LearnHub

A totally biased, yet informative, discussion of post-secondary schools in Ontario, Canada

Ever wondered how the Ontario post-secondary situation actually looks like from the perspective of a real Ontario post-secondary student?

(That would be me)

Let’s dish out some basics first- I’ve just finished first year at the double degree program at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, so I can speak of 2 schools at the same time, and I have a pretty fresh outlook on applying to universities, as I did it just last year.

Here’s what I don’t know much about: colleges- Ontario has a lot of small post-secondary institutions which are great for learning certain skills, like the Ontario Academy of Art and Design for those of you who want to be a designer or an artist. I don’t know anything about those.

Also, keep in mind that I’m totally biased, I only know parts of the big picture in the best cases and I’m missing a lot of information. But I shall not lie in any way, this is real, actual opinions and information you’re looking at.

So, what can I tell about these Ontario Universities?

All universities are fun and friendly, in their own way. But to be fair, there are a lot of differences between them. Here’s an overview of some of the bigger ones:

U of T (University of Toronto), York and Ryerson. are all located in downtown Toronto, a HUGE city. U of T is an especially big university, so it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the number of students in your bio lecture and get lost in a sea of people. On the positive side though, Toronto is a much more fun and alive place compared with any other city in Ontario, and you’ll find that you’re able to be yourself with ease, with insane amounts of student clubs and associations (which you can find in every university reall), and with big-city life that enables you to be either a party-dude or a serious student, whichever and whenever you want.

Ottawa.is located in… Ottawa, the capital of Canada. It’s smaller than U of T, but you’ll enjoy the same sort of environment. Also consider that Ottawa, as well as Laurentian, offer courses in French, so you do have the option of studying in that language.

Queen’s University.is located in Kingston, and it’s a small-middle sized university. It’s known to be a very social place in a nice-looking city. If you’re a friendly person looking to enjoy both studies and new friends, this is a good place to be.

Western.on the other hand, somehow got the reputation of a “party-school”. From what I heard, however, programs like their pre-med and business are super-serious. There are a lot of cool people there though, so whatever kind of person you are, you’ll get along.

The final two universities I’ll talk about are the ones I know first-hand:Waterloo.and.Laurier.Waterloo is the ultimate serious nerd school. Studies come before everything else, although there are lots of student clubs and student-life activities, especially if you’re an arts student. It’s a friendly, medium-sized university with top-of-the-line technology and cool profs. It’s also got a great academic reputation. Laurier is a smaller university, and student life count for more here. The student community is awesome, but they also take a lot of things seriously, especially their business program.

What else?

All Ontario universities share some good stuff in common. They all have.modern technologies, great profs.and. enriching academic resources.They also have.impeccable academic reputations,which are often recognized worldwide.

Universities in Ontario have the greatest amount of.student and staff diversity,around. You’re sure to find smiling, fun Canadian and international friends wherever you look. All places also have.impressive social networks, student associations, clubs and other groups.These can be as general as a Stats-Club or as specific as the “South Asian Video-Gaming Club”. Anybody can find some group of people to belong to, no matter where you’re from.Tolerance.is also impressive, especially in universities, and you can be pretty sure nobody will ever judge you based on the color of your skin, your religion, or anything like that. That’s Canada for you.

Finally, Ontario Universities are. really fun.As an Ontario University student I can honestly say, it’s a great place to study, in every way. So if you’re not sure of where you’re going yet, think about which Ontario university would fit you best, and join the fun.