uOttawa vs Queen's - NEED INPUT!!

[seeyounextyear]

Hi Everyone, 

I was accepted to UOttawa (Common Law) but have not yet heard back from Queen's. 

With course enrollment nearing for UOttawa, I am unsure as to if I should firmly accept my offer of admission or wait for a response from Queen's. 

Are there any substantive benefits to Queen's that are worth me waiting for a response on my application? 

For reference: LSAT 157 CGPA 3.6 per OLSAS

Any input is appreciated. 

[scooter]

The schools are similar and Ottawa is a better city than Kingston in my opinion

If you don't have a specific reason why you are waiting for Queen's, then why not just accept Ottawa and move on

[cactusjack6]

I am currently at Ottawa and was in a similar position to you. I chose Ottawa and it was the best decision. It is not a guarantee you will get into Queen's and i would want to have the chance to pick courses from the start and get a favorable schedule rather than wait for the prospect of getting into Queen's and having to choose courses after everyone. 

[Chef Justice]

Queen’s law automatically puts everyone into courses; you don’t choose courses as you do for UOttawa. So, there’s no competition in getting to choose a favourable schedule. However, unless you are dead set on Queen’s, I would prepare to go to UOttawa. You aren’t guaranteed to get into Queen’s and the main difference between the two is that Queen’s students get more placements in the Toronto 2L Recruit 

[sarcasticlemon]

Im a Queens student who chose it over Ottawa. Main reason I did is because I thought I wanted to do corporate law, and Ottawa is known for public. 
 

take a look at the experiential learning opportunities like clinics and moots, and see which schools offers the ones you’d most like to do. 

[Eathwens]

Personally, I'd wait and see because who knows what happened. I was in a similar situation with Western vs Queens, waited a bit for Queens and got a scholarship, so I decided, well why not save some money? I don't see the hurt in waiting, just remember when the deadline and if you don't hear anything back, hey your decision is easier. 

[Fyodor]

On 6/19/2023 at 7:40 PM, Eathwens said:

Personally, I'd wait and see because who knows what happened. I was in a similar situation with Western vs Queens, waited a bit for Queens and got a scholarship, so I decided, well why not save some money? I don't see the hurt in waiting, just remember when the deadline and if you don't hear anything back, hey your decision is easier. 

Did you have to apply for that scholarship or are you automatically considered? 

[non-monogamist]

OP I think your question boils down to what/where you want to practice. 

What: 

You don’t have to decide your career right now. But if you have a general reason why you went to law school, that would be helpful. If you’re interested in regulatory work or working for the government than Ottawa is the easy choice. If you want to work in corporate law then Queens would cater to that interest better.

Where:

In theory, you can graduate from any Canadian law school and work in any market…buuutttt…you always want to make things easy on yourself. I’m assuming that you’re an Ontario resident and/or you want to work in Ontario. If that’s the case then you need to ask yourself which city you want to work in. Queens places more people in Toronto, Ottawa places more people in Ottawa.

If you don’t want to work in either of those cities and instead would prefer to practice in smaller city/town (which is completely valid and can be an even more rewarding career path for some) like London, Kitchener, Sudbury, then it doesn’t really matter which school you go to. 

Misc: 

There are some other factors you should consider. Law school is 3 years of your life and very expensive, especially if you are covering your cost of living without financial help from family. If you have the option to minimize expenses by living at home or a school gives you a scholarship, that would be an important tie breaker. 

Similarly, happiness is also an important consideration. Ottawa and Kingston are very different places. Where do you think you’ll be happier living is an important question to ask. If you can afford it, I would highly recommend you visit both cities since living there for 3 years is a big commitment. Kingston is a college town that’s known for nightlife. Ottawa is a big city with more amenities, but it doesn’t have the same party/drinking culture. Choose whichever city you’ll be happier living in, because how happy you are will influence your academic performance and that is ultimately what matters most. 

I had the opportunity to go to Ottawa but decided to attend a different Ontario school. The reason being that I knew I wanted to work in Toronto. Also, I did my undergrad at Carleton and grew up in Nepean so I wanted to experience living somewhere else. I plan on eventually settling down in Ottawa, but Toronto is a place I always dreamed of working in and am planning on do so for the first 3-4 years of my career. 

Edited September 30, 2023 by non-monogamist

[Kobe]

1 hour ago, non-monogamist said:

OP I think your question boils down to what/where you want to practice. 

What: 

You don’t have to decide your career right now. But if you have a general reason why you went to law school, that would be helpful. If you’re interested in regulatory work or working for the government than Ottawa is the easy choice. If you want to work in corporate law then Queens would cater to that interest better.

Where:

In theory, you can graduate from any Canadian law school and work in any market…buuutttt…you always want to make things easy on yourself. I’m assuming that you’re an Ontario resident and/or you want to work in Ontario. If that’s the case then you need to ask yourself which city you want to work in. Queens places more people in Toronto, Ottawa places more people in Ottawa.

If you don’t want to work in either of those cities and instead would prefer to practice in smaller city/town (which is completely valid and can be an even more rewarding career path for some) like London, Kitchener, Sudbury, then it doesn’t really matter which school you go to. 

Misc: 

There are some other factors you should consider. Law school is 3 years of your life and very expensive, especially if you are covering your cost of living without financial help from family. If you have the option to minimize expenses by living at home or a school gives you a scholarship, that would be an important tie breaker. 

Similarly, happiness is also an important consideration. Ottawa and Kingston are very different places. Where do you think you’ll be happier living is an important question to ask. If you can afford it, I would highly recommend you visit both cities since living there for 3 years is a big commitment. Kingston is a college town that’s known for nightlife. Ottawa is a big city with more amenities, but it doesn’t have the same party/drinking culture. Choose whichever city you’ll be happier living in, because how happy you are will influence your academic performance and that is ultimately what matters most. 

I had the opportunity to go to Ottawa but decided to attend a different Ontario school. The reason being that I knew I wanted to work in Toronto. Also, I did my undergrad at Carleton and grew up in Nepean so I wanted to experience living somewhere else. I plan on eventually settling down in Ottawa, but Toronto is a place I always dreamed of working in and am planning on do so for the first 3-4 years of my career. 

OP posted in June, I am guessing they have already made the choice

[non-monogamist]

1 hour ago, Kobe said:

OP posted in June, I am guessing they have already made the choice

ROFL maybe they’re just really undecided