r/uwaterloo • u/Mountain_Bluebird150 • 2d ago
Admissions Systems Design Eng?
I was thinking of applying to either mech or tron, but I'm kinda now realizing I have no idea what type of engineering I want to learn. Is it true that systems design is like everything combined into one? That sounds compelling, as I don't want to go into something I dislike.
Sidenote: Is systems design less or more competitive than tron/mech?
6
Upvotes
2
4
u/niconicooni 2d ago
from broad to specific, it's systems -> tron -> mech. truthfully a lot of upper year sydes can't tell u what to expect bc they changed the curriculum substantially. i'd advise u to read the new course load and decide for yourself. it has added a lot of systems courses that are less "all engineering's in one" and more systems-focused. imo it seems to dabble into other fields less and now sticks into its own domain, but i'm not quite sure.
many sydes just go into whatever is interesting: swe, product design, pm, mech, hw on their own. the courseload lets u do so anyways. what i will say though is that no syde seems to really like the courseload all that much, because it's very general. sometimes you find it useful, other times, you have 4/6 courses that don't apply at all to you.
syde offers systems courses, UI/UX courses, and an easier courseload where tron offers more applicable courses to those interested in ee, mech, firmware, or robotics. so it depends on how set u feel in your mech interest.