UBC or UofT ?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Toronto
1

<p>Hi everyone !
I got in UBC Vancouver and UofT StGeorge (victoria college).
The choice is hard! Could you advice me? It's difficult to know a lot about colleges here in Belgium...</p>

<p>At UBC I'd be in the Faculty of Arts (psycho) and at UofT in Science (life sciences: psycho).
I really want to focus my studies on research in both biological and social psychology...but I don't love physics and chemistry ahaha. (courses that apparently I won't have to take at UofT even if Im in science)</p>

<p>I'm scared about what I've heard about UofT: that it is an "industry", that students are numbers, that it is not really friendly, that the atmosphere is awful especially for the undergrads, etc..
But I know UofT is a bit more "famous" in Canada regarding the reputation.
I only visited Vancouver so I can't really judge the town or climate.</p>

<p>Thanks ! :)
Jade.</p>

2

<p>I would definitely choose UBC. U of T’s more difficult and impersonal. OF course UBC is still large and challenging in its own right, but students are generally happier there. Don’t worry about reputation; UBC is just as well-known as U of T in and outside of Canada.</p>

3

<p>I disagree. UoT’s reputation is better than UBC’s outside Canada (and inside Canada too, I believe). That it will be a more ‘fun’ university, I cannot say. I’m a graduate from the UK and am speaking from experience in the London job market. UBC’s only comparative advantage is the city of Vancouver, I think. Both are great though, IMO. I recently faced the same dilemma and chose Toronto. A hint of bias, perhaps…</p>

4

<p>I have about five American friends all from different states, and each of them says UBC is better known in the US than U of T. </p>

<p>At the end of the day, however, I really don’t think there’s a significant difference between them as far as reputation goes.</p>

5

<p>I originally lived in Vancouver my whole life and did a semester at UBC. I also did a semester at McGill but my official school is UofT. </p>

<p>UBC:</p>

<p>The campus is ugly, you go through the random “UBC” golf course to get to the actual campus which is on the tip of some peninsula type area of land. The only thing I like about UBC is that you can go down to the beach on some of your breaks (though it’s a nude beach). The University has no history and all the buildings look the same. Most of them are just a bunch of slabs put together. UBC is also regarded as the University of Billions of Chinese people which is completely true. In terms of all 3 Universities, UBC is the easiest in terms of grades – there is no grade deflation whatsoever. Academics wise, it’s just okay, nothing special about the professors and the lectures.</p>

<p>McGill:</p>

<p>I wasn’t here for long but I enjoyed it the most. I am actually going to be transferring to McGill after this year because I liked it so much. People say it lacks funding but it’s not all that bad. In terms of $/student, it’s around the same as UofT. McGill is at about $27 000/student whereas UofT is at about $30 000/student. I like that I am able to learn a new language more easily. I can actually practice French when ordering food or doing daily errands where in Toronto if you wanted to practice French doing the same things you’d look stupid. Montreal is an older city and the buildings all have height requirements: they can’t go above the height of Mount Royal. With that said, the skyline is much more balanced out unlike Toronto’s skyline. In terms of the campus, it’s not as big as UofT’s or UBC’s (which is good because I despise having to walk 20 minutes from res to my Economics class). In terms of Academics, the only issue is that a lot of the professors are older so I am wondering what will happen when they all retire and the University needs to hire new profs… the reputation may go downhill after that but I don’t think the bad rep would develop right away.</p>

<p>UofT:</p>

<p>I’ll start by saying that I love Toronto and the campus. Everything on campus works so well, between the old gothic style buildings to the new modern buildings. I like walking through the campus and you can tell the University keeps the maintenance up to standards and keeps everything pretty. In terms of academics, Professors can be quite snobby and think they’re all that because they write textbooks. During tutorials however it’s amazing to see the differences in intellectual knowledge between schools. Compare an average UofT student in a History tutorial to an average UBC student in a History tutorial and you will see the difference. One thing I noticed being at UofT is that the kids are smart, even the partiers. I guarantee that every student on campus would enjoy engaging in a discussion on the crisis in Libya, or Japan for example. People are more in it for the interest of academics whereas the general student at UBC is just there because they have to be there. If you want a challenge then go to UofT. I truly believe that this school deflates marks more than any other school in Canada (McGill deflates as well but not as badly as UofT). This aspect can either rape you or you can use it to your advantage because you will be more prepared when it comes time to Grad school. Regarding financial aid, it’s a great school, except if you’re affiliated to Victoria college (they’re a rip). They charge you a “Vic fee”. It’s the richest college of all of them on campus but they’re the stingiest with money and only give money to the top students (which will come across very hard because Vic already has the highest standards to get into of all the college). I have had friends in most colleges and I am personally apart of Woodsworth College. I can say that Woodsworth is the best in terms financial aid and just getting money because you lack it. I live with 5 other roommates and all 6 of us applied for a grant from Woodsworth, we wrote up some sob story letter and we were all given grants between $2000-3000 within a week of applying. The awesome thing about Woodsworth is that its the most unpatriotic so no one is involved with the college at all! Which means no one knows or applies to scholarships or grants so they have all this money laying around. If you’re poor, go to UofT and get into Woodsworth because the college will help you financially no doubt. The University though, will not help you and try to screw you out of $500 (referring to their financial aid program UTAPS). About the city of Toronto… there is TONS to do. I mentioned the skyline earlier, I absolutely HATE Toronto’s skyline. There’s the big tall buildings in the financial district which goes on for about 3-4 blocks, then the random CN tower to the west of the financial district. The Toronto skyline ends so abruptly so it’s ugly. To the far east or west of downtown if you stand on one side of the street there will be huge buildings, but once you cross the street it’s like single-floored warehouses from then on. </p>

<p>These are my opinions!</p>

<p>PS: In terms of reputation… if you want to work in Canada/US/Europe, McGill is the way to go. If you want to work in Asia, UofT is the way to go. The moral of the story… don’t choose UBC, it’s reputation is known purely in the world of academia outside of Canada and that’s it. Plus everyone I have dealt with at UBC including Administration, Professors, Counselors, and even students, all think that it is a top tier school and it comes across in their attitude.</p>

6

<p>^ I disagree with most of your criticism of UBC. It beats McGill in many rankings now, so its academics definitely are world-class.</p>

7

<p>Im attending uoft next year and i love the campus. The gothic style buildings are cool. I disagree with adrianbest18 about the Toronto skyline being ugly, its no Vancouver but its not that bad :P. But i will say that both cities are awesome (i have friends who love Vancouver). I dont know anything about your program so i cant really weigh in…</p>

8

<p>The intellectual ability or “willingness” of students at UBC is nowhere near that of the students at UofT and McGill. Having studied at all three this is one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone I met at UBC is just there for the degree, whereas the majority of people I met at McGill and UofT work just as hard, but have a genuine interest in what they’re studying as well, making it easier to have class discussions. Also, all the professors I came across at UBC did not have the same passion professors at UofT and McGill had (especially UofT). I was being a bit harsh about the Toronto skyline, but it’s just so inconsistent that it almost doesn’t make sense to me.</p>

9

<p>You did one semester at UBC, that doesn’t make you the expert on the whole student body and faculty. How are U of T students smarter than UBC students? U of T accepts students with averages in the mid-70s so it can fund its graduate programs (key word being ‘graduate’).</p>

10

<p>It’d only take me a few weeks to get a feel of the school. I never said I was an expert I said it was my opinion and what I experienced there. Higher mark cut-offs (such as UBC) does not make a student body smarter, it means they can read a book and memorize what it says. You seem to just look at very generalized facts you find on the internet and lack the knowledge of having actually studied at all institutions I mentioned. UofT accepts low averages first year to make some profit so it can better fund the students that deserve to be there, not just the graduates. Those students who are accepted first year do not make it to second year as I have seen in many, many cases. I am not a graduate student and I have received over $3000 in generous grants from my college at UofT and I’m not even on a major need-basis. My friend who is in first year Life-Sci received $3500 from the University and $2500 from his College, so your points are irrelevant. Although both Universities are publicly funded, UofT is much more put together than UBC is. The only thing that keeps most of the student body at UBC is the fact that the airfare from Asia is cheaper going to Vancouver than to Toronto.</p>

11

<p>“Higher mark cut-offs (such as UBC) does not make a student body smarter”
Yes, it does. Not everyone bs’d their way to an A average.</p>

<p>“UofT accepts low averages first year to make some profit so it can better fund the students that deserve to be there”
Sounds like a scam to me. They should only accept “students that deserve to be there.” U of T doesn’t care about its undergraduates. That’s why there are so many of you. </p>

<p>“My friend who is in first year Life-Sci received $3500 from the University and $2500 from his College, so your points are irrelevant.”
Universities give scholarships? Thanks for enlightening us. Of course they give money to their top students, that doesn’t really make any of my points irrelevant. Their focus still is and always will be on their research. Why do you think students there are so miserable? U of T has one of the lowest student satisfaction ratings in the country.</p>

<p>“The only thing that keeps most of the student body at UBC is the fact that the airfare from Asia is cheaper going to Vancouver than to Toronto.”
Kill yourself.</p>

12

<p>“Higher mark cut-offs (such as UBC) does not make a student body smarter”
Yes, it does. Not everyone bs’d their way to an A average.</p>

<p>No it doesn’t, as I said it just means you can read a book and memorize what it says better. UofT average hiring rate after undergrad is 91% within a year after graduation. I don’t know or care what UBC’s is but that’s already insanely high, similar to ivy’s. Besides, you can easily sneak into UBC by getting into its pathetic Foresty program which only needs a 70% to get into then just transfer into the program you want in second year. Many, many, many of my friends have done this and are simply transferring to Sciences next year. UofT does not have a stupid program such as this which easily let’s students bypass a “high cut-off.”</p>

<p>“UofT accepts low averages first year to make some profit so it can better fund the students that deserve to be there”
Sounds like a scam to me. They should only accept “students that deserve to be there.” U of T doesn’t care about its undergraduates. That’s why there are so many of you. </p>

<p>Not even worth replying to because that was a stupid and useless remark.</p>

<p>“My friend who is in first year Life-Sci received $3500 from the University and $2500 from his College, so your points are irrelevant.”
Universities give scholarships? Thanks for enlightening us. Of course they give money to their top students, that doesn’t really make any of my points irrelevant. Their focus still is and always will be on their research. Why do you think students there are so miserable? U of T has one of the lowest student satisfaction ratings in the country.</p>

<p>Him nor I are top students, and they’re grants not scholarships based on academic standings. It has a low student satisfaction rate because the students who got in with their 80% averages aren’t ready for University and flunk out of first year. Of all the people I have met, they are more happy than not with the University and are glad they went there. </p>

<p>“The only thing that keeps most of the student body at UBC is the fact that the airfare from Asia is cheaper going to Vancouver than to Toronto.”
Kill yourself. </p>

<p>Okay.</p>

13

<p>It’s not surprising you’re a U of T student; your analytical and reasoning skills are about 10 years underdeveloped. </p>

<p>“Besides, you can easily sneak into UBC by getting into its pathetic Foresty program which only needs a 70% to get into then just transfer into the program you want in second year. Many, many, many of my friends have done this and are simply transferring to Sciences next year. UofT does not have a stupid program such as this which easily let’s students bypass a “high cut-off.””
You realize that’s almost all of U of T’s programs right? Half of their student body enters with a B average. How prestigious.</p>

14

<p>IAmPos, where are your facts from??</p>

<p>Check out actual statistics from the University of Toronto, You say half the student body enters with a B average. Sorry I’m actually from Toronto so what’s considered a B average here is 75.</p>

<p>If we look at statistics
[url=&lt;a href=“http://cudo.utoronto.ca/2010/index.php]Common”&gt;http://cudo.utoronto.ca/2010/index.php]Common</a> University Data Ontario 2010<a href=“Please%20go%20to%20B3%20and%20Select%20All%20UofT%20Campus%20or%20St.%20George%20only,%20doesn’t%20matter”>/url</a>. </p>

<p>You will see that OVERALL (bottom) about 25% of students enter with an average below 79, The rest enter with above 80. So calling half the students at UofT entering with a B average is ridiculous and uneducated. Do your reasearch</p>

<p>Edit: Looking at the St. George campus only, it seems that is WAY lower, around 13% in fact. So that just shows how much you need to do your research…</p>

15

<p>why is everyone hating…there both good schools</p>

16

<p>I’ve actually not really looked into UBC, so I can’t really tell this guy anything. It just really makes me mad when people make ridiculous statements without actual facts. I’m sure UBC is a good school as well.</p>

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<p><a href=“http://www.studentawards.com/Forum.aspx?g=posts&t=4160[/url]”>http://www.studentawards.com/Forum.aspx?g=posts&t=4160&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>/thread</p>

18

<p>^^^based on the above thread go to UBC for life sci</p>

19

<p>adrianbest…the only student I’ve ever heard of who just happens to have attended all three schools…yet whose opinion doesn’t remotely match any objective data or most peoples opinion. Just to hit on random examples- if one spent time on the ubc campus they’d see it’s history and huge range of architecture (how does the math building, main library or chem building from the turn of the century compare to the ultra modern Koerner or Aquatic Ecologu building?). The rigor, grading and calibre of student are the same across these three schools, though the demographics of ubc and u of t are more similar, but different from McGill. All would be fine schools. All with similar reputations.</p>

<p>I for one don’t believe Adrian ever attended UBC…more like a classic disgruntled Toronto resident that cant stand people love vancouver more…who knows but he seems so angrily biased that one can assume there is much more to his story.</p>

20

<p>I grew up in Vancouver, did undergrad at Queen’s and am doing graduate work at UofT. I would venture to say that UofT has a better international reputation than UBC, considering you’re from the UK, but a lot of the indicators used in these rankings pertain to the graduate schools rather than undergraduate. </p>

<p>Since 90% of my high school class went to UBC/SFU, I would say that it is easier to maintain a high GPA at UBC in case you want to pursue graduate or professional school.</p>

<p>In terms of undergraduate experience, I would recommend UBC - class sizes and faculty to student ratio are too important. In terms of living experience, I would also recommend UBC just because of Vancouver vs. Toronto. It’s better weather (by A LOT), less traffic hassle/subway malfunction, and better food! I live in Toronto and miss these things about Vancouver all the time.</p>

<p>However, if reputation is the only thing you are considering, do go for UofT.</p>