6 replies to this topic

[katiesc]

Relevant background info:
Almost definitely going to be practicing in Calgary after all is said and done (U of A is also a consideration but does not appeal to me as much, should be getting an acceptance after I send my fall grades in), Vancouver is obviously in closer proximity to Calgary but I'm guessing for OCI's the major firms travel to both schools.
Have ties to Alberta and BC, since my hometown is in Calgary and I go to school in Victoria.
Not exactly sure which type of law I'm going to end up in... interested in Family Law or immigration/refugee law

Reasons to go to UBC:
Nice campus, nice city, nice new law building
Have friends in Van and Vic, though obviously I doubt I'll have too much of a problem making new friends in LS, also closer to Calgary
On-campus graduate apartments/residences are nice and decently priced, difficult to get an 8-month lease though
Better overall reputation, but not by a huge margin (?)

Reasons to go to Queen's:
Family loyalty to the school & everyone I know who has attended [for undergrad] really liked the community/atmosphere
Smaller campus, less reliance on transit... way cheaper to drink/go out
Housing (off campus at least) less expensive
Lots of opportunities to get involved in stuff like legal aid/pro bono, though I'm sure this is also true of UBC

Anything else? Any major drawbacks to either one I'm not thinking of? I literally have no clue how to decide since I love both schools.

[orion88]

I'd be really interested in what people have to say about this as well, I have been facing a similar situation between U of A vs. Ontario school - can't get into UBC cause my first year damns me

For what it's worth Katie I'm 90% sure ill be accepting at U of A - geographic proximity to where you want to work has come up again and again as the most important factor in selecting a Canadian law school - after you get past U of T and OZ it seems like all law schools are essentially within the same rank/prestige. As well, Alberta seems to have the most promising legal market of the provinces, every time I look at Ontario I'm reminded of a shark tank where there's too many sharks and not enough fish...I'm throwing down my deposit in Jan.

[schroed]

Queen's student here: You're spot on about most things regarding Queen's. However, rental prices are not as low as you might think- and I'm from Vancouver so I'm at least somewhat familiar with stupid high living costs.

That being said, while we certainly do place in Calgary, I think your best bet if you're set on working there is to go to U of A, followed by UBC and then followed by Queen's/other schools.

[RBK]

U of A dominates Calgary hiring and it's better for building your future network if you want to ultimately be in Calgary.

[5khh]

U of A
WHERE YOU WANT TO PRACTICE

Edited by 5khh, 08 January 2012 - 02:47 AM.

[katiesc]

As an update, I'll most likely be going to U of A. Definitely makes the most sense for a lot of reasons. If anyone can think of a compelling reason why I shouldn't go to U of A I'd like to hear it though.

[davedavedave]

 katiesc, on 09 January 2012 - 10:20 AM, said:

As an update, I'll most likely be going to U of A. Definitely makes the most sense for a lot of reasons. If anyone can think of a compelling reason why I shouldn't go to U of A I'd like to hear it though.

Because its in Edmonton lol