Canadian University Thread

[Hali87]

Do students tend to hang out in East Van much, or is that a totally different crowd? Would an EV-SFU commute make sense or do most SFU students just live in Burnaby? (no idea how housing prices compare between East Van and Burnaby)

[esquire]

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

Just as an FYI,
University of Saskatchewan wouldn't fit your definition of suburban University. Saskatoon CBD and U of S campus centre bowl are about a mile a part..

It's been a while since I visited the U of S campus but I didn't recall it being so close to the centre of the city... it's a bit like the U of A in the sense that it's not fully integrated with the city in the manner of a U of T, but downtown is just across the river.

[Echoes]

The U of S is geographically close to downtown, but it still feels detached from the city. It's location is not suburban in nature, no. But the campus is internally focused.

However, the campus is still close enough, and the city small enough, that students do have a discernible impact on the Downtown/Broadway scenes.

Fortunately, the university is taking steps to bleed its edges into the pre-war neighbourhood to the south a bit more. The College Quarter will combine student and market housing, retail, athletic and cultural facilities, green space, and public realm improvements that integrate it with the Varsity View neighbourhood on the opposite side of College Drive from the main campus:


Source

[Prometheus]

Flagpole plaza looking south down Main Mall by UBC CM, on Flickr


Overhead of Rose Garden by UBC CM, on Flickr


Main Mall looking south by UBC CM, on Flickr


UBC Library and clocktower at sunrise by UBC CM, on Flickr


Main Mall looking south by UBC CM, on Flickr


Aerials Main Mall by UBC CM, on Flickr


MOA at sunrise by UBC CM, on Flickr


Main Mall looking southwest by UBC CM, on Flickr


Totem Park Residence by UBC CM, on Flickr


Sport Fields by UBC CM, on Flickr


Thunderbird Stadium by UBC CM, on Flickr


Pharm Sci building at sunset by UBC CM, on Flickr


Koerner Library and Ponderosa complex and Vancouver Island at sunset by UBC CM, on Flickr


UBC Vancouver School of Economics and downtown Vancouver at dusk by UBC CM, on Flickr

[esquire]

^ What a spectacular campus.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Hali87

Do students tend to hang out in East Van much, or is that a totally different crowd? Would an EV-SFU commute make sense or do most SFU students just live in Burnaby? (no idea how housing prices compare between East Van and Burnaby)

No, East Van is not much of a destination at all for students. Just in general, I find its reputation as a nightlife area is pretty exaggerated; it's really just a regular residential area with two main strips. These strips do have some pretty cool bars, but it's not really somewhere you can go often. It's not just counter-culture people that hang out there, although there are lots, so it's not the crowd, I just think at the end of the day the bars there aren't that different from those in Kitsilano that it would be worth to make the farther trip all that often.

An East Van to SFU commute would easily make sense, and I'm surprised you asked. Maybe this is unusual for the rest of Canada, but suburban kids generally don't move once they go to university here. Obviously a few do, but for the most part students commute from their parents houses, wherever they happen to live. From my suburb for example, I commute 1.5 hours each way to UBC, along with many others. I know a few people from here that take 2 to get to SFU. This is considered normal.The same goes for people from Coquitlam, Surrey etc.. So to answer your question about where most SFU (and I'll add UBC) students live, it's wherever they were living before they started going there. If you can afford to live on campus, you're probably gonna go to Queens or Western. Of course some move into basement suites closer by, but for the most part any students living on or near campus are not local. I assumed this was true for everywhere in Canada, or did I misunderstand?

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ What a spectacular campus.

It also comes with a clothing optional beach, where you can lay on your towel and vendors will sell you cold beer, weed, magic mushrooms and home-cooked food, while listening to live music and speeches from hippies:

• Video Link

• Video Link

[Nathan]

Just to flesh out the University of Regina a little more....

From earlier in the summer, a big panorama starting with the university on the left and then continuing onto the rest of Regina at the right. The new residence towers were still under contruction, but are mostly complete now... just some final adjustments here and there to the exterior/surrounding site work left.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(My photo)

And a closer overhead shot in the fall that includes the new towers:

Credit: Javapost


And here are a few of the College Avenue campus, the original location of "Regina College", which became part of the University of Saskatchewan - Regina Campus, then finally "University of Regina - College Avenue Campus". It sits on the north side of Wascana Lake, the Legislature being on the south side.

Main Building:


Source: URegina


Source

Darke Hall (was at one point the main concert venue earlier in Regina's history):


Source: URegina


and the interior...


Source

There is an ongoing project for a large renovation/renewal of the above 2 buildings though they are still in the fund collecting stage.


Also formerly part of the college campus, the Sound Stage (Corner Gas was filmed here as well as some films):


Source: cbc

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

No, East Van is not much of a destination at all for students. Just in general, I find its reputation as a nightlife area is pretty exaggerated; it's really just a regular residential area with two main strips. These strips do have some pretty cool bars, but it's not really somewhere you can go often. It's not just counter-culture people that hang out there, although there are lots, so it's not the crowd, I just think at the end of the day the bars there aren't that different from those in Kitsilano that it would be worth to make the farther trip all that often.

An East Van to SFU commute would easily make sense, and I'm surprised you asked. Maybe this is unusual for the rest of Canada, but suburban kids generally don't move once they go to university here. Obviously a few do, but for the most part students commute from their parents houses, wherever they happen to live. From my suburb for example, I commute 1.5 hours each way to UBC, along with many others. I know a few people from here that take 2 to get to SFU. This is considered normal.The same goes for people from Coquitlam, Surrey etc.. So to answer your question about where most SFU (and I'll add UBC) students live, it's wherever they were living before they started going there. If you can afford to live on campus, you're probably gonna go to Queens or Western. Of course some move into basement suites closer by, but for the most part any students living on or near campus are not local. I assumed this was true for everywhere in Canada, or did I misunderstand?

I would say that some schools are like this and some are not, and I guess a lot probably has to do with what the nearby residential is like. Dalhousie is surrounded by med-high density neighbourhoods that have been converted mostly to rental flats, and generally rents at around $500/bedroom. There's also a bit of cultural pressure to "get out of the parents' house" here, especially true of the suburbs. Some students do live with their families in the suburbs but they are the exception, and tend to miss out on a lot and hate their commutes (although they might have other perks, such as easy access to a car). Also worth noting that many of the students here are not local - schools like Acadia and STFX (the closest thing we have to those insular American "like in the movies" campuses) draw maybe 5-10% of their student populations from their immediate areas. Dalhousie is maybe 40% locals. SMU is probably a bit higher. Mount Saint Vincent is the only local one that kind of fits a similar profile to your description of UBC, and it is the furthest from the downtown core (a closer equivalent would probably be SFU). From what I understand their student population is much more local, although I could be wrong.

A lot of university towns get what they call "Student Ghettos", neighbourhoods dominated by (largely out-of-town) students, Queens being the most famous for this. We kind of have that here, although we've also had (/still sort of have) "actual" ghettoes, so people don't like to call it that.


I guess what I meant was, is it cheaper/more convenient for SFU students to rent in East Van or Burnaby, if it came down to that. Where do the students who aren't from the Lower Mainland live?

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Hali87

I would say that some schools are like this and some are not, and I guess a lot probably has to do with what the nearby residential is like. Dalhousie is surrounded by med-high density neighbourhoods that have been converted mostly to rental flats, and generally rents at around $500/bedroom. There's also a bit of cultural pressure to "get out of the parents' house" here, especially true of the suburbs. Some students do live with their families in the suburbs but they are the exception, and tend to miss out on a lot and hate their commutes (although they might have other perks, such as easy access to a car). Also worth noting that many of the students here are not local - schools like Acadia and STFX (the closest thing we have to those insular American "like in the movies" campuses) draw maybe 5-10% of their student populations from their immediate areas. Dalhousie is maybe 40% locals. SMU is probably a bit higher. Mount Saint Vincent is the only local one that kind of fits a similar profile to your description of UBC, and it is the furthest from the downtown core (a closer equivalent would probably be SFU). From what I understand their student population is much more local, although I could be wrong.


I guess what I meant was, is it cheaper/more convenient for SFU students to rent in East Van or Burnaby, if it came down to that. Where do the students who aren't from the Lower Mainland live?

Interesting. I'd say most locals would like to live away from their parents, but few can afford it without their parents' help or loans, which kind of defeats the purpose. Students in the suburbs, like myself, definitely miss out on a whole lot, and we do hate our commutes, but that's considered the trade-off for saving a lot of money.

Not sure about SFU, but UBC does have quite a large number of out of town students. I think the stat was that about 1/4 of students live on residence, and I the majority of these are definitely out-of-town, but that doesn't say how many of the remainder live at home or off-campus but independently. Anecdotally just from speaking to people, I think that most students live in residence if not at home. I would assume this is true for SFU as well, but I don't know. So I'm not sure how big a factor off-campus housing plays in general, since those that do move out usually live on residence instead.

That being said, somebody else would have to answer the specific question about rents in East Van vs Burnaby. It should be noted that SFU is located in the far northeast corner of Burnaby, so as far away from the border with Vancouver as possible. It would make more geographic sense to live in Coquitlam, not East Van. But again, I have no idea how the rents stack up between these places; I don't think I've ever looked up rents in my life yet.

[Hali87]

Another big difference here (this seems to be fairly unique to Halifax) is that many if not most students will also hold jobs throughout their studies, and it's considered completely normal to take more than 4 years to complete an undergrad. This helps tip the balance in favour of living downtown or near campus (close to the jobs/action) vs "at home" (cheaper but less convenient).

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Hali87

Another big difference here (this seems to be fairly unique to Halifax) is that many if not most students will work during their studies, and it's considered completely normal to take more than 4 years to complete an undergrad. This helps tip the balance in favour of living downtown or near campus (close to the jobs/action) vs "at home" (cheaper but less convenient).

Huh, I would say that it's generally considered undesirable if you don't finish your undergrad in 4 years here. It's something to be avoided, and if you're really having trouble (in terms of studies) then summer school is what you need to do to meet that goal. Obviously stuff like co-op excluded. Some students travel for half the year and take like 6 years to do their undergrad, but that's a whole other thing. Most students still work, but it will generally be a couple nights a week at most just to meet basic needs. For example, I work 5-10 hours/week when school is in, and this is tragically spent on going out on Saturdays as well as other miscellaneous purchases like food. For the most part, studies themselves are paid for through parents or loans, so even then trying to cut costs is usually the more common choice.

[Hali87]

Yeah it seems to be an attitude/lifestyle kind of unique to here (Ontario students, for example, seemed much more focused in comparison). It's not uncommon for the average student here to take classes part-time for a while, change majors, spend a few months traveling, decide to write an extra thesis or something, and then graduate after year ~6, having held maybe 3 different jobs plus a co-op through the process. And then sometimes go back to school for something different.

I remember one year they put limits on how many consecutive years people could compete in varsity rugby, and it actually affected a significant number of the guys on my team haha

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Hali87

Yeah it seems to be an attitude/lifestyle kind of unique to here (Ontario students, for example, seemed much more focused in comparison). It's not uncommon for the average student here to take classes part-time for a while, change majors, spend a few months traveling, decide to write an extra thesis or something, and then graduate after year ~6, having held maybe 3 different jobs plus a co-op through the process. And then sometimes go back to school for something different.

I remember one year they put limits on how many consecutive years people could compete in varsity rugby, and it actually affected a significant number of the guys on my team haha

People here do stuff like that too, but the general goal is to get through school as fast as possible, move out and start a career.

It's all about club rugby anyway

[Hali87]

A few photos:


This is the main campus (Studley), centred on University Avenue. It kind of tapers off over the sidestreets and after a couple blocks it's difficult to tell which buildings are university-owned, and which are not (especially since the university owns a lot of converted houses). These photos are all university property, I think. The small condo building in the background of the second photo is not part of the university but many of the buildings on that street (Coburg) are. The houses barely visible on the left side of the third pic are also off-campus.


Studley 1 by Hali87, on Flickr


McCain + Cohn by Hali87, on Flickr


Studley 2 by Hali87, on Flickr


Sexton campus... left side is campus, right side is not:


Gerard Hall by Hali87, on Flickr


Medjuck Bldg + Central Library by Hali87, on Flickr


Background is campus, foreground is not:


Schmidtville by Hali87, on Flickr


Morris by Hali87, on Flickr

In each of the last 4 pictures, downtown is generally to the left (north or east).

[Marshal]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

People here do stuff like that too, but the general goal is to get through school as fast as possible, move out and start a career.

It's all about club rugby anyway

Whoa there. Of course very few students want to drag things out when its not necessary, but both UBC and SFU are big universities with big complex cultures.

I went to Grad school at UBC, I have taught a bit there, I have two sons studying there, and I know a whole crowd of people who either teach or study at either UBC or SFU. Like all big universities, you cannot generalize about anything about them. There are lots of driven students who race through with career goals in hand. One of my sons has just finished his Masters in 5 years and change. But I know many others who are on all sorts of paths, leading to degrees over a varied number of years. For example, my son has flown through, but last year he came very close to accepting two extra years so that he could continue to run his lab and get teaching experience. He flipped that decision on a dime when he got an offer from a UK university that pursues his specialization. I know people who took 5 years to get a Bachelors, and one who tricked the system and got a BSc in 3.5 years. Its all over the place. A school like UBC is just too varied to talk about the way you are.

I also have experience with UofT, York, Carleton, McGill and Concordia. They are all big enough to share the same complex and varied culture. There are differences, but depending on the individual, these are, more often than not, unnoticeable. The Ontario schools especially are an aweful lot like UBC. The Montreal schools are a bit different, but like the Toronto ones, the differences are better attributed to their locations and cities, than to the schools themselves.

Also, rents for equal accomodation are cheeper in Burnaby/Coquitlam, etc., than East Van. Burnaby has also developed lots of student housing to satisfy the demand from BCIT, which itself has between 20,000 upwards of 45,000 students depending on how they are counted. And, transit to SFU is probably a bit better from Burnaby, than further east, but that's just an unsubstantiated estimate.

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by Marshal

I also have experience with UofT, York, Carleton, McGill and Concordia. They are all big enough to share the same complex and varied culture. There are differences, but depending on the individual, these are, more often than not, unnoticeable. The Ontario schools especially are an aweful lot like UBC. The Montreal schools are a bit different, but like the Toronto ones, the differences are better attributed to their locations and cities, than to the schools themselves.

What are the differences?

[Marshal]

Originally Posted by Hali87

What are the differences?

You're missing my point. The differences are not substantial such that any particular person would experience them as such. Besides, if I were to go down the road of trying to tease them out, I couldn't do so in a meaningful way. Also, we would be in the territory of ascribing differences to the cities rather than the schools.

Some things, of course are beyond obvious to each school's experience and reality. The McGill Ghetto and the rest of downtown Montreal create a uniqueness. But this describes life beyond academics. By contrast, UBC is on its own, and even though it has a lot of on campus/near campus housing for both staff and students, the university population must leave campus to access a lot of the services (including social, cultural, and entertainment) required. UBC students must leave campus behind in a manner those at McGill don't. There are social differences generated by this. But this is just one of a thousand aspects which make a place what it is. And universities are functional entities. Access to services and geographical layout have little standing with regard to purely academic functions. UBC has very deep academic resources along with the physical requirements (the buildings and what they house) to support a very rich academic culture. But again, all the big universities share these things. Despite McLean's and the numerous university ratings, I maintain that the academic, social and cultural experiences of each institution are too complex to really define one from the other. It is the people and academic infrastructure that are of prime importance. Well, that is if you can afford it in the first place.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Marshal

Whoa there. Of course very few students want to drag things out when its not necessary, but both UBC and SFU are big universities with big complex cultures.

I went to Grad school at UBC, I have taught a bit there, I have two sons studying there, and I know a whole crowd of people who either teach or study at either UBC or SFU. Like all big universities, you cannot generalize about anything about them. There are lots of driven students who race through with career goals in hand. One of my sons has just finished his Masters in 5 years and change. But I know many others who are on all sorts of paths, leading to degrees over a varied number of years. For example, my son has flown through, but last year he came very close to accepting two extra years so that he could continue to run his lab and get teaching experience. He flipped that decision on a dime when he got an offer from a UK university that pursues his specialization. I know people who took 5 years to get a Bachelors, and one who tricked the system and got a BSc in 3.5 years. Its all over the place. A school like UBC is just too varied to talk about the way you are.

I also have experience with UofT, York, Carleton, McGill and Concordia. They are all big enough to share the same complex and varied culture. There are differences, but depending on the individual, these are, more often than not, unnoticeable. The Ontario schools especially are an aweful lot like UBC. The Montreal schools are a bit different, but like the Toronto ones, the differences are better attributed to their locations and cities, than to the schools themselves.

Also, rents for equal accomodation are cheeper in Burnaby/Coquitlam, etc., than East Van. Burnaby has also developed lots of student housing to satisfy the demand from BCIT, which itself has between 20,000 upwards of 45,000 students depending on how they are counted. And, transit to SFU is probably a bit better from Burnaby, than further east, but that's just an unsubstantiated estimate.

I didn't mean to generalise, and especially not for graduate studies where people are generally more academically oriented than career oriented and things like research can extend for a while. Of course everyone has their own path and goals. However, just from how Hali87 described Nova Scotia universities, there is an obvious difference. Someone spending more than 4 years to finish an undergrad degree is definitely not typical here in the slightest. People take their university educations in many different ways, but if I was to try and come up with the most common way, it would be 5 courses a term, 2 terms a year, for 4 years. I don't think that's too inaccurate.

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by Marshal

You're missing my point. The differences are not substantial such that any particular person would experience them as such. Besides, if I were to go down the road of trying to tease them out, I couldn't do so in a meaningful way. Also, we would be in the territory of ascribing differences to the cities rather than the schools.

I get that that wasn't your point, but I was just wondering how those schools function, socially/culturally, within their cities. York I kind of get. But I haven't really spent time on any of the other campuses. I could see York interacting with its surroundings in the same way as UBC, But U of T?

Ryerson is another one that I've always wondered about (and considered going to).