Any Canada-bound?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McGill is off our list with the tuition super hike, but I think U Toronto and Mich are such great options and different enough that visits will make this decision pretty easy.

Isn’t tuition at U of T very high compared to other Canadian schools? For international students that is.

[Anonymous]

My junior daughter toured McGill and U of T this summer and loved the city of Montreal, but not so much McGill (just bad luck with tour guide, it seems) and loved U of T but found the city nowhere near as cool as Montreal.

I recall that McGill doesn't guarantee student on-campus housing past the first year, but my daughter figured that was all for the best as she loved the surrounding neighborhoods anyway.

Does anyone know if U of T guarantees on campus housing and if so for how long? I go the impression that Toronto rent is much higher than Montreal so even if McGill tuition is more expensive, perhaps whatever savings at U of T are wiped out by high rent in Toronto?

[Anonymous]

We were also disappointed by McGill’s tuition increase, which is explicitly designed to discourage applications outside of the Province. Another thing is that your kid won’t be able to get a part time job or internship in Montreal unless they are certified fluent in French.

[Anonymous]

We visited McGill and my kids hated it. I am glad we went in winter to check it out.

[Anonymous]

Do you have to find housing after freshman year at U if T? Talk to people who go there to find out how hard it is to find and how crazy expensive housing is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were also disappointed by McGill’s tuition increase, which is explicitly designed to discourage applications outside of the Province. Another thing is that your kid won’t be able to get a part time job or internship in Montreal unless they are certified fluent in French.

I actually love that Quebec is doing this. Proactive steps to protect French are really important, as annoying as it is. Same with their real estate policies against foreigners: absolutely smart and justified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were also disappointed by McGill’s tuition increase, which is explicitly designed to discourage applications outside of the Province. Another thing is that your kid won’t be able to get a part time job or internship in Montreal unless they are certified fluent in French.

I can't find any evidence of this. I found evidence that international students won't be able to get a work permit AFTER they graduate or else they speak basic French, but they can work while they are enrolled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were also disappointed by McGill’s tuition increase, which is explicitly designed to discourage applications outside of the Province. Another thing is that your kid won’t be able to get a part time job or internship in Montreal unless they are certified fluent in French.

I can't find any evidence of this. I found evidence that international students won't be able to get a work permit AFTER they graduate or else they speak basic French, but they can work while they are enrolled.

Yeah, everyone in Montreal speaks English fluently anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were also disappointed by McGill’s tuition increase, which is explicitly designed to discourage applications outside of the Province. Another thing is that your kid won’t be able to get a part time job or internship in Montreal unless they are certified fluent in French.

I can't find any evidence of this. I found evidence that international students won't be able to get a work permit AFTER they graduate or else they speak basic French, but they can work while they are enrolled.

There is a new Quebec law about French in the workplace. French is emphasized as a language of work, there is a francization process with penalty for employers who do not comply...So employers would definitely much prefer someone who speaks French, or even require it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were also disappointed by McGill’s tuition increase, which is explicitly designed to discourage applications outside of the Province. Another thing is that your kid won’t be able to get a part time job or internship in Montreal unless they are certified fluent in French.

I can't find any evidence of this. I found evidence that international students won't be able to get a work permit AFTER they graduate or else they speak basic French, but they can work while they are enrolled.

Yeah, everyone in Montreal speaks English fluently anyway.

Can you tell me about the tuition hike? My kids are Canadian citizens but would apply from the States ie never lived in Canada.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were also disappointed by McGill’s tuition increase, which is explicitly designed to discourage applications outside of the Province. Another thing is that your kid won’t be able to get a part time job or internship in Montreal unless they are certified fluent in French.

I can't find any evidence of this. I found evidence that international students won't be able to get a work permit AFTER they graduate or else they speak basic French, but they can work while they are enrolled.

There is a new Quebec law about French in the workplace. French is emphasized as a language of work, there is a francization process with penalty for employers who do not comply...So employers would definitely much prefer someone who speaks French, or even require it.

Yes, I'm aware of the new law but there is no evidence that employers cannot hire a student PT or for an internship who doesn't speak English. What you described is a preference not a legal requirement. My kid wants to learn French (already fluent in Spanish) and seems to be naturally good at learning languages, so I'm not worried.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have to find housing after freshman year at U if T? Talk to people who go there to find out how hard it is to find and how crazy expensive housing is.

I absolutely loved my time at Toronto but yes, I would clarify with Innis what the housing situation is after year one, so you are going into this with eyes open. Toronto has become an insanely expensive city. Students obviously manage to get housed one way or another, but if your son is not in college housing the whole time, it'll be an additional cost to factor in. See if you can find out what older students are actually paying and how long their commute is.

For sports, I did not do any team sports but I can vouch for the quality of U of T's centrally-located gym, the facilities there including PT, and the recreational offerings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Following because my junior is interested in Canadian colleges. Thanks for sharing your stories.

I got a master’s at U of Toronto a while ago. Toronto & McGill get most of the attention from prestige-conscious Americans, but there are lots of other options.

Some I would check out are:

Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. While unknown to most Americans, it was respected by Canadians I knew. Halifax is supposed to be a fun city.

Queen’s University in Ontario. Excellent academics & an unusually high level of school spirit for a Canadian university.

Glendon College of York University. A bilingual (French/English) small college with its own beautiful campus in Toronto.

Memorial University of Newfoundland. Much cheaper than most other Canadian universities. It’s in a picturesque city that is way off the beaten path. Would be great for a mature kid who doesn’t have a lot of money but still wants a foreign adventure to go along with an education. Google “St. John’s Newfoundland” to see photos of its unique city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were also disappointed by McGill’s tuition increase, which is explicitly designed to discourage applications outside of the Province. Another thing is that your kid won’t be able to get a part time job or internship in Montreal unless they are certified fluent in French.

I can't find any evidence of this. I found evidence that international students won't be able to get a work permit AFTER they graduate or else they speak basic French, but they can work while they are enrolled.

Yeah, everyone in Montreal speaks English fluently anyway.

Can you tell me about the tuition hike? My kids are Canadian citizens but would apply from the States ie never lived in Canada.

Look up the colleges online and then look up their "international fees" or "nonresident" fees, however they word it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were also disappointed by McGill’s tuition increase, which is explicitly designed to discourage applications outside of the Province. Another thing is that your kid won’t be able to get a part time job or internship in Montreal unless they are certified fluent in French.

I can't find any evidence of this. I found evidence that international students won't be able to get a work permit AFTER they graduate or else they speak basic French, but they can work while they are enrolled.

Yeah, everyone in Montreal speaks English fluently anyway.

Can you tell me about the tuition hike? My kids are Canadian citizens but would apply from the States ie never lived in Canada.

My understanding is that you actually can declare your kids Quebec residents vs. someone living in another province going to Quebec. I know of a DMV kid with a Canadian parent that pays next to nothing for Magill tuition because they were able to claim Quebec residency.

Maybe that has changed as well.