Spin off of the Canadian college question

[Anonymous]

Are there downsides to sending your kid to school in Canada?

Looking at the websites, it seems like one could go to a good name school in Canada for less money than anything but an instate school in the US. You can use your 529, apply for US government aid, get workstudy, or grants if you apply (except they call them "bursaries, which sounds much more sophisticated!).

The admissions process also seems much less crazy. The websites basically list GPAs and SATs and if you meet their requirements you can be confident that you'll get in, with much less emphasis on things like essays, and interviews, and extracurriculars.

So, I wonder if there's a downside, other than perhaps weather. Is it harder to get a job if you come back to the states with an engineering degree that says "Waterloo" instead of "Penn State"? Is it harder to get into Law School in the US if your undergraduate says McGill instead of Northwestern? Are there other downsides I'm not thinking of?

[Anonymous]

McGill is highly, highly regarded. Believe me, I'm kicking myself all these years later not taking the big (scary) leap to go there and take in all the living in Montreal has to offer.

[Anonymous]

OP you must be a joke

How about you have to breath Canadian air, share living space with the natives who are not real Americans

On the bright side, you get a good deal on a good education

[Anonymous]

I think you would need to check out alignment issues. That is, do Canadian high school students have a similar curriculum and enter college with the same skills/knowledge as an American high school graduate? I have a general impression that they finish high school a little earlier/younger and that American students might find themselves repeating material.

[Anonymous]

Alignment ?
Kids in America from different states do not have a similar curriculum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you would need to check out alignment issues. That is, do Canadian high school students have a similar curriculum and enter college with the same skills/knowledge as an American high school graduate? I have a general impression that they finish high school a little earlier/younger and that American students might find themselves repeating material.

I attended high school in Canada, and now teach high school in the US, and the alignment was close enough. They taught us that Britain/Canada won the war of 1812, and the highest level classes weren't precisely aligned with the AP test, and French was the most popular foreign language. Oh and they teach you to spell colour with a funny U in the middle. I wouldn't worry about any of that though, it's really close. I wouldn't say they're ahead or behind in anything.

As far as graduation ages, there are a few states in Canada where you can start K at 4.5 so those kids would be a couple months younger, but not hugely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you would need to check out alignment issues. That is, do Canadian high school students have a similar curriculum and enter college with the same skills/knowledge as an American high school graduate? I have a general impression that they finish high school a little earlier/younger and that American students might find themselves repeating material.

I attended high school in Canada, and now teach high school in the US, and the alignment was close enough. They taught us that Britain/Canada won the war of 1812, and the highest level classes weren't precisely aligned with the AP test, and French was the most popular foreign language. Oh and they teach you to spell colour with a funny U in the middle. I wouldn't worry about any of that though, it's really close. I wouldn't say they're ahead or behind in anything.

As far as graduation ages, there are a few states in Canada where you can start K at 4.5 so those kids would be a couple months younger, but not hugely.

I can't believe I wrote that. There are no states in Canada just provinces.