UMichigan vs McGill vs UofT vs UBC for Economics

ubcucsd
Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:17:45 +0000

@spasticity I am American/Canadian (I have Canadian citizenship so I get the nice low tuition perk, a good side of UBC).
I think that you will definitely have more pull/interest with Canadian employers. Canadian Universities are sort of regional, too, so keep that in mind. A Toronto employer might look upon someone from U of T with higher regard because they know more about the University that is in their backyard. I made the point about getting a job back east to demonstrate how these world rankings are not really as important (especially with big corporate firms, like the original poster mentioned), or well known as people make them out to be. I’ve found UBC doesn’t have the international prestige many have told me about, that’s all.
One thing I left out from my job example is something you should keep in mind if your are going to UBC next fall. The reason I was searching for jobs back home is because I had already been searching for jobs in Vancouver with no luck.
UBC Career Services/UBC Internship Services are extremely unhelpful, and overall a mess. I’m not sure if you are looking to be an econ major or not, but the experience I had with Career Services was ridiculous. I was accepted into an Arts Internship Program where I was told there would be a large variety of jobs for every arts major. However, what I found was that there were only jobs offered for communications/history/english majors, and nothing remotely related to my studies. If you are an engineer, however, I’ve heard great things about their Career Services. Be wary of Career Services and if you want to get a job before you graduate (especially as an arts student) make sure you join CO-OP.
Sadly, I’ve heard not-so-good things about CO-OP too, though I was not in it. I’ve heard the job selection/variety is pretty stingy. Just know what you are getting into (large University, no one is going to hold your hand and guide you on anything) and I am sure that you will be fine with jobs and all the other stuff. :)