Why Do Calgarians Choose UofA?

[ZDogg]

Grew up in Calgary went to UofC. Didn't even think twice about going elsewhere (and definately would have NEVER gone to Edm). Out of all my High School Friends that attended Uni only two went to UofA, more actually went to UBC, and the vast majority went to UofC.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Hemmer

You'll see the oilers in the playoffs next year

You better see a doctor and get yourself checked out, you're clearly delusional.

The UofA better than the UofC and the Oilers making the playoffs? Quickly son, you dont have much time left...

[Hemmer]

Originally Posted by Locke

You better see a doctor and get yourself checked out, you're clearly delusional.

The UofA better than the UofC and the Oilers making the playoffs? Quickly son, you dont have much time left...

'The UofA better than the UofC'?? Your words, not mine Never once did I say that in this thread.

As for the Oilers.. well maybe i'm as delusional as a Flames fan expecting the Flames to make it past the first round?

its the offseason.. hopes are renewed.. cut me some slack

[arsenal]

If you want to do anything but Engineering or Business, and stay in Alberta, you go to the U of A.

As far as the U of C is concerned (and as far as funding goes), those are the only 2 departments that matter.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Hemmer

'The UofA better than the UofC'?? Your words, not mine Never once did I say that in this thread.

As for the Oilers.. well maybe i'm as delusional as a Flames fan expecting the Flames to make it past the first round?

its the offseason.. hopes are renewed.. cut me some slack

I'm just buggin ya.

[The Yen Man]

I live in Calgary, so I went to the U of C. Didn't really think of applying anywhere else, as this was my cheapest alternative. My perception is, U of C has a better business and engineering school, but everything else, U of A is better. Medicine is definitely way better there than U of C. Even their research facilities kill whatever U of C has. I've always felt culturally and educationally, Edmonton was better than Calgary. Conversely, Calgary is the better white collar / business city. I attribute that to why the two universities are what they are.

[The Fonz]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

In the last MacLean's university rankings magazine, they had UofA ranked over-all as the 3rd best university in the country.

Would you happen to be able to link to this? Or any university rankings nation-wide?

I'd be curious to see them.

[NSFL]

Originally Posted by llama64

I don't mean this as a jab at you personally, but it's hard to take anyone seriously when they use the phrase "liberal arts".

It's a Bachelor of "ARTS". There is no liberal in there.

It's almost as bad as referring to the Arts programs as "Social Sciences", or the "soft Sciences". History is not exact enough to be a science, and sociology is pretty much hit and miss despite a dogged determination to apply methodological models to human behavior. Either it's science or it's not. Wish they'd figure that out already.

But yeah, as I stated above. Avoid UofC if you want a decent Arts program.

Ouch, like a spear through my heart. I'm majoring in history and minoring in biology. I have to admit, profs can be hit or miss when it comes to these subjects.

[fatso]

Originally Posted by llama64

I don't mean this as a jab at you personally, but it's hard to take anyone seriously when they use the phrase "liberal arts".

It's a Bachelor of "ARTS". There is no liberal in there.

It's almost as bad as referring to the Arts programs as "Social Sciences", or the "soft Sciences". History is not exact enough to be a science, and sociology is pretty much hit and miss despite a dogged determination to apply methodological models to human behavior. Either it's science or it's not. Wish they'd figure that out already.

But yeah, as I stated above. Avoid UofC if you want a decent Arts program.

Huh? I think the phrase 'liberal arts' is appropriate nomenclature for what you're calling just "arts". True, the degree doesn't have the word "liberal" in it, but it's demonstrative of the historical formulation of curricula formerly (and currently, elsewhere) called the liberal arts - literature, painting, philosophy, history, languages, etc. The degree is rooted in the tradition of the liberal arts. No?

Also not sure what your point about the "Social Sciences" is. It's still science even if the data isn't easily quantifiable or purporting to be objective. You can disagree with the quality of their scholarship, but I think the designation of "science" - with a prefix of "social", "soft", etc - is still correct.

[ricoFlame]

Originally Posted by llama64

I don't mean this as a jab at you personally, but it's hard to take anyone seriously when they use the phrase "liberal arts".

then do you take a university seriously when they call themselves a liberal arts school? I.E. any primarily undergraduate institution.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by fatso

Not to extend this diversion from the OP's original question, but would you say your first two programs were a waste of time?

My first program was most definitely a waste of time. My second program wasn't a waste of time as I learned a great deal that I put into use in my profession at the time. Unfortunately, helping people doesn't make a third party any money so thus there was little money in it for me. That explains the reason why I took the third program.

[Brewmaster]

Well for me going to University straight out of high school, I found moving away to Edmonton was a much better choice than staying in Calgary and living with my parents. I get by just fine without a car since there is a great deal of student housing on all sides of the U of A. Dealing with traffic and parking everyday in Calgary just isn't appealing.
I also found the community at and around the U of A to be much more appealing than the U of C.

[SeeGeeWhy]

I did a lot of volunteering when I was getting my bachelors in engineering at U of C (Pre-Schulich) and got to visit a lot of other campuses over the years.

I'd have to say that a big part of the ("universal") appeal for a school like U of A is its age - the University is pretty much as old as Alberta... which is pretty damn cool. I think that people just feel smarter when they are learning in a 100 year old historic building. Compare that to the admittedly pretty dumpy buildings at the Calgary Campus, and it is no contest. Honestly, I got the same great vibe at other campuses like U of S, Queens, Dalhousie, and so on.

Plus, the U of C was the "Calgary Campus" of the U of A for years, too, so when you're going to the U of C, you kind of are going to the U of A! Wait until Mount Royal College becomes a full fledged University for forty years and then ask the question why people go to U of C instead of Mount Royal University...

I honestly think that a lot of tangible and intangible qualities get developed with age for a school, U of C is still pretty young in the grand scheme of things. I am pretty proud of my alma matter and what it has been able to grow to in a short amount of time. I did enjoy the fact that students can play a very active role in making the community better if they choose to. For example, a friend of mine started the Engineering Endowment Fund as an undergrad which has grown to over a million dollars in principle sum and has paid for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of lab equipment in its short lifespan.

I honestly do not know much about the U of A, but I know that people who went there loved it. I'm pretty sure that the U of A has it in their mandate to be recognized in the top 10 schools worldwide within the next 10 years, and I would have to say that they are positioned well to make a run at it.

Any U of S alumni out there? Out of all the schools to visit, that was always the most fun.

[OilersBaby]

Originally Posted by Reaper

I find in reading this thread I can inversely correlate my educational stints with how much earning potential each educational milestone.

Bachelor of Arts Degree: Major - History, Minor - Classical Studies
Length of Study: 4 years
Earning Potential: "Would you like fries with that?"

College Diploma: Community Rehabilitation Studies
Length of Study: 2 years
Earning Potential: "Upsize my combo please."

Fast Track Certificate - Process Piping Design
Length of Study: 7 months
Earning Potential: "Steaks and Cognac for all my friends!"


Based on my own experience, the shorter the time I spent in school the more useful the training was in terms of practical earning potential [sarcasm]Now, I'm going to read a magazine while on the can so I can get a promotion.[/sarcasm]

That's too bad it has to be like that. I feel that here in the USA, as long as you have A university degree (doesnt matter if you're an engineer or you did that Bachelor of Arts in General Studies, you have the same earning potential. My boss has a BA in Liberal Studies with a minor in General Studies and he's the DIRECTOR of Health and Wellness making over 6 figures.

I feel like there are more opportunities here and the decisions you made regarding your major in university/college as a high school junior or senior dont affect your earning potential when you're done.

[The Fonz]

Originally Posted by SeeGeeWhy

Any U of S alumni out there? Out of all the schools to visit, that was always the most fun.

Good to hear that the U of S was a good time, that's where I'm headed in the fall. The campus looks pretty nice...

http://lh6.ggpht.com/deconstructingm...JPG?imgmax=512

http://explore.usask.ca/images/featu...ages/bowl1.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/St._Mike's_campus_2.JPG/800px-St._Mike's_campus_2.JPG

http://www.huskiehoops.com/images/bowl.jpg

http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/stoon100pic...s/IMG_1953.jpg




When were you at the U of S?

[calf]

Originally Posted by Hemmer

I graduated from Business at UofA and they have a very good co-op program there. Anyone know how the UofC Co-op program is for Business? With all the headquarters in Calgary.. I'd imagine that co-op program is very successful?

I took business at U of C doing co-op. It was a pretty decent program, and I'm glad I did it so that I could have good experience before graduating. I actually ending up landing my full time gig at my co-op employer, too.

I did my recruiting circa 2003, and started co-op in 2004...it was a weird time because it was fairly competitive to get into the program, and even more competitive to get a job at that point. The program was quite helpful in getting everyone straight to get that first job, doing the networking/interviewing, etc right the first time, and I'm glad for it. But, the next year, it seemed anyone with a pulse in that faculty could get a job no problem, so I'm not sure how much value the program offered after that, other than taking extra time to finish the degree...I guess it might help those looking for more than an entry level job coming out of university...and at least made sure everyone there had good experience coming out of it.

re: University...pretty simple. I wanted to be close to home, knew that having a BComm from the UofC would be decent for getting a job in the city after University, and didn't want to rack up debt (which I'm very glad didn't happen!)

[Hemmer]

What are the tuition costs these days for UofA and UofC?

I gained alot of good experience and networking through the Co-op program. It did take longer to graduate but the work experience was well worth it for me.

[wpgflamesfan]

Originally Posted by Hemmer

What are the tuition costs these days for UofA and UofC?

I gained alot of good experience and networking through the Co-op program. It did take longer to graduate but the work experience was well worth it for me.

I think their around 4000-5000 dollars but i'm not to sure cause my first year is fully paid for by scholarships. I'm glad we live in a country where university is so afordable and accessible not like in the states where it's difficult to get into most of the good universities and once your in tutition is insane.

[Berger_4_]

U of C for a Comm degree is...5400 bucks or so

[Antithesis]

Originally Posted by peter12

Hurrah for teachers with less education.

Another funny! Good for you, I knew that people were going to key on that.

Rico, as to your point, I've always figured that I could go back during my time in order to get my next degree; unfortunately those plans have been temporarily scuttled by a newborn. When I looked at the grid numbers, I decided the bump in salary wasn't really enough for me to continue down the University path at the time. I'd had enough.

I've heard UofL is a good school too, last I knew it was five years, but I didn't really intend on going there. I have to admit that probably THE main factor in me going to the UofA over the other places was to get away from home.