UBC / UofA

[tryingoverhere]

Recently got the UBC acceptance and it has been the goal since forever. Great programs and beautiful city etc. 

Circling back to UofA, like others have said they're very generous with scholarships, and I'm fortunate they have given me enough scholarship to cover tuition this year. Coupled with their support/making me feel like I'm very wanted at their school. Obviously the financial aspect of living in Edmonton over Vancouver alone is something to consider. 

Any thoughts or help for a stranger would be much appreciated! 

 

[GoatDuck]

Where do you want to end up practicing and what practice areas interest you the most right now? 

[tryingoverhere]

1 minute ago, GoatDuck said:

Where do you want to end up practicing and what practice areas interest you the most right now? 

Very likely back in AB. And tbh keeping the practice options open, but the Corporate Specialization at UBC was something I was interested in. Not sure how much of that is at UofA 

[GoatDuck]

Specializations don’t mean anything really. UofA is a more straightforward choice. UBC might be valuable as a fun experience, but it makes less sense if you’re debt-financing it. Living in Vancouver for 3 years adds up. 

[Mal]

I graduated from UofA but did a year on permission at UBC. Both schools are good, but I wouldn't say that the specializations don't mean anything. For myself, a huge benefit of being at UBC for my final year was being able to take advantage of a depth of tax law classes that wasn't available at UofA. That being said, outside of niche practice areas (which corporate law generally isn't), they are equal. 

These are both fine choices and not so different in cost to make either choice truly out of whack. I found that UofA was more collegial in both senses of the word; whereas I felt UBC was more professional and less closely knit. I would suggest that you just choose which one feels right to you. A big part of my original choice of UofA over UBC was because I didn't want to commute to law school and wanted the independence of being in a different city. For me, that was the right choice. 

[tryingoverhere]

4 hours ago, Mal said:

I graduated from UofA but did a year on permission at UBC. Both schools are good, but I wouldn't say that the specializations don't mean anything. For myself, a huge benefit of being at UBC for my final year was being able to take advantage of a depth of tax law classes that wasn't available at UofA. That being said, outside of niche practice areas (which corporate law generally isn't), they are equal. 

These are both fine choices and not so different in cost to make either choice truly out of whack. I found that UofA was more collegial in both senses of the word; whereas I felt UBC was more professional and less closely knit. I would suggest that you just choose which one feels right to you. A big part of my original choice of UofA over UBC was because I didn't want to commute to law school and wanted the independence of being in a different city. For me, that was the right choice. 

Pm'd ! Really interested in your experience with both schools and the visiting year at UBC. I'd heard of the option, but didn't know if it was truly viable or not. The school costs will likely be equal yeah, however I've heard that UofA is very generous with scholarships and bursaries over the course of 3 years, and so far they have been before I even walked through the door. Guess I'm balancing the desire for an adventure and the benefit of less debt. 

[tryingoverhere]

5 hours ago, GoatDuck said:

Specializations don’t mean anything really. UofA is a more straightforward choice. UBC might be valuable as a fun experience, but it makes less sense if you’re debt-financing it. Living in Vancouver for 3 years adds up. 

Glad to hear that the lack of specializations shouldn't impact my ability to find those certain courses I plan to take. Honestly any of the 4 specializations at UBC have me very intrigued. Like I mentioned below its proving hard to balance the interest of those courses and want of adventure with the benefit of less debt (**considerably less in the first year as well).  Guess I was also worried that going to UofA and missing out on a specialization would impact how future employers view my application. 

[GoatDuck]

Specializations might be nice insofar as you get to take more courses in some areas you care about. But I doubt any employer will look at your transcript and say upon seeing that you specialize in securities, “woah this student is the shit. Quick, invite them for the interview.” At the end of the day, if you end up going into big law, the strength of your application will depend primarily on your 1L grades, and you don’t get to pick any courses in 1L so your specialization doesn’t impact anything in that year. 

Edited August 9 by GoatDuck

[tryingoverhere]

59 minutes ago, GoatDuck said:

Specializations might be nice insofar as you get to take more courses in some areas you care about. But I doubt any employer will look at your transcript and say upon seeing that you specialize in securities, “woah this student is the shit. Quick, invite them for the interview.” At the end of the day, if you end up going into big law, the strength of your application will depend primarily on your 1L grades, and you don’t get to pick any courses in 1L so your specialization doesn’t impact anything in that year. 

Thanks for the helpful info. Guess I will just have to decide if the added debt is worth the adventure! 

[INFJatlaw]

If you want to practice in AB, U of A is a good choice since you will have chance to get a 1L summer job and articling positions during 1L recruit in both Edmonton and Calgary while there is no 1L recruitment in BC. U of A and UCal have pretty good biglaw placement rate in Calgary. 

[tryingoverhere]

10 hours ago, stampedelaw said:

If you want to practice in AB, U of A is a good choice since you will have chance to get a 1L summer job and articling positions during 1L recruit in both Edmonton and Calgary while there is no 1L recruitment in BC. U of A and UCal have pretty good biglaw placement rate in Calgary. 

I didnt realize there is no 1L recruit in UBC? Isnt that when BigLaw firms usually do their recruiting? I was under the impression that was why our 1st year grades matter so much. If you could provide more info that would be great! And if anyone else has any comments on the 1L recruit as well! thx

[englishmajor]

There is no 1L recruit for firms in BC because that is how it is regulated by the law society. That doesn't preclude you from participating in 1L recruits for firms in other provinces. 1L grades are important because they are the only substantive grades you have by the time you participate in the 2L recruit when a significant amount of students get their jobs going forward. 

[tryingoverhere]

1 minute ago, englishmajor said:

There is no 1L recruit for firms in BC because that is how it is regulated by the law society. That doesn't preclude you from participating in 1L recruits for firms in other provinces. 1L grades are important because they are the only substantive grades you have by the time you participate in the 2L recruit when a significant amount of students get their jobs going forward. 

Ah, I gotcha. Thanks for the info! Helps to know this stuff going forward