GSP flyer

I actually don't think I've ever posted here, but there's a first time for everything, I guess.

A little background; I'm currently an American university student who attends Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. It's a great school, and I'd reccomend it to anyone-but there's a problem. My parents are simply too close, only 20 miles down the road, and even though they've said that they wouldn't, they're here EVERY weekend. Consequently, I feel that I have to put some significant distance between family and university. I was looking around and learned about the Canadian university system, which provides high quality education at a fraction of the cost of doing so here in the states. In addition, the winters up there will completely repel my family, as they place ice and snow on roughly the same level as being drawn and quartered.....

I've narrowed down my search to three schools and was wondering if my new Canadian flyertalker friends could give me some imput on them. The schools are (in order of preference):

1)McGill University
2)University of British Columbia
3)University of Toronto

I'd be very thankful for the info. Now I just have to figure out what good all of my loyalty to AA is worth when/if I have to start using Air Canada for internal flights up there.......possible swichover to UA probably in the works if this goes through, but that's putting the cart before the horse.

flyingstudent

I could certainly help you out.

It all depends on your career goals and major of interest. Each school has their own strength and weaknesses. You'll need to post your desired major and what level (undergrad 1st/2nd/3rd year) before we could suggest anything.

I must say all the three schools you picked are excellent choices though.

For myself, I'm an electrical engineering major the University of Waterloo, located a hour southwest of Toronto. If you're majoring in Engineering or Computer Science, I'd really recommend us as we've one of the best CS/Eng programs in Ontario.

musiclover

Welcome to the AC forum, GSP flyer!

As someone who's spent the last several years in university (in Canada and the U.S.), I think I (and others on FT) could give some good advice. But first, I think you need to give us some more information. What are you looking for in a university? A good academic program? (What's your major?) Nice city? (Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver each have their pros and cons.) Just want to get away from the folks? (In which case almost any university will do!) We need to know more before we can help you out...

In the meantime, I will say that McGill, U of T, and UBC are all good schools (and no, I didn't go to any of them -- I'm a McMaster grad). I think it really depends on what you want to get out of your university experience, that will decide this for you...

Cheers,

ml

IJK

It may well depend on the faculty or field of study you wish to attend...

There is no snow at UBC, so it may not be as much a deterrent as you think (although the
distance might make up for the lack of snow).

The UBC environment might be fine for laid-back West Coast liberal types, U of T might be great
for those wanting to be at the center of things, and McGill would be appropriate for those
who wish cultural immersions.

Other than that, what is the real interest here?

Surely there are other solutions to having a very close and interested family...

.

visitor

All three are very good universities. I know them all well. Depending on your field of study, there may be a small advantage to one of them, but unlikely, especially at u/g level. McGill is Montreal, so a different flavour to the city, Toronto is a happening place, and Vancouver is a beautiful city, especially if you are into outdoors life (skiing, hiking, etc.,). Vancouver has a much milder climate than the other two, but it is West Coast, so that'll probably deter your family just as effectively.

All three schools are hard to get into, though they all have international student initiatives. There's a Canadian magazine (MacLeans) which publishes a comparison of all Canadian universities annually, with the 2003 issue due out shortly. The three you have chosen are in the top 5 (with Toronto always tops). I wouldn't read too much into the fine details, as with all ratings systems it is a little dubious, but certainly it makes for interesting reading.

Good luck.

[This message has been edited by visitor (edited 09-28-2003).]

musiclover

Hmmm...looks like flyingstudent, IJK, visitor, and I are on the same wavelength, and also reading FT at strange hours of the day!

(edited to add IJK and visitor to the list of like-minded, late night FTers)

[This message has been edited by musiclover (edited 09-28-2003).]

YOWkid

I'd recommend the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, University of Manitoba, the University of Regina, or the University of Saskatchewan in that case!

As flyingstudent et al. have said, it all depends on where you are studying. But frankly, the top 20 universities in Canada are all very similar in reputation -- some have more than others, but I would argue that the quality of faculty at the top 20 are very close -- it's perhaps the calibre of the students that distinguish how the top 20 are ranked.

And yes, I would also take the Maclean's Ratings with a grain of salt; they are definitely not a true reflection of a university's abilities or status.

[This message has been edited by YOWkid (edited 09-28-2003).]

cedric

Don't forget Lakehead, Laurentian and the other northerly Ontario schools. Also NBC in Prince George (I imagine they get a fair bit of snow since they are quite inland) and a dozen others.

Quote:

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">And yes, I would also take the Maclean's Ratings with a grain of salt; they are definitely not a true reflection of a university's abilities or status.

You mean University of Guelph isn't Canada's best comprehensive university??!?

YOWkid

Definitely not!... Don't you know how many Guelph students it takes to change a lightbulb?

[This message has been edited by YOWkid (edited 09-28-2003).]

cedric

We don't change lightbulbs. The chickens are trained to do that.

[This message has been edited by cedric (edited 09-28-2003).]

why fly

the most important consideration is where are the best parties..... Western!

cedric

it takes five western students to change a lightbulb... one to change the lightbulb and four to find the perfect J CREW outfit to wear for the occasion.

GSP flyer

Okay, here's the rest of the background. I'm a freshman this year, and would be a sophomore transfer student next year. I plan to be a political science major, and am taking all of the US gov't classes that I'll need this year at Furman, so that's not as much of an issue as you'd think. UBC did make the cut because of distance considerations(fun mileage runs back home????).

The other things I looked at:
1)Best education, both academically and culturally, for the money.
2)I need to be near a big city for my own cultural reasons, being out in the sticks here isn't any fun.
3)One connection service back to Greenville in case of emergency.
4)NHL franchise-I'm not joking, I'm a pretty big Pittsburgh Penguins fan, and catching some games can only enhance the college experience, right?
5)Parties are NOT important to me, I don't drink at all.

Thanks a lot for your help guys.
-GSP flyer

why fly

No its Abercrombie these days!

matintin

I wouldn't go to any of these three schools for an undergrad degree. I was quite happy with my choice of a small school, and remain convinced I received as good, if not better, education (at far less cost) than friends who went to large comprehensives.

I now attend UBC, study in a professional faculty, and very much enjoy Vancouver (planning on staying after graduation - many Ontario "refugees" out here).

The reasoning behind attending a small school without many grad programs for your undergraduate degree is focus. Administrators are tempted to use undergrads to subsidize grad programs, which are often given more attention and resources. The unwashed masses of undergraduates are crammed into theatres, watching televised lectures from an overpriced textbook.

In contrast, I had the opportunity to study in the seminar model - which gave me regular and personal access to faculty. Granted, there were no really big names, but don't expect to learn more from people with big reputations. Half the time, the class is cancelled because they're talking to media, or at another conference. Recognized names will always dump pedagogy if conflicted with their own academic reputation or ego.

One more thing: Vancouver DOES get snow. Twice a year, until the rain washes it away.

Feel free to contact me off-board: matintin @ dreaming . org (spaces to prevent spam) for more ranting, or info on undergrad study in Ontario, or UBC/Vancouver.

Edited to note: special consideration should be given to the fact that twice as many students graduated high school in Ontario this year. This systemic change in high school has (among other things) resulted in ripple effects.

Perhaps GSP Flyer should consider an exchange program - you could try the school out, and if you decide to stay, then transfer.

[This message has been edited by matintin (edited 09-28-2003).]