Tentatively accepted and now regret it.... help....

[potential_phd]

I was struggling between UCalgary and UBC for quite some time. I attended UBC for my Master's degree. I feel like Calgary is a better academic fit and I have way more funding there. However, I cannot help but feel bad about leaving UBC. I am really not looking forward to living in Calgary (especially after living in Vancouver) and I am starting to second guess my decision because I think I will be miserable....

 

What should I do?

[musicmage09]

I do not think you should feel bad about leaving UBC just because you went there for masters. Some people think it is better to get a phd from a different school. As far as the city goes, you have to decide whether that is more important than the funding and academic fit. Have you actually accepted? Sent in your paperwork or sent an email stating you accept the offer? If not, then you should be fine to decline.

[selecttext]

Calgary is a great city. Don't be ridiculous. 

[Nerd_For_Life]

Going to dif universities demonstrates that you can thrive in a variety of settings What's wrong with Calgary? It's a beautiful city and it sounds like UCalgary is a better fit for you anyways

[bamafan]

I'm not from Canada, but I've been a few times, and there's nothing wrong with Calgary except the Flames are terrible. Seriously, it's not like you'll be moving to a sleepy town of 3000 people. When it comes to getting your PhD, location is important, but funding and research fit are way more important. 

[TakeruK]

In terms of size and things to do, I don't think Calgary is going to be lacking in most respects, compared to Vancouver. Like bamafan said, Calgary isn't a small town, it's one of Canada's biggest cities! In fact, Calgary proper is bigger than Vancouver proper (but Vancouver metro area is much bigger than the Calgary metro area).

 

However, I can understand why someone who is used to Vancouver might not feel super excited about moving to Calgary! This statement will just add to the overall reputation of Vancouverites being snobby, but I really do think Vancouver is the best place to live in Canada I feel that the culture of Vancouver and Calgary are very different. Disclaimer: I haven't lived in Calgary before but I have visited several times, and have friends/family there. Canadians like to joke that Alberta/Calgary is the "Texas" of Canada, but I think that might be an exaggeration (I've never been to Texas). 

 

What I'm trying to say is that you might be less happy with any other city in Canada, and you could do a lot worse than Calgary! For example, [joking] you could be stuck in Toronto [/joking] or an actual small town in Canada. Research-wise, your best fit does sound like Calgary. But don't feel bad about using non-research/career/academic criteria to pick your school. 

 

I think it might be worth it to basically put a "happiness" value on every criteria and then pick the choice that makes you the most happy. For example, research fit is definitely important in order to make you happy. So is things like future career opportunities, weather, city environment, where you want to raise your family, etc. For some people, research fit might make them more happy than being in a city they enjoy. For others, it's the other way around. There's no right answer, I think it's perfectly acceptable to pick a good that is a bad fit for you in terms of research in order to gain happiness from the other metrics -- as long as you are making an informed decision! So I don't agree with bamafan when he/she says that funding+research is way more important. It just depends on what will make you and your family personally happy. 

 

Also, keep in mind that humans, I think, are naturally resistant to change. When I moved from Vancouver to Kingston, I initially thought I would absolutely hate it there and be miserable for the whole 2 years (there were other reasons that still made this the most "happy" choice for me though). When I actually got there, adjusting to the new way of things was much easier than I thought. Even the weather was not as bad as I thought it would be. In the end, we will still probably never ever move back to the eastern side of the continent, but we did overestimate how unhappy we would have been over there. 

[iowaguy]

Every city has its pros and cons.  I have lived in a half-dozen different cities/towns across the U.S. and have found happiness in each and every place I have ever lived.  Just seek out the positives that Calgary offers and you'll be fine.

 

You have better funding & academic fit at Calgary, so it makes logical sense to attend there.  The next few years will likely fly by anyway as you're studying/researching!

[potential_phd]

Thanks guys,

I think I will be fine - it is probably a good thing for me to have a change of scenery. I have done a bit of research and it seems like other than the freezing, it won't be so bad. It is apparently even possible to get by without a car there if you try. 

[wtncffts]

I'm glad you're more at ease with it. I'm also from Vancouver, born and raised, went to Montreal for my MA and am now in Ontario. I do still miss Vancouver all the time, but in the grand scheme of things, four or five years elsewhere is nothing, and as everyone else said, Calgary is a great city. Calgary-Vancouver is relatively close anyway, so you can probably visit pretty frequently (I've been able to go home twice a year for the last four or five, but that's across Canada!). Plus, you'll be so busy during the semester you'll barely have time to think about anything other than work...