<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>I've always thought McGill and UofT are together the best universities in Canada, but it seems that McGill is the only top one. In terms of entering averages, McGill ranked #1, whereas UofT ranked #14. #2 was UBC: <a href="http://www.univforum.com/canadian-universities/viewtopic.php?t=1296%5B/url%5D">http://www.univforum.com/canadian-universities/viewtopic.php?t=1296</a></p>
<p>THe main point to realize here is that UofT is recognized as being THE toughest university in Canada. They accept alot of people because they have the space, simple. Most of the elite students at my school debated over going to McGill and eventually chose to attend UofT( much to my dissapointment :( ), ask them about the level of selectivity.</p>
<p>On the east coast, nobody cares about U of T. Canadian students are terrible at picking schools, mostly because of their pro-Canada bias. They are simply uniformed about the rest of the world. There are kids who choose York over McGill, because "it's business program is better." York? Business? How many people does Goldman Sachs hire from York? Zero. The perception of local Canadians is meaningless if you plan to go to an elite grad school or wish to enter the global economy. McGill is still the most recognized, and for good reason. Also, McGill provides a truly international experience, where as U of T is basically a commuter school.</p>
<p>U of T has almost no entrance requirements for international students, because they hardly attract any. There classes are huge and impersonal.</p>
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THe main point to realize here is that UofT is recognized as being THE toughest university in Canada.
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<p>Is it really the toughest? Or is it just as tough as other places, but because they are not so selective, the crummy students who would have not made it into other schools that get weeded out at UofT then realize that acceptance is no guarantee of an easy ride?</p>
<p>that is selectivity, not best.
Yeah, im pretty sure toronto has the rep as toughest. </p>
<p>All i ever hear is that people don't have fun their. They just study.</p>
<p>I guarantee that U of T is not harder than McGill in most subjects. U of T admits kids who barely graduated from high school. Many of them still do alright, but it's "hard" for them. Honestly, the problem with top Canadian schools is that they overadmit unqualified applicants. In fairness, McGill is guilty of this too-they admit kids from the FB who barely passed. This is why I warn kids who are valedictorian that they're gonna be in the company of a fair number of dummies and slackers.</p>
<p>I was always under the impression that Canadian students were much more studious than Americans; it's pretty much like that with every other country and the U.S., too.</p>
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Yeah, im pretty sure toronto has the rep as toughest.
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<p>It's not the fact that it has that reputation that I am questioning, it is whether the reputation is warranted. For the reasons stated. There are more people going to UofT than any other canadian university (so any reputation on anything gets a visibility bias), and the weeding out occurs after enrollment. Those who get weeded out feel it's tough. Because so many are weeded out in university gives the impression that it's tougher, but it may be only because UofT has the same grading/teaching standards as elsewhere, but the standards for acceptance are lower. That is, those weeded out of UofT would also be weeded out elsewhere (UBC, McGill, UdeM, etc. but not Ryerson...), had they been accepted and gone elsewhere in the first place.</p>
<p>actually blobof, u do hold a valid point.</p>
<p>As for king kotoure, i dont think that is quite the case with studiousness. Generally speaking, america has the toughest and best academic programs in the world.</p>
<p>I always here stories of people doing study abroad programs to top world schools and their impression is that they are jokes compared to American education (with the exception of some top canadian, english, and european universities)</p>
<p>Well I certainly am glad to hear that, BIGTWIX. I am extremely sick of hearing exchange students tell me that their regular classes are of the same caliber of our AP and IB classes, and that their test scores are so much higher and that they bleargh blearh blah.
Then again, most exchange students struggle with our curricula, even IF they speak fluent English. The incessant put-downs of American secondary academia by international students has become quite tiring.</p>
<p>Ok, truth/perspective time: In Europe, college isn't the end all be-all. There aren't the same societal pressures in Europe as there are in N. America. The flack American's get for their secondary system is, for the most part, warranted when you realize where it's coming from. If the European secondary system wasn't as comprehensible as it was, they wouldn't have the same attitude us N. American's had towards post-secondary education. </p>
<p>The American high school system varies greatly in quality, and that's why it gets attacked by some many outside entities. Take inner city school systems ,for example. In Chicago, you can find a ghetto-a$$ school a few blocks away from a school that holds down the state-wide mathletes championship each year. On the same note, you can find certain high schools in rural america that are using text books that have been deemed obsolete for 10+ years, all because the towns people don't want to pay more money to update the equipment. You just don't hear of those problems in French, Spanish, Swiss, German, etc. (you get the point) high schools. </p>
<p>In post-secondary schooling, however, America simply kicks a$$. There's a reason the best and the brightest from ALL AROUND THE WORLD want to come and study here. The COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (not high-schools) are simply world class. </p>
<p>//end rant</p>
<p>Ha, great points drmambo. My high school is public, inner-city, 25% African American, and still we send about 10 kids to ivies each year. I think that proves that it's not AS much the school, but the determination of the students.</p>
<p>What you're saying, nevertheless, is very reasonable; some kids may make the transition smoothly from high school to college because they had a great college-prep program at their school, whereas other kids (me, etc.) have to disquiet themselves over their possibilities, chances, etc. for college.</p>
<p>UofT has over 50k students (including part time). that's one problem i have with going to a prestigious school with way too many students: although it will be a large intellectual student body, there will definitely be students who make you think how they ever ended up at the same school as you.</p>
<p>I was a high School Valedictorian, I currently attend U of T and I haven’t met any one who isn’t serious about their studies. I also haven’t seen a very easy course… Not too mention how much preparation is needed only to get a b-…I dont know about other universities but I think if u think u can get high grades put urself to the test by applying to U of T…</p>
<p>I was a high School Valedictorian, I currently attend U of T and I haven’t met any one who isn’t serious about their studies. I also haven’t seen a very easy course… Not too mention how much preparation is needed only to get a b-…I dont know about other universities but I think if u think u can get high grades put urself to the test by applying to U of T…</p>