U of T versus UBC versus Dalhousie

[JMA663]

Hey guys,

I've been thinking about this for a while, and I'm still torn so I was hoping someone here might have some insight. I was lucky enough to get into my top schools, and I'm not sure how to pick between them. As of now, I have narrowed it down to UBC, U of T, and Dalhousie.

A little bit of a primer... I don't know what kind of law I want to practice and am pulled in a bunch of different directions. I probably won't decide until I've gotten some practical experience. I'm currently the LEAST interested in corporate law, but maybe I'll change my mind when big bills start pouring in. Beyond that, the only piece of relevant information is that I'm from Toronto, but I don't want to stay in the city long term. In the future, I'd be willing to settle in a bunch of different places, and being close to 'home' isn't a perk to me (and, if I'm honest, is a bit of a con). 

I only applied to U of T because it is ranked the highest. I'm naturally competitive, and since U of T is the most prestigious, the overachiever in me was tempted. But when I went on a tour I wasn't impressed. The administrator had an attitude when I asked any questions, and I didn't feel like my tour guide had anything positive to say about his experience except that he got a good internship on Bay St. That's great, but I'd like to leave law school with a bit more than a good internship (professional connections, positive memories, a passion for the field). On top of that, U of T is by FAR the most expensive, and I'll have to go into debt for almost all of it since I don't have a stable relationship with my parents. To make matters worse, I don't qualify for their financial aid program either since my parents make good money (which I won't get a cent of). That means 33,000 dollars in debt a year for school ALONE (not to even mention the cost of rent in Toronto). I'd only really consider this school if the resounding conclusion is that the prospects post-grad are much much better.

As for UBC and Dal... they are evenly matched right now. 

I've been to Halifax to tour the city and fell in love with it. If I had to pick based on a school's culture alone, Dal would be the winner. I loved the people, loved their attitude, and felt that I would find a great community there. They said over and over again that Dal grads would have no problem getting jobs in any part of the country, but of course, they have an incentive to say this. I also was offered a great scholarship (16,000$), which makes the financial burden considerably less, especially since Dalhousie's tuition is already considerably lower than U of T's. Plus the rental costs in this part of the country would be marginally more reasonable as well. I only hesitate because it is ranked the lowest of the three, and I'm worried that I'm not going to have as many options when I graduate.

UBC is sort of a middle ground. It's consistently a top-three school, and the tuition is the lowest out of all three schools (although no scholarship there). It's also in a part of the country I've thought about moving to before (and it's far enough from Toronto that I get the benefit of space from my family lol). However, the cost of living in Vancouver is high, which I might struggle with a bit on my current budget. Ultimately, I just don't feel super passionate about the school, and I get the sense that it's culturally more like U of T. As someone who doesn't have a good relationship with their family, and who wants to start fresh in a new place, it is important to me to find a community that I feel comfortable in, and I'm just not sure that UBC would be that place.

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts. I am sort of looking for the best of both worlds, ie. financially reasonable, socially enjoyable, and academically and professionally promising. What would you do?

[anaolah]

Current Dal student here, who was struggling between it and UBC (Dal ultimately won because of the $$$$ they offered).

Honestly, the only reason to choose UBC is if you are dead set on practicing in Vancouver and you don’t have any prior connections there. Studying in the region makes networking so much easier. However, going to Dal won’t stop you from landing a Vancouver BL job if you really want it (school ‘ranking’ really doesn’t matter much in Canada, your application materials/grades will be far more determinative on whether you get an interview). 
 

I went to UBC for my undergrad and it’s really not that great. It’s a permanent construction zone. It doesn’t matter how sparkly and nice your campus is, if half of it is covered in construction tape and surrounded by machines 24/7. Plus, you know. Vancouver housing. 

The only caveat is that the rental situation is Halifax is REALLY bad rn (like zero vacancy), so you need to make the choice soon and start apartment hunting ASAP. If you’re willing to start a lease in May-July, it should be a bit easier because lots of students are leaving and most of the new ones are hunting for the Sept leases. 
 

Hope this helps!

[BHC1]

Congratulations on getting into 3 excellent law schools.

I don’t have any meaningful advice on which school to choose and defer to more knowledgeable posters on that subject, but I did want to offer some perspective on the moving cities part.

As someone who went to a law school and lives in a city away from where I grew up, I don’t regret that decision. I have a wonderful life here. But I honestly did not know how much of a toll missing countless birthdays, weddings, funerals, winter holidays, deathbed moments, and funerals would have on me. It sounds like your relationship with your parents isn’t great. But if you have any other close family or friends where you are, you might end up missing a lot of milestones that you care about. Practicing law is time consuming. Having a spouse and children on top of that is pretty all encompassing. I sometimes catch myself thinking if I’d gone to law school closer to home, maybe I could be there for a few more moments that mattered to me. A part of me always planned on returning home after going to law school and working a few years, but life comes at you fast. You may end up fully entrenched in the place that you ended up choosing in a way you just didn’t see coming. 

Likewise, going to law school away from home means you’re going to have to build an entire new support network. While this can be a positive, law school can be a difficult time. Not having to rebuild your network at the same time as you’re stressing over exams, jobs, or personal matters can be a pro.

[BlockedQuebecois]

I don't know what the right answer is, but unless someone pops up and says there is a way to have U of T grant you financial aid on the basis of estrangement from your parents, it seems pretty clear to me that U of T is the wrong answer. 

Paying sticker price at U of T in circumstances where you are not currently interested in corporate law is almost certainly a poor decision. 

[chaboywb]

It doesn't sound like UofT is in the running for you. That's perfectly fine! I didn't apply to UofT, but I made the choice of Ottawa over Osgoode even though Osgoode is more prestigious in most people's eyes. I haven't regretted that decision and am very pleased with my law school experience and professional outcome. Don't let the prestige outweigh your desire to live in a new place, pay less tuition, etc.

I don't think you can go wrong with either Dalhousie or UBC. I'd usually lean toward UBC because I really like Vancouver and the school is so cheap, but it sounds like the tuition cost has been equalized due to scholarships and you clearly enjoyed visiting Halifax. I do think British Columbia has more career potential than the East Coast, but both schools have strong reputations across the country. I'd say go with your gut.

Edited March 14 by chaboywb

[JungleMean]

Reading your post as an outsider, it sounds like Dal is the right choice. I'm at U of T and I love it (I'm getting those professional connections/positive memories/passion/etc), so if you want to talk more about the school experience I'm happy to! It really seems like you know the right choice for you though - you want to be at Dal but need a little reassurance that it's okay to turn down the "more prestigious" schools. It really, really is is. Flip a coin between UBC and Dal and see how you feel as you're waiting for it to drop.

[CleanHands]

@JMA663 - I went to UBC and have no regrets about that, but IMO Dal is the clear choice for you. Any nebulous conception of "prestige" doesn't matter as much as the clear and unambiguous factors you have identified that make Dal a preferred school for you. Dal is a good school and you won't miss out on opportunities compared to UBC, with the exception of having a less straightforward path to Vancouver jobs (which it doesn't sound like you care about).

Edited March 14 by CleanHands

[JMA663]

9 hours ago, anaolah said:

Current Dal student here, who was struggling between it and UBC (Dal ultimately won because of the $$$$ they offered).

Honestly, the only reason to choose UBC is if you are dead set on practicing in Vancouver and you don’t have any prior connections there. Studying in the region makes networking so much easier. However, going to Dal won’t stop you from landing a Vancouver BL job if you really want it (school ‘ranking’ really doesn’t matter much in Canada, your application materials/grades will be far more determinative on whether you get an interview). 
 

I went to UBC for my undergrad and it’s really not that great. It’s a permanent construction zone. It doesn’t matter how sparkly and nice your campus is, if half of it is covered in construction tape and surrounded by machines 24/7. Plus, you know. Vancouver housing. 

The only caveat is that the rental situation is Halifax is REALLY bad rn (like zero vacancy), so you need to make the choice soon and start apartment hunting ASAP. If you’re willing to start a lease in May-July, it should be a bit easier because lots of students are leaving and most of the new ones are hunting for the Sept leases. 
 

Hope this helps!

Thanks for replying, it's nice to hear from a current Dal student! I've just started looking into rentals in Halifax, and you're right there is a massive shortage 😕. Still preferable to Toronto or Vancouver rental prices though so I guess I'll take it.

6 hours ago, chaboywb said:

It doesn't sound like UofT is in the running for you. That's perfectly fine! I didn't apply to UofT, but I made the choice of Ottawa over Osgoode even though Osgoode is more prestigious in most people's eyes. I haven't regretted that decision and am very pleased with my law school experience and professional outcome. Don't let the prestige outweigh your desire to live in a new place, pay less tuition, etc.

I don't think you can go wrong with either Dalhousie or UBC. I'd usually lean toward UBC because I really like Vancouver and the school is so cheap, but it sounds like the tuition cost has been equalized due to scholarships and you clearly enjoyed visiting Halifax. I do think British Columbia has more career potential than the East Coast, but both schools have strong reputations across the country. I'd say go with your gut.

Yeah, it's nice to hear from everyone that a school's prestige isn't that important in Canada. It makes my decision a lot more straightforward. Congrats on going with your gut! Sounds like it was the right decision. 

[JMA663]

5 hours ago, JungleMean said:

Reading your post as an outsider, it sounds like Dal is the right choice. I'm at U of T and I love it (I'm getting those professional connections/positive memories/passion/etc), so if you want to talk more about the school experience I'm happy to! It really seems like you know the right choice for you though - you want to be at Dal but need a little reassurance that it's okay to turn down the "more prestigious" schools. It really, really is is. Flip a coin between UBC and Dal and see how you feel as you're waiting for it to drop.

Wow, yeah you got right to the heart of it... It's strange to study so hard for years to get the grades needed for 'best' schools, and then change your mind at the last minute. I think I got caught up in the competition of it all, but at the end of the day, the highest-rank school might not be the right fit for me. Thanks for the reassurance, it was exactly what I needed to hear!

[enpassant]

You seem to favour Dal, so I'd say go for it. It is certainly an excellent school and all my friends who attend absolutely love it and have found both academic and professional success.