Stand Apart with the Waterloo AIF
With the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC) freshly open for the 2024-2025 season, many students across the country are sitting a little taller. While applications aren’t due until January 15, 2025, it’s hard not to feel a sense of excitement, nerves, or both, when the OUAC system opens. Many students use this time to fine-tune their shortlist of schools and figure out what’s needed to apply to each. If the University of Waterloo is on your list, you might be curious what to expect on the school’s supplementary application — the Waterloo AIF.
The Admission Information Form (AIF) is Waterloo’s way of getting to know you better. The form is required to apply for some programs and highly recommended for others. Of course, when you’re applying to a competitive school, it’s important to participate in every element of the application, especially where it helps you to stand out from others.
Let’s dive in. Here are a few pointers for each section of the Waterloo AIF:
Interest in University of Waterloo
In this section, you’ll explain why you have chosen to apply to Waterloo. While it offers an opportunity to express a genuine interest in the University of Waterloo, it also gives you the chance to show a bit of yourself. Rather than list basic facts about the school, show how you feel connected to a program or the school at large, that you’ve thought about your life at Waterloo and see yourself being part of it.
Maybe your cousin went to Waterloo and you heard so many great things about the university (insert examples), that you did extensive research into the school. Maybe you heard a speaker from the University of Waterloo that gave you a new appreciation of bio medical engineering. Maybe it was a campus tour that made you fall in love with the idea of co-op and helped you realize that Waterloo would be the best first-step in your career.
Whichever direction you choose, be genuine in your response to this part of the Waterloo AIF, consider using a unique angle and try to avoid talking about location. No admissions officer wants to hear that you’re applying to Waterloo because it’s the perfect distance from your house!
Interest in Specific Program
In this section of the Waterloo AIF, you’ll have the opportunity to express your interest in a specific program. It’s important to do some digging ahead of time, so you have something to talk about here.
To start, look at specific courses in your program. Are there research opportunities in third or fourth year that interest you? Have you read a book by one of the second year profs? Are there clubs that look interesting or maybe you’ve heard alumni speak about the program?
It’s important to be genuine, but of course you may not have any examples off the top of your head. Do your research, so you have something meaningful to say. Then, when you discuss your interest in the program, you can further link your own experience to it. Maybe you’ve been in clubs or done research that connects specifically to elements of Waterloo’s program.
Extracurricular Activities
In this section you have the chance to explain how you’ve spent your time outside of school. This not only gives you the chance to show what interests you, but also gives Waterloo a better understanding of who you are.
In this section of the Waterloo AIF, you’ll list the following:
Type of Activity (music, hobbies, sports, etc)
Description of Activity (40 characters to describe)
Start and End Dates (to show period of involvement)
Grades Involved (from 10 - 12)
Time Commitment (hours / week and weeks / year)
You’ll then be offered space to provide additional information about your extracurriculars. Make sure you take advantage of this space, even if it is considered optional for your program. In 600 characters, talk about the impact your extracurriculars have had on you as a person, why you stuck with certain activities and where you’ve experienced personal growth.
Employment
In this section of the Waterloo AIF, you have the chance to show the commitment you’ve made to employment, either over the summer months or during the school year.
Don’t worry if your employment is more about fast food chains than internships at fancy consulting firms. Most high school applicants will only have entry-level jobs to list in this section.
Be prepared to list the following:
Name of Employer (30 characters max)
Description / Job Title (50 characters max)
Description of Work (254 characters max)
Hours worked / week
Start date / end date
Don’t worry if you don’t have much to add here, or if you have to go back several years to show employment. Not every student is able to work around other commitments. On the other hand, if you’ve needed to work and don’t have many extracurriculars as a result, this is a good place to show your responsibility and commitment.
Special Achievements | Distinctions | Awards
This is the spot on the Waterloo AIF that you can stretch your legs and show off your track record. While you may have official titles for some awards, you can describe other distinctions, as well. Say, for example, you received the top mark in your grade for a Leadership class, but there was no official award, this is the place to list that honour.
Be prepared to list the following:
Award Type (academic or non-academic)
Award, Honour or Distinction (254 characters max)
Year Received
Size of Competition , if Applicable
Additional Information
In this section of the Waterloo AIF, you’re encouraged to add any further information the school may want to know about you. Be sure to use this space to showcase who you are.
Maybe you’ve become the ‘go-to’ expert in your family for 3-D printing. Maybe you’ve overcome specific odds that make you a unique applicant.
No matter which angle you take on this section, use it to promote yourself to the University of Waterloo. Show them why you’d make a great addition to their program, what you plan to do with your time at the school and how you will leave it a better place when you’re done.
In other words, don’t be shy. Use a great hook to show how you’re different than other candidates, use specific traits and examples from your life, then reflect on how you will succeed at Waterloo.
Courses
In this section, you will list details around courses that you’ve taken and the marks you’ve received. It also provides you with the opportunity to describe any additional courses you’ve taken outside of your school. If you’ve taken outside courses that might have been offered at your high school, this is the section of the Waterloo AIF to showcase this information.
Program-Specific Interests
This is where you have the chance to talk about your personal interest in the field you’ve chosen. Are you applying to Engineering, AFM or Computer Science? What has drawn you to the field? For many, a high school course or club will trigger deeper interest.
If this is true for you, talk about the path you took. Maybe your Grade 11 Physics teacher told you about the robotics program and you developed an interest in the mechanics of machinery there. Maybe you took a non-credit course over the summer and it peaked your interest in electronics.
Waterloo Program-Specific Interests
Here, you’ll have the chance to answer questions about the Waterloo Engineering program (or other field of interest). This is where your research will shine. Does Waterloo have specific clubs or research projects you’d like to join?
As you draw upon your own experience and describe how it will dovetail into your experience at Waterloo, you want to avoid a laundry list of the things you’ve done. This is your chance to bring it all together, in a way that demonstrates how you will thrive at Waterloo, making the most of your experience there, while making your mark on the program.
We can help!
To many students, the Waterloo AIF sounds intimidating. Not to worry - with a bit of preparation, it’s not so bad. We recommend breaking the AIF into two parts. Spend one session on timelines — when you received which awards, when you held certain positions or played on each team. This part is fairly tedious, but it gives you the data you’ll need for the remainder of the application.
In a separate session (or more), write thoughtful, clear answers to the written questions. They don’t have to be long, but they need a hook and to show your growth path. If you’re interested in having support for your Waterloo AIF, we can help.
At On Your Mark, we’ve helped Canadian students map out and edit their supplementary applications for Engineering, Life Sciences and Psychology programs at top Canadian schools. We’ve also helped students prepare and practice for on-the-spot essays and interviews, as part of the supp app Health Sciences at Queen’s University.
We look forward to helping you find your voice and put your best foot forward on your Waterloo AIF. Let’s do this.