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UofC vs Western


Sam451

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Sam451
  • Applicant

I’ve been accepted at both, though I just got a recent offer from the latter. I am very conflicted on which one to go, so I would love to here some insight on what others think in terms of might be the better school. Is Western considered a better law school? What are prospects like for each school and what might be a reason to go to each in terms of career? I am not sure which province I want to practise in long-term, but I did my undergrad in Ontario.

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Khrisse
  • Law Student

Congratulations on your two acceptances - that’s a great position to be in!

Lots of factors to weigh and in the end only you can make the right decision for you. In terms of which is the “better law school,” my sense is that you can’t fundamentally go wrong with any Canadian law school, but each may have strengths that are more or less interesting to you. Neither was on my list, but I do believe U of C has strength in oil and gas law, if that’s of interest, while Windsor has transnational opportunities - if you have specific interests, some digging into which has more relevant courses or profs doing relevant research may be useful. . I don’t think it’s a deal-breaker, but I believe it’s often easier to land articling positions or subsequent jobs if you’ve studied and networked in the jurisdiction you want to practice in. Cost/financial support is always an important factor. Also, which city would you prefer to be in for three years? My 2 cents, knowing nothing about you or the answers to these questions: if you did your undergrad in ON, perhaps there is value to experiencing something different. Full disclosure: I’m an incoming 1L at U of A. 

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goosie
  • Lawyer

I just graduated from Western, so feel free to DM if you have specific questions. I honestly don't pay close attention to law school rankings or anything like that, and I'm not really sure that people would say either UofC or Western is on the whole "better" than the other - I think they'd be tough to compare anyway, since UofC is obviously better if you want to work in AB and Western is better if you want to work in ON. Either school will give you a good legal education. Generally though, if you truly don't have a preference in terms of which province you want to practice in (since to me that's the biggest factor that should weigh on your decision), I would suggest looking through the opportunities each school provides (clinics, moots, course offerings, professors) and see whether one aligns more with your general interests than the other. It's still early so you might not have a solid idea of your career ambitions, but it's worth thinking about - Western is often thought of as a "business law school" (in my opinion, that's more marketing than absolute truth and there's lots of opportunity for students who aren't interested in corporate law, but it's true that many of Western's strengths are in its corporate law and corporate law-adjacent offerings). Look at tuition, cost of living in each city, and your own budget. If you can, visit each school, or even just one, especially if you've never been to London or Calgary.

1 hour ago, Khrisse said:

while Windsor has transnational opportunities

I'm guessing you just misread the title of the thread, but just so that there's no confusion: Western does not have "transnational opportunities" like the dual program at Windsor. You can do an exchange in 3L and they offer international internships but you'll just be graduating with a regular JD.

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Khrisse
  • Law Student

 

22 hours ago, goosie said:

I'm guessing you just misread the title of the thread, but just so that there's no confusion: Western does not have "transnational opportunities" like the dual program at Windsor. You can do an exchange in 3L and they offer international internships but you'll just be graduating with a regular JD.

My bad - must have still been on my first coffee. 

Edited by Khrisse
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  • 3 months later...
corn_syrup_enjoyer
  • Applicant

not too sure if you've already made decision, but something I would add to your decision making calculus is London and Calgary as cities. London will definitely be cheaper - but much less enjoyable of an experience than Calgary

I've done my undergrad in Western and have some insights about it.

1. London is significantly more dangerous. Break-ins are extremely common in the student area, your home and car WILL be broken into if left unlock, has happened to me before and most I know. Your home and vehicle will be door-checked recently, and don't even think about bringing a bike, it will be stolen in minutes. Drugs are extremely common here and you will likely see someone on meth/heroin every day if you life downtown. Think DTES Vancouver level. Drunk and aggressive fratbros are not unheard of either. Calgary is significantly safer than London, even downtown Calgary. People will downplay this and Londoners are very very touchy about it but nearly everyone I know has either been robbed or knows of someone who has been a victim of either a serious burgulary or violent crime here. I know multiple people who've been mugged at knife-point and called racial epithets. This can be avoided if you live in the suburbs north of the university, but be prepared to pay more and have fewer walkable amenities in that case.

 

2. In London you absolutely need a car. London's busses are nearly unusable, they will be late, dropped, inconsistent and have very sparse routes, even to campus from major roads. If you live close to campus then be prepared to spend 40 minutes on a bus to get the most expensive groceries in the city (loblaws/valu mart are super overpriced). Car insurance is really cheap here though, traffic is manageable and rent away from the university is quite affordable,  so if you have one it'd probably be worth the cost to pay for paking/insurance. Calgary has much much better public transit. Take this into consideration with your costs unless you're alright with spending hours every week waiting for the bus without weather shelters.

 

3. Calgary is far far more beautiful. If you're into outdoorsy stuff there is a nice beach (Grand Bend) and an ok provincial park (Kolmoka) near London, and some decent national parks around 4-5 hours away. But absolutely nothing compared to jasper, banff, waterton etc. London also looks extremely depressing in the winter and there's not really any skiing/snowboarding if that's your thing.

4. Much less to do in London, but a lot in Toronto. Fewer people means only one good mall, very little live concerts. However, if you want to to a 2 hour drive/train you can get to downtown TO for concerts/sport games pretty easily if that's your thing.

5. Western's campus is beautiful. Unquestionably nicer than UofC (sorry not sorry). lots of old gothic buildings from w hen it was an Anglican seminary.

6. Rent is much cheaper in London. If you're willing to have roommmates and live in the student area you can expect around $600-7000 for an acceptable shared house.  Closer to 800-900 for a decent apartment with only 2 roommates. Single rooms r pretty bad tho.

Law school considerations aside I'd pick Calgary over London in a heartbeat.

Sorry to any Londoners I've offended.

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