USask, University of Alberta, or Dalhousie?

[Donut2001]

Good afternoon everyone!

I was hoping to hear from absolutely anybody that can offer me any sort of advice on the situation that I am currently in -  as I am truly stuck between the U of S, the U of A, and Dalhousie (I have been accepted at all three). 

For context, I am a non-Indigenous Canadian very interested in Aboriginal and Indigenous law, and I am from Saskatchewan and see myself living in the Prairies long term as all of my family is in SK. I like all of the schools for very different reasons and they all seem to have a good focus on Aboriginal and Indigenous law (to different extents). Below I will list the benefits and drawbacks that I think exist for each: 

Saskatchewan:

 1. Close to home 2. Focuses on Sask Connections (‘this idea of ‘Sask born and made’), Saskatchewan Law (if I decide to return home) as well as Saskatchewan Indigenous Nations specifically 3. It offers a more collegial environment 4. It would be a minimal move if I decide to move home to work for the summer 5. I’ve heard the faculty is good with mental health.  

My biggest concerns: that I will not have the same amount of opportunities to succeed as I would at a larger school with more diverse courses and professors, and therefore will make less of an impact. This is a big concern for me.  

Alberta:

1. Has a ‘better’ reputation nationally 2. More diverse course offerings/professors and perhaps better opportunities work-wise? 3. Not too far from home if I wanted to return to work in Saskatchewan in the summers though I could stay in Edmonton to work too. 4. Collegial but maybe less so than USask.  

My biggest concerns: losing SK networking opportunities/connection, it might be a tougher school or more competitive in some sense than SK, and less of a focus on mental health.

Dalhousie

1.Founded on principle of justice 2. Very collegial environment 3. Good reputation and is known for placing students nationally 4. Diverse course offerings (specializations, etc). 

My biggest concerns: it is really far away from the Prairies, the potential of having to travel to the Prairies every summer for work, and the cost of living out there. 

 

If you’ve read this far, I appreciate it so much and I would love to hear your thoughts and any advice.  They are all such amazing schools and I truly could see myself happy at all of them.

Thank you all very much!

 

 

 

[Renerik]

4 hours ago, Donut2001 said:

Dalhousie

1.Founded on principle of justice 2. Very collegial environment 3. Good reputation and is known for placing students nationally 4. Diverse course offerings (specializations, etc). 

My biggest concerns: it is really far away from the Prairies, the potential of having to travel to the Prairies every summer for work, and the cost of living out there. 

1. Aren't all law schools? This is like saying that a university was founded on principles of higher learning.
2. Everyone at every school says this. The social scene is what you make of it and your classmates will be as welcoming as you are to them.
3. DAL places students "nationally" because half the class is from Ontario, and returns to Ontario after graduating.
4. I can't speak to all of DAL's specializations, but the one that's most likely to interest you (the indigenous law specialization) is just a certificate you get for taking three courses in indigenous/aboriginal law which most schools offer without a certificate.

Concerns: The cost of living concerns are valid - tuition (22K) and cost of living (1.7K/month studio) are higher out there and summer law work in the maritimes pays less than in the prairies.

4 hours ago, Donut2001 said:

Saskatchewan:

 1. Close to home 2. Focuses on Sask Connections (‘this idea of ‘Sask born and made’), Saskatchewan Law (if I decide to return home) as well as Saskatchewan Indigenous Nations specifically 3. It offers a more collegial environment 4. It would be a minimal move if I decide to move home to work for the summer 5. I’ve heard the faculty is good with mental health.  

My biggest concerns: that I will not have the same amount of opportunities to succeed as I would at a larger school with more diverse courses and professors, and therefore will make less of an impact. This is a big concern for me.  

1. Good! If you get along with your family the social support is worth a fair bit.
2. All schools focus on the law relevant to their jurisdiction - but the law between common law provinces is fairly similar and differences are easy to pick up.
3. See point 2 under DAL.
5. I've only gone to one law school, but my peers at other schools (including USask) agree that mental health supports at each school is fairly limited and superficial.

Concerns: Neither DAL nor UofA offer significantly more opportunities than USask (especially in SK). The course selection is slightly more diverse elsewhere, but not enough to say that you'll be limited due to the course offerings.

4 hours ago, Donut2001 said:

Alberta:

1. Has a ‘better’ reputation nationally 2. More diverse course offerings/professors and perhaps better opportunities work-wise? 3. Not too far from home if I wanted to return to work in Saskatchewan in the summers though I could stay in Edmonton to work too. 4. Collegial but maybe less so than USask.  

My biggest concerns: losing SK networking opportunities/connection, it might be a tougher school or more competitive in some sense than SK, and less of a focus on mental health.

1. Probably has a "better" reputation nationally than USask, but I don't think this is a good metric for choosing schools.
2. Looking at it now, UofA and Dal seem to have a larger course offering than USask.
4. See point 2 under DAL.

Concerns: UofA, UofC, and USask share the same "basket." You get a healthy splattering of SK and AB residents at each school and graduates work in both provinces. You'd get the best networking opportunities for SK jobs if you went to USask, but UofA won't cut you off as much as DAL would. I'm not sure I buy the competitiveness argument - you can search the forum for threads re: going to a less competitive school for better grades.

All in all, in your shoes I'd axe DAL and pick between UofA and USask. Look at finances, how much you value being close to family, and what city you'd like to spend the next three years of your life in.

[Donut2001]

1 hour ago, Renerik said:

1. Aren't all law schools? This is like saying that a university was founded on principles of higher learning.
2. Everyone at every school says this. The social scene is what you make of it and your classmates will be as welcoming as you are to them.
3. DAL places students "nationally" because half the class is from Ontario, and returns to Ontario after graduating.
4. I can't speak to all of DAL's specializations, but the one that's most likely to interest you (the indigenous law specialization) is just a certificate you get for taking three courses in indigenous/aboriginal law which most schools offer without a certificate.

Concerns: The cost of living concerns are valid - tuition (22K) and cost of living (1.7K/month studio) are higher out there and summer law work in the maritimes pays less than in the prairies.

1. Good! If you get along with your family the social support is worth a fair bit.
2. All schools focus on the law relevant to their jurisdiction - but the law between common law provinces is fairly similar and differences are easy to pick up.
3. See point 2 under DAL.
5. I've only gone to one law school, but my peers at other schools (including USask) agree that mental health supports at each school is fairly limited and superficial.

Concerns: Neither DAL nor UofA offer significantly more opportunities than USask (especially in SK). The course selection is slightly more diverse elsewhere, but not enough to say that you'll be limited due to the course offerings.

1. Probably has a "better" reputation nationally than USask, but I don't think this is a good metric for choosing schools.
2. Looking at it now, UofA and Dal seem to have a larger course offering than USask.
4. See point 2 under DAL.

Concerns: UofA, UofC, and USask share the same "basket." You get a healthy splattering of SK and AB residents at each school and graduates work in both provinces. You'd get the best networking opportunities for SK jobs if you went to USask, but UofA won't cut you off as much as DAL would. I'm not sure I buy the competitiveness argument - you can search the forum for threads re: going to a less competitive school for better grades.

All in all, in your shoes I'd axe DAL and pick between UofA and USask. Look at finances, how much you value being close to family, and what city you'd like to spend the next three years of your life in.

Hi! I am not sure if I'm responding properly in this forum, but I just wanted to respond back and thank you profusely for the time you took with this response. It means a lot to me and you've given me a lot to think about. I really appreciate all the help and guidance so thank you again 🙂

[Yogurt Baron]

Agreed completely with Renerik - you seem to be doing what many students do, which is putting a lot of weight on a mixture of schools' marketing materials and cliches that are out there in the zeitgeist. It's completely understandable, because realistically, you don't have data to work from. In the absence of facts, of course we rely on "well, I've kind of heard around that X school is more collegial but that Y school is easier to get a job from," and then we convince ourselves that what we've heard is factual.

But the bottom line is, all three of the schools you're considering would be the best possible place for someone, and all three would be the worst possible place for someone. There's no way to ascertain which is objectively best - just which is right for you. The three factors Renerik lists are more important than the things you listed in your post, because they're specific to you.

Best of luck!