[misscake]

I'm not dead set on anything yet but either go into advertising/marketing or go full time freelance if possible. I'm currently part time freelancing over here but I would love to work in a proper studio/agency environment.

Thanks so much for recommending VFS, it looks very cool, I did some research and talked to some advisors and stuff and their Digital Design course sounds amazing but it's sooo expensive compared to Kwantlen, nearly 30k for just a year? I know I wouldn't be able to afford that, though I do appreciate that you get what you pay for and it probably is the best school to go to. Kwantlens fee system did confuse me but I think it's a lot cheaper?

I live in the North of Ireland, I'm from Armagh which is very much country/farms/small villages though now I live in Lisburn which is a big-ish city and about 20mins away from Belfast our main city.

I've been told that the weather in Ireland and BC are pretty similar? Rain mostly?

Thanks so much again, you've been a great help

[JGMycroft]

Yeah.. if you can get the funds, I would say VFS is definitely up there. You won't be able to work at all if you go though since it will be one year intensive and probably more worth it if you're looking to break into the film/animation/game industries in Vancouver.

What's confusing about the fees at Kwantlen? Is it just a general semester based + tools kind of fees? And it is definitely a lot cheaper than VFS. VFS is up there with the most expensive (even for residents here) schools in Vancouver.

Haha, I'm not sure about North Ireland but from what I have experienced on my trips to the Republic of Ireland, the weather is basically almost exactly the same. It rains quite a bit but it's quite a bit warmer in the winter. It's a dry cold that doesn't seep into all your clothes and bones. I spent Christmas down in Waterford and it was RIDICULOUS how cold it was and this is coming from a Canuck!

[misscake]

Definitely won't be able to get the funds for that. Unless I win the lottery, eesh.

Well, here's the page for fees at Kwantlen. Maybe I'm just really slow but I can't make head nor tail out of it!

Ahh you were way down at the bottom of Ireland, it is baltic down there. Well done on surviving It's not so bad up North but our winters are still pretty cold, we get about a week of nice summer weather and then it's just rain! Is you family originally from Ireland? :]

[JGMycroft]

Well it's $500 per credit for an international student and the program is a 120 credit program.
120 x 500 = 60,000 CAD for the BA and add school fees on top of it (I think the average school fees is about $500 a year)

Thanks! I've never even had to use an electric blanket before. I was so glad to for it then!
My family's originally from Singapore but my boyfriend's family is from Ireland so I spent the last Christmas with them. Definitely different from Vancouver!

[misscake]

Ahh thanks for your help, we don't have credit systems.. that confused me.

It's such a relief to know Vancouver is relatively warm, booya! Have you visited any other counties in Ireland?

[JGMycroft]

It rains quite a lot here, it's basically the North American rainforest where we are so be prepared with wet gear but that also means that the temperatures are usually never in the extremes so you'll be grand!

I've only been to the county of Cork, Dublin and Waterford and the first two only briefly. I'm hoping to spend a year there in the near future so I'll do a bit more traveling on the east side of the country!

[misscake]

Rain I'm OK with, it rains a lot here too.. I just need some sunshine and warmth in my life :P

Dublin city is beautiful. One of my faveourite places...I'm not well traveled but I think it's one of the nicet cities in the world! Ooh good luck with your travels!

[Dr Bungle]

I was thinking about the University of Toronto (However they require taking English A Level for quite a few departments, which I haven't) and Carleton in Ottawa, doing either Aerospace Eng or Physical Geography. At the same time I'd be looking to complete a Private Pilot's License at a nearby airport whilst at Uni, and then after graduating enrol at a flight school for a Commercial Pilot's license.

The problem is I didn't take maths at A Level, which makes Aero Eng a headache to get admitted to. A few universities, like Manchester, do an engineering foundation year where you complete a foundation year, building the required knowledge and then entry onto the actual engineering course.

Does anyone know if I could apply to one of these foundation courses in the UK, complete the foundation year and then transfer that 'credit' over to a Canadian University, which should make me meet the academic requirements?

Cheers.

[punctuation]

(Original post by Dr Bungle)
I was thinking about the University of Toronto (However they require taking English A Level for quite a few departments, which I haven't) and Carleton in Ottawa, doing either Aerospace Eng or Physical Geography. At the same time I'd be looking to complete a Private Pilot's License at a nearby airport whilst at Uni, and then after graduating enrol at a flight school for a Commercial Pilot's license.

The problem is I didn't take maths at A Level, which makes Aero Eng a headache to get admitted to. A few universities, like Manchester, do an engineering foundation year where you complete a foundation year, building the required knowledge and then entry onto the actual engineering course.

Does anyone know if I could apply to one of these foundation courses in the UK, complete the foundation year and then transfer that 'credit' over to a Canadian University, which should make me meet the academic requirements?

Cheers.

Send those universities an email to see if they'll be lenient and let you get away without a maths A-level. It doesn't hurt to ask, especially if it might save you a foundation year.

[BP_Tranquility]

Do universities in Canada follow the British style where university is 3 years (for a BSc) where you study only one subject and specialise, or is it similar to the American style where it is 4 years long (for a BSc) and in the first year you study a variety of subjects (including maths, science, English etc) and then specialise in the second year (I think)?

[punctuation]

(Original post by BP_Tranquility)
Do universities in Canada follow the British style where university is 3 years (for a BSc) where you study only one subject and specialise, or is it similar to the American style where it is 4 years long (for a BSc) and in the first year you study a variety of subjects (including maths, science, English etc) and then specialise in the second year (I think)?

An undergraduate degree in Canada is four years, but you specialise immediately (though some courses are 'broader' than others*). So it's basically a mix of British and American systems.

* for example, there is 'health science' vs. 'life science' -- both are degrees for 'pre-med' (since medical and law school in Canada/the US occur after an undergraduate degree). Health science is more specifically geared towards 'being a doctor'; however, life science is closer to general biology.


ETA: I might add that while you specialise immediately, I think in some cases you may be required to study a variety of subjects. For example, you may still have to take maths if you're doing chemistry. I only vaguely know about this through anecdotal evidence, but it's something to consider!

[Tarnia]

Some universities have programs that don't require you to specialise right away. I'm a Canuck, and went to the University of Guelph for animal biology, and even though I specialised, the first two years was your general sciences and maths-physics, chem, bio, calculus....Also, they have a 'arts and science' major that combines both disciplines, for students that aren't sure which they want to do.

[ForGreatJustice]

i'll post in this thread, though i'm still at a very tentative pre-application stage, looking to do PhD, hopefully some good uni will give me offer

[novella]

Hi,

I have a question. What do they mean when they say 'fill out the OUAC form for Ontario universities as soon as possible, and no later than the end of November.'

Also, i'm giving retakes for my AS Level in October and i don't know when the result comes...what should i do? I can't give my old AS grades because they aren't impressive.

[ninacoolhead]

(Original post by punctuation)
As a Canadian, I would agree. They have a better 'city' feel to them, and a better nightlife, etc.

Any more questions my PM box is open!

Hi, I am planning to apply to a couple of canadian uni via OUAC. Want to start my courses in Sept 2013. Have I missed the deadline? As I read somewhere on this thread that OUAC deadline was end of November 2012. Plz let me know.

[Rock Fan]

I am curious to know if anyone is at the UBC in Vancouver.

[punctuation]

(Original post by ninacoolhead)
Hi, I am planning to apply to a couple of canadian uni via OUAC. Want to start my courses in Sept 2013. Have I missed the deadline? As I read somewhere on this thread that OUAC deadline was end of November 2012. Plz let me know.

I'm not sure about internationals, but for domestic students the deadline is sometime in January. I think internationals would probably get more time, so just check with the OUAC website or something. I don't think you missed it, though!

[ninacoolhead]

Thank you, did check the OUAC website but could not find anything about deadline so will ring them on 2nd, hopefully they will be back to work. Its difficult decision whether to go to Uni in England or Canada as I have dual nationality. My goal is to study medicine but there is so much competition for Medicine places in UK. If I go to Canada I have to do a 3 to four year degree first before applying to study medicine. I would have tried for UK but my grades are not that brilliant. I am now in year 13 in UK and sitting for my final A2 exams in June 2013. And I may end up with BBB. But one needs at least AAA for Unis in UK. I would be most grateful if someone please shed some ideas!Thanks alot.

[jumblehunter]

I wish I was, but I'm not minted so spent the last 6 months working my arse off to try and get into an Ivy instead, and was unsuccessful so I'll be staying in the UK. Good luck with Canada, I went to a couple of talks/lectures on studying in Canada and it looked incredible.

[jco19]

(Original post by ninacoolhead)
Thank you, did check the OUAC website but could not find anything about deadline so will ring them on 2nd, hopefully they will be back to work. Its difficult decision whether to go to Uni in England or Canada as I have dual nationality. My goal is to study medicine but there is so much competition for Medicine places in UK. If I go to Canada I have to do a 3 to four year degree first before applying to study medicine. I would have tried for UK but my grades are not that brilliant. I am now in year 13 in UK and sitting for my final A2 exams in June 2013. And I may end up with BBB. But one needs at least AAA for Unis in UK. I would be most grateful if someone please shed some ideas!Thanks alot.

I'm a dual citizen too, but going from Canada to the UK. Well ... hopefully! I will have to wait to see what my offers are.

Here's how I view the choices for dual citizens

Canada pros
- Less competition
- It's generally cheaper
- The roads are bigger

Canada cons
- With the exception of UT, McGill and McMaster (which ARE hard to get into), other universities in Canada are unknown of even in the US
- As far as I'm aware, nearly all degree programs are 4 years

UK pros
- Some of the best schools in the world
- Excellent education
- Degree programs are 3 years

UK cons
- Expensive, expensive, expensive
- Extremely competitive