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.
