UBC vs uOttawa

[bagelglitter]

Having already put the deposit down for Ottawa, I recently got into UBC though which I wasn't expecting, and am not sure what to do. The cost ends up being about the same to me, and I have almost no preference between working in BC or Ontario. Family's in Ontario, but far away enough from Ottawa so that distance isn't a huge factor to me either. Right now, I want to work for the government, but I'm indifferent between federal and provincial. This makes me feel like Ottawa is the better choice, but UBC's name and the relative ease of landing government jobs makes me feel unsure. Thoughts?

[ArchivesandMuseums]

1 hour ago, bagelglitter said:

Having already put the deposit down for Ottawa, I recently got into UBC though which I wasn't expecting, and am not sure what to do. The cost ends up being about the same to me, and I have almost no preference between working in BC or Ontario. Family's in Ontario, but far away enough from Ottawa so that distance isn't a huge factor to me either. Right now, I want to work for the government, but I'm indifferent between federal and provincial. This makes me feel like Ottawa is the better choice, but UBC's name and the relative ease of landing government jobs makes me feel unsure. Thoughts?

uOttawa's strength in placing the government's jobs is overrated. You can secure the government's jobs even from Windsor law. UBC law is one of the best law schools in Canada, but uOttawa is just a mediocre. Go to UBC law.

Edited June 24 by ArchivesandMuseums

[noname12]

uOttawa is a great place to go to law school. Entering 3L this year, and I am happy that I chose to go here. In all reality, it doesn't matter where you go to school.

[Conge]

UBC, no question. 

Better reputation/brand, better city, larger market (at least in the immediate city), better weather...I used to live in Ottawa and went to uOttawa for a graduate program, and I actually really like the city...but I'd go to UBC... 

[MyWifesBoyfriend]

12 minutes ago, noname12 said:

it doesn't matter where you go to school.

That’s simply not true. 

[law202000]

Hands down UBC. no brainer

Edited June 24 by law202000

[LMP]

12 hours ago, ArchivesandMuseums said:

uOttawa's strength in placing the government's jobs is overrated. You can secure the government's jobs even from Windsor law. UBC law is one of the best law schools in Canada, but uOttawa is just a mediocre. Go to UBC law.

I think this is a good point to keep in mind. Ottawa has a reputation on this forum for being good at placing students "in government" but fundamentally I just don't think that is true. 

As anyone who's worked in government can tell you, the application and hiring process is pretty restrained. You either check the boxes and get the points or you don't. 

There may some fringe advantages to being located in Ottawa, but nothing significant enough that I think it should significantly impact your choice of school. 

If you pick Ottawa, pick it for the actual merits of the school and not the purported ones. 

[chaboywb]

As a uOttawa grad, I did find there were opportunities available to meet lawyers working for the Federal government and learn about them and their career paths. It also seemed like Ottawa students punched above their weight in Supreme Court clerkships, although these still required top tier grades. 

The benefits pretty much end there. If I was flexible in location, I'd pick UBC every time.

[notarya]

Current uOttawa student here. I personally love uOttawa, and I have no regrets choosing it. 

uOttawa offers plenty of classes in public and constitutional law, which I think might be helpful (at least to show interest in public law). The professors at uOttawa are also great, and the faculty provides a lot of resources for students. I personally love the overall culture and vibe at uOttawa, it's more collegiate than competitive. 

But, like others said, uOttawa's reputation for placing students in government jobs is pretty exaggerated. I think being at uOttawa helps with networking opportunities because of physical proximity to the federal government. I don't think that's necessary to get a federal government job though, and anyway, you can easily do coffee chats online via Zoom/Teams these days.

My one issue with uOttawa is that the law building is small. Talk to anyone that goes there and they'll tell you about how busy and loud it gets. It's a nightmare of a building to get around.