Canada vs. southeastern Europe

<p>I'll try not to make this too long, but bear with me.
I have completed my first year undergrad in a Canadian University - I'm doing a variation of International Relations.</p>

<p>The problem? I have never really felt this good in where I live as I was in Southeastern Europe when I was little a come during the holidays. I find that everytime I go there I don't want to leave. The people are nice, climate..ect.</p>

<p>I though I would feel different in university, but I don't. I was advised to go into residence "because that's how you meet new people "(my friend's advice) but I lived so close to the university it seemed a waste to pay thousands of $ a year and, not to offend anyone but I found the people to be susprisingly anti-social - and I grew up there.</p>

<p>I have a couple of options one of which is to transfer to U of Toronto which would be costly (I'd have to pay room and board)and I may have to take a moderate loan from the gov't which isn't TOO bad. </p>

<p>Then, there are some American universities I have been looking into, mainly AUBG (American University in Bulgaria) where I will be close to my family and will enjoy a more intimate setting in a region of the world I feel comfortable in. </p>

<p>Neither are bad.
But one of them is world renowed and the other is, at the risk of sounding disrespectful, the school people go to when they can't afford a school in the USA or Canada. </p>

<p>Many people would give an arm and a leg to have a diploma from the USA or Canada and it seems almost bratty for me to give that up and go back to eastern europe because I feel 'at home'.</p>

<p>I want to back and eventually work in the region, but if even so it seems a diploma from abroad would be regarded with more respect - and I think US/Canada diplomas even more highly regarded than English or French or German ones.
At times I think this is fussing too much over a BA degree.<br>
Any advice would be appreciated.
Sasha</p>

<p>If you want to live and work in SE Europe, it is better to go to AUBG. It is very well regarded in the region and many big international companies recruit there. OTOH Canadian universities are not known there (no offence). It will be difficult to find a good job with a Canadian and even American BA degree. PhD from Harvard, Yale or MIT is a different thing. LOL.</p>

<p>I realise Canadian universities are not known in the region per se, but some universities are internationally well-known, like UBC (British Columbia), U of T.</p>