I was tossing around the idea of just going north or just applying to some Canadian Universities.
Advantages:
- Cheaper
- Basically a clean slate, probably won’t see any of my peers (yes, this is a plus)
- I get to be more worldly? What a cliché, but you get my drift
- Canadian citizen. In a sense, I’d be going home.
- UC’s are edging Californians out, so maybe I’d have better odds
Disadvantages:
- Far away from family and what I’m used to
- No idea how application process works, probably a hassle
- Will be harder to find jobs if/when I return to US
Can someone who has taken a similar-ish route comment? Would it be worth giving a shot?
I feel McGill and Toronto have good name recognition in the USA. I went to a competitive HS in USA and there was usually atleast one McGill student a year.
It can be a great option for undergrad if you plan on attending grad school in the U.S. because employers care mostly about your ultimate degree. Also, there are some students whose stats/ECs are not quite there for a top U.S. school, so Canadian universities offer an opportunity for higher reputation/prestige (at least “international” reputation).
Another difference in Cdn schools is their ‘sink-or-swim’ nature: they tend to do less hand-holding and seem less concerned with graduation rates. Cdn schools don’t feel the competitive pressure for top students the way U.S. schools do, so in Canada, administration/faculty have a way of distancing themselves from student concerns and it’s easier to slip through the cracks. The upside is that students tend to mature faster in that type of environment. You will also find U.S. campuses to be more vibrant, on the whole.
–What are your stats?
–What do you want to major in?
–Is grad school in your future?
Canadian universities are a lot easier to apply to than US universities. UBC Engineering has been added to the Common App this year. It’s probably a feeler and I expect more will be added next year. For programs not on the Common App, there are generally no essays and it’s a simple matter of filling out some fields on a website. It took my son less than 10 minutes to apply to about 8 Ontario universities for 2014. It would be a little more work for a non-resident, but not much.
@timetodecide12 I’ll look into those. Thanks!
@bouders That’s reassuring. Thank you!
@Dunboyne
Yep, I was hoping that my odds would be better with Canadian universities.
SAT: 2240, M740, R740, W760
Waiting on my subject tests and ap scores
GPA: like 4.2 weighted
Extracurriculars: lacking…
I’m Asian. Yippee.
I want something technology related. Leaning towards programming but engineering would be fun too.
I dunno about grad school. I think I’d rather just get out there and get a job.
With your stats, you’ll get into a solid UC. With your career goals, there are employment advantages to staying in the U.S. Throw in an app to UBC to tickle your fancy.
@Dunboyne Alright, thanks. UBC seems quite nice and their website is really easy to navigate. Do you think I’d have a good chance at getting into UCSD or UCLA?
What is your UW GPA / UC GPA? Course rigor (AP/Honors)? Brief summary of ECs / work experience?
@Dunboyne
UW is 3.92
Junior year:
Honors English (1 sem)
APES
APUSH
AP stat
Senior year:
AP Comp Sci
Physics H
AP Econ
AP Psych
Honors English (1 sem)
AB Calc
Swimming, wopo, piano, library volunteer, working with kids at a summer camp, office assistant, (still looking for something this summer)
UCLA: reach. UCSD: match. You’re competitive, so I don’t think you’ll need to venture OOS for a good school, but a few OOS apps wouldn’t hurt, if you can afford them.
@Dunboyne Thank you. Yes, I’ll probably end up applying to some schools in Washington/Oregon for safeties.