<p>I’m not so sure about the UK/US, but I can tell you about Canadian schools (I’m actually an IR major at UBC!).</p>
<p>UBC-O and UBC-Van will technically give you the same degree. However, there are some important differences between the two schools…</p>
<p>-Location: this is obvious. UBC Vancouver is in the city of Vancouver, which is great for a number of reasons - better nightlife, more work/internship opportunities, etc. Vancouver is also hosting the 2010 winter olympics, which is going to be really fun! UBC-O is in Kelowna, about a three hour drive east of Vancouver. It’s a smaller city and a large percentage of the population doesn’t actually live there - it’s a popular place for vacations and a lot of people own waterfront property there for just that reason. I’m from Calgary (in Alberta - next province over), and some of my dad’s colleagues own summer places in Kelowna. </p>
<p>-Reputation: UBC Vancouver is a lot older. Although you technically get a UBC degree from both institutions, UBC-O is still fairly new and therefore has much easier entrance requirements. Admission to UBC Vancouver is pretty competitive in Canada, but UBC-O guarantees admission if you have over a 75% average (roughly a B grade). This also means that UBC Vancouver has a lot more course variety and more programs offered - this is especially important in IR as you have a lot of flexibility with your specialization within your degree (ex. security studies, development/trade, area studies, etc). </p>
<p>-IR Program… since you asked…
I know a lot about the IR program at UBC Van since I’m actually in it… admission is fairly competitive. They only admit ~50 students a year and the requirements include first year econ, which is known to be a bit torturous because we have to take it alongside the commerce students - the department wants to weed them out and makes it tough. Just from looking at UBC-O’s website - they require a B- average for the IR major.</p>
<p>-Extra Resources
Again, I can’t speak for UBCO because I don’t go there, but UBCV has really good support for the IR program. There are a few research institutes at UBCV (including the Liu Institute- check out their website if you can) and some of my friends who are in their senior years have jobs as research assistants - great for grad school! We also are home to IRSA, one of the longest running IR-student associations in Canada. The club hosts a lot of great speakers and can really help you network and participate in other programs - MUN, Model NATO, editing the undergrad Journal of International Affairs (which is peer-reviewed and distributed widely in Canada and internationally… not bad), being a club exec, etc. </p>
<p>You can’t go wrong with UBC, McGill or Toronto. What matters in this decision is pretty personal as the schools all have good reputation. You should do some research into the specifics of the programs at the different schools, especially if you are considering a specialization within IR in area studies - I know UBC is huge in Asian Studies but has relatively few courses on Africa, whereas McGill has a lot more on Africa. You also have to consider what city you want to live in, where you might want to work in the future, etc. </p>
<p>Good luck! :)</p>