UK vs. Canada - support systems

[bouders]

@OnToTheNext

And here is what we have read/heard about the Canadian schools (mostly McGill/UofT/UBC):
• The coursework is hard - really hard.
• Grading is harsh, and feels like grade deflation to US students used to grade inflation.
• Freshman classes can be massive - 300-600 students. I even saw 1000 reported.
• UofT and UBC? have a system where you are accepted to a faculty/college for Year 1, but you have to apply for your major after year end grades come out - so some students don’t get to study what they want. And if you miss a requisite class, you are delayed a year.
• There is little support for students from the university, but some is available. Getting time with an academic advisor is very difficult, and may be unhelpful despite the wait.
• The bureaucratic red tape, esp. in Quebec, is significant.
• There is a real issue with not getting the classes you need to complete your major to graduate on time.

Overall, we are getting a more positive vibe about UK unis and more negative about the bigger Canadian unis. (We get a great vibe about the small Canadian unis, but they may be too small for D.)

Specific questions:

1. I see a lot of reassurance that the UK schools have strong peer support and peer-directed activities through the student unions, clubs, and residence halls. The Canadian schools clearly have active clubs, but how about the peer support network? Is it anything like the Scottish unis?
2. The academic and administrative support issues seem comparable. Is one country or another better for finding help with changing a class or getting into a required class, managing financial situations with the bursars office, or other administrative issues? My guess is that this is school- and situation-specific.
3. The reports of the Canadian coursework seem more grueling than the UK. Is the coursework in Canada actually that much harder than in Scotland? Or is this just author bias? Both options have ample opportunity to be distracted (so do US schools for that matter). But all I see about the UK is that the courses are manageable if you are disciplined about your studies, and all I see about Canadian unis is how hard they are.
4. The bureaucracy issues are particularly confusing. Is it really so different between Scotland and Canada?

I’m a U of T science grad and DS14 is a U of T grad who took some science classes. DD16 graduated from Waterloo this year. All my remarks will pertain to U of T.

The average grade in science classes is about a B. Some classes are lower, some are higher.

I am not aware of any red tape at U of T. The course requirements are listed on the main website and there is even a tracker to make sure the student completes all the requirements. U of T has a policy called “Dean’s promise” which ensures they can take all of the classes required within 4 years.

Class sizes: No larger than the class sizes that were reported on my visit to Stanford with a younger sibling.

Some majors (called Programs of Studies or PoSt’s) have grade requirements, but not all do. Students do apply for them at the end of first year. The school is very clear about the requirements for entry into each PoSt. The vast majority of students will get their first choice of PoSt.

1. There is strong peer and don support through the colleges.

2. The registrar’s office and bursar’s office are within the individual colleges as well.

3. Both DS and I found the courses quite manageable.

4. DS reports that the bureaucracy and administrative help at his Ivy grad school was much worse than at U of T.