micasa

For those interested in SFU, I'm finishing up undergrad having lived downtown (actually, the West End) for my entire degree. Here's my experience in that regard. Pros: 1. The commute has been hassle-free (if not short). I get on the bus to SFU from downtown and am guaranteed a seat, while most people getting on in Burnaby have to stand if it's peak hours. Ditto with skytrain. If my class is downtown, well, that's really simple. 2. Nowhere else in Vancouver beats downtown if you're living without a car. You really don't feel inhibited relying on transit and walking when you live downtown, whether it's daily needs, eating out, going to the park - whatever. Cons: 1. A 1-hour commute to school is not short. The fact that I have always read or done homework on the bus (because I had a seat) mitigated that somewhat, but it's still a long haul and I could understand some people not being able to get used to it. 2. Housing cost. My 1 bedroom place (shared with my S.O.) is $950, and that's an absolute steal. If you're rooming with a stranger you'd need a 2 bedroom place, and it's unlikely you'd find anything downtown for less than $1400.

I'm in this exact same position - Canadian school accepts with funding, requires March 9th decision, haven't heard back from selective US programs. I emailed the US schools to get an update on what their admissions timelines are. They're not going to be sending anything out till late March. They seemed to understand I had a good reason for bothering them other than mere impatience. I've now sent an email to the Canadian school stating that I'm very interested in attending but would like to see what all my options are, which will require a couple of weeks past March 9th. We'll see what happens. I think the best chance you have of getting some more leeway with a decision time is to keep in mind that a) you're not the only person these people care about; and you are, in fact, dealing with real people who can become impressed or annoyed with you based on how you communicate with them.