UofT or McMaster: Which Engineering Program is Right for Me?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a high school student's dilemma in choosing between engineering programs at McMaster University and the University of Toronto. The conversation explores factors such as financial implications, university experience, and personal preferences regarding location and program specifics.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a strong preference for UofT due to its reputation and campus life but is concerned about the estimated cost of $120,000 for a five-year program.
  • Another participant suggests a compromise of attending McMaster for two years and then transferring to UofT, proposing this as a way to balance costs and experience.
  • Some participants argue that the "full university experience" may not justify the additional $60,000 in debt, highlighting potential downsides of living away from home.
  • One participant reflects on the affordability of McMaster and the desire to avoid long-term debt, indicating a preference for financial stability over the university experience.
  • Another participant shares their experience at UWO, suggesting that the earning potential of an engineering degree could allow for quick debt repayment, questioning the necessity of incurring high costs for university experience.
  • Concerns are raised about making a decision primarily based on financial factors, with one participant expressing fear about the long-term consequences of their choice.
  • A participant inquires about the academic qualifications needed for admission to UofT, implying curiosity about the competitiveness of the program.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions regarding the value of the university experience versus financial considerations. There is no clear consensus on which program is preferable, as views vary significantly based on personal priorities and financial situations.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various financial estimates and personal circumstances, indicating that assumptions about costs and potential earnings may vary. The discussion reflects differing values placed on university experience and financial burden, which are not universally agreed upon.

Who May Find This Useful

High school students considering engineering programs, individuals weighing financial implications of university choices, and those interested in the comparative aspects of different engineering schools in Ontario.

JXayph
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Im a high school student in Hamilton, Ontario, and on the second round of admissions I received conditional offers from McMaster for general engineering and University of Toronto for chemical engineering. I intend to do engineering right after undergrad, but everything is subject to change, I guess. I'm conflicted on which offer I want to take, for multiple reasons. UofT is definitely preferable to me right now, for multiple reasons. Firstly, I've lived in Hamilton my entire life, and I just want to leave this city for a while if I can. UofT seems to be more highly regarded, from what I've seen, the campus seems nicer, it seems like there's a lot more to do there, etc etc, but my main concern is the price tag. Attending UofT, I estimated the cost of a 5 year program to be $120,000 (How realistic is that estimate, by the way? I just threw some numbers out there). McMaster would be significantly less, I estimated it to be $60,000 since I could live at home. However, my worry is that I wouldn't get the full university experience, which is something that I was looking forward to immensely. As a side note, I want to do mechanical engineering, and if I went to UofT I would do first year in chem and transfer over afterwards, hopefully, if I still wanted to. Can anyone with more knowledge of the two programs maybe offer me some guidance on this issue? My financial situation isn't necessarily the best to be accruing debt, either. I have roughly $20,000 in an RESP, and I'm not sure how much assistance I can attain through scholarships and bursaries. Any help would be immensely appreciated, thanks!
 
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Why not both? Do 2 years @ Mac and than the last 3 years @ UofT. That way, you'll spend somewhere in-between 60 grand to 120 grand AND have the university experience.
 
The "full university experience" is not worth $60 000.00. While it comes with some freedoms, it also comes with headaches such as roommates with varying definitions of the words: clean, quiet, manners, legal, etc.

Both schools you have listed are great as far as engineering goes. You won't be denied any opportunities later because you chose one over the other.

I can certainly understand wanting to get out of the city you've grown up in. But remember, the opportunity to leave will be there when you graduate too.

Also, if you need to get out of your parents' place for sanity/freedom reasons that's one thing. But if you have an amicable relationship with your parents and can make that work for the next few years to cut about $60k off your debt load I would strongly suggest trying to make that work.
 
I think I probably will just do Mac. 60k is definitely more than I can afford to spend on something as arbitrary as that, to be honest. I don't want to be paying off debt until I'm in my forties or fifties.
 
JXayph said:
I think I probably will just do Mac. 60k is definitely more than I can afford to spend on something as arbitrary as that, to be honest. I don't want to be paying off debt until I'm in my forties or fifties.
With the amount of money you can earn with an engineering degree, you can pay off that debt in 2-4 years! I'm currently in UWO right now and one of the reasons I chose it was for the university experience and to tell you the truth… I would've been as happy if I were to stay in Mississauga and gone to UTM.

Anyways…

Go get that Iron Ring!
 
coolusername said:
With the amount of money you can earn with an engineering degree, you can pay off that debt in 2-4 years! I'm currently in UWO right now and one of the reasons I chose it was for the university experience and to tell you the truth… I would've been as happy if I were to stay in Mississauga and gone to UTM.

Anyways…

Go get that Iron Ring!

I haven't really looked that far into the potential earnings of engineers that much, engineering has just always been a natural career goal for me. Could 60k more really be paid off that fast? I wouldn't even mind living a bit rough for a couple years, just to take care of the debt before it grows. If so, I might just end up at UofT. I'm definitely going to look for summer work too, to try and take a couple thousand off if I can, too. My friend did landscaping last year, earned $3000 that summer, hopefully I can do the same.

What sucks about this all though is that I'm making this decision purely based on money. If that wasn't a factor, I'd definitely choose UofT, no doubt about it. This choice is probably one of the biggest I'll make in my whole life, and I'm scared of the potential consequences of either. I guess that's just life in general though, right? Thanks a lot for your input, by the way. I really do appreciate it.
 
how did you get high 90s to get into UofT? Are you a sort of a genius?
 

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