UBC or Toronto?

[alk]

I've been accepted to both UBC and U of T for the Masters in Archival Studies, the and Masters of Information (respectively).

I figure other Canadian applicants might be in the same boat as me in trying to decide between the two. Anyone feel like discussing pros/cons? I know everyone's particular situation is different, but in the absence of any official iSchool rankings, some random opinions might be useful?

[RelaxButterfly]

I hope someone responds to you, as I'm curious about this as well. I was looking at Western, and I'm not too happy with how much their program would cost, so I'm trying to figure out other places to start looking!

[alleviate]

Western you can complete in a year and they offer a co-op option, which is unique and cool. Real life experience + money = awesome. But I didn't go there.

I've heard mixed things about U of T, and great things about UBC.

At the end of the day, go to the cheapest school. What you put into it is what you get out of it. Also work part time. I feel like real job experience is what sets you apart. Everyone has the MLIS - what you need is to be able to say that you worked in a library or archive.

[legroschat]

I was also accepted to the UofT and decided against it because it's quite costly (Over $5000/year just for tuition). The cost of living is also high in Toronto as well; for what I'm paying for a one-bedroom apartment in Montreal, I'd be paying to live in a room in someone's house in Toronto.

[nugget]

Anywhere outside of Quebec is going to cost at least $5,000/yr. If you want it badly enough, I don't think you should let an additional $1,500 per year stop you when you consider that this degree will change the course of your life and your career for the next 40 years.

 

Many young people easily spend $1,500 a year on cigarettes, beer, a daily cup of coffee, or cell phone service.    

 

I guess you could apply to schools in Quebec if you believe the short term sacrifices aren't worth it. You should have a fairly good selection of schools if you are able to study in French, otherwise there's always McGill and Concordia.

 

Good luck to you!

 

I was also accepted to the UofT and decided against it because it's quite costly (Over $5000/year just for tuition). The cost of living is also high in Toronto as well; for what I'm paying for a one-bedroom apartment in Montreal, I'd be paying to live in a room in someone's house in Toronto.

Edited August 11, 2013 by jenste

[Vallhala]

@legroschat  as an American, $5000 sounds RIDICULOUSLY cheap, what you’d pay for a terrible community college ? I’m paying 60,000 a year for my undergrad