Studied in Canada/Northern US?

Heyy,

I originally posted this in a US thread but I thought I'd give it one of it's own - seeing as Canadians don't like to be thought of as American :wink:

Basically, I'm moving to Canada at the beginning of Sep - and it's gonna be a bit of a culture shock considering I've never visited there before.

If anybody has studied in Canada (or even better studied in Canada and the UK) can somebody please tell me what they it is like compared to Britain?

I'm wondering if I should do a final year at HS before I throw myself into Uni as I'm still not sure which Uni I want to go to and would love to visit the campuses first.

- Are Canadians as academically motivated as the Brits, or more party/sorority/fraternity types like in the US?

- Can Canadians go to clubs/pubs at 18??

Lol - I think u get the picture that I want to stay in the UK!! But anywayz, I'd like to know more about the culture in Canada.

Reply 1

Phoenix Wright

Heh, I'm in the opposite position as you; I'm heading to the UK for a Masters even though I've never been there before in my life. I've been to the continent twice, though, so I'm hoping it won't be too big of a shock. I've spent alot of time in a couple of US Universities (Mainly Missouri State and UPenn)

Canada, I've found, is halfway between Europe and America. It looks almost identical to the US in its architecture and infrastructure, though there is more emphasis on public transportation in Canada. Certain Universities (like mine) are full of highly devoted students whereas other, perhaps, lesser Universities, are more inclined towards drunken parties. Frats do exist, but they hold less sway and have less presence in University life than in the United States. The drinking age is either 18 or 19 depending on the province. It shouldn't be too hard to find a place that won't card you, though.

Where are you moving to? If you want to know more about Toronto and Ontario (which is, clearly, where I'm from), feel free to PM me if you have more specific questions.

--Phoenix

Reply 2

liberated

I made a thread like this which is a little further down the page, if you want to read some more.

I'm in the same situation as Phoenix. I did my undergrad in Canada and I'm going to England to do my Masters.

I'd say Canadians are as academically motivated as Brits. They were at U of T anyways.

Reply 3

Phoenix Wright

Hey liberated, what program are you doing at U of T? Where ya going for your Masters? I hate how we finish so damn late in comparison to everyone else....I should be writing a paper, but instead I'm here procrastinating...

Reply 4

liberated

Hi Phoenix, I actually graduated last year. I did a zoology specialist and anthropology minor. I'll be going to University of Leeds. How about you?

Yeah, U of T was always the last to finish. Good luck with finals! :smile:

Reply 5

shady lane

J_89

- Are Canadians as academically motivated as the Brits, or more party/sorority/fraternity types like in the US?

What kind of stupid crap is this?

Reply 6

Phoenix Wright

Thanks! I've only got one, but it's in May sometime...talk about a long vacation. I'm graduating with a history specialist and an English minor and I'm heading to LSE next year. I'm pretty excited, actually, aren't you?

Reply 7

tree_trunkz

shady lane

What kind of stupid crap is this?

lol, amen to ignorant, segregating stereotypes.

Reply 8

tangsiuje

J_89

Are Canadians as academically motivated as the Brits, or more party/sorority/fraternity types like in the US?

I don't like cultural generalisations, and my impression is not really that Brits are very motivated at all. I'd say that most students around the world try to produce the greatest results with the minimum amount of effort, which yields slightly different results depending on the system in each country. For instance, British students would tend to slack out for most of the year but be extremely hard-working in late April and May, when exams are coming up. If the workload is more spread out over the academic year (like in Canada or the US), you may not see these spurts of crazy work, but that doesn't mean that Canadians or Americans are less hard-working.

On average, however, I'd say that Brits drink more.

Reply 9

liberated

Phoenix Wright

Yeah, I'm really excited! I'll probably start getting really nervous come August though.

tangsiuje

From my experience, I was lucky if I had 2 weeks free of exams, quizzes, assignments, etc. The workload was pretty constant. But it really depends on the university and the courses you take.

My friend is studying in London right now and it seems like they get more breaks in England. Every time I talk to him, he seems to be on a break or about to go on a break, lol.

Reply 10

shady lane

I'm in the UK and currently on a FIVE WEEK break. We got 3 weeks at Christmas and 1 for spring break at my US university.

Reply 11

kpq

I am Canadian did my undergrad at UofT, but also spent a year abroad on exchange to the Uni of Manchester. I have to say, my experience in the UK far outweighed the time I spent in Toronto. Although, I love the city and the reputation of my university, compared to doing a full year in third year courses in Manchester, the workload in Canada is SOOOOOOOOO much more then in the UK. In Canada you have tons of assignments, essays and tests/exams for each course + tutorial work. While in the UK, you might have 1 essay and 1 exam all year (and mabey in your first two years non-assessed essays in tutorial) This is nothing compared to the workload at UofT. Also, Manchester was a much more social uni. People enjoy their time at uni more then in Toronto, where it is more work less play. Also, I felt the whole uni feel to be more community like in the UK, where here you feel much more like a number to the registars office. The drinking comment posted above was quite correct, in saying that UK students drink much more then in Canada! hahah this is much fun though, i must admit. Makes for much better stories at the end of the day :wink:

Overall, if you are looking for a real hardcore education, go to UofT, it is a fantastic academic school. However, I like the balance between both, and am opting to do postgrad courses in Birmingham!! :wink: