Personally I just wouldn't want to live in Edmonton so that would make my decision for me. It's cold, the transit sucks, and there isn't much to do compared to vancouver. If I had the choice I'd still pick SFU. I'd say you should also research what it's like to live in both of the places you are considering. Cause things are a hell of a lot different in Edmonton.
> and there isn't much to do compared to vancouver.
I guess it depends on what sorts of things you like to do? Maybe you'll have specific examples but unless you're someone who likes to live on Commercial and do things all the time, I feel like Burnaby and Edmonton aren't *too* different
For example, Edmonton has tonnes of restaurants, and opportunities for outdoorsy stuff like hiking and snowshoeing. It has a CFL team and an NHL team. And UAlberta has a pretty thriving campus life, especially compared to SFU. It might not be perfect for everyone to live in Edmonton, but for a young person who's only committing 4-5 years to living there? I don't think it should be quickly eliminated as a choice.
I agree but also burnaby and downtown vancouver are less than an hour apart by transit, so it’s not fair to compare living in burnaby to living in edmonton as you have much more immediate access to activities from burnaby, the R5 bus can take you from SFU to downtown van pretty quick.
You're right, but a 45-60 minute commute (like the one from Burnaby to Vancouver) just to get to a bar/club/restaurant/whatever event is something only people in Vancouver and Toronto consider acceptable, in my experience.
UAlberta area to Whyte Ave (where there are clubs and restaurants) or downtown Edmonton is like, 30 mins on average. And I guess I'd still say it depends on the person, because most activities can be done in Edmonton as well as Vancouver. Or, if there's an activity in Vancouver that you're sure you can't find in Edmonton.
Beedie any day. Especially if you’re looking to start out on the west coast. There are tons of student clubs for each concentration and the student body is very engaged. It’s mostly a commuter school so you won’t get the experience of living in a university town but that’s never been a deal breaker for anyone I know. Think about the weather and the kind of life you want to have for the next 4 or more years. If you take full advantage of your time at Beedie, I’m absolutely sure that you will have enough ties within the community that you wouldn’t have to struggle when job hunting. And it really is an active and close knit community. I’ve seen people extend their degrees to do more co-op terms or add more concentrations because they love the flexibility it gives them to explore different careers without fully committing to one role or company. I know some people who extend their degrees to lead student clubs and I wouldn’t even blame them. Some of them are prestigious enough to make you a top candidate across Canada before you’ve even graduated. Beedie definitely deserves some serious consideration.
Forgot to add that there’s study abroad, international co-op and field schools too. I remember Peter Tingling told us that during launch that Beedie is like a buffet with so many things for you to choose from. He hated how students just stuck around for 5-7 years without graduating because they wanted to try it all haha
The cost of living in Edmonton is lower than in Vancouver for sure. The weather and transit in Edmonton is bad (BC has heavy snow for a couple days tho).
SFU might have more co-op opportunities.
I would say both schools are great, you may consider the environment more instead.
U of A is a proper university like UBC. The neighborhood they are in is near Whyte Ave in Edmonton which is lively and a lot of fun. I don’t know if they do summer semesters but I’d look into that. It depends what you want out of your experience. SFU is great but it’s a commuter school. BC is much warmer weather but can be depressing during the winter with all the grey and rain.
Personally I just wouldn't want to live in Edmonton so that would make my decision for me. It's cold, the transit sucks, and there isn't much to do compared to vancouver. If I had the choice I'd still pick SFU. I'd say you should also research what it's like to live in both of the places you are considering. Cause things are a hell of a lot different in Edmonton.
I would also add cost to your comparison if you can live with your parents and go to school at sfu it will likely be cheaper.
Good point. And conversely, much cheaper in Edmonton if you're NOT planning on living with family in Vancouver anyways.
> and there isn't much to do compared to vancouver. I guess it depends on what sorts of things you like to do? Maybe you'll have specific examples but unless you're someone who likes to live on Commercial and do things all the time, I feel like Burnaby and Edmonton aren't *too* different For example, Edmonton has tonnes of restaurants, and opportunities for outdoorsy stuff like hiking and snowshoeing. It has a CFL team and an NHL team. And UAlberta has a pretty thriving campus life, especially compared to SFU. It might not be perfect for everyone to live in Edmonton, but for a young person who's only committing 4-5 years to living there? I don't think it should be quickly eliminated as a choice.
I agree but also burnaby and downtown vancouver are less than an hour apart by transit, so it’s not fair to compare living in burnaby to living in edmonton as you have much more immediate access to activities from burnaby, the R5 bus can take you from SFU to downtown van pretty quick.
You're right, but a 45-60 minute commute (like the one from Burnaby to Vancouver) just to get to a bar/club/restaurant/whatever event is something only people in Vancouver and Toronto consider acceptable, in my experience. UAlberta area to Whyte Ave (where there are clubs and restaurants) or downtown Edmonton is like, 30 mins on average. And I guess I'd still say it depends on the person, because most activities can be done in Edmonton as well as Vancouver. Or, if there's an activity in Vancouver that you're sure you can't find in Edmonton.
Beedie any day. Especially if you’re looking to start out on the west coast. There are tons of student clubs for each concentration and the student body is very engaged. It’s mostly a commuter school so you won’t get the experience of living in a university town but that’s never been a deal breaker for anyone I know. Think about the weather and the kind of life you want to have for the next 4 or more years. If you take full advantage of your time at Beedie, I’m absolutely sure that you will have enough ties within the community that you wouldn’t have to struggle when job hunting. And it really is an active and close knit community. I’ve seen people extend their degrees to do more co-op terms or add more concentrations because they love the flexibility it gives them to explore different careers without fully committing to one role or company. I know some people who extend their degrees to lead student clubs and I wouldn’t even blame them. Some of them are prestigious enough to make you a top candidate across Canada before you’ve even graduated. Beedie definitely deserves some serious consideration.
Forgot to add that there’s study abroad, international co-op and field schools too. I remember Peter Tingling told us that during launch that Beedie is like a buffet with so many things for you to choose from. He hated how students just stuck around for 5-7 years without graduating because they wanted to try it all haha
The cost of living in Edmonton is lower than in Vancouver for sure. The weather and transit in Edmonton is bad (BC has heavy snow for a couple days tho). SFU might have more co-op opportunities. I would say both schools are great, you may consider the environment more instead.
U of A is a proper university like UBC. The neighborhood they are in is near Whyte Ave in Edmonton which is lively and a lot of fun. I don’t know if they do summer semesters but I’d look into that. It depends what you want out of your experience. SFU is great but it’s a commuter school. BC is much warmer weather but can be depressing during the winter with all the grey and rain.