University of Waterloo Memes are based on a student’s viral tweet comparing his first- and second-year student IDs. The drastic difference in the student’s face is what made the meme go viral, and now another student of the same school is enjoying the same viral fame.
Meme basics:
- Peak Popularity: March 2025
- Meme Creator: @416naru/X
- Meme Type: Macro
- First Appearance: July 2022
- Origin Source: X
University of Waterloo Meme Origin
Twitter’s @416naru (now defunct), a University of Waterloo student, shared a photo comparing his student ID from his first-year student ID to his second-year one. The caption reads, “2nd year vs. 1st year,” indicating the top ID was from year 2 and the bottom from year 1.
University of Waterloo Meme spread
Some people interpreted it to be a before-and-after, with the bright, smiley ID being from year one and the more weary, serious-looking photo being from the second. In a matter of days, it was posted claiming such on Reddit’s r/funny.
In April 2023, @OvOBrezzzy shared the image with the caption, “LMAOOOOOO Wtf they do to my boy 
.” Without describing the image, it led more people to believe it was a before-and-after photo rather than an inspiring glow-up. Many also joked that such a transformation was the typical plight of an engineering student.
Recent popularity
The University of Waterloo meme enjoyed another resurgence as students returned to school for the fall 2024 semester. TikTokers who had discovered the meme started posting their own before-and-afters. As of early 2025, the meme is enjoying newfound popularity as both University of Waterloo students and others talk about how they’ve changed, for better or worse, while studying engineering and more.
Meme examples
More before and after memes:
- The ‘before and after contour’ meme is magically transformative
- Innies vs outies: What the ‘Severance’ memes say about work and identity
- Expectation vs. reality: How ‘500 Days of Summer’ inspired a reaction meme that perfectly encapsulates disappointment
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