Shortly before the election, a U.W.-Stout student from Saudi Arabia was murdered. I think fear is warranted.
I too have been researching colleges in Canada. Not for safety reasons but for studying abroad opportunities. I think it would be great to have my son study in a foreign culture like Canada.
Thanks for sharing Tom.
With college enrollments in the US already drifting lower for a few years now many public U’s are already cash strapped and looking at International students as a financial resource. If International student numbers fall, they will be in an even bigger bind. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.
Be aware that except for Vancouver and Victoria winters in Canada are long, cold and snowy. Also for the hill-phobics the McGill campus rises up the slopes of Mount Royal.
I do complain about our cold, snowy winters sometimes, but being close to amazing ski resorts (in BC) when we do get a heap of snow is quite nice 
Ya know, I often think we Americans know next to nothing about Canada. Most of us don’t study their history, culture, politics, etc, the way we do for Europe and some other regions.
But I never thought of Canada as a place for an American (certainly not kids within a short drive) to immerse in “foreign culture.”
Young, attractive, more progressive new head of state, student friendly drinking age, lower tuition costs. Seems like a no brainer.
@lookingforward Your second paragraph confirms what you say in your first paragraph.
Lol, Tom. An unintended irony.
While obtaining a student visa to study in Canada is easy, legally immigrating to Canada is as difficult, if not more so, than legally immigrating to the US.
Quebec provides a fast track to permanent residency to graduates of Quebec universities. You must settle in Quebec though which means having a knowledge of French:
Now this is a major difference between Canada and the US. No US state can dictate its own immigration policy.
Tom, funny YouTube going around, making light of this idea the Canadians just can’t wait for us to flock there.
There are the obvious cultural and linguistic differences in Quebec (French) and New Brunswick (Bilingual).
Although there are English elementary and secondary schools in Quebec they are restricted to Canadians educated in English in Canada. An American immigrating there must send their children to French schools.
Elizabeth II is still Queen of Canada.
Canada has a parliamentary system at both the federal and provincial levels. With three major political parties it is the rule rather than the exception that a majority government only receives a minority of the votes. Hmmm.
Canada has socialized medicine.
If the Canadian Supreme Court hands down a decision a province can invoke the “Notwithstanding Clause” and ignore that decision!!
Canada is metric.
In Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan there are public Catholic schools, Unimaginable to an American! Quebec subsidizes private Catholic and Jewish schools.
Most of this is missed by the casual tourist.
@lookingforward
But I never thought of Canada as a place for an American (certainly not kids within a short drive) to immerse in “foreign culture.”
My dual citizen D18 has visited The Big Three in Canada: UBC, McGill, Toronto. Her perception is that there is not really a consistent culture in these sophisticated, international cities. (Especially true of Toronto, IMO). The “foreign culture” is a fantastic representation of people from all around the world.
I grew up spending a lot of time in Canada, and I have relatives in Toronto and Montreal whom I see all the time. It is awfully hard to consider the Canada of Ontario or BC a “foreign culture.” Quebec is legitimately somewhat foreign, although if you were at McGill you would have to make an effort to have more than occasional, superficial encounters with traditional, francophone Quebecois culture.
The real culture shock of Canada is understanding how far to the right the center of American politics is compared to other developed countries. A close friend of the family, who was and remains a solid, liberal Democrat, discovered when she went to McGill for college that her set of views put her on the right-wing fringe of the student body there.
@JHS So you have been familiar with Canada all your life, same for me. My parents are from Newfoundland. 97% of Americans have no idea what Canada is like, even if they consider themselves worldly.
Those in the bubble if New England would have more of a culture shock in Texas or Utah than Toronto. Those in Washington will blend in in BC easily but could have trouble in South Carolina
I was going to start a thread on this, but I think this is an ok place to ask without appearing a hijacker. D applied to the big 3 Canadian schools. Not a reaction to the election, she has been enamored with Canada for years, had the flag on her wall since middle school. Her kind of people she believes. She is fluent in French (knows several languages, but strongest in English and French) so McGill and Quebec has great appeal, but also applied to UofT and UBC (I get that French pretty much means zippo at UBC).
An acquaintance has a son at McGill and mentioned the healthcare was a nightmare, and frankly, I haven’t looked into it deeper than her alarming claim. Not wanting to rely on a crazed mother, I am coming here being the typical American that doesn’t understand another system. My D has a consistent history of colds easily becoming bronchitis/pneumonia (she had bad pneumonia when young) so I just want to know she can get in to see someone if necessary. (She will go to college with a nebulizer…)
Can someone tell me how healthcare works in Ontario for a student? I assume the colleges have a health center on campus (which I will look up). But are urgent care centers popular up there? Do you just pay straight out? I also heard it varies by province as well? I assume a PPO means nothing in Canada…
I apologize in advance for being a dumb American.
I agree with both of these whole-heartedly. The cultural differences between where I live and Utah are considerably more than the differences vs. Toronto or Vancouver.
I note, however, that 97% of Canadians probably have no idea what Newfoundland is like (apart from knowing how many Newfies it takes to screw in a lightbulb).
@JHS You naughty boy or girl) LOL