Students and grads talk about their sources of information and the deciding factors in choosing where to go to university
Students and grads talk about their sources of information and the deciding factors in choosing where to go to university.
Daila Perkons, 18, from Toronto
Mcgill University, Montreal, first-year linguistics
Basically I chose McGill because of the program. I knew that I wanted to do linguistics and I did a lot of research on websites ranking schools to see which had the best program. Also, I live in Toronto and wanted to move away from home. I like living in the city so that was another draw; Montreal wasn't just a university town. McGill is also very prestigious so I knew that would be good for connections.
Aleksandra Atkinson, 18, from Mississauga
McMaster University, Hamilton, second-year commerce
I wanted to go somewhere that had the program that I wanted, but a lot of it has to do with the reputation that I know the school has. I was thinking more longterm about what would look appealing to anybody who wanted to hire me after graduation. [Information about the school came from] university fairs at my high school and I also had some friends who go to McMaster. I also liked that it was in close proximity to where I'm from so I can get home easily.
Ronnie Haidar, 25, from Windsor, Ont.
University of Windsor, graduated in political science with a minor in Spanish
When I was applying from high school and being a kid from Windsor, Ont., I decided that I wanted to go somewhere else so I applied to schools all across Canada and thankfully got accepted everywhere. But it was actually my two brothers, who are both graduates of the University of Windsor, who convinced me to stay. The University of Windsor is the perfect sized university. It's not small enough that you're going to bump into the same person over and over again, but it's also the perfect size where you can really be somebody and develop relationships with professors and staff, make good friends and get involved with student government, clubs and societies and really make a difference in the campus and wider community.
Shea O'Neil, 24, from Delta, B.C.
Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., graduated in environmental geography
I went to play softball at a college in Florida and came back after my first year because I didn't really enjoy the school aspect of it. So the chance to play at SFU, which had just joined the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association for sports, and the high standard of education that I'd get at SFU was a huge win for me. Personal stories from friends who had gone there were what really made my decision.
Khulud Baig, 22, from Karachi, Pakistan
University of Calgary, graduated in communications with a minor in political studies
One of the biggest deciding factors for me was just the fact that Calgary is a really lively city. Another factor for me was finding what I wanted to do and finding that exact program at the University of Calgary. I was quite new in Calgary when I was applying to university. I moved from Pakistan to Calgary in 12th grade and I attended a university fair, where I looked into a couple of other universities, but I didn't want to move.
Nathan Bruce, 24, from Regina
University of Regina, graduated in environmental engineering
I wanted to take environmental studies and the U of R was one of the few schools in Canada that had environmental engineering as a program. I found that out by checking a bunch of Web pages through a Google search. I actually found that there was a Canadian engineering association and they listed different programs at different universities, separated by major, so that was pretty helpful.
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These interviews have been edited and condensed.
Paul Attfield