were left with limited opportunities to apply our learnings in a practical setting. However, I am pleased to report that the new GBDA streams now include co-op, and I have every confidence that this addition will vastly enhance the program’s overall value and prepare future students for the demands of the industry.