U of T or UBC?

[Admittedstudent1]

I have been admitted to UofT and UBC. I am having A LOT of trouble choosing between the two.
 

background: I am from Toronto, interested in indigenous legal studies (but also very open to finding new interests), and love exploring new places (i would love to go on exchange in law school). I will be paying for law school and rent on my own (meaning a lot of debt!) 
 

UBC

pros 
-  tuition less expensive 

- good indigenous legal studies program

- more open to students doing exchanges? 

cons 

- campus not downtown 

- commuter community? 

- am I closing doors by going to UBC if I am not sure where I want to be/what law I want to do

 
U of T

pros 

- being #1 in Canada must mean something in terms of quality of profs/academic program 

- better outcomes after graduation(?) 

- indigenous legal studies certificate 

- good community (as far as I have heard) 

cons 

- very expensive

- not as supportive of students doing exchanges (?) 

-  Vancouver > Toronto

these are all just my assumptions so please correct me if I am wrong!

any advice would be appreciated 🙂 

[Ramesses]

Congrats! Where do you want to live in the future? Also, have you been to Vancouver before?

[Admittedstudent1]

9 minutes ago, Ramesses said:

Congrats! Where do you want to live in the future? Also, have you been to Vancouver before?

Thank you! One of the big problems is that I have no idea where I want to live. I have family in Toronto but I did my undergrad in Quebec (where I would love to live but not sure if that will be possible if I don’t have a law degree from McGill). I have been to Vancouver once before and I have friends that live there. I really liked Vancouver (mountain, beach, and city all in one!). I had a bad experience in Toronto which is clouding my view of the city but I am thinking going to school might help change that. As you can probably tell, I am very lost. Any advice you could give would be very helpful! 

Edited April 5, 2022 by Admittedstudent1

[Rashabon]

Where did you get info on exchanges? A ton of my cohort went on exchange for a semester at U of T. I had a friend who actually did an intensive program through Osgoode for a semester that had them in Saskatoon, while at U of T.

U of T might slightly edge UBC in overall outcomes, but mostly for academia and maybe a bit for SCC clerkships. Otherwise UBC has very strong outcomes as well. U of T will place better in the Toronto job market while UBC will place better in the Vancouver job market.

U of T also has a commuter community to an extent since not everyone lives downtown by the school. I expect both schools have good communities and that shouldn't be a factor in your decision.

I can't comment on the indigenous legal offerings of either school, but BC has a lot more of a connection to indigenous legal tradition and given the different dynamics in BC compared to Ontario, has a different emphasis.

It sounds to me like UBC fits your goals a bit more than U of T, given location, interests and cost, but ultimately you'll have to decide.

[Ramesses]

2 hours ago, Admittedstudent1 said:

Thank you! One of the big problems is that I have no idea where I want to live. I have family in Toronto but I did my undergrad in Quebec (where I would love to live but not sure if that will be possible if I don’t have a law degree from McGill). I have been to Vancouver once before and I have friends that live there. I really liked Vancouver (mountain, beach, and city all in one!). I had a bad experience in Toronto which is clouding my view of the city but I am thinking going to school might help change that. As you can probably tell, I am very lost. Any advice you could give would be very helpful! 

The typical advice that goes around the forum is go to school where you want to work. In this case it seems like Vancouver. While UBC tuition is cheaper, Vancouver is an expensive city and the salaries are not proportionate to the cost of living so you need to consider that.

In regards to the academics and opportunities, I think @rashabon summarized it very well.