u/beforetea

I am staying in SJU, meaning I technically don’t have a meal plan since it’s just part of my residence fee. I understand a watcard uses flex dollars to pay for things at places affiliated with waterloo. Do I have to put money into it myself to use? and is it even worth it instead of just paying out of pocket with like my debit card?

Also, do students get discounts at places like Funcken or Melville (on architecture campus) which are on campus but technically not part of UW food services? (for melville is it only for arch students?)

edit: i’m kinda starting to feel like idek what a watcard does. I’ve already read the website but if someone can explain it in a different way i would appreciate it

Hi, I’m an enjoyer of live music but am moving to Waterloo for university. I’m wondering if there are any places here that host live music, ideally with a younger crowd. Popularity of the artists doesn’t really matter to me much.

Hi, I am an incoming first year and at least one of my classes’ grades is based 100% off the midterm and final exam. Obviously, high school had a lot more leeway as only 30% of my grades were based off the exam, so do you guys have any tips to keep my gpa up when I only have 2 opportunities to dictate my grade in the class.

In the past my exam grades have been pretty consistent with what I get on assignments and class work, but I have always had my cumulative grade to fall back on if the exam was not my best work.

My goal is graduate school after my bachelors, so it is really important to me to keep my gpa up, so any tips would be appreciated.

I am planning on getting an iPad for school since I will be doing a lot of math in university. I am wondering if it makes a difference getting an apple pencil versus getting an off-brand ipad pencil for cheaper.

I am in Canada. If you think an off brand pencil is better please link it. If you think an apple pencil is better, is it worth it to pay for the apple pencil pro? Thanks

I have a traditional dorm in SJU for the fall and I’m wondering if anyone can provide some details on what to bring or what not to bring. There is a short list on the SJU website but it is not super helpful and I don’t want to forget something important or overpack and have no space. You can give general advice for any of the traditional style dorms, but details about SJU specifically would be appreciated too.

Hi! Knowing the reputation UW has for its social life, I was wondering if there is anything like Bounce that students at Waterloo and Laurier use to find out about events and parties. I know most university students use Bounce, but it looks pretty dead for Waterloo and Laurier.

Hi, I need to order my watcard but every photo I take gets rejected because it’s “not an approvable ID photo”. They are all bright with no shadows in front of a white wall. I can’t get it taken in person because I won’t be on campus until I move into my residence and I need my card to do that. What do I do? Is there a bug on the website or something?

From my research, it seems like an iPad is the best tablet to have for school. However, although about 50% of the people at my university have Macbooks, I a) can’t afford a Macbook and an iPad, and b) need a Windows laptop for school because even though Macbooks can be made to work, I don’t want to have to jump through hoops to do certain things once I get further into my degree/graduate. The reason I want an iPad is because I will be a Mathematical Economics student, and doing math is really tedious and time consuming on a laptop. My primary use would just be note taking or taking it with me to study when I don’t want to bring my laptop.

My question is: how difficult is it to use a Windows laptop and an iPad in tandem? Will it be really annoying/inconvenient, or do you guys find it ok to have a mixed ecosystem?

Currently, I have an iPhone, but I don’t think my phone type really matters in this scenario.

• Country

Canada

• Budget

Ideally under $1200 CAD or $900 USD

• Are you open to refurbs/used options?

Maybe, if sold by reliable seller. New is preferred (but I know my budget isn’t a lot for what I’m looking for)

• Screen size

15-16”

• Weight limit

Lightweight enough to carry across campus all day, but not super picky about it

• Purpose

Schoolwork

• Form factor

Touchscreen

• Intended usage

I‘m going to be a Mathematical Economics student so I will need to use Windows applications and would like a touchscreen to do my math/note taking easier. I don’t know anything about laptops and all the acronyms mean nothing to me, I just need something that will work well for school for the next 4 years.

• Desired battery life

Long enough to get me through the school day without charging it. Maybe minimum 8 hours?

• Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life

Performance, battery life, weight, size

• Info/Requirements

A reliable touchscreen Windows laptop for school. Ideally with storage that is upgradable in the future (my brother said that’s important). I would prefer something silver but colour is not a priority.

I am trying to get my stuff together to move into my dorm in the fall, but the website with St Jerome’s residence info doesn’t have much detail. I haven’t gotten my placement yet for which of the two residences I’m going to be in, so info about either one would be helpful.

Do both residences have elevators (I’m mainly concerned about move-in)? On reddit, I’ve seen some people say J. R Finn does have AC, and some say it doesn’t. If there is AC, is it still really hot in the dorms? How cold does it get in the winter? Also, is there anything you think I should bring? I’ve seen some people on TikTok suggest dehumidifiers but I don’t know if the dorms at Waterloo actually get humid enough to need one.

I like being involved and clubs and stuff so I’m wondering how I can find clubs to join at UW. There are a few I already follow on Instagram that I’m planning to join this fall, but is there anything that has like a list of clubs so I can see what interests me?

(btw I’m an incoming student, I don’t think that’s clear in my post)

I’m gonna be staying in SJU this fall, and the meal plan is included in the residence cost with the catch that it only covers what you get from the in-res cafeteria. I am wondering how annoying this is as a student because although the food is supposedly better quality, it requires you to be at your res for all meal times and you have to pay out of pocket every time you want food from other on-campus locations (including Funken Cafe, which is literally in the SJU building). Please give me your honest experience dealing with the SJU meal plan as I’m curious whether it is actually gonna inconvenience me or if it doesn’t really matter.