<p>Hi:</p>
<p>I was halfway finishing my enrolling to Drexel U , then I suddenly got accepted by U of Toronto … I was somehow shocked, I am a transfer student from Singapore , with a GPA of 3.3 … so , here are my concerns </p>
<ol>
<li>I am taking Information Technology in Drexel U , and U of Toronto gives me computer science.</li>
<li>I heard all the scary facts about the high drop out rate of U or Toronto, and how hard it is to survive , and Drexel U obviously is easier … </li>
<li>I think U of Toronto is elite school, it has such a high reputation and everything, but Drexel offers me one and half years of 3 co-op program, and the possibility to gain a master’s degree within the same time span, but the reputation was like … eh …<br></li>
</ol>
<p>So, so for a more slack people like me , should I go for U of Toronto or Drexel U ? My diploma is hard enough, we do crazy industrialized projects all the time, and our cohort has a lot of top O Level Students in Singapore ( Yes, 5 pointers) … </p>
<p>What is your opinion ? and thank you for reading …</p>
<p>Financially, can you afford both?
You seem to be leaning towards Drexel, so if money’s not a concern I’d go with that.
However if U Toronto admitted you, it means they think you can do the work - perhaps your 3.3 is “harsher” (deflated) compared to other 3.3? Singapore is notorious for being demanding for math.</p>
<p>Yeah … we are quite hard core programmers in our diploma … and our GPA are modded down due to competitiveness … and that is one of the things I don’t like about U Toronto … ummm … and my math is actually quite bad , D+ and C+ for statistics and computer math …</p>
<p>Then Drexel may be a better choice indeed.</p>
<p>yeah … thanks for the advice</p>
<p>I just graduated UofT life sciences with a 3.4 gpa. It justifiably has a reputation of being tough but it is not impossible to do well in and its reputation of being ridiculously challenging is not quite justified. According to Macleans Magazine (compares Canadian Universities yearly) its first year retention rate is 89%, aka. oly 11% of first yeas drop out by end of year, so it isnt all that bad. Frankly I am surprised you got into comp sci with such a low gpa and an abysmal math mark. Most domestic students wouldn’t get in with those grades, forget about internationals.
Don’t just write off UofT because you think it is too hard. If you put an effort into your education at UofT you can learn a ton because you have access to some of the greatest facilities and professors in the world (half of my profs were doctorates from Ivies) and Drexel simply cant compare in this regard.
However if you are going into university thinking “what is the minimal amount of effort I need to put in to get my degree” then yes, perhaps uoft isnt the right school for you.</p>
<p>For the record the uoft name on my diploma has already served me well helping me get into a top grad school at McGill with an award and a full stipend.</p>
<p>Toronto>>Philadelphia</p>
<p>These are very different programs.</p>
<p>Computer science at UofT is a theoretical, conceptually rigorous program. BSIT at Drexel is far more applied. Read the descriptions for required courses and you’ll see the difference.</p>
<p>Personally, I would recommend Toronto if you have good math skills and are prepared to work hard.</p>
<p>And remember that CS and IT are quite different.</p>
<p>CS is typically about designing computers and their software, and requires greater technical depth and mathematical thinking.</p>
<p>IT is typically about managing computers and their software, and requires less technical depth, but more business type course work.</p>
<p>A CS graduate should be able to handle the technical aspects of IT work, though most do not want to do IT jobs (but the skill can be helpful in small companies with no dedicated IT staff). An IT graduate is unlikely to be able to handle a typical computer hardware or software design and development job that CS graduates go into, unless s/he self-educates the needed CS knowledge and skills.</p>