How hard is finding Summer Coop for First Year (Waterloo CS)

Hey everyone, incoming UW CS student here (Fall 2026) trying to get a realistic picture of what summer WT1 co-op recruiting actually looks like for average students (maybe 1-2 small projects, no prior co-ops obviously):

- How hard was it actually? How many apps did you send?

- Did you end up finding something through WaterlooWorks or externally?

- What kind of role/company did you land for WT1?

- Anything you wish you'd done differently before recruiting started? (Would you recommend choosing sequence 4 instead?)

Not looking for sugarcoating, just want to know what's realistic so I can prep accordingly this summer. Any honest takes appreciated 🙏