ME 100Introduction to Mechanical Engineering Practice 1
- Units
- 0.75
- Faculty
- Engineering
- Subject
- Mechanical Engineering
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 3 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
This course is focused on fundamental knowledge and skills essential for academic and professional development in mechanical engineering. It covers basic methods and principles used by mechanical engineers, e.g., fundamentals of technical communication, the design process and problem solving, measurements and data analysis, engineering professionalism, safety, and intellectual property. The fundamentals of engineering graphical communication using computer-aided design (CAD) and freehand sketching will be a significant component of this course. Written, graphical and oral communications are emphasized. Examples are drawn from mechanical engineering.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Students must be in level 1A
- Enrolled in H-Mechanical Engineering
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 4585 | 126 / 120 | TTh 08:30–09:50 TTh 08:30–09:50 Sep 17 12:30–13:20 Oct 1 12:30–13:20 Nov 26 12:30–13:20 Oct 22 14:30–16:20 |
| LEC 002 | 4586 | 129 / 120 | TTh 13:30–14:50 TTh 13:30–14:50 Sep 16 13:30–14:20 Sep 30 13:30–14:20 Oct 22 14:30–16:20 Nov 25 13:30–14:20 |
| LAB 101 | 4587 | 126 / 120 | Th 13:30–16:20 Th 13:30–16:20 |
| LAB 102 | 4588 | 129 / 120 | Th 08:30–11:20 Th 08:30–11:20 |
| TUT 201 | 4589 | 25 / 24 | M 14:30–17:20 M 14:30–17:20 |
| TUT 202 | 4590 | 27 / 24 | M 14:30–17:20 M 14:30–17:20 |
| TUT 203 | 5175 | 27 / 24 | M 14:30–17:20 M 14:30–17:20 |
| TUT 204 | 5178 | 24 / 24 | M 14:30–17:20 M 14:30–17:20 |
| TUT 205 | 5173 | 23 / 24 | M 14:30–17:20 M 14:30–17:20 |
| TUT 206 | 5176 | 27 / 24 | M 10:30–13:20 M 10:30–13:20 |
| TUT 207 | 5174 | 25 / 24 | M 10:30–13:20 M 10:30–13:20 |
| TUT 208 | 5177 | 26 / 24 | M 10:30–13:20 M 10:30–13:20 |
| TUT 209 | 4491 | 27 / 24 | M 10:30–13:20 M 10:30–13:20 |
| TUT 210 | 5392 | 24 / 24 | M 10:30–13:20 M 10:30–13:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
85% liked it74% easy91% useful
From 171 ratings and 37 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
ME 100 TAs couldn't get a real co-op (womp womp 🥺) so they had to settle for a shitty low-paying job teaching first years. As a result, they direct all their anger towards the first years and seem to have a personal vendetta against their students, which significantly impacts the course experience. Just don't take their hissyfits too personally.
Dec 2022 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Hardest course of 1A, trust me, Mechanics is a walk in the park compared to this. People say the course is "easy" because its a free 75%. However, if you want anything above a 75% the amount of effort you have to put in increases exponentially. Weekly assignments are marked by TAs who are inconsistent in their grading. Since they are all quite nit picky, in order to achieve high marks on assignment (one of them took off marks on my assignment for "incorrect naming of file" when all I did was add "submit this copy" to my file name because in the assignment before that I accidentally submitted the wrong file and he took off 20% from my mark because of it) you easily have to invest 20+ hrs of…
Sep 2022 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Do your drawings on first thing Saturday mornings with a cup of coffee. You wont regret it.
Jan 2016 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
The most useful class you'll take in ME 1A BY FAR. After you teach yourself how to write again, you'll learn CAD software, write lab essays, and do hands on design projects. The final project (toy design) will be dreadful if you don't have a decent group.
DO NOT TRUST THE TAs (. Only one of them could help, the others were either too inexperienced or had massive egos.Mar 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Had this in F18. Not an exciting course but is arguably the most important for mech eng (along with it's 1B counterpart, ME 101). Course is demanding in the sense of how many hours go into it. It is by far the easiest course in 1A. It's also weighted more than the other courses and helps to boost your avg. The DCAP side of things were dry but very useful. Report writing is important for co-ops and most courses in the program. Not a ton of freedom for the project (building a toy) but it was fun. EGAD is also useful (besides freehand sketching), but it was not run very well. Most of the grading is subjective, and the TAs can be very inconsistent or downright rude. Tests were easy.
May 2020 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
85 posts and comments in 65 threads mention ME 100, July 2012 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Spring 2024
how easy is it to switch between eng programs 1 point, 8 comments
“i’m an incoming 1st year for chem eng (stream 4) and i’m wondering how difficult it is to switch to a different eng program such as mechanical eng (maybe even mechatronics)… i didn’t apply to those …”
u/Quiinzy: “whether you can switch depends on multiple factors grades, the most important one availability/space in the program the program you are switching from and the one you want to switch to look up …”
u/Quiinzy: “… probably not because those courses don't run all year round, like ME 100 is only a fall term course and there's options for the registrar or whoever deals with this, to substitute courses you've already taken to satisfy those requirements (my best guess) refer to here; undergrad …”
Spring 2023
MECH ENG Waterloo stream 4 co op 1 point, 4 comments
“Hi! Im an incoming first year going into mechanical engineering. What can i do now/during the fall term to increase my chances of getting a co op in winter? …”
u/ThisTookSomeTime: “Learn CAD software, either solidworks, fusion, or inventor. AutoCAD can be helpful too but not exclusively. Learn how to make a dimensioned drawing. A bit of arduino and python knowledge is helpful too. That’ll also help you in ME 100/101”
Winter 2023
External Transfer Computer Engineering 5 points, 10 comments
“Hello, I am asking to see if anyone received transfer credits to waterloo engineering as an external transfer. …”
u/trinity-y: “also if anyone has answers for transferring to SE is be curious too!!”
u/Small_Ad4593: “… I switched into Mechanical so I was essentially repeating every single class except for ME 100, which is out concepts class so Im not really able to gauge the workload fairly.”
Fall 2022
What happens if I fail ME 100? 1 point, 1 comment
u/Due_Mine_5653: “I am doing pretty well on other courses( expecting above 80+) but I think I am gonna get around or below 50 on ME100. Do I have to retake the course if that happens? Please don't ask me why I was lazy af with ME100.”
u/QuestionTuesdayFTW: “Why were you lazy af with ME100 I'm pretty sure this is the case in all other eng programs, but for a term average >60 (Which sounds like you'll get even with the ME100 fail) you'll be allowed to proceed to the next term but with a failure. …”
lost iphone in girls bathroom at cmh 125 points, 20 comments
“gave it to front desk at cmh so u can go there to claim it”
u/Solidgrass: “OP if nobody claims it just email the ME100 lab 101 TA/prof”
Winter 2022
For people who took ME 100 and ME 101 3 points, 8 comments
u/ForceBetter8972: “I got permission to take ME 101 without taking ME 100 first and the prof told me that I should at least self teach myself AutoCAD and Solidworks. I don't know where to start or how far m I supposed to go with it or tbh even where to learn it from. …”
Spring 2021
Mechanical engineering undergrad retrospective 201 points, 42 comments
u/doAbr00talroll: “… • ME100: Use lecture time to work on other courses, overall the course is pretty useless (may have changed since 2016). • PHYS115: DO THE PRACTICE PROBLEMS OR YOU WILL SUFFER AS I HAVE SUFFERED. 1B, you'll learn a lot of topics you have never heard about before. …”
Fall 2020
Difficulty of first year Civil Eng 0 points, 10 comments
“I want to know if its even possible to get an 80% average between all courses in first year? A lot of people say engineering is the hardest, but not all engineering programs are the same. …”
u/airsworder: “1 week in and I have 50 in M115 and 70 in ME100 Send help pls. (if stay on top of your video lectures and participate in live calls then it's for sure doable)”
Mechanical first year courses 1 point, 5 comments
u/Calc_god300: “… Is ME 100 offered in winter? And does anyone know how antirequisites work? …”
u/watson-and-crick: “ME 100 won't be offered in the Winter. It's a course meant just for 1As, and with Waterloo's structure there are only ever 1As in the Fall term. …”
u/mathematicalengineer: “ME 100 isn't offered in the Winter. I do know of some people that transferred into mech in their first Winter term (1B). They complete an online version of the EGAD portion of ME 100 which is actually significantly easier (Less assignments and freehand drawing). …”
Spring 2020
Me whenever I see weebposts on this sub 178 points, 8 comments
u/_AsianPotato: “Its never too late to learn my dude, anyone can pick up a pencil”
u/radioactivetomato87: “EGADDDDD I actually liked that post of ME 100”
Am I screwed? 8 points, 28 comments
“incoming stream 4 mechanical student. I have no meaningful experiences besides being good at piano, some tutoring and working at a restaurant. What r my chances of getting a coop in Jan.? …”
u/airbus707: “do u know CAD atleast? try to learn CAD, Solidworks is used at UW”
u/crono760: “Or...wait for a few months until you get your UW student licence and, you know, take a course at UW on solidworks and drafting and the like (that would be ME100 for u/tyttkllweqq123 and I believe SYDE100 for u/Xetrov821, both offered in your 1A term and both quite …”
Fall 2019
UW Admin needs to do more to control the black ice, this morning i was in what i thought was a safe part of campus walking away from an ATM when suddenly some black ice robbed me of my balance 72 points, 19 comments
u/ArtiTheApple: “As obsurd as it may sound, my first year prof for ME100 taught the class how to walk on ice during one of his lectures. You get on all fours and army crawl to maximize surface area and keep your CoG low. Waddle like a penguin.”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them