UBC vs. UWO vs. QU for economics

[ghetto1]

Hey guys, I am an international student from Dubai keen on studying Economics in Canada. I had initially applied to 6 universities including UofT, UWaterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, UBC, QU, UWO, and got offers from all 6. Now, I am trying to choose one among 3 shortlisted universities - UBC, Queens, UWO.

UBC - Bachelor of INternational Economics
QU - Bachelor of Art (Hons.)
UWO - Faculty of Social Science

I would like to know which out of the 3 is most recommended in terms of academics & teaching, social scene (making friends) for intl students, internship opportunities, employability, reputation, research oppurtunities, party school or not, the city in general.

I am open to any insights about the three universities. Please let me know if there is also something else I should consider when choosing among the three or should I consider any other university. What do you think is more preferable and more recommended in your opinion?

Thank you so much! I hope you have a great day!

[bouders]

Out of the three you list, UBC would be my choice for an international student without question. It’s in a major cosmopolitan city with a huge international student population. It has the best reputation within Canada and internationally.

Queens and UWO are in small Ontario towns. Both towns and schools are not diverse. There is little to do off campus.

Is there a reason U of T didn’t make your final list? It would be my top pick of the ones you were accepted to.

[ghetto1]

Thanks a lot for your reply!

I got into the Honours Bachelor of Science (Financial Econ) at UofT. I wasn’t really keen on UofT because of their extreme class sizes (biggest classes of about 1000 students, to the fewest: about 300 approx.) and fierce competition. I’ve heard it’s often hard to reach out to profs esp for undergrad students. Their rankings are high only beacause of their research output and Masters/PhD programs. So, I think it would be better for a PhD or a Grad program.

UofT might have more prestige, but tbh, most top schools in Canada are roughly at the same level of prestige. So, looking into the program, the BIE program at UBC seemed to be more unique and interesting to me. And Western appealed to me only because of their Business School - Ivey, to which I can apply in my second year and do a dual program of sorts.

This was just my observation. But what’s your view on UBC vs. UofT

[bouders]

300 is far from the smallest class at U of T. It’s more like 20. There’s only a small number of first year classes that have 1000. I know the first year psychology class does, but I’m not aware of others. There may be courses with a large total enrollment, but they are split into several classes. Just like high school - not everyone taking 9th grade English is in the same class. It’s not hard to reach out to profs. They all have office hours. They’re usually available before or after class, just like anywhere else. The only competition comes from being surrounded by other smart students. Everyone is just competing with themselves, not with each other.

UBC and U of T are similar. They’re similar size, and in similar environments - large, diverse cities. UBC won’t be as cold in winter or as warm in summer. Toronto is the financial center of Canada.

Don’t count on getting into Ivey. It’s very competitive.

[TomSrOfBoston]

@bouders

Queens and UWO are in small Ontario towns.

UWO/Western is in London, ON which has 400,000 people. Hardly a small town.

[bouders]

@TomSrOfBoston Compared to Vancouver or Toronto, it’s a small town. The cultures of Kingston and London are very different than the big cities. The differences in ethnic composition are stark. London and Kingston are 85% white while Vancouver is 49% white. Percent of undergrad students at the different universities who are international: 12% for UWO, 11% Queen’s, 27% UBC.