Canadian universities

Discussion in 'Off Topic [BG]' started by Alex, Dec 10, 2007.

  1. I'm a junior and (already :rollno:) looking at colleges.

    I also really like Canada. I wouldn't mind going to college there, but I don't know much about their universities. I know the big ones like UBC, U of Alberta, U of Toronto, and U of Calgary. Are these like the Canadian equivalents of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc.?

    I'm not really interested in a music school, so resist the temptation to recommend me one ;)

    So, my fellow Canadian TBers, what are some of the top Canadian universities that I should consider, and how do they compare to top American schools?

    Also - if you know anything about degrees transferring across the border from the US to Canada and vice versa, please fill me in. I remember my friend telling me that his parents both went to UBC and got degrees in teaching, but then had to take a bunch of classes at a local college to be allowed to teach here. I imagine it is the same with other degrees? I'm sure a law degree is completely incompatible...

    Thanks!

    ~Alex
     
  2. Fontaine

    Fontaine

    Apr 27, 2006
    well here in newfoundland we got a GREAT engineering school....all programs here are 3 years long (or around that), and with a few programs you can actually then transfer to the university of Indiana and get your degree in another 3 years! (or i think its one...er 3....something like that)

    but me, im doing Petroleum Engineering Technology now, when i finish my 3 years, i will be able to make an insane amount of money, and its something i like a lot.

    www.cna.nl.ca

    (ridge road campus is the engineering one)
     
  3. Jeff Moote

    Jeff Moote Supporting Member

    Oct 11, 2001
    Beamsville, ON, Canada
    What are you looking to study? That will help guide the advice you get from those of us up North.

    Taking your degree across the border will only matter in a regulated profession (teaching, law, engineering, medicine) but it usually doesn't take much to qualify for employment in the other country - heck, we've been losing all our doctors to the US for years.
     
  4. Is that because of your universal healthcare?

    I'm interested in (as I like to say) not math and science. That is, business, economics, political science, finance, maybe law? etc. Not exactly sure yet but that's the area I'm into, so something like an engineering school is out.
     
  5. Fontaine

    Fontaine

    Apr 27, 2006
    dont go to MUN:eek::bag:

    :bassist::D
     
  6. haha thought you meant Model UN and I didn't get it but then after some Googling I realized the horrible truth...that you meant Memorial Uiversity of Newfoundland.
     
  7. Fontaine

    Fontaine

    Apr 27, 2006
    yea bad ole Memorial University of Newfoundland, everyone told me not to go....good thing i listened too, all my friends that went there are boomin lol

    you cant learn if there 300-500 people in your class...(thats my theory anyway)
     
  8. peaveyuser

    peaveyuser Inactive

    Oct 18, 2006
    Montreal,Canada
    McGill is awesome, great campus and a great city to be in.

    Very good Doctors, business and law programs here.

    http://www.mcgill.ca/

    Also check out Queens.
     
  9. Jeff Moote

    Jeff Moote Supporting Member

    Oct 11, 2001
    Beamsville, ON, Canada
    It's because your salaries are uncapped :meh: Things are slowly changing for the better here...

    I'd look at Queen's, McGill, U of Toronto for good programs in the areas you mentioned. Queen's has a very highly regarded Commerce school, and all of them house law schools. There are many other options of course, but these are the biggest names around as far as I'm concerned.
     
  10. Jiggybass

    Jiggybass Guest

    Nov 15, 2005
    Sudbury, Canada
    For that Queens and McGill would be terrific!

    Also Waterloo is an amazing university.
     
  11. Eric Cioe

    Eric Cioe Supporting Member

    Jun 4, 2001
    Holland, MI
    Back in the days when I was interested in law school, I looked into going to someplace in Canada. If you think you ever want to practice law in the US, don't go to law school in Canada. You'd have to go to law school again, in America, to be able to practice here. That said, for an undergraduate degree, Canada isn't a bad option.
     
  12. jenderfazz

    jenderfazz Guest

    Apr 17, 2003
    montreal, qc, Canada
    McGill is a pretty cool school. If you don't want to go too far from home, check out some of the major Ontarian universities like U of Toronto, Waterloo, Queens, etc.
     
  13. Aaron Saunders

    Aaron Saunders

    Apr 27, 2002
    Ontario
    RE: Law...

    Actually, most Canadian universities offering an LLB program have actually switched over to the Jurisprudence degree much like is commonly found in the US, so you really wouldn't have a problem with a Canadian law degree. For grad school, I'm looking at a program at SFU that, when I finish, will leave me with a PhD in psych and an LLB, allowing me to practice law (upon some courses and passing the bar exam) in Canada or the US.

    Currently attending Queen's...it's a great university, only problem for me is that it's not in Toronto. ~15-20,000 students, big undergrad -- psychology, lifesciences, engineering, commerce, and education are the big ones here as far as I know. Consistently rated in the top 3 in Canada alongside University of Toronto and McGill. Also, gorgeous campus. As a junior in HS, you'll also be in a good position to take advantage of all the construction they're doing at the university now, including a new athletics facility. Kingston, the home city, is significantly smaller than either Montreal or Toronto at a population of roughly ~120,000 people.

    McGill is also awesome and is especially known for its research, plus, it's in Montreal -- always a plus. Plus, as a musician, you'll love the local scene and will have plenty of musicians to jam with...McGill has a huge music program (and a large jazz one at that) so there's lots of guys that play in the city.

    University of Toronto is the largest school in Canada, tens of thousands of undergrad students. It's very easy to get lost amongst the numbers, and lectures frequently have several hundred people, especially in first year. Quality of education is very high here, and they're especially known for sciences from what I understand. Living in Toronto is like living in most big cities...faaaantastic. Good music scene in the city, better jazz than Montreal.


    EDIT: I'd offer advice on UBC, all I know is that it's top 5 at least and has the highest admission standards of anyone in the country. This is somewhat in part to the education offered, but another contributing factor is that UBC is hands-down the most gorgeous campus I've ever seen and very close to downtown Vancouver, which, IIRC, is rated as one of the top 3 or 4 places in the world to live.
     
  14. bmc

    bmc

    Nov 15, 2003
    Switzerland
    From a foreign pespective, Canadian universities are highly regarded. We have a daughter at UBC and one heading off to uni next year. UBS, Queen's, McGill are great schools. There are lots of other choices depending on what you wish to specialize in.
     
  15. Aaron Saunders

    Aaron Saunders

    Apr 27, 2002
    Ontario
    A friend of mine is over here at Queen's from Geneva, actually -- Nikita Mlotek, he has a few friends I guess who ended up at various Canadian and American universities.
     
  16. bmc

    bmc

    Nov 15, 2003
    Switzerland
    Ask Nikita if he went to "La Chat", "LGB" or "CDL". Then ask what year he graduated. The English school community is very small in this city.
     
  17. crispygoat

    crispygoat Guest

    Aug 22, 2006
    London, Ontario
    +1
     
  18. McGill, Queens, Waterloo, UofA and UofC are all great school.
     
  19. MAJOR METAL

    MAJOR METAL The Beagle Father Supporting Member

    Is tuition government subsidized ?
     
  20. Jeff Moote

    Jeff Moote Supporting Member

    Oct 11, 2001
    Beamsville, ON, Canada
    For all saying Waterloo is a great school... I'd say this is not true if you're coming here to get an undergrad degree in the Arts. For math and engineering it is very highly regarded, and throughout the various faculties there are many innovative minds. For the fellow in question though, I think he'd be much happier in a bigger city or at least at a school with some amount of prestige attached to its (non-technical) degrees.

    Yes, but tuition rates for international students are much higher as the government pays less toward their fees.