Where to Study in Canada

[vimal gupta]

We are in Delhi- India. My son is interested to pursue his undergrad degree in Computer software in  Canada. Could anybody advise which city is more preferable  in canada to study in, both climatewise and costwise!

[paxamericana]

I would recommend University in the US if he can get in. Canada does not have the most career choices for your son when he graduate.

Edited July 9, 2018 by paxrom

[turningrite]

16 hours ago, paxrom said:

I would recommend University in the US if he can get in. Canada does not have the most career choices for your son when he graduate.

LOL. Many of the grads from top Canadian universities get scooped up by big American employers. This could change if NAFTA is cancelled, which could impact access to Canadian grads for U.S. firms. Schools like U of Toronto, McGill and UBC as well as Waterloo (in engineering and tech) are highly ranked globally. And I believe they feature lower tuition fees than do most highly rated private U.S. universities. I've read that it's now estimated there are over a quarter million Canadians living and working in Silicon Valley alone. It's true that employment prospects are limited in Canada, however, as the country features a second tier, increasingly services-oriented, low productivity economy. Many foreign students choose to leave Canada after earning their degrees here.

Edited July 10, 2018 by turningrite

[vimal gupta]

Thanx to all gentlemen for their valuable advise.

 

[paxamericana]

4 hours ago, turningrite said:

LOL. Many of the grads from top Canadian universities get swooped up by big American employers. This could change if NAFTA is cancelled, which could impact access to Canadian grads for U.S. firms. Schools like U of Toronto, McGill and UBC as well as Waterloo (in engineering and tech) are highly ranked globally. And I believe they feature lower tuition fees than do most highly rated private U.S. universities. I've read that it's now estimated there are over a quarter million Canadians living and working in Silicon Valley alone. It's true that employment prospects are limited in Canada, however, as the country features a second tier, increasingly services-oriented, low productivity economy. Many foreign students choose to leave Canada after earning their degrees here.

He's going to be a Canadian Green Card Holder, He's not even allowed to be part of the NAFTA agreement. Only Canadian citizens. Who then have to get a green card in the US, which at the moment is also difficult. Why not just study in the US get a student visa and apply for sponsor ship with US company in the first place?

[turningrite]

6 hours ago, paxrom said:

Why not just study in the US get a student visa and apply for sponsor ship with US company in the first place?

First of all, Canada has no such thing as a green card system. A foreign student enters the country and attends school on a student visa. If a foreign student chooses to stay here to work following graduation they can apply for an express entry visa, which is essentially a prioritized  permanent resident application. One of the reasons, I raised the NAFTA implications, in addition to pointing out that Canadian graduates are often highly regarded by U.S. employers, is to note that, if the deal is cancelled and it becomes more difficult for Canadian citizens to find work or even remain in the U.S. (educated Canadians don't need to obtain green cards to work in the U.S. under the NAFTA system), access to available and already limited job opportunities in Canada could become much more competitive.

I believe the original post in this string raised cost and climate considerations but didn't address ultimate work location. (I didn't respond on climate because one can easily research that on Wikipedia.) It may well be true that he wants to work in the U.S., but it might equally be the case that he's interested in working in, say, Dubai. In any case, there's been surge in foreign student enrollment at Canadian universities. The number of Americans who attend our universities has reportedly grown by about 300% over the course of a decade, with much of the increase likely being attributable to cost. Also, it's my understanding that Canadian admissions processes and standards are often more straightforward, with greater emphasis on academic achievement and less on alumni connections and/or affirmative action.

Edited July 10, 2018 by turningrite

[paxamericana]

2 minutes ago, turningrite said:

First of all, Canada has no such thing as a green card system. A foreign student attends enters and attends school on a student visa. If a foreign student chooses to stay here to work following graduation they can apply for an express entry visa, which is essentially a prioritized  permanent resident application. One of the reasons, I raised the NAFTA implications, in addition to pointing out that Canadian graduates are often highly regarded by U.S. employers, is to note that, if the deal is cancelled and it becomes more difficult for Canadian citizens to find work or even remain in the U.S. (educated Canadians don't need to obtain green cards to work in the U.S. under the NAFTA system), access to available and already limited job opportunities in Canada could become much more competitive.

I believe the original post in this string raised cost and climate considerations but didn't address ultimate work location. (I didn't respond on climate because one can easily research that on Wikipedia.) It may well be true that he wants to work in the U.S., but it might equally be the case that he's interested in working in, say, Dubai. In any case, there's been surge in foreign student enrollment at Canadian universities. The number of Americans who attend our universities has reportedly grown by about 300% over the course of a decade, with much of the increase likely being attributable to cost. Also, it's my understanding that Canadian admissions processes and standards are often more straightforward, with greater emphasis on academic achievement and less on alumni connections and/or affirmative action.

Good to know, can you respond to my post in the Democracy post, I look forward to a vigorous debate. 

[OftenWrong]

Perhaps Waterloo University. I know they have a very new research centre for such modern computer innovations as Quantum Computing, and I recall that the physicist Stephen Hawking was there for the opening ceremony.

"Institute for Quantum Computing"

https://uwaterloo.ca/institute-for-quantum-computing/

 

[OftenWrong]

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/stephen-hawking-mike-lazaridis-open-university-of-waterloo-quantum-nano-centre-510808011.html

 

[CITIZEN_2015]

University of Waterloo is the best school in Computer Science but the OP was asking climatewise and costwise. Quebec appears to have the least tutition fees however, climatewise maybe BC is the warmest place to be.

[bush_cheney2004]

7 hours ago, turningrite said:

...The number of Americans who attend our universities has reportedly grown by about 300% over the course of a decade, with much of the increase likely being attributable to cost. Also, it's my understanding that Canadian admissions processes and standards are often more straightforward, with greater emphasis on academic achievement and less on alumni connections and/or affirmative action.

 

It is true that more Americans are going north for university, mostly due to costs, but Canadian students going south have always outnumbered American students going north, and still do by about double.   The U.S. offers more Top 100 world universities than any other nation, and as described above, far more post-graduation employment opportunities.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/03/27/ill-be-in-canada-more-students-are-looking-to-head-north/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c9e6739159d4

[OftenWrong]

5 hours ago, CITIZEN_2015 said:

University of Waterloo is the best school in Computer Science but the OP was asking climatewise and costwise. Quebec appears to have the least tutition fees however, climatewise maybe BC is the warmest place to be.

I personally would not make climate a primary factor in such a decision, but if the OP wants a climate similar to India, I'd still go with Waterloo...

Edited July 11, 2018 by OftenWrong

[turningrite]

17 hours ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

 

The U.S. offers more Top 100 world universities than any other nation, and as described above, far more post-graduation employment opportunities.

 

Maybe that's because it has by far the largest population among Western countries? Digging a little deeper, the general education system in the U.S. is ranked below that of many other Western countries, including Canada's. As for employment, you're correct. Canada is particularly disadvantaged as it long ago became a branch plant and under "free trade" a branch market for mainly American corporations. Little R&D is done here. One of my uncles completed his PhD on scholarship at a prestigious university U.S. decades ago and had to remain there to work as a scientist. On this issue the more things have changed, the more they have remained the same, or worsened. NAFTA simply entrenched Canada's weaknesses

[bush_cheney2004]

2 hours ago, turningrite said:

Maybe that's because it has by far the largest population among Western countries?

 

Only indirectly....the U.S. also attracts far more international undergraduates, graduates and professors who can take advantage of well funded public and private R&D investment, which has long been an area in which Canada lags other OECD nations, as you noted.   Canadians and other nationals also seek opportunities as NCAA athletes for amateur competition and professional careers (e.g. Andrew Wiggins).

[turningrite]

The notion that it's a primary role of post-secondary institutions to produce athletes and/or serve as a feeder system for the pro sports industry has never taken hold in Canada, nor anywhere else in the West that I can think of. Interestingly, America's academically top-ranked universities don't seem as focused on this in comparison to many public or state universities. 

[bush_cheney2004]

43 minutes ago, turningrite said:

The notion that it's a primary role of post-secondary institutions to produce athletes and/or serve as a feeder system for the pro sports industry has never taken hold in Canada, nor anywhere else in the West that I can think of. Interestingly, America's academically top-ranked universities don't seem as focused on this in comparison to many public or state universities. 

 

Still, many of the USA's top ranked universities field large NCAA populations for various revenue and non-revenue generating sports...this has become more so because of Title IX federal law for women athletes and program spending.    Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cornell, Penn, Duke, UCLA etc...MIT and Cal-Tech being exceptions to the rule.

NCAA Division I, II, and III schools share considerable media and ticket generated revenue, shared by the schools.

When I was a student, it was not uncommon to find many international track and field athletes competing at NCAA schools, and they still do (e.g. Andre De Grasse).

 

Edited July 11, 2018 by bush_cheney2004

[cannuck]

Actually, I was delighted that our children chose to do ALL of the post secondary education (24 years between 2 kids) in Canada.  The discipline in post-graduate schools tends to be far more oriented on sound academics and fundamental science rather than sponsored research with an agenda - and worse than that - wasting resources on stick and ball bullshit.   Looking back: it was probably 1/4 of the cost of doing the same degrees in the US - and they managed to do so strictly on their academic merit - not some sports related nonsense that produces PhDs in basket weaving (or of course PhDs in corporate frames of reference).

If the OP's son is of post-grad caliber, these are things worth considering - ESPECIALLY for a foreign student.

[Wilber]

A couple of years ago, Tesla took 2/3 of UBC's electrical engineering graduating class.

10 most highly educated countries

[Wilber]

University of Victoria for the best climate. Beautiful city too. They offer up to a doctorate in computer science but don't know how good their program is.