UVic vs. UBC vs. UofA

[LawWizard]

Alright folks here's my situation. Got an urban planning degree from UofA. Pretty left leaning guy so I'm not crazy about doing corporate work. Ideally would like to be doing union side labour law or working for city administration somewhere in Canada. My impression is that the compensation and hours can be decent going either of these routes, but feel free to correct that if it's misconceived. Got a minimum offer of 5K entrance from UVic, 12.5k entrance from UofA, and admission w/ no upfront scholarship from UBC. What should I be looking at here? I can probably afford to live in any of these places. Any information is appreciated. Thanks.

Edited December 31, 2021 by LawWizard

[Electricity]

I don't think any of these schools have a special focus on your areas of interest, so attending one over another won’t affect you in this regard. It'd be different if you wanted to pursue a specific area where one of these schools really stood out. If your aim was to work in Indigenous or environmental law, for instance, going to UVic would probably help. 

While UVic and UofA are both great, it’s well established that UBC is a top-tier school in Canada. My impression is that this makes some difference in corporate recruitment and a few other more lucrative areas. Rankings aren’t that important to begin with, though, and they’re even less so for your purposes. They might be something to consider, but shouldn’t guide your decision. 

I think you need to assess how important saving money is to you at this stage in your life and over the next decade. Balance this against whether you liked UofA or whether you’d like a change of scenery. I know none of this is terribly helpful - it’s a personal priority question you’ve got to sort out for yourself. 

I have no knowledge on the compensation question. Congrats on the scholarships and best of luck in your decision. 

[Borat]

2 hours ago, LawWizard said:

I can probably afford to live in any of these places.

Cost of living (especially rent) is significantly higher in Vancouver/Victoria compared to Edmonton. This could easily amount to at least $10k more per year. Will you be living alone, or with roommates? Driving a car or taking transit, etc? Calculate these numbers over three years and you'll have a clearer picture of costs.

Ultimately I think you should base your decision on where you want to work. If you want to practice/stay in Alberta, you should go to UofA. Likewise if you're looking at BC, definitely choose UBC/UVic. 

[Electricity]

1 hour ago, Borat said:

If you want to practice/stay in Alberta, you should go to UofA. Likewise if you're looking at BC, definitely choose UBC/UVic. 

Yeah, I should’ve mentioned this as well. Generally speaking, you should go to school in the same province you want to work in. I don't think this needs to be followed as strictly when you can save tens of thousands by going somewhere else, though. 

Schools typically post employment data on their graduating classes where you can look at this in more detail, but I think there’s a significant amount of education/employment overlap between western provinces. If you really want to save money, finding your way back to BC after graduating from UofA won’t be that difficult. 

[CheeseToast]

I’d disregard any of the comments regarding “prestige” or whatever lol. Probably a good idea to go where you ultimately want to practice barring a significant incentive otherwise (be it a strictly financial one or not).