Strategies for preparing your supplemental application

Disclaimer: the sample questions and information below were from the 2025 admissions cycle. The questions and information for the current cycle may differ slightly.

In assessing program applications, the admissions committee considers two components.

Your marks in the specified program admission courses tell the committee about your academic and Computer Science (and, for Data Science, Mathematics and Statistical Sciences) skills and strengths. Additional CS knowledge or experience beyond these courses is not required or expected for program applicants.

The supplemental application provides additional information about non-academic and non-discipline-specific skills and experiences that will help you succeed in, and contribute to, your courses and to groups (whether in class, in work placements, or in other academic or student activities). These skills and experiences includes setting and working towards a goal; contributing to a group; adjusting to change or overcoming challenges or barriers; and working with those different from you.

Here are the supplemental questions from the previous academic year. Students were asked to choose 3 of these questions to answer in 250 words or less:

1. Give an example of a time when you worked with another person or group who had different goals or values than you. In what ways did you have to think differently to work successfully with that person or group? What did this experience teach you about working with others? 

2. Describe a situation where you took on a leadership role, helped resolve a dispute, or made a significant contribution to a group’s goals. What were your role and responsibilities, and what contribution did you make? What strengths did you rely on to be successful?

3. What is a significant or unexpected barrier, obstacle, or challenge you have faced and overcome? What did you learn from this experience that changed your behaviour, perspective, or understanding of the world?

4. Describe a personal goal you have set for yourself, and how you have been working to achieve this goal. Who have you turned to for advice or help, and what was their role? What have you learned about yourself? 

In answering these questions, the specific example or experience you describe is much less important than your description of how you responded to that situation. Don’t worry about choosing an example that seems important or impressive. Also, there is no advantage to discussing CS-related experiences in your responses — though there’s also no problem with drawing on experiences related to CS if relevant to the question!

As with all academic work, it’s essential that you write your own answers based on your own experiences and ideas. Note that the quality of your written English is NOT important: as long as readers can understand it, what matters is the content you wrote. If you would like feedback on your supplemental application or help getting started, we recommend visiting your college writing centre, as they will be able to help you in a way that maintains academic integrity and that reflects the goals of the supplemental application.

Many more students apply to CS programs than there are spaces available, and while both marks and the supplemental application help assess the potential for success in CS programs, many students who are not admitted would also succeed in a CS program if space were available. We wish we could admit all qualified applicants, but since we cannot, we use the supplemental application to ensure that we have a broad portrait of each applicant’s academic and non-academic skills and experiences.