Waterloo CS: Erik’s Experience

Interview and Transcription By Komal Patel

Erik Bumbulis is a fourth year student in the Computer Science program at the University of Waterloo. He enjoys playing the piano, learning languages, and listening to kpop!

Why did you choose to go into Computer Science at Waterloo?

CS was a pretty natural option for me — my dad is in the field, I’ve always done well in math, and I find programming interesting. It’s a well-known and employable major, and since I come from the Waterloo area, it just made sense to do computer science here.

How have you gotten involved on campus?

I love being involved on campus, it’s been a defining part of my university experience. I enjoy learning languages, so I joined the Culture and Language Exchange Club where I’ve been a member since my first term at Waterloo. I’m working on learning Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, and this club has been a great way of getting to do that! I also volunteer with exchange students who come from abroad to study English for a few weeks and help them practice their English, which has been a great way to make friends from around the world!

What was your transition to first year like?

I think it was easier for me than for most people because I’m from Cambridge, which is close to Waterloo. Both of my parents work in Waterloo too, so I always had a point of contact if I needed something from home or if I wanted to go home. It was easy for me to ask questions before I got to the program, so I was pretty well prepared for first year. Since I’m from the area, I was also familiar with the campus and I had friends who went to the university as well.

What do you like about your program?

CS is a really flexible major with high quality professors and interesting courses. I like that it gives me the option to take courses that appeal to me, and that I’m doing what I enjoy.

What would you change about your program if you could?

I think the only thing I’d change is to make it a bit more social. I find that people don’t really talk to each other in class unless they already know each other, and that makes is a little bit difficult to make friends sometimes. Clubs and activities have been a great way to meet people though!

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