UofA Vs UofC

[Federale]

Some questions I have include:

1) What's life like in edmonton vs calgary?

2) Quality of the the JD program at each respective school

3) Program strengths 

4) Living cost

5) Job market in each respective city

6) Downsides to each school

These are just a few things I thought of, feel free to mention anything relevant.

[Lilbb19]

Life is definitely better in Calgary. U of A tuition was going to be going up 45% to almost 17K , but they have lowered that amount to 29% now. It has not fully gone through yet, I believe there is a town hall this week. We should know soon. All else being equal if you had the choice, U of C for sure. 

[Whist]

I've never lived in Calgary, so someone else can speak to that, but I've been in Edmonton since earlier this summer, so I can give you my impression as someone also not from here. 

1. Can't compare for reasons stated above, but from how people describe it, Edmonton is more artsy and Calgary is more corporate. The river valley in Edmonton is surprisingly beautiful and it's often sunny outside. I didn't catch the full brunt of the heatwave but what I have experienced of the summer is quite nice. The UofA campus is also much nicer than expected. There are a ton of gyms, including one literally right across from the law building. The restaurant scene is good too. Whyte Ave is a short walk from campus. Aside from the occasional aggressive homeless person, the vast majority of people are really nice here. The West Ed Mall is kinda neat. There are, in normal years, lots of festivals and stuff here.

2. It could be because many of the legal community members in the area got their JD here, but I get the impression that UofA's JD is better respected than UofC's. That's not anything I've determined with objective measures, nor is it necessarily my opinion. I'll be open and say that I got waitlisted at UofC and had I gotten an offer off the bat, I would've gone there, if only because I'm heavily considering moving to Calgary after graduating. 

3. There are plenty of upper year course options, but I haven't compared it directly to UofC. The professors (at least in my cohort) all seem excellent so far. SLS (especially the crim option) is a very cool opportunity and doesn't require competition to get into during the school year. Apparently our moot teams won some good stuff in recent years. We have the second biggest law library in Canada. As meaningless as the phrase has become, my classmates and profs are really collegial. Students in years above you will literally trip over themselves to give you advice.

4. Low taxes, but that's Alberta-wide. Rent is comparatively cheap and there are reasonable vacancy rates, but higher cost than usual if you live right by the school in Garneau or something. Groceries seem more expensive than I'm used to. Tuition, at least for the Class of 2024 and older, is very reasonable. 

5. I don't have experience with this, but Edmonton is the capital, so more government jobs here. I've heard the average wages for law are lower than Calgary. It doesn't seem difficult for 3Ls to get jobs elsewhere in western Canada other than Edmonton, if they so desire. The Edmonton BigLaw firms seem to participate more in the 1L recruit than they do in the later recruits. 

6. Tuition is projected to go up. They haven't confirmed by how much, but the newest proposal is lower than the last one. The law building is not pretty. Administration seems haphazard sometimes. 

Overall, I'm happy with my decision. The smaller class sizes are a refreshing change from undergrad, the community is great, and the quality of the education I feel I'm getting is great so far.

[DanaeOkay]

Hi! I did my undergrad at UAlberta (and grew up in Edmonton), and am now attending UCalgary Law. I had to make this same choice!

1. I have found Edmonton to have incredibly depressing winters. I lived in Garneau (University adjacent) in Edmonton, and now live in the Kensington/Sunnyside area in Calgary, so definitely not apple and oranges to compare. I think Calgary has been a significantly more pleasant place to live. It just feels cleaner, safer (obviously subjective), better maintained, and more modern. Edmonton kind of feels like living in the 80s. I don't think that Edmonton is an inherently unpleasant place, I just think Calgary has nicer green spaces, better and more modern transit, and a higher quality of life overall. 

2. I really think that all Canadian JD programs are basically of the same quality. If choosing between schools, I would suggest looking at specific classes or clinics that interest you, and think about where you want to practice rather than worrying too much about prestige etc.

3. As others have mentioned, UAlberta is increasing their tuition. I've really enjoyed my time at UCalgary so far. The profs have been great, the students are relatively collegial, and the career services are top-notch.

4. Having lived in both, cost of living is the same. I paid $1300 for a horrendous two-bedroom that was right next to the UAlberta campus, and now live in a much nicer $1300 1-bedroom + den a few CTrain stops from the UCalgary campus, same as you would in Edmonton. Tuition at UCalgary Law was approximately 15k this year. 

5. I really can't speak to the market in Edmonton, except to say that it is portrayed as inferior to the Calgary market. I believe this to be true, but haven't personally gone over hard data or anything. 

6. I found that UAlberta often used its 'prestige' as an older/larger institution as a crutch when dealing with issues. Even throughout the application process, the only time I heard from UAlberta was pretty much just when they accepted me. I heard from UCalgary all the time, both before and after I was accepted. They responded to my emails quickly, and were significantly more pleasant to deal with. This has been my experience dealing with the school as a student as well. 

All in all, I'm very happy with my choice. I chose UCalgary to get a fresh start in a nicer city while staying close to family, and to access a better legal market. I feel as though the schools are very similar in most other respects. I enjoyed my time in Edmonton as an undergrad, the UAlberta campus is more beautiful, and the river valley is great as well. My advice is to think about where you would prefer to practice, and if you aren't sure, go with Calgary and avoid a concrete hell-hole (mostly kidding). Cheers!

 

[Federale]

@DanaeOkay thanks for your response, it's super informative. Just to confirm though, you mean the job market when you said Edmontons market is inferior to Calgary right? Also, do calgary students that want to article/work in Vancouver have any problems securing positions? Thanks again

[DanaeOkay]

16 hours ago, Federale said:

@DanaeOkay thanks for your response, it's super informative. Just to confirm though, you mean the job market when you said Edmontons market is inferior to Calgary right? Also, do calgary students that want to article/work in Vancouver have any problems securing positions? Thanks again

Calgary definitely has a larger corporate legal job market than in Edmonton. (Edmonton may have more government-type work though). I don't have personal experience with Vancouver but finding a position outside of Calgary is generally presented to us as a non-issue, and they have firm-hops, Vancouver recruits etc. Obviously UBC would be your first choice if you hope to practice in Vancouver, but Calgary to Vancouver is a very common path here.