Canadians! I need your help choosing a law school!

LaurenAOK
LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
edited December 2024 in Chit-Chat
Hi there! I've lived in America my whole life and am currently attending college in Florida. I am applying to law school this fall and I am planning on applying to some schools in Canada as well as some American schools. I think living outside of the country would be a really neat experience, plus I'm a little tired of America right now, tbh. I've always thought Canada seemed like a really cool place and I'd love to give living there a try!

However, I don't know much about it! I have a list of some law schools I'm thinking of applying to, but I need to narrow it down to 2 or 3 since the cost of applying is high. That's where I need your help! Can you tell me what living in each of these places is like? Are they more urban or rural? Are there things to do? Are the people nice? What about the weather? Any information you can give on these locations will really help me decide where to apply! I'm pretty nervous because I'll be living there for at least 3 years, so it's a big decision.

University of Calgary - Calgary, AB
University of Ottowa - Ottowa, ON
Queen's University - Kingston, ON
University of Saskatchewan - Saskatoon, SK
Osgoode Hall (York Univeristy) - Toronto, ON

I know some areas in Canada are more French-speaking than others so info on that would be great as well. I speak a little French but definitely not fluently, and I would be uncomfortable living somewhere where the primary language was French. Something to consider though, my boyfriend may be coming with me and he does speak it fluently.

Thanks!!

Replies

  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Bump? I know there are some MFP Canadians!
  • MaritaD
    MaritaD Posts: 178 Member
    Well I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia and I know Dalhousie University has a great Law program. I've had a few friends go through it and become very successful laywers :)

    Good luck with your decision!! :)
  • MaritaD
    MaritaD Posts: 178 Member
    Sorry I didn't finish reading your whole thread.

    There is a good mix of urban and rural living here. There is lots of things to do in Halifax, the people are some of the friendliest I've ever encountered. The weather is crazy! hahaha In one day you can see sun, rain, hail, rain/sun with rainbow, it's crazy, but fun! haha We are mostly English speaking but have a good amount of bilingual people.
  • JanetLM73
    JanetLM73 Posts: 1,226 Member
    U of T is a great school, I didn't go, but my uncle went to law school there.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,297 Member
    Well I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia and I know Dalhousie University has a great Law program. I've had a few friends go through it and become very successful laywers :)

    Good luck with your decision!! :)

    Ditto this.

    If you have ever seen the movie Hurricane, based on a true story, with Denzel Washington. In real life the kid that helps him, when to Dal Law School.

    I also know about a dozen lawyers, friends and colleges, that went there. But it is far east, East Coast, further east then any state goes.

    The average yearly temperature in Nova Scotia, is the warmest of any province in Canada. It is a little cooler in the summer, but no where near as cold in the winter.

    Halifax is the largest Canadian city east of Montreal, about 400,000 residence. Here is a trip advisory about things to do here:
    http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attractions-g154976-Activities-Halifax_Halifax_Regional_Municipality_Nova_Scotia.html
  • JonathonMars
    JonathonMars Posts: 358 Member
    Wouldn't it be kind of difficult to get a Canadian law degree and then live in the US and want to practice? I would assume a lot of the laws are different, but I don't know. What do I know?
  • Firefighter_Jay
    Firefighter_Jay Posts: 426 Member
    I'm going to say Queens. If I would have chosen a different profession, I would have tried to get in there. Ottawa being my second choice. Downtown Kingston is nice as well, it has some awesome pubs if that's your thing, a great hospital, and Canada's largest indoor climbing gym. I effing love the climbing gym.
  • EmCarroll1990
    EmCarroll1990 Posts: 2,830 Member
    My mom just graduated from Ottawa U, she enjoyed it. It's very multicultural and she had some awesome Profs.
  • CinJay
    CinJay Posts: 157 Member
    I vote for either Dal (Halifax) or Queen's (Kingston). Both have excellent programs and both cities are beautiful, I've lived in each for a few years and it's good to be in a place where you can do something during your non-academic down time :)

    Good luck!!
  • ATK57
    ATK57 Posts: 292 Member
    I live in Toronto and went to U of T for undergrad, so I can vouch for it being a good school. U of T law school is at the top as well! I actually did not get into the top 3 law schools in Canada and decided to do law in UK at the University of Leicester. Living in Toronto is nice! The weather is ok for the most part, but January and February are horrible in the winter. DO NOT got to Calgary or Saskatchewan if you don't like snow lol.
  • Sk8rG
    Sk8rG Posts: 55 Member
    So would you intend to then practice law in Canada? The Canadian legal system is very different from the American one, so if you want to actually practice law when you graduate, you'll cause yourself lots of added work if you get a law degree in Canada and then move back to the US. I won't pretend to know anything about what you'd have to do, but I imagine it would require more school.

    Having said that, Osgoode is very well respected and the York campus, while in the city, is quite a nice area. All of the locations you list are primarily English speaking. Ottawa is a beautiful city - I can't comment on the University sorry. It's a bilingual city, but you'd have no trouble getting by only in English.
  • danifo0811
    danifo0811 Posts: 554 Member
    Calgary is a large spread out city. weather there changes frequently in the winter, Summers are usually around 80F. Winter days range from 50 to -40. You can expect winter weather October - April.

    People there tend to be outdoors people. Biking, skiing, running, hiking...... Banff is about 1 hour away. it is a young city with lots of young families and young proffessionals. There is good shopping and it is major enough to have good flight connections.

    I miss living there!

    No idea about the law school though.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Well I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia and I know Dalhousie University has a great Law program. I've had a few friends go through it and become very successful laywers :)

    Good luck with your decision!! :)

    Thank you, I'll have to check that one out! Does anyone know anything about how easy/hard it is to get in there? Most school websites post an in coming class profile so you can see the median gpa and LSAT score for getting in, but I couldn't find it for Dalhousie. I don't want to apply if there's no chance of me getting in there, you know? All the other schools on my list fall into a good range for my gpa and anticipated LSAT score.

    Oh, and to those who were confused, yes I plan to stay in Canada to practice if I study law there :) It would be pretty pointless to study law in one place and then try to practice it somewhere else, haha.

    Thanks for the input so far, keep it coming! If you don't know much about the schools that's fine; I'm actually more interested in learning about the cities themselves.
  • Chris_acc_can
    Chris_acc_can Posts: 83 Member
    Osgoode Hall at York is considered the top law school in Canada (depending on who you talk to). It's located north end of Toronto. It's not near the downtown core, about 25 miles away, but a bus and subway/car/cab ride will put you in the heart of Toronto (clubs, restaurants, shopping etc.).

    York itself is a self contained university (one large campus with nothing special in it's immediate surroundings). Within a couple miles of the campus you will find everything you need (shopping mall, movie theatre, gym, stores, restaurants and more). If you go to York and want to experience the city and surrounding area, you will need a car (the public transit system in the north end is something you don't want to rely on).

    FYI, unless in Quebec and surrounding area, you will not need to speak french. Even then most residents who speak french are bilingual and will speak to you in your preferred langauge.

    Need to know more about York/Osgoode, feel free to ask. Most of my friends have gone there and I drive past it daily on my way to work.
  • jayne_mel
    jayne_mel Posts: 173 Member
    I live in Kingston, and I moved here to attend Queens. Love it.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Calgary is a large spread out city. weather there changes frequently in the winter, Summers are usually around 80F. Winter days range from 50 to -40. You can expect winter weather October - April.

    -40!!!! :laugh: Good lord, I've lived in Florida all my life, never even experienced weather in the negative degrees before! I knew Canada got super cold but that is ridiculous. This will certainly be an adventure!
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
    My friend completed a law degree from Ottawa.
    Stay away from McGill & Quebec universities - it's specific to Quebec law only and cannot practice outside of the province.
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