Why not Canada???

<p>because there is absolutely no challenge in getting in, no braggability rights and UBC graduates come a dime a dozen :D</p>

<p>i think there isnt much challenge for a US student because they dont take into account that their grading system is different and tougher.</p>

<p>But i know the McGill name is respected worldwide</p>

<p>Well, to be fair TWIX, US students have a more rigorous curriculum, but the grading isn't necessarily tougher. I was a Canadian student once, and I've seen a lot of kids complain about grade deflation and the like. It's a little weird, because the material's definitely at a lower level in Ontario high schools.</p>

<p>One more question......Help me out if u can.....I will graduate in Electronics And Instrumentation Engineering........However i want to pursue a masters degree in Computer Science from McGill or UBC......My coursework for undergraduate has some computer related subjects like Data structures, Switching theory, Information Technology and one or two more language related ones like C++, java etc........
Are these enough to get u adm to the masters program or do Universities require that only undergrads whose major was Computer Science can opt for further studies in this field???</p>

<p>thats weird because i always here that canadian highschool is harder than most American HS (i would debate against my school though cause its really tough and only a public school...we are starting the first enrollments of the IB program in 2 years, so thats proof it is a good school).</p>

<p>And I can see where you're coming from Twix. The Ontario curriculum is highly grade deflated, but not actually at a very high level. People here complain all the time about getting grades in the high 80's, with maximum cutoffs in the low 90's. In the U.S., a high 80's student would be considered a B+ kid at best. I mean, we can both agree that the actual OSS mathematics curriculum content is mediocre at best. I was never impressed with Ontario course offerings in the Sciences or Humanities either.</p>

<p>It's the SAME thing with Canadian universities - most notably at UToronto. It's not that first year General Biology is ACTUALLY difficult rather, the grading scheme is so ridiculous that only a small portion of Life Science majors will actually make As. Sometimes it isn't enough to simply know all of the material either. You would have to know it BETTER than everyone else taking the specific class.</p>

<p>I hope all goes well with your IB program. The one in my city totally sucked.</p>

<p>well i know my school is pretty smart. this year we didnt fare so well in top schools, but it was our "dumbest" senior class ever. Last year though we had at least 20% of the senior class going to top 30 schools and at least 250 going to top 50...it was insane</p>

<p>are you from ontario? what do you mean the grading sucks, is it that there is a really bad curve so only certain people get As Bs etc. </p>

<p>Please explain, im curious.
Because of what you say, i think it would be interesting to see how american internationals do at Canadian schools compared to canadian citizens</p>

<p>Yep, I'm from Ontario. I did precisely half of my schooling here.</p>

<p>Perhaps rampant grade deflation isn't such a big deal at your school but I have seen many here complain about it. A lot of classes are on a horrible curve - oftentimes on no curve at all. Don't you ever find it odd when the best performing kid in your class doesn't score in the high 90's?</p>

<p>Grade inflation probably isn't such a big deal if you're staying in Canada for post-secondary studies. It's a HUGE deal if you're applying to U.S. schools.</p>

<p>That's not to say that American students would be worse off in our public schools. I would probably point out that a lot of my American peers would outperform Canadian students. Most have just had better classes, and are better prepared for post-secondary work. Let's face it, most Canadians aren't really the brightest people around. Of course, it doesn't help either when the curve for a basic mathematics course is extremely ridiculous.</p>

<p>Actually, the best kids in my classes do score in the high 90s, except for my AP psych class, where really 2 kids out of 36 have A-s and the rest have B,C, D, or F.</p>

<p>in my public school in ontario</p>

<p>highest marks in chem 92
highest in accounting 88
highest in english 85
highest in french 95
highest in math 100 (2nd highest 92 lol)</p>

<p>look how screwed i am @_@</p>

<p>bigtwix and big brother</p>

<p>do you think american colleges know about ontario grade deflation?</p>

<p>do they know how competitive certain high schools are? (like the largest public high school in toronto, for instance)</p>

<p>There was a discussion on this a while back, and some of the posters were convinced that American colleges know about Ontario grade deflation. I'm not too sure about that however, for the simple reason that grade inflation itself is not uniform across secondary schools in Ontario. Like I said, some private schools here have it pretty good. I know from direct experience that a lot of Ontario public schools don't have it so good.</p>

<p>I think going to a certain high school will help you though. It depends where you go (you can PM me if you want). Schools like Don Mills CI and UTS are regular feeders into MIT and Cornell, whereas places like UCC and the Toronto privates do well with HYP and some of the Ivies. Looking at the Dartmouth Listserv, every single Canadian aside from myself accepted to the school this year came from either an elite public or a private school in Canada. So yes, going to certain <em>competitive</em> high schools will help you.</p>

<p>An 85 maximum in OSS English? Wow...I'd have to say that's pretty rough...</p>

<p>hy big brother 1984
i pmed u already=)</p>

<p>There's nothing wrong with Canadian colleges. The education is solid and the cost is a lot more reasonable. The real downside isn't the education itself but the job outlook once you gradudate. It's very difficult to find decent jobs for internationals or even new immigrants. I know lots of "professionals" from Hong Kong ended up with non professional jobs. Language may be a factor; but there's also been accusation of racism or favoritism for native Canadians. The job market is nothing like the US.</p>

<p>to Sam Lee, I think the reason why is the low level of innovation in Canada instead of racism or protectionism</p>

<p>I'm pretty sure only two Canadians got into MIT this year. One of them goes to my non-competitive public school in Nova Scotia. Just thought I'd throw that out there.</p>

<p>No, Sam Lee might be on to something. Discrimination happens all the time in the workplace - and it's not just in Canada either. The fact that each university campus is so big exacerbates the situation - since there'll be such a huge number of fresh graduates each year with that UToronto degree. Employers then look for defining traits that set apart the thousands of other job applicants - such as oh well, being white or female. And we all thought competitive U.S. college admissions was arbitrary.</p>

<p>Having connections and playing the job market game early on will help you in the long run. I can see the rabidness with getting into an Ivy League today. Quite frankly, it's easier to make future connections and stuff at an Ivy League. I can sympathize with Sam on the whole Asian thing though because my dad is the only Asian in his workplace. With at least 300 employees in the company, you'd think there would be more qualified Chinese or Indian dads running the place? Nope, only ONE.</p>

<p>Sam, it really doesn't matter how good the University education is if its alumni network and job prospects are weak. I will freely admit that UWaterloo is a better place to study science and mathematics than my future alma matter - Dartmouth. Does that make UWaterloo a better place to graduate from; a better place to get prestigious job opportunities? Absolutely not.</p>

<p>Fact of the matter is though, not everyone can get into an elite college. Only a minute number of Canadians actually get into an elite U.S. college each year - and the selection process of those Canadians is far from perfect. The rest have to make do with what they have. And while that can be a little tough at oversized Canadian universities, one should be doing everything possible to increase marketability right off the bat.</p>

<p>You're wrong illuminar. I know 3 Canadians personally who will be matriculating to MIT in the fall - every single one of them Olympiad medallists. With your friend there, that makes at least 4. Who knows how many other people are out there.</p>

<p>Sam lee Thats exactly what i hav heard....n it is one of the reasons i started this thread to get some opinion on this.....Frankly i don't think a foreign education is worth it if you cannot combine it with a suitable work experience.....and from what i have heard, Canada is a very tough place for intls to find decent jobs upon graduation...</p>

<p>Sam Lee makes a very good point. I grew up in Canada and can verify that there is a huge problem with discrimination against non-native professionals. Sooo many engineers and doctors driving taxis and delivering pizzas, it's ridiculous.</p>