YOWkid

Who told you to hang around the theatre majors?

But then again, I don't guarantee the lovely ladies are there anymore now that I'm gone.

But how do you define "big"? In my eyes, the big ones would be Victoria, UBC, Calgary, Alberta, McMaster, Western, Waterloo, Guelph, Toronto, York, Queen's, Ottawa, Carleton, McGill, Montreal, Concordia, UNB, Dalhousie / King's College?

I totally agree with this statement. The only difference in some instances would be starting salary when going out to get a job, but I'm sure you can swallow a "lower" salary for a year and prove that you're just as good as a graduate from Harvard.

I totally agree Blain. That's why I left Canada for my MA.

blackheath46

GSP Flyer, I agree with Cedric, you would be doing yourself a grave disservice if you did not give Guelph serious consideration (not biased, I'm a Western grad).
Wonderful small town friendly atmosphere but one hour from downtown Toronto and (this may be the best part for you) only forty-five minutes to YYZ.

cedric

Some info for you:

Department Website
http://www.polisci.uoguelph.ca/

BA PoliSci Program
http://www.uoguelph.ca/undergrad_cal...0ba-pols.shtml

Course Descriptions
http://www.uoguelph.ca/undergrad_calendar/12pols.shtml

University Website
http://www.uoguelph.ca/

YOWkid

Not for polisci... In all due respect, Guelph definitely does not come to mind when it comes to that field...

I would serious lean towards Ottawa or Carleton -- with both the federal government and local city government just a few hundred metres away from each other, you cannot get any better than that!

[This message has been edited by YOWkid (edited 10-01-2003).]

CanuckFlyer

GSP flyer, I did my undergrad at Simon Fraser (I chose it over UBC and McGill for reasons I can explain to you if you are interested) then did graduate study at UBC. I'm now faculty at U of Toronto (currently on a research leave in ATL). If I can provide any insights, let me know here that you will be emailing me, then drop me a line. (I don't check my flyertalk email unless I know I have mail.)

Best of luck with your decision.

blackheath46

YOWkid, from a strictly academic point of view you maybe correct but undergrad university life is more than just academics. But I am pleased to hear that Ottawa is also a viable option.

schreibsman

i haven't had time to check FT lately, so here's my two cents:

I'm in my third year of undergrad at McGill (Marketing Management & Intl Business) and can't say enough good things about it. The administration can be a pain sometimes, but that's expected anywhere.

not sure exactly the information you're looking for, but I'm from west virginia, so I can help you out with any culture shock issues/immigration/the works. drop me an email.

YOWkid

Have you hung around the Byward Market on Thursday, Friday, and the weekends? Besides, as mentionned before, if you get tired of that scene, Montreal is just down the Queensway.

wrangler

For a great political science experience both from a Canadian and US perspective, I would highly consider the University of Toronto. The U of T continues to attract top calibre professors with a exceptional amount of experience. With Queens Park seconds away, and City Hall down the street you will definitely get enough flavour of local politics.

I am currently in my 4th year of a Major in Public Policy at the Scarborough campus located 15 minutes east of the city. But I do take many of my courses at the downtown campus as well.

As for the cultural experience, Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world and you will definitely get to see quite a bit of it.

However, U of T has one of the largest student populations in Canada. With about 50,000 students you will find the 1st and 2nd year classes quite large but will find 3rd and 4th year classes much smaller (15-20) and more attention given by the professor.

As for catching Hockey games, you will definitely have a hard time trying to get Leaf tickets for any reasonable price. You would be better off going down the QEW to Buffalo to catch the Sabres, or go down the 401 to catch the Senators or the Habs.

Lastly, US Airways has jet service to PIT/PHL/CLT so getting back to GSP would not be a problem.

Thats my $0.02CAD

YOWkid

But, that brings about the question, bLuJaay, do provinces even matter anymore in our national structures debate? (You can probably guess what my stance on that is! -- In my opinion, provinces no longer matter to the Canadian system -- it's the Feds and the cities that will make a difference in the future; this notion is the fault of the provinces themselves more than anyone else with the creation, distribution of power, and the downloading of services to the cities.)

In all due respect, though, if you want a good public policy experience at the undergraduate level, I think (oh my, I hope my Ottawa counterparts never read this!) Carleton would be a lot better than Toronto and Ottawa. At the graduate level, UVic is quite good, as well as Queen's and Dalhousie's -- but I would imagine that Carleton would still top the charts for that area.

But, in all honesty, you cannot go wrong if you choose any science po program at the big 20 unis in Canada. At the undergrad level, it frankly doesn't matter. They all teach the same political theory crap -- it's just a different face at the front of the classroom.

GSP flyer

Once again, I thank you for all of your help.

Well it looks like I'm heading off to Montreal to meet my best friend for the Thanksgiving holidays(Thur-Sun. for me) , I can't find a ticket for less that $1400 USD(which I am willing to pay if necessary). If anyone can point me to a consolidator that does USA-Canada tickets that would be great, if not at least I get First Class on NW.

Secondly, how does one get from Dorval to McGill in the cheapest way possible?

Finally, what is the minimum aamount of documentation one needs to enter Canada(driver's license and/or birth certificate?).

Gosh, I really don't know what I would do without all of you guys.

Thanks again.
-GSP

schreibsman

are you talking about american or canadian thanksgiving? regardless, anything over 300$ USD is too much from the east coast, with the appropriate advanced purchase etc. try www.studentuniverse.com/airsearch to get student fares that are decent.

cheapest way from YUL to downtown is also the biggest hassle--public transportation will get you there, but it involves 2 bus transfers and a ride on the metro. middle-tier is the aerobus shuttle for 12$ CDN (one way, $21 i belive for return), and a taxi will be 28$ flat rate to downtown.

for crossing the borders, you need proof of citizenship--passports are best, but a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID will work.

drop me a line and we can get together for drinks, maybe Larry and the other YUL gang will be up for round 2 of a YUL GT.

brian



[This message has been edited by schreibsman (edited 10-04-2003).]

YOWkid

Can one take VIA between Dorval and Centreville? Wouldn't that be the quickest way of getting downtown?

schreibsman

possibly, but it's more expensive and less frequent I imagine. there are also the commuter trains that run from gare dorval, but they aren't very frequent if it's not rush hour.

FlyerAl

If I'm not mistaken, there is a free shuttle service from YUL to the Dorval train station. The VIA train from there to downtown costs $10 one-way.

Here's the link:

http://www.viarail.ca/affaires/en_affa_airc.html

[This message has been edited by FlyerAl (edited 10-05-2003).]