U of Toronto (Scarborough)
McGill University
McMaster University
University of British Columbia
Carleton University
Please help 
Have you been admitted to all of these?
Whatās your budget?
Why Canada?
What major?
UBC and McGill are clearly the best ones so if youāre asking, you have other questions than prestige, what are your criteria?
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UBCāa great university-- because Vancouver, British Columbia is gorgeous & has nice weather. Otherwise, Toronto or McGill because both are well known & well respected in much of the world including the USA.
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What is your situation? Have you been admitted to any of these? Where are you from?
All of them will be academically very good.
McGill, Toronto, and UBC will be the best known outside of Canada. All are well known in Canada. I sort of suspect that outside of Canada the distinction between the Scarborough campus of Toronto versus the main downtown campus might be lost on most people.
McGill is right in the middle of Montreal, which is a very interesting place to spend four years. There are all kinds of things to do nearby. If you want a bit of nature, Mount Royal Park is very close by. You can get by okay with only English in the area around McGill although of course Montreal is a majority French city.
UBC is in a small forest right on the western tip of Vancouver. It is close to downtown, but has the forest, a botanical park, and is surrounded by beaches. On a clear day you can see mountains which are not very far away. The winters will be warmer than the other schools, but it will rain a LOT ā being just above freezing and raining does not actually feel warmer compared to being well below freezing and sunny.
I do not know much about the Scarborough campus of U.of Toronto.
McMaster is right in the middle of Hamilton, which is a pleasant mid sized city. However, I cannot think of what Hamilton is known for.
What do you want in a university? What is your intended major? Are you Canadian (citizen or permanent resident)? In the unlikely case that you are French the prices will vary quite widely between these schools (McGill gives a break for citizens of France).
College junior? Are you transferring? Please explain.
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Yep, transferring.
Iām not a Canadian citizen, Iām a Science major, and Iām mostly concerned with the campus environment (maybe size as well). Iāve heard that, academically, they are wonderful schools. I was waitlisted for McGillš¤, havenāt heard back from McMaster, and accepted to the other 3.
Originally from Ecuador, and Iām transferring to Canada. I got waitlisted at McGill, havenāt heard back from McMaster and I got into the remaining 3.
I would choose UBC. Iām a U of T alum, in the sciences. U of T Scarborough is in a residential area and is more of a commuter campus. I donāt recommend it for international students. UBC is in the same academic and scientific research league as U of T. Carleton is not. UBC is a gorgeous campus with a lot of international students and great academics.
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Then, UBC is the best choice.
(Unless you got into Okanagan)
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Yes, my advice was assuming the OP got into UBC-Vancouver.
If I decide to go to UBC, Iād be placed in Year 2, instead of continuing to Year 3. Do you think itās worth it?
Yes.
They want to make sure youāve covered the exact same thing as their own UO and U1 students.
Either itāll be something you already know and you can shine, or itās something you donāt and youāll be glad youāll be learning it alongside the other students.
Checking; you were admitted to UBC Vancouver, right, not Okanagan? (Our recommendation for UBC rests on our assumption itās Vancouver).
Any other reasons why you wouldnāt recommend U of T (Scarborough) to intāl students?
Also, thanks for your feedback.
Itās a branch campus, mostly commuter. Itād be very boring for an international student, and very isolating. You want a campus with lots of activities and where people actually live.
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Thanks.
And, yes, UBC Vancouver.
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Why the negative reaction to UBC Okanagan? My son is thinking of applying there for engineering- in the hope it may be easier to get into than the Vancouver campus.
Itās isolated (~ not easy to access) compared to Vancouver and in a medium city (~100,000 people).
Pretty region, sunnier than Vancouver but not as prestigious and less āvibrant metropolisā in vibe.