Known as the “Silicon Valley of the North,” the University of Waterloo is a hotbed of high-tech academic, entrepreneurial, and research activity. Facilitated by the largest co-operative education program in the world, students are renowned for graduating and quickly starting technology ventures of their own. Indeed, the University of Waterloo has consistently been ranked first in the “Most Innovative” and “Leaders of Tomorrow” sections (as well as second in the “Highest Quality” section) of Maclean’s Reputational University Rankings for Canadian universities. Bill Gates himself, on a visit to the campus in 2005, attested that most years, Microsoft hires more students out of Waterloo than any other university in the world.

While the University of Waterloo has more than 30,000 students, university, and staff, international students note that the city of Waterloo lacks any type of nightlife or notable downtown area. Still, the city is a great starting point for trips to nearby metropolitan and tourist havens, such as Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, and Niagara Falls. Life for international students can be made particularly more social by choosing to live on-campus.