I’ve been hearing that prestigious Canadian universities (such as U of T) are much easier to get into than American universities, and I’m sure people who go to top schools in Canada have great opportunities in Canada. For introverts like me who seem to loathe the holistic admissions culture of American universities, would it be better to apply to schools in Canada (given that our parents have the funds to pay for them).
I know that some of you may say that the quality of the school doesn’t matter as much as what you do, and I believe that. I’m not saying otherwise, but I’m sure going to the U of T looks much better than going to UC Davis (where I’m going).
Why don’t more and more American parents send their kids to Canadian schools? My family is Indian and they view the U of T as ivy league material even though the admissions criteria are much less rigorous.
It’s cold for one thing, price is not too expensive. But I think it’s easier to get in but it’s not easy like UK schools. Who knows? It seems to be a bit of a risk, if things don’t work out.
@DrGoogle Can you elaborate on what you think is the risk? Are UK schools really easy to get into? I thought Oxford and Cambridge were really difficult.
Only those 2, but the rest of the schools are much easier than American schools. For Internationals, you need to show your passport. One thing that turned my kid off. Another is whether it’s easier to find job in USA. I know my brother who went to a school that is considered Harvard of Japan and had trouble with his degree until he got his masters in US school.
@DrGoogle Ahh I see. Is it hard to stay after graduation in Canada as an American citizen? I would assume there would be no problem in getting a job in Canada.
Visa issues. Currency conversions (including the risk that the exchange rate will shift against the US dollar sometime during the next four years). Different secondary education systems mean that there will be gaps in the student’s background.
These are the same issues any international student faces, but when there are so many good choices in-country, it’s just not worth it for most.
Also, for at least the top tier of Canadian schools (U of T, McGill, UBC, Guelph,…), I take issue with your claim that it’s easier to get into a good Canadian school than a good US school. I mean, have you actually looked at what the U of T expects from a US applicant?
@dfbdfb I found it difficult to find admissions statistics, but I’ve seen the parchment results stating an average sat score of 1850 and an average gpa of 3.5. I know this may be somewhat an underestimate, but it should give a grain of salt into what the admissions committee considers “good students”.
Well…depending on whether the opportunities are job related or not, or the opportunities of further education after graduated from a Canadian college.
One of my coworkers at my previous company was graduated from McGill (MS program only.) He said there is relatively few job opportunities in the area where McGill is unless you are also fluent in French (for an apparent reason.) . In general, he thinks that the students who are not Canadians most likely still need to come back to US to find a job after graduation.
My research project is run through U Toronto, and I work with a lot of U of T grad students and faculty. From what I’ve gathered, the university is extremely sink-or-swim – even more so than many American publics like the UCs, which at least attempt to cater to their undergraduates. Even graduate students at Toronto are often neglected and woefully underpaid, which led to the recent strike.
While there’s no doubt that universities like Toronto and UBC have sterling reputations for research and academic quality, you have to be an aggressive go-getter to make the most of the opportunities. There is a big difference in advising, support, student funding, class sizes, etc. between Toronto and the Ivies.
Part of the appeal of McGill for American applicants is being immersed in a different culture and a different language. While it is possible to spend 4 years there entirely in English it is a great opportunity to advance your high school French to fluency.
There is a lot more to Canada besides Quebec and a McGill degree is highly regarded in the rest of Canada.
I attended U of T as an undergraduate and a graduate student. I also attended a big state U in the U.S. as a grad student. My experience at U of T was better than at big state U. I got more funding and more attention at U of T. The attention is more a factor of your faculty advisor. The funding is more a factor of your field of study. Graduate TA’s get paid very well at U of T - $40/hour. There weren’t many supporters for the recent strike. The TA’s who did support the strike wanted to be paid $60K+/year, lol.
There’s no grade inflation at U of T. It is sink or swim as an undergraduate. However, Canadian high schools are similar in this respect, so Canadian students are used to this philosophy. Class averages at both U of T and Canadian high schools tend to be mid or low 70’s or high 60’s, which is a B or B- or C+. A C- average will get you on academic probation, eventually suspended and ultimately expelled at U of T. Quite a few internationals flunk out. If your student is strong and independent, they can do well at U of T. If they need supports, hand-holding, get homesick, are not academically strong etc, they likely will do better elsewhere.
There are different degrees of difficulty (depending on the schools, a considerable difference) among giant American publics, and it may depend on field as well.
There maybe be less hand-holding and slightly harsher grading at Toronto and McGill (though top giant American publics aren’t really known for hand-holding or grade inflation either) but I still say that they are comparable to somewhere among UMich or UCLA or UW-Madison. However, both of them are easier for OOS Americans to get in to than UMich (or UCLA for any American).
My understanding is that at McGill, Quebecois have it easiest, then Americans, then other Canadians. Remember that these are province-supported publics (and they can charge Internationals more). Can’t say about UToronto.
Neither are very holistic in admissions, so many Canadians know pretty well whether they will get in or not (depending on the major).