<p>Hi, I’ve done research on Canadian schools: McGill, UBC, and U of T…and I am planning to apply to all three but I am very worried about the graduation rate…</p>
<p>I hear that it is really hard to graduate from any of those three colleges? Is that true? How hard is it?</p>
<p>I am terrible at time management, studying skills, etc and I am trying to improve it by college…but I fear that I won’t do well OR even graduate if I attend any of the three schools…</p>
<p>I am interested in…
- International Relations
- Business
- Sociology
- Sports Management
- Education</p>
<p>…and I feel like the three schools are good at these.</p>
<p>I graduated UofT this past year with an honours BSC. I don’t think any of these schools are particularly hard to graduate from. Most people I knew graduated in 4 years a couple others changed their major halfway through or failed a couple courses and are instead graduating in 5 years but even those two people have a clear path to graduation.
The one issue you should be aware of is that UofT (and to a lesser extent McGill) is infamous for grade deflation. It is not as bad as the reputation suggests but grade deflation does occur and most class averages end up being in at a C+/B- range in any particular course, although the arts and social sciences are less affected by this then the sciences, engineering and business.
Be aware the entrance requirements for the Business schools of all three of these universities are much higher than the other areas you listed. Correspondingly the workload is significantly heavier (particularly at Rotman School of Business at UofT which is generally considered the best business school in the country). </p>
<p>You need time management skills to thrive at these schools. They are large research universities and for the first year or two you will have large class sizes in the introductory classes. Professors don’t hound you to complete your work, if you do not keep track of your due dates then you suffer penalties. The one advantage is that for the first couple years you will have “tutorials” which are 1 hour semi-optional classes between your big lectures where you have a TA to help you review the last lectures material and will help you with any problems you have. You also will want to email profs and join study groups outside of class with your classmates.</p>
<p>All three of these universities can be great places to learn but they all demand a fair degree of independence in order for you to prosper there. The onus is on you to ask a prof or TA to help and it is up to you to join a study group. Unlike some of the US LACs you will not be handheld throughout your degree. The advantage with this approach is it prepares you for life after university and teaches you to be independent. If you are interested in these universities you need to commit to improving your time management and study skills. It also helps to use the resources available when you arrive: TAs, and student study groups, which will excellent advice on how to structure your study time.
However if you really believe that you cant manage your time without direct supervision your best bet may be to go to a LAC where the environment is much more supportive.</p>