UofC UBC, U of T

[IllegalIllEagle]

Near 4.0, 170, accepted to all, struggling to decide.

Alberta native, and I think I want to stay and work here.. but am I shooting myself in the foot long term by attending u of c? Should I just attend one of the other, eat the extra cost (in terms of COA) and then work in Calgary if I choose so that I still have extra doors open later?

I'm so torn.

[Eatable Bran]

DM me if you want to chat, made this decision myself a couple years ago, and definitely have some thoughts (and honestly a few regrets).

[Twenty]

It all depends on your risk tolerance and your ability to deal with FOMO.

• U of T opens more doors re: NYC + clerkships, but those doors are not guaranteed. Calgary Big Law is not guaranteed. 
• U of C 
  • If you're from Calgary, Calgary firms won't care that you did not attend U of C since you already have a Calgary connection.
  • If you do start off in Calgary Big Law as a U of C grad, it is possible to later work in NYC or London (I've seen it happen). Not sure how often this happens though or if the firm on the resume plays a bigger role than alma mater.
  • U of C has the International Energy Law Program, which may open doors in Houston. 
• Don't know a lot about UBC, other than that it has good tuition and UBC is highly respected. Not sure what oppotunities are available to UBC grads compared to U of T or U of C students.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Twenty

[qsizzle]

14 hours ago, IllegalIllEagle said:

Near 4.0, 170, accepted to all, struggling to decide.

Alberta native, and I think I want to stay and work here.. but am I shooting myself in the foot long term by attending u of c? Should I just attend one of the other, eat the extra cost (in terms of COA) and then work in Calgary if I choose so that I still have extra doors open later?

I'm so torn.

Hey,

I'd wait till March 31 to make your decision. Ucalgary scholarships will be out by then, and with your stats you may get 💵💵.

That may help direct your decision. I know it would for me.

Good luck! And I hope you are grateful and proud, because this a very good problem to have. 

[IllegalIllEagle]

@qsizzle A good problem indeed, I am heavily leaning towards Calgary. If I can get one of the top entrance awards, that decision will be made for me in many ways.

I appreciate you all!

[Coffeecadet]

If your goal is to work in Calgary Big Law, then any of those schools would allow you a good opportunity of doing so. If that is in fact the goal, then I would likely choose UofC for the cheaper cost of living and tuition (relative to UofT, at least), as well as the ability to stay close to family and friends - assuming that's important to you. 

It's true that going to UofC may close some doors, or at least make them harder to open, but it really depends what opportunities you are thinking of and whether you actually think you'll want to pursue those down the road. 

[IllegalIllEagle]

On 3/16/2022 at 7:59 AM, qsizzle said:

Hey,

I'd wait till March 31 to make your decision. Ucalgary scholarships will be out by then, and with your stats you may get 💵💵.

That may help direct your decision. I know it would for me.

Good luck! And I hope you are grateful and proud, because this a very good problem to have. 

Apparently they've sent out first wave scholarships and I did not receive one 😕 honestly quite disappointed and shocked in a way. Massive deciding factor for me so I definitely feel a bit bummed. Happy to know that I missed out now thiugh so I can explore my other options more deeply.

[qsizzle]

Just now, IllegalIllEagle said:

Apparently they've sent out first wave scholarships and I did not receive one 😕 honestly quite disappointed and shocked in a way. Massive deciding factor for me so I definitely feel a bit bummed. Happy to know that I missed out now thiugh so I can explore my other options more deeply.

I'd still hold out till the 31rst my friend. Just because some people have gotten scholarship offers doesn't mean they're all gone. For example, they could be giving out smaller ones first. Or larger ones. Or alphabetical order. We have no idea. So there is still hope you'll get a large scholarship, and buy me a nice car. 😝

[IllegalIllEagle]

11 minutes ago, qsizzle said:

I'd still hold out till the 31rst my friend. Just because some people have gotten scholarship offers doesn't mean they're all gone. For example, they could be giving out smaller ones first. Or larger ones. Or alphabetical order. We have no idea. So there is still hope you'll get a large scholarship, and buy me a nice car. 😝

You're probably right, the whole fact that all these deadlines are basically in a week has me in shambles lol. Appreciate you, and why would you want a car anyways? Can't afford anything with gas prices haha. The longest drive you'll have is from pump 1 to pump 7.

[qsizzle]

True. Worst case you can provisionally accept U of T so you have till July 1 to fully accept that offer. And, you can always pay the deposit at UBC and U of C to have a spot, but revoke it later. However, you lose the money in that case should you decide to go else where.

If you're leaning towards u of c, regardless of scholarship. I'd provisionally accept Toronto for free, and pay deposit at u of c. This way you're guaranteed a spot at u of c, but can still bail should you change your mind. But you lose like $500 in that case.

Also, remember this is an amazing spot to be in. People would literally sacrafice their first born to be you right now, so it's not all that bad. Not trying to invalidate your experience by saying this, but just trying to offer another perspective.

Lastly, I appreciate you too. And if you get me a Tesla then we don't have to worry about gas 🤣