Pure Math lover,Mcgill,Waterloo/others?international student,wanna migrate to Canada,which Province to go for both my study and easy of immigration?

[breeze123]

Hi.I am an international student in Singapore (from another country)in 11th grade studying A Levels now.I want to major in Pure Math and obtain Phd and hopefully become a researcher/mathematician with my due efforts.I sincerely want to migrate to Canada in the near future.I am yet indecisive on if Mcgill is the most suitable uni for me to realize my dream and potential as I heard that Waterloo is also very strong in math.I come from a low income family in East Asia with household income lower than USD15k/year.I am always on a scholarship for my studies,including now.I am very concerned about my future now.Here are some of my thoughts and background(hope its not too long):

1.I heard that Mcgill and waterloo are 2 strongest school in pure math with good reputation,which is important for research opportunities and getting in touch with great professors.Most importantly,these 2 unis are the most affordable ones compared to UBC,U of T etc.

2.Although my parent asked me not to worry about finance,I am worried about the cost of living there.I want to live in a safe community,most ideally in campus,which is also more expensive,sadly.If i wanna pursue a Phd,I m not sure how many years it takes to realize my dream.However,I think it is worth it to invest in my future now even if it really costs a lot to go to Canada.

3.I have a longing for immigrating to Canada and heard that Montreal is more probable to migrate to than,say,Ontario as there are more options for immigrates there(I am not quite sure tho,but i will research on this later).As I am an Asian female and of a small build,I want to live in a safe environment where discrimination is rare,people are friendly and crime rate is low.

4.I am more fascinated with theoretical work than ‘hands-on experiences’,hence tho ppl say that internship and coop programs are really important to apply for,I always think that pure knowledge appeals to me the most.However,this is quite contradictory given the fact that if i dont go into the work industry early,my parent will have to support me for a longer time,waiting for the moment when I can be a postdoc fellow to come,which may still take quite some time.I also dont want to do part-time jobs as I want to fully dedicate to my studying and taking as many courses as i can to graduate earlier than per normal,saving a lot of money for tuition/rent.

5.I always wanna apply for more scholarships,so I took up any activity/competition/extracurriculum that I can to kinds ‘build my portfolio’ and sacrifice my sleep/recreation time.However,I always want a big chunk of time for me to systematically study math on a more advanced level instead of repeatedly participating in these competitions which test on rather limited ‘problem-solving skills and techniques’.I searched on Mcgill website and saw the merit-based scholarship,I really want to go for it.But the con is…I have less time left to myself for continuously studying what i really love…it’s a hard decision to make.

6.I heard that Mcgill is in the city area while waterloo is more like in the village…I want to be maximize my efficiency in uni by saving time on daily routines/duties such as commuting/food/laundry/shopping etc.i wonder if it is inconvenient in waterloo in terms of living a minimalist life…Also,I am a bit concerned about noise pollution in big cities as I am currently living in a noisy hostel with traffic sounds heard all the time…Regarding life there,I want a single room with privacy where I can talk aloud reciting/prepare my oral presentation things& play the sound out of my speaker of laptop/phone instead of needing to wear headphones&keep my voice down all the time(as my current condition).Long gone are the days where I can do my stuff in my room without others seeing what i am doing and make judgements on that.(sorry for my sensitiveness/sense of insecurity).In fact,I have some hobbies such as arts,singing and guitar which I would love to continue doing only if I can have a somewhat soundproof room for practicing.Sadly,in the current student hostel,I feel very uncomfortable doing these things as everything is ‘in the open’.I only hope that in Mcgill/Waterloo or other good uni in canada i can pick up my hobbies/interests again.

7.I want to know the culture/weather and suitability/friendliness towards immigrants in Montreal around Mcgill campus.As others often say to me that I am somewhat too idealistic,I want to plan my future beforehand and maximize my chance of making it come true.I want to get my bachelor’s and phd degree,even postdoc fellowship in Canada,and if possible and favorable,in Mcgill alone(tho some laugh at my ideas of considering these things at this age/level of education achieved) so that I can settle in Canada sooner.
If you know other opportunities that I can grab and utilize for both my studies and immigration,do let me know~.

8.Generally,I am most inclined to go Mcgill and I believe that I can learn what I want,experience what I expected,and learn French and immigrate there as i have planned to do.I sincerely ask for your advice for my situation and what other options are there for me to consider.For example,if I am over-ambitious,should I also apply to other good unis?What unis are best for learning pure math,given that I am not so concerned about jobs in the industry.

Thank you for taking time to read this and I greatly appreciate for your understanding of and advice for my situation.Any relevant info sharing will be very helpful!Pls feel free to PM me~

[MYOS1634]

Quebec immigration will favor people who speak French (or make a good faith effort at learning).
Apply to both. McGill has financial aid in addition to merit aid, Waterloo has excellent merit aid if you apply before an early deadline (sth like Dec 1).
Canada in general is safe, although course big cities have more people than the countryside. But overall, safety isn’t a huge concern.
Try UToronto too, they have great scholarships. By applying to these three, you ensure that you can choose the cheapest option while being certain that regardless of your choice it’ll be a fantastic choice for pure math.

[DadTwoGirls]

There is a lot in your post to think about.

When you first apply for a student visa, do not tell them that you want to immigrate to Canada. Tell them that you want to go to Canada to get your bachelor’s degree. They much later when you have about one year left you can look into getting a work visa, or optionally going directly on to graduate school.

McGill and Waterloo are very good choices. The University of Toronto is also. The University of Toronto has a “Lester B Pearson” scholarship that is very, very competitive but covers the full cost for the tiny handful of students who get it. You can google the scholarship and read about it.

McGill is right downtown in Montreal. It is in a largely bilingual part of Montreal. Knowing some French will be helpful in getting around Montreal and particularly if you look for internships or want to immigrate to the province of Quebec. However, McGill is very well known throughout Canada. Also, there will be very good French classes available at McGill, and also over the summer both in Montreal and elsewhere in Canada. One daughter took a 5 week intensive French class over the summer at a different university in Canada and it was very good, and shockingly inexpensive. By “intensive French class” this means that they speak French 24 hours per day the whole time. First they explain the rules in English, then the rest is all French. She had language classes in the morning, and interesting activities in the afternoon. When they played “le soccer” if you wanted “la balle” you would say “ici” and not “over here”. When she was in the program I even texted her in French.

The University of Toronto is right in downtown Toronto. Toronto is almost entirely English speaking. You can speak absolutely no French at all and be fine in Toronto. I think it would only be affordable if you do get the very competitive Lester B Pearson scholarship.

I do not recall having any noise problems in either downtown Toronto or downtown Montreal. One issue might be that due to the cold winters the buildings are very well made and very well insulated. The insulation that keeps the cold outside and keeps the warm inside also works just as well against sound – keeping the traffic noise outside.

From an academic point of view McGill, Waterloo, and Toronto will all be very challenging and very strong. You will want to focus on your education and study hard at any of them.

[MYOS1634]

Very good point above: do NOT say you want to immigrate. Say you want to learn French/have startee, want to discover Canada’s and Quebec’s culture. But student visas (/permis d’études) and immigrant visas are totally diff, you must want to be a student to get a student visa. Otherwise they may suspect that you are applying to a student visa in order to work rathet than tudy - although with an admission to any of those 3 I think the concern can be alleviated.

[bouders]

University of Toronto, University of British Columbia and University of Waterloo are all better for pure math than McGill. U of T, UBC and Waterloo have huge East Asian communities. None of these cities are like a village.

Waterloo has a huge co-op culture. Students are more focused on jobs right after undergrad. The search for jobs each semester and having to look for a new place to live each semester can be very stressful. U of T will attract students who are more interested in careers in academia.

You are likely to have a roommate for the first year if you live on campus. You will have a greater choice of living arrangements for your second year.