I am currently leaning towards Ivey AEO and eventually enter the Ivey HBA program in my third year since they have the highest starting salary ($60,000) after graduation, the strongest alumni network and best job placement in Canada.
However, my parents are not paying a single penny for my education so I have to get a part-time job and take out student loans. If I choose Ivey, I would easily be in over +$100,000 in debt by the time I graduate, given how expensive the tuition is in the third and fourth year. I’m just not sure if the ivey prestige is worth such a tremendous sacrifice.
Since I’m from Vancouver, I would likely be only $20,000 in debt after four years if I attend UBC. There is no doubt that UBC is quite a prestigious school, however, their annual employment report shows that sauder grads have one of the lowest starting salary (around $40,000) compared to all of the top tier canadian business schools and they do not have the amount of networking and support that ivey provides.
On the other hand, the good is side about UTSC MIB is that I receive two domestic co-op placements and an international co-op placement abroad, allowing me to cover quite a bit of the tuition costs of $15,000 annually. This program just started a few years ago so it could either be a success or failure. Also, I heard a lot of negative comments about the lack of school spirit and social life on campus due to it being largely a commuter school.
I’m really stuck right now and I’m not sure what to do. What do you guys think I should do?