<p>The University of Toronto is one of the top universities in Canada, some would say the best; or if not the best, then certainly among the top 3 along with McGill and UBC. </p>
<p>Guelph is a good school, too. Macleans, a Candian magazine that does a US News-style annual ranking of Canadian colleges and universities, puts Guelph #4 in the “comprehensive universities” category (after Simon Fraser, Victoria, and Waterloo, all pretty good schools), while ranking Toronto #2 in the “medical/doctoral university” category (with McGill #1 and UBC #3). The Globe and Mail, a national newspaper, ranks Guelph #1 in Canada in student satisfaction. I think most Canadians would say the “medical/doctoral” universities—the ones with the biggest, most diverse, and best-funded research operations-- are the most prestigious. Toronto also has a much stronger international reputation, regularly coming in with a pretty high spot in the international university rankings–though the value of these rankings is suspect. But that doesn’t necessarily speak to the quality of undergraduate education. U Toronto is huge, with about 45,000 students, 33,000 of them undergraduates, and a student/faculty ratio of about 18:1, which would be on the high side for a U.S. public flagship. As an urban university it also doesn’t have the same traditional campus-centric, college-town feel that many people prefer. Guelph is a bit smaller, with about 20,000 students (including 18,000 undergrads); on the other hand, its student/faculty ratio of 24:1 is even worse. </p>
<p>As for the cities, Toronto is big, dynamic, urban, and multicultural, loaded with arts and nightlife. Guelph is a sleepy, somewhat bland little town, typical of English-speaking Canada, though now in the development path of an expanding Greater Toronto metro area and maybe only an hour’s drive from downtown Toronto (when traffic’s good). Take your pick. As between the two I’d take Toronto in a heartbeat, but because of the size and student/faculty ratio there are plenty of U.S. schools I’d take first. As for the schools you named, I’d say it’s maybe a close call between Wisconsin-Madison and Toronto, the former for a more traditional college atmosphere, the latter for a zestier but less campus-centric urban life. I might choose Guelph over NC State for third place.</p>