<p>I am a future undergrad from Pakistan and I got accepted to University of California: Irvine and University of Toronto. I’m still waiting for UBC to reply to me but I’m positive that I’ll get accepted there too. Now I can’t decide where to finally go so I need a little advice.</p>
<p>University of Toronto
Major: Economics</p>
<p>University of California - Irvine
Major: Economics</p>
<p>University of British Columbia
Major: Bachelors of International Economics</p>
<p>Keeping in mind, the reputation of the university, overall environment, opportunity AND exposure, what will be the best option? I repeat, I’m from Pakistan so I NEED the opportunity and exposure to do well in the job market abroad. I don’t want my university life to be a burden and I want to enjoy it while working on top notch grades. Also, for the exposure, I need to meet new people so diversity is pivotal in my decision. But then again at the same time, I don’t want to be a burden on my parents and pay so much for college because as it is, I am an international student.</p>
<p>I’m not sure about Pakistan but I know that, at least in China, UBC and U of T have better reputations than UCI, although I question how many people will know about any of those institutions. All of the schools on your list will be extremely diverse. The only school I have firsthand experience with is UCI (used to work there) and I know there’s a fairly large Pakistani American population both at UCI and in the surrounding city of Irvine. I’d imagine the same is true for UT and UBC.</p>
<p>Personally I’d choose between UBC and UT. UCI is in a rather boring city that shuts down after 10pm. UBC and UT by contrast are in major cities with much better public transit systems. UBC and UT are likely to offer more opportunities and present a greater range of students than UCI. Given your criteria and desire to save your parents money, it seems like you ought to toss UCI out and choose between UBC and UT. The only real advantage that UCI has over the two Canadian schools is the weather and with a COA difference of over $14k a year, you can buy yourself some pretty nice coats.</p>
<p>I recently spoke to my Economics teacher at school and he said UCI would be a better option since there’s more job opportunities in California and studying under a UC (University of California) label matters a lot to employers too. Also, he said that Canada has a condensed economy which makes it difficult to get good jobs once one graduates.</p>
<p>If you’re planning on working in California, I’d say that the UC label would be most beneficial.</p>
<p>If you’re planning on working in the US after graduation, I believe you have to convince an employer to sponsor a work visa, which isn’t an easy task. Essentially you’d be competing against all the other recent American graduates for work, none of whom require the additional paperwork and fees involved in obtaining a work visa. Btw, California’s economy isn’t doing well right now.</p>
<p>From what I’ve read, it’s easier to immigrate to Canada than the US.</p>
<p>Thank you so much you guys for helping me decide. Really appreciate it.</p>
<p>After graduation, I am planning on working in the US or for a foreign employer. </p>
<p>You have a very valid point with Canada but don’t you think Canada (Toronto, especially) has a high population of Pakistani and Indian Canadians? Is that not a downside since I’m looking forward to making foreign friends for the exposure I mentioned earlier. Also, UCI may not be as highly ranked as UBC or UofT for Economics but it is a solid university, isn’t it? Plus there’s just something about California that’s attracting me towards it… WHAT DO I DO!! And oh yeah, isn’t it easier to transfer to some other American university like UMich or NYU later if I go to UCI? Also, I’ve heard a lot about students wanting to get out of Canada and going to America for university. Why is that so?</p>
<p>If you wanted to go to NYU from the get go, it seems rather foolish to give up UT or UBC which are both large urban campuses in great cities with excellent academics and cost far less than NYU. </p>
<p>Yes UCI is a solid university, fantastic in some aspects. But I truly don’t believe it’s worth more money than either UBC or UT. You also need to understand that Irvine is not the stereotypical California portrayed by the movies and tv shows. It’s far more quiet, and about a 15 minutes drive from the ocean. Public transit in Orange County is god awful meaning that you’ll have to find someone to drive you if you hope to go to the ocean. Also Irvine is not the flagship campus of the UC system, that honor goes to UCLA and UC Berkeley. What that means is, the top California students who decide to go to an instate public usually decide between the two schools, meaning the average UCI student is much less impressive than the average Berkeley or UCLA student (although the average UCI student is still very good).</p>
<p>
Irvine has quite a few Pakistani and Indians as well. UCI is almost 50% asian and a huge percentage of those are Indian or Pakistani Americans. </p>
<p>
This is pure speculation on my part, but part of the reason may stem from the tendency of Americans to be quite provincial in their outlooks and thus unwilling to look up north for educational opportunities. It could also be due to the fact that aside from Mount Allison, all of the top Canadian schools are enormous, and some parents and students might want much smaller options. The reality is, the vast majority of top Canadian students stay in country, and usually in-province.</p>
<p>UBC has a nice campus.</p>
<p>Okay so after talking to a friend who’s an Econ major too at UChicago, I’m leaning towards Canada. UCI is 46th for Econ which makes it almost non existent whereas UofT is 20th. Also, UCI is costing me around $50k per year whereas Toronto is only 40. Which clearly means that UCI isn’t worth all the money I spend there (Am I right?)
As far as UBC is concerned, on a lot of other threads I read on this website, I saw students complaining about Economics at UBC. Most of them say they’re thinking of transferring to McGill. Secondly, it is also said that foreign employers (outside Canada) do not usually recognize UBC and it is difficult to find good jobs and internships. My question is, is UofT more renown?</p>
<p>No one cares where UCI ranks in economics, when you are talking about an undergrad degree. UC’s are all alike - UCD, UCI, UCSB, UCSD etc.</p>
<p>Toronto is more well known than UBC, but they are both full of Canadians eh?</p>