Western vs. UVic?

[sadfish]

I'm not sure which school is better overall so I'm having a tough time deciding. 

Western seems more corporate focused, but during the welcome day they said that's not entirely the case. UVic seems more social justice focused, but if you ask around that doesn't seem to be the case either 100%. I don't have a huge preference for where I end up living in the future, but I am from Western Canada (not BC). I also got into Queens, but I don't really want to live in Kingston. I visited London, and idk if it was the weather that day, but it didn't seem amazing either lol I'm probably going to visit Victoria soon. 

I am still waiting on Osgoode, Ottawa, UofA, and UCalgary. I would like to get into Osgoode, but I'm pretty sure that's just a pipe dream lol 

I am thinking health, tax, govt, family, environmental or prosecutor so it's all over the place (I'm open to considering biglaw). I realize things can change when I get into law school so I am open to many different areas for now... 

 

pls help :c 

 

[Dinsdale]

I mean, it's hard to think of two mid-size Canadian cities less alike than London and Victoria (maybe Halifax and Kamploops, lol).  I would choose Victoria all day, every day, but that may simply be because I'm from Ontario and am a bit bored with London.

I think you're correct that most people feel Western is pretty corporate-focused with a great companion business school in Ivey, whereas UVic is known for social justice (and in the old days, bunnies). But of course no law school is 100% just one thing.

Where do you want to live post-graduation, Toronto or Vancouver (or none of the above)?  If it's Toronto then you'll improve your chances markedly by going to Western.

[LMP]

With due respect to Kingston and London, these aren't exactly the jewels of the province. Assuming the housing thing doesn't scare you off you'll almost certainly prefer Victoria as a place to live. 

I know you're pretty indifferent to where you'll want to practice but really that's the decision you need to focus on. Because any and all relevant advice will probably hinge on that. 

[sadfish]

7 hours ago, Dinsdale said:

I mean, it's hard to think of two mid-size Canadian cities less alike than London and Victoria (maybe Halifax and Kamploops, lol).  I would choose Victoria all day, every day, but that may simply be because I'm from Ontario and am a bit bored with London.

I think you're correct that most people feel Western is pretty corporate-focused with a great companion business school in Ivey, whereas UVic is known for social justice (and in the old days, bunnies). But of course no law school is 100% just one thing.

Where do you want to live post-graduation, Toronto or Vancouver (or none of the above)?  If it's Toronto then you'll improve your chances markedly by going to Western.

I would like to move back to Alberta once I'm done school and from what I've read I think that would mean UVic would be the better option? (Please correct me if I'm wrong lol) 

Aww, I didn't know they had a bunny problem. Sounds like a cute problem to have! 

5 hours ago, LMP said:

With due respect to Kingston and London, these aren't exactly the jewels of the province. Assuming the housing thing doesn't scare you off you'll almost certainly prefer Victoria as a place to live. 

I know you're pretty indifferent to where you'll want to practice but really that's the decision you need to focus on. Because any and all relevant advice will probably hinge on that. 

I really hope I like Victoria more! 

I think I would like to move back to Alberta if that helps at all! 

[Tesseract]

Living on an island an hour and a half by boat off the coast of Van for three years (or longer) wouldn't be my cup of tea personally. I'd rather not have to spend $50 on a boat ticket every time I want to drive anywhere else in Canada, or $100 for a day trip to Vancouver (these are the cheap tickets at off hours or in advance, they are often more expensive). Additionally there is a serious rental crisis in Victoria right now driving prices through the roof.

Also important to mention that UVic is currently undergoing a substantial renovation, and the building is in shambles currently. I have a friend over there and these are the regular complaints. I would pick Western all day long, but thats just me. 

[leftphalange]

On 3/23/2024 at 5:08 PM, Tesseract said:

Living on an island an hour and a half by boat off the coast of Van for three years (or longer) wouldn't be my cup of tea personally. I'd rather not have to spend $50 on a boat ticket every time I want to drive anywhere else in Canada, or $100 for a day trip to Vancouver (these are the cheap tickets at off hours or in advance, they are often more expensive). Additionally there is a serious rental crisis in Victoria right now driving prices through the roof.

Also important to mention that UVic is currently undergoing a substantial renovation, and the building is in shambles currently. I have a friend over there and these are the regular complaints. I would pick Western all day long, but thats just me. 

The travelling is the main consideration against (I am from Vancouver and my partner would be staying here)

 

Edited Thursday at 02:21 AM by leftphalange