I felt the school had a good reputation for engineering and I also liked the city, sitting lakeside like my hometown. The school also provided me with scholarships that I could not turn down.
Course Curriculum
I feel that the course curriculum was quite intense but certainly manageable. As I progressed into higher years, I found a suitable routine and organization strategy that worked to balance work and personal life.
Exams
These are not required in Canada so I did not take these.
Placement
I considered taking a tear-off after the third year to intern. However, upon looking at the job board provided from the internship program, there were no real opportunities applicable to me. I found that if I wanted to intern, I would have to find one myself.
Internship
Queen's offers an optional internship after the second or third year. This is not required to graduate but is an opportunity to get some career experience. I did not personally take part in this program.
Fees
The fee structure was 2 payments. 60% due in September and 40%(approximately) in January. It was about $13000 total per year owed to the school. Tuition was 9-11 K and the remaining was health insurance, student fees, and optional club fees.
Scholarship
Yes! Applying from high school I filled out many bursary/grant/scholarship forms for Queens. Upon acceptance, I received a dollar amount. Each year I would reapply to a variety of scholarships which were sent to me via email and then would typically write a letter about myself. I would say I received 50% of the ones I applied to.
Examination Structure
The exam structure was never a problem for me. Midterms were often (similar to many programs). They would be in the day or evening which isn't a big deal. Finals were typically spread out during the finals period. However, the exams office makes the schedule, not the faculty.
Faculty
I believe the faculty is really active and strong as a student body. Although it is very much divided into cliques, everyone seems to get involved in some way or another.
Hostel
In the first year, I lived in residence. This provided me with a room and food on campus. However, this was quite expensive. From the second year on, I rented a house with 4 other people that worked well. This option saved me at least half.
