<p>It seems like some people on this board are misled to believe that Canadian Universities are worth something..</p>
<p>I am Canadian and I can tell you all that "harvard of the north" or "mit of canada" are all drivel</p>
<p>Canadian Universities are actually quite easy for us to get into and are NOT on the same level as American Universities (better than LACs)- nominally anyways..</p>
<p>exactly.. and Canadian universities don't really look at anything else other than grades..</p>
<p>I get the feeling that dooit is not really Canadian and just wants to bash Canadian universities.</p>
<p>I AM Canadian, and I'll say that it's true that they are not at the same level as American universities--but the two really good Canadian schools (McGill and UofT) would place in the top 50 in the U.S. And when you consider how cheap they are in comparison with their American counterparts, they are a very attractive and worthwhile option.</p>
<p>Im a dual-citizen, a product of both systems, and I can say that Canada has a very solid education system but the selectivity, resources, prestige CANNOT compare with the top privates and top publics in the US. UofT and McGill, however, would be top 30 schools in the US. And while the price may be a bargain compared to privates, your local state school will most likely be competitive/cheaper than a canadian university.</p>
<p>Canadian admissions are, on average, much less competitive than American admissions, though there are certain schools and programs that are extremely competitive. And yes, admissions are mostly grade-based. It's not like America, with its two tiers of private ivys vs state u's. Practically all Canadian universities are public - unless they're religious or specialty schools. As a result, they're more uniform in quality. And no, the best of the Canadian universities may be less than the best of the American universities, but I've heard it said that even the more mediocre Can. universities are miles ahead of a good number of American U's. On the whole, Canadian schools are well-funded, and they don't lack for well-qualified professors, intelligent and driven student bodies, and all sorts of activities and opportunities outside the classroom. Any nationality of undergraduate student could find themselves excited and challenged in a good Canadian U.</p>
<p>actually to tell you the truth the top canadian universities like mcgill, u of t, and ubc would place in the top 20 of north america...firstly canadian high school is WAY WAY harder than american highschool...second of all canadian universities accept students with good grades...none of this im rich and i should be able to go to harvard just because i can donate a lot of money and etc</p>
<p>The fact they don't look at legacies and donations is because they don't have enough qualified people applying to their school in the first place...</p>
<p>Quote:firstly canadian high school is WAY WAY harder than american highschool...</p>
<p>Nah, I am sleeping half the time in class and I can get into most of the "prestigious" programs at u of t grades wise..</p>
<p>EDIT: oh one more thing, if they were to rank the professors at Canadian Universities I do believe they can get into top 20's...but the admissions process is a joke</p>
<p>One person from my high school went to UBC last year... he definitely would not have been accepted at any US top 30 university... so the student bodies dont seem so impressive...
but.. Cal Berkeley just got its new Chancellor from UofT.. so if american universities are having to learn from the canadians about how to run a school, i guess thats a pretty good indication that the canadian professors and administrations are doing a very good job.</p>
<p>But remember, they are also public schools, once again. Many qualified U.S. applicants get rejected from the top Canadian schools (Queens, McGill, UofT), while it is much easier for Canadians. But don't tell me you don't know a lot of in-state idiots going to Berkeley, UCLA, UMich and the like.</p>
<p>And let us not forget that competitiveness in admissions does not equal academic quality. And in the latter respect, top Canadian universities are on the same level as their US counterparts (save maybe a few schools in the top 15).</p>
<p>Again, dooit's posts seem to be nothing but inflammatory.</p>
<p>i totally agree with you jpps1. It's obvious that Canadian universities are not on par with the top universities in the States like Harvard, Yale and Princeton but dooit makes the Canadian universities sound like American community colleges.</p>
<p>Waterloo is in the top 20 for engineering in north america isnt it?</p>
<p>Is there anything such as a Canadian PRIVATE university? lol..</p>
<p>stanfordlover, jpps- Like I said, im a product of both systems. I literally skip every single class I have (canada) and I have a 91% avg. School here is a subjective joke (at least in ontario). Everyone here knows how subjective it is etc. In the states, I missed 3 classes in 2 years....you just couldnt skip classes or you would be too far behind. I watched 1 movie in 2 years in the states whereas in Canada I watch a movie in each class per week (usually more). Ontario high school is a joke and Ontario is the richest province in Canada so I believe that reflects on the entire nation....this kind of makes me wonder where all the canadian tax dollars are going. My school cant afford books, ive been given one book this whole year which was a dilapidated hamlet from the 70s. Our school has NO athletic teams...no football, hockey or even varsity basketball. Our school's library is smaller than my american middle school's library. Our computers are from the early 90s. I believe the majority of the money goes to the teachers who make alot more than their american counterparts, undeservedly. The amazing thing is...that my school isnt a bad school at all...it leads my region in the rankings lol.</p>
<p>It is true that the top american privates are out of canadian u's leagues but the top american publics are better as well. In terms of selectivity, Berkeley Michigan and UCLA are not taking the low quality in-state kids that you claim. Everyone that gets into those schools is high quality, compared to UofT for example. Do you know what you need to have to get into UofT arts? 78+. That is very poor because Canadian teachers will give anyone an 80, but it gets harder to get 90s.</p>
<p>UofT McGill and UBC are great schools but I dont believe they are on par with the top privates and Berkeley Michigan UCLA. However, I believe the top canadians are congruent with the rest of the top american publics (illinois, north carolina, washington, florida)</p>
<p>and about selectivity not being the main factor in quality, I concur to a certain degree. A university simply cannot be selective if they let in anybody. And as for undergrad quality...i can assure you that UofT isnt even tops in canada. Profs will NEVER know your name in Uoft...classes are HUGE, administration takes forever to do anything, there is zero school spirit....but libraries are nice. Thats none of my canadian buddies want to go to UofT....they are all considering Queens, Laurier, McGill (which suffers from the same flaws). UofT McGIll and UBC are top of the line grad schools but that quality just doesnt trickle down to undergrad.</p>
<p>Well, I'm sorry you go to a pathetic high school. It is NOT a reflection on the education system; I know that my school and many others that my friends go to are well-funded.</p>
<p>jppsi - If you took the time to read my post without commenting you would realize that my school is ranked first in my region. Therefore, a school as poorly funded, administered as mine is selected as the best high school in my entire region of 500,000 people....Sound strange to you? I live in an afluent region and all the schools outside of mine have worse reputations. This reflects on the entire province and the entire nation.</p>
<p>And I'm telling you that my high school is ranked 3rd in my region (a much larger one than yours) and that it is well-funded and administered, along with several other top-ranked schools in the city.</p>
<p>My Canadian high school was in a suburban, working-class district that didn't get as much funding as the nearby ones. Not affluent at all. About 10-15% of graduates would go on to 4-year institutions, usually the ones who had 80% averages. I had friends who skipped lots of classes, and their grades usually suffered for it. We could certainly afford books - we usually had at least two hard-cover texts for each course, often more. There were tons of sports teams - football, soccer, badminton, basketball, volleyball, and more. The computers were all relatively modern with a high-speed internet connections. We had a great theatre, co-funded by the community, and mounted a fall play and a full-scale musical each year. And the well-paid teachers there more than earned their keep. Oh, and I do not live in the most affluent province in Canada, although one of my friends comes from a school in the very backwoods in northern Ontario, where she was incredibly well-prepared for university in terms of learning how to research, write papers, etc. Please do not go painting all Canadian school as backwards ghettos. They have their problems, yes, but they are of some quality. And thank god they are not afflicted by all that No Child Left Behind stuff destroying the US educational system.</p>
<p>yeah i dont know what you are talking about aca0260. I live in BC and in my school if you miss class, you are behind. My school was rated 6th in North America for an American Mathematics Competition. Plus I know a lot of people from the states that moved to BC and they claim too that school is easier in the States. I know we both agree on the top notch schools like Harvard, Stanford, Yale, etc.being the best but when you said that Mcgill or UBC is not on par with UCLA that is absurd. I'm not badmouthing America because I plan to move when I'm older but I'm sure that on average school in Canada is harder than school in America.</p>
<p>And to add to my previous post, it seems like it's so easy to get a high gpa in the States where they count EVERY single course. I can tell by their SAT scores. Students that score high on their SAT I and II's should have high GPA's but there's a lot of students who have 1200's-1300's and a 4.0 gpa. I'm not being biased or anything even though I prefer the American educational system (I don't know why?!)</p>
<p>oh and to add one more thing...you watch a movie in every single class every week?what kind of school is this? i havent watched a movie in high school since history class.</p>
<p>sorry for my excessive comments</p>