Disclaimer: This review is based on my experiences.
I had a miserable time during the 4.5 years I spent at Waterloo. The only enjoyable time I had was frosh week, and that was during the first week of school. By the time first term was completed, I wanted to switch out, and to this day, I regret not switching out. The accounting professors were unhelpful, exams were harsh and grading was unfair, and at times it felt as though the accounting professors themselves were unknowledgeable. The PowerPoint slides they used in classes seemed like they came directly from the publisher's slides, and they would often times just read the slides in class, without explaining the contents, and would simply gloss over the examples, or provide you with an example and a solution. And then, when you go back to review the day's notes, you realize that the solution they provided was wrong. And not only that, the method was sometimes wrong as well. Of course, not all professors are that terrible, I can think of a few that made me continue to have faith in humanity, but in my experience, the majority of accounting professors were only in it for the (very ample) salary. I felt that the faculty did not care for us and would often give exams that were so difficult, they had to bell curve it by >25%. It was a very negative environment, and I was often depressed. (The constant rainy weather, cement backdrop, and the geese crap everywhere did not help alleviate moods either). The only thing Waterloo accounting taught me was that I can teach myself everything. I learned nothing else from AFM apart from what I taught myself. By the end of the program, I was so jaded that I wanted nothing to do with accounting. Let me reiterate that for you, going into Accounting at Waterloo made me despise my entire profession. By the time I graduated, I couldn't see how accountants could not be greedy, how they could not be backstabbing and cutthroat, and how they could not be so self-absorbed. I wanted nothing to do with the hellish environment. All of the good friends I made at Waterloo were not in the accounting program, and they, along with my elective courses were what kept my sanity in tact during my time spent on this miserable degree. I am full of regrets and feel that AFM destroyed my optimistic disposition. I hope that this review can cast some light to those considering AFM.

4th Year Female -- Class 2012

Surrounding City: A, Education Quality: F

Going to this university was the worst decision I have ever made in my entire life. I strongly encourage anyone who is considering Waterloo as their number one choice for their post-secondary education to please read what I have to say. I went to Waterloo starting in September of 2014 and I am transferring to Queen's this September because of my horrifying experience at this university. I entered in the arts&business co-op program because like the majority of people who choose Waterloo, I was fooled by the enticing co-op opportunity. Let me tell you that co-op is NOTHING compared to what it is cracked up to be. You will most likely not be given a job at all and don't expect to do anything within your chosen field, if you're lucky you'll be given a menial job that will provide you with little to no sense of enjoyment. For the amount that students invest into this co-op program, it is nothing close to what it should be and it ultimately leaves everyone wishing they would have chosen a more normal university and just gotten a summer job of their own each year. This school is grossly underfunded, the campus is absolutely disgusting and the majority of professors are pathetic. Oh, and you think other students may make your experience easier/better? THINK AGAIN the students have a close-minded, stuck up attitude and will do anything to see you fail. The social life at UWaterloo is horrible so expect to be bored the majority of the time. This institution has the most pathetic school spirit I have ever witnessed in my life, no one is interested in attending any of the very few events that are put on by the school and who can blame them? They're extremely lame and underfunded as well because guess what? NONE of the faculty at Waterloo or the students will care about you or your experience. If you want to end up depressed and questioning your whole career path then please, go to Waterloo. If you want to be happy, have a sense of pride about where you go, get involved with extra curricular activities and meet at least a few people who have a sense of normalcy or respect for each other then please I beg of you go somewhere else. I would do anything to erase my time at Waterloo and I still struggle with issues because of it, don't make the same mistake that I did.

1st Year Female -- Class 2018

Scholastic Success: B-, Education Quality: F

When I sit back and think about what I'm doing with my life, I often find myself deeply regretting ever coming to the University of Waterloo. It may very well be one of the worst decisions I've made in my life.

The bureaucracy surrounding Waterloo is atrocious. The student union is terrible, does not foster a positive student community, leaving individual faculties creating their own social circles which lead to a very divided campus. In addition, they force students to pay a very expensive health insurance fee, leaving you only 1 week to opt out at the start of the fall semester for the whole year. If you miss the deadline, you're forced to pay an additional ~400 dollars on top of tuition, textbooks, student union fees, etc. Not cool, FEDS. No one ever goes out to campus events and the campus vibe is always cold, anti-social and isolated. It's just not a friendly place to be.

The co-op programs at Waterloo are very overrated and I felt cheated, as it was the main reason I chose the university. During the open house, university employees really hyped the co-op program. Everywhere seemed to say it was great, and online, they boasted that over 90% of students found a job. But when I logged onto JobMine, jobs were scarce compared to students enrolled in the program and very few students were ranked, let alone hired for jobs they were hoping for. No meaningful support is given from the co-op office and the system clearly favors employers over students.

Professors are very hit or miss. Waterloo definitely has some great profs, and a quick look at ratemyprof will attest to that, but there are also very poor ones who will make your student life a living hell. Even with good profs and lab instructors, I would say 30-40% of the TA's I've had didn't speak English as their first language, which is generally fine when communicating over email, but is sometimes very hard to talk to in person i.e. during a lab.

Finally, for all the fees we pay, libraries are often over-crowded, loud and dirty. The path to the DC library is not even paved and turn into one long mud puddle during spring.

I felt cheated from UW's co-op program and reputation as a leader in research. I'm not sure if it is due to the relatively new president they have had and if it's simply a case of things not being how they used to be, but UW is definitely not a student friendly university. It isn't worth changing cities for, it isn't worth the tuition. As a final slap to the face, just as students began singing up for summer courses, most of the university/faculty staff I had to contact for forms were all on vacation.One positive is I really enjoy the professor I was able to have guide me through my undergrad research. She really made me not hate myself as much for choosing this university. However, if you're currently deciding where to go, especially if you are thinking of entering in the sciences, I strongly suggest you do not choose the University of Waterloo.

4th Year Male -- Class 2015

Campus Aesthetics: A, Education Quality: F