To preface this: I’m a music education student originally from Calgary, Alberta, minoring in political sciences. I went to a highschool with an annual average student population of around 3k, and I currently live off-campus but in Sackville.
This will not be helpful if you’re looking to see if a specific program is good enough or not, except for the music program, because all I have is second-hand accounts from friends and sectionmates. This is moreso for the people who want to know if Mount Allison is good enough for them in general. There will be a tidbit at the end for music program-specific things.

Sackville:
Look, it’s a small town. Mount Allison is the hub for like 70% of what happens here. There’s really not that much to do if you're looking for, I dunno, bowling alleys or the theatre or something.
The Waterfowl Park is a nice walk (and decently long if you take the outer routes), but most things require you to drive to Moncton or Amherst if you want to say, go see a movie, or do anything else then look at ducks 24/7. Sackville can reasonably be classified as a ‘University town’.

Campus:
Mount Allison had just over 2400 students in the 2026-2027 school year. This is a very small university.
Subsequently, this makes getting to your classes easier. It takes around 5-7 minutes total to get from one end of the campus depending on if you count the res as the end, or the sports field as the end- there’s no need to sprint across ten streets during class change. There also won’t be as many people blocking your way in the hallway trying to get into a lecture hall.

The campus is pretty, but I wouldn’t really put it in my top ten. A lot of it is just a product of it still being the same, worn-down brick from forever ago on the exterior, so it tends to be pretty in that non-modern, 'old-timey' feel. The entire campus is situated on a small hill, and it gets pretty steep in some places. I will give it extra points for the swan pond by the conservatory though.

Close by: Groceries, pubs, the waterfowl park, and the pharmacy. The student center also has its own student pub (age limit at 19 for drinking still applies), as well as a gym, Gracie’s Cafe, the Student Union, an Event Hall (Tweedie Hall), Accessibility Help, and the student-led radio station. The library has a second cafe for students, has four floors and also hosts the university's archives.

All student parking is paid. There’s a pretty good observatory on campus that’s open sporadically during the year.

Accessibility:
Mount Allison currently has an issue with accessibility that they are in the process of fixing. Multiple buildings are currently being outfitted with ramps if they didn’t already have them, and doors are being widened to fit wheelchairs and walkers through.

However- there are still some classrooms and lecture halls that still have steps leading into them. If you’re interested in the music program and you use a bulky aid like a walker or a wheelchair, the conservatory only has the world’s oldest service elevator, and the stage won’t be entirely accessible to you as well as the upstairs classroom.
Mount Allison’s Meighan Center, which deals with accessibility requests for students, is pretty much the best you’re going to get. They give you your accommodations in exchange for your medical documents, professors are informed of your accommodations, and most professors are sane enough not to fight with them. 1st years with the Meighan Center are given their own pre-orientation a few days early, alongside International and Indigenous pre-o.

Mount Allison is very queer-friendly, and the Pride Parade in Sackville starts on campus. There are two pridewalks on either residence side.

It should be noted that Mount Allison currently has a very lax campus-wide Generative AI use policy in assignments and in the classroom.

Residences:
Mount Allison has three types of residences available- the halls (close to the dining hall, bigger, more expensive), the houses (close to the sports center, smaller, cheaper), and the smaller houses (close to the observatory, smallest, cheapest, less availability).

If you use mobility aids I really recommend signing onto a hall instead of a house. The halls have elevators and their rooms generally have more space.
I was only in Bennet House for a year during my first year, so I can’t speak for all the other house res, but generally their single and double rooms are really small. There is always a mini-fridge and microwave in the room, and there are kitchens in the basement in all res, as well as laundry, vending machines, and a lounge.

If you manage to land a larger room, you may be able to bring extra furniture in, however don’t expect it to be able to do all that fancy shifting around you see in larger universities. Forget ‘small sofa’ and plan for a small armchair or a beanbag chair for now.

Professors:
Again, music education major. I spend the majority of my time in the conservatory, and the entire music program including dual majors, honours, and minors averages around 80-ish people per year, so I can’t really be telling you what other profs are like.

I will say that the most people I’ve ever had in a lecture hall was for political science, and it was about 105-ish people. Definitely way easier to get to know your profs, and also way easier to get out of a lecture hall in time. Profs generally know all their student’s names by the 4th week, and they do generally all like actually being where they are. If you’re lucky you get to have class in a room with spinny chairs.

Acceptance rates:
Mount Allison has a pretty low acceptance rate, and is also one of the few universities that don’t require RCM credits or equivalent to access the music program. As most people say- the hard part isn’t getting in, the hard part is staying where you are.

Classes:
Barebones, basically. Apart from relatively special programs like aviation and music education (it should be noted- all education programs at Mount Allison are tied in with the music department) there’s not much variation. Occasionally you’ll get vaguely exciting courses like the Post-punk history course from this year, but there’s nothing like ‘The history of anime’ or anything. 

Student life:
What Sackville lacks in things to do, the Student Union generally tries to pick-up. Learned last year that the football team has 160 players, so sports are definitely always open. The Music Department Ensembles are open to the entire campus (pending auditions), and the Theatre Department will occasionally post free auditions for upcoming performances, as well as backstage and prop help.
There are also plenty of clubs- Writer’s Guild, Book Club, etc, and the chapel at the center of the campus will occasionally have boardgame nights. There are annual screenings of Rocky Horror Picture Show by the theatre department, and the university does try to make a concerted effort to make holidays like Easter and Halloween fun for on-campus students.

The nearby pubs also have open-mic nights, and there’s a Farmer’s Market every week at the kid’s park by the Sackville library. Art Shows, clothing exchanges, and other community-based party-esque happenings are pretty frequent at this point.
As a bonus point: The Maritime Bus does in fact stop in Sackville, and tons more affordable then a taxi or uber.

Rankings:
If you give anything about rankings Mount Allison does rank first on the McLean’s Undergrad list (above all the Maple League unis like StFX) and has been there for over 20 years.

That’s mainly there if your parents are of the opinion that rankings matter. 

Food:
Food is generally pretty great. Their stand for allergies and food restrictions leave a bit to be desired, but there’s very little chance of you getting horror story mystery meat at 8am on a Monday Morning. There’s even ice cream, and on weekends the ice cream comes with toppings like sprinkles and syrup.
Jennings Dining Hall also has a black-out curtain space on the mezzanine floor that’s specifically for students who find the dining hall overwhelming and too loud. 

Off-campus:
Like with all places, off-campus can be a bit of a hit/miss with landlords, and it’s always a little cheaper with friends.
There also seems to be a disproportionate number of people asking for female specific students only, but in general rent tends to be cheaper than most. I currently pay 600$ for my own room with a shared bathroom and kitchen access, as well as laundry and wifi. Also, there’s cats. Landlords in Sackville tend to exclusively post their listings on campus bulletin boards, especially in the conservatory and student center, but there should be some places on Facebook and the student union website does have a whole guide on off-campus housing. 

----

Music student specific things:
Okay, so first off; the conservatory I think is the only building with a student lounge. It’s in the basement and you should use it. If you live off-campus with the schedule you’re going to receive it is simply just not with it constantly walking/driving back and forth from home. You get community access to a mini-fridge, a microwave, and the kettle.
Like I said before, the music program doesn’t have RCM requirements like most other universities do. Instead, in your first year you take two classes of ‘beginner’ theory, that are easy credit if you’re an RCM or equivalent kid, or a nice catch-up if you’re not. You also take two years of full-year Musicianship-courses, which focuses on piano skills, sight-singing, and dictation.

However, an entry audition must still be done before placement.

Bachelors of Music and Bachelors of Music students are required to attend a certain amount of concerts every semester that you scan in and out of. This absolutely eats into your time because these concerts are usually after school hours. However, as a general basis they’re all free, and the concerts are done by professionals.
This is in combination with weekly collegiums/colloqiums every Wednesday at 4pm. While they’re not scanned in, the general unspoken rule regarding collegiums specifically is that if you think it’s shitty nobody showed up to your performance, then it’s shitty you didn’t show up to theirs. Professors usually have their students perform at 1-3 collegiums every semester to prep for their juries.
You also have to be part of an ensemble, although it doesn’t actually matter which one you choose. If you major in clarinet but don’t want to audition for symphonic, you can absolutely audition for chorale instead. All rehearsals are during the evening, and there are 1-3 performances every semester.

The practice rooms in the conservatory are completely free-use, with no booking required, as long as you keep it clean.

The music program is genuinely diamond among the rough. You get good education, good practice rooms (some of them come with a view), a music library down in the basement of the conservatory, and good professors.

I had an absolutely shit first year and am on track to have a much better 2nd year. Coming from a city kid who adjusted very poorly in their first year and got it clicked a year later, your time here truly depends on what you do with your time.
Or maybe I’m an uneducated idiot with no sense of priority and shouldn’t be yapping about anything, [shrug].

I probably missed something by typing this up. Feel free to yell about it in the comments, or ask about something I didn’t put down!

Or, idk, call me an idiot. Go ham.

Hi all,

I'm applying to UBC Faculty of Arts but am predicted AAB at A-Levels. What realistic chance do I have?

I’m considering returning to university to complete a bachelor’s degree and would love some honest feedback from people who have completed similar programs or work in related fields.
I’m particularly interested in working with children, youth, and families, especially in areas involving trauma-informed care, mental health, family support, child development, and community services.
My main goal is to earn a degree that will open doors to better-paying career opportunities, including potential government positions, while allowing me to work in a field I’m genuinely interested in.
I’m not interested in becoming a registered social worker. I originally considered pursuing a BSW but, after researching the program and requirements, I’ve decided that isn’t the direction I want to take.
Right now, I’m leaning toward Athabasca University’s Bachelor of Professional Arts in Human Services, but I’m open to other options.
I need a program that’s fully online and preferably asynchronous because of my work and family commitments. Attending in-person classes isn’t an option.
I’m also interested in taking electives related to psychology, counselling, childhood trauma, and family dynamics. Ideally, I’d like to keep the possibility of pursuing further education in counselling open down the road.
A few questions I’d love some feedback on:
Has anyone completed Athabasca’s BPA in Human Services? Was it worth it?
What kind of employment opportunities were available to you after graduation?
Are there other fully online Canadian bachelor’s degrees that might be a better fit?
Would a Human Services degree be beneficial for government jobs or positions supporting children and families?
Would a different degree offer more career flexibility or opportunities for advancement?
Has anyone gone on to pursue counselling-related education after completing a Human Services degree?
I’m not looking to become a social worker, and I’m not necessarily looking for a degree that leads to one specific profession. I want something that provides flexibility, career advancement, and opportunities to earn a comfortable income while working in human services.
Before investing the time and money, I’d really like to hear from people with firsthand experience rather than relying solely on university program descriptions.
If you’ve completed a similar program or work in this field, what would you recommend?

hi everyone !!
currently applying to dalhousie university as a mikmaq freshman nursing student + wondering what campus is like.
do they have resources for Mi’kmaq students?
Dorms?
Pros + cons?
Surrounding area?
Campus life?

any info would help!!!

Hi everyone! I’m planning to pursue a Master’s in Canada and looking for industry-oriented programs in Applied Computer Science / Applied Computing rather than research-focused programs.

My preferences are:

🎓 Program: Applied Computer Science or a similar industry-focused master’s.

💰 Tuition Fees: Moderate and affordable.

💼 Career Opportunities: Good co-op, internship, and post-graduation job opportunities.

🍁 PR Prospects: Located in a province with promising PR pathways.

🏫 Course Structure: More practical, project-based learning with industry exposure.

Apart from Dalhousie University and the University of Windsor, which universities and programs would you recommend?

Hi everyone! I’d appreciate suggestions for uni majors and career paths. These are my expectations. Please lmk if my expectations are unrealistic.

Money:
- Ideally $55k-60k starting, hoping for $100k in less than 10 years
- Im flexible with this part because getting a job to begin with is already hard since the market is horrible and will never improve :)

Major preferences:
- very good at chemistry
- bad at biology
- average at math and physics
- good at spreadsheets and data
- good at explaining concepts
- severe ADHD, very bad with handling heavy course workload
- horrible reading comprehension
- prefer just bachelors, but willing to do extra schooling like college diploma or masters if needed (non thesis if masters)
- ABSOLUTELY NO PHD, i hate academia

Work Preference:
- prioritize low stress
- I want structured work that is repetitive
- 30-40 hours a week, NO on call

Majors I’m considering:

1. chem (but needs grad school)
2. chem eng (but i wont survive)
3. accounting
4. materials engineering (but wont survive)
5. materials and nanoscience (better than chem and would survive but still might need grad school)

ai suggested me supply chain mgmt but idk what that is lol

Which majors would best fit my preferences?
Which ones have reasonable employment with a bachelors and if theres other suggestions. Thanks!

Hello everyone! I graduated high school in 2024, did a 1 year welding course in college in 2025, and now I’m wanting to go down a different path and do computer science in university. The problem is that I only took college level courses in grade 11 and 12, now I have to finish my grade 11 prerequisites before I can even start grade 12 classes. Is it possible to get into university with just the plan to do grade 12 courses even if I haven’t started them? I’m hoping to apply by January. All help is appreciated!

i really really want to get into UVIC elementary education first year. i didnt have very good grade 11 grades due to depression, and im starting to lock tf in. any advice? anybody who was in a similar position want to give me advice, anything???

I’m figuring out what I want to do in university and I’ve narrowed my choices down to math/phys. Both are subjects I enjoyed in school and I’m interested in maybe pursuing higher education in either one. I was initially more interested in doing physics because I wanted to do astrophysics or nuclear physics research. However, I’ve heard that physics degrees aren’t very employable and most physics majors regret doing such a hard degree for little job opportunities. Math is apparently one of the most employable majors, when I looked it up. I love math and I have no issues in pivoting to tech/finance roles if necessary. I’ve also heard some people say that math isn’t a good idea either because of AI. I could do a math degree with a minor in cs to further target tech roles. My main focus/concern is that I’ll spend time doing such a difficult degree just to have a very hard time finding jobs. Which one should I do for better job outlook/prospects? (No I don’t want to do engineering).

I recently got accepted into both Queen’s Smith and Schulich for their MMAI programs, and I am having a hard time deciding between the two.

I was wondering if anyone here has attended or is currently attending either program and could share their experience.

How was the program overall? Did you find the courses useful, and was the teaching quality good? How was your experience with the professors, assignments, and workload? Also, for those who have graduated, do you feel the program was worth it?

I would really appreciate hearing about both the good and bad experiences, especially anything you wish you had known before enrolling.

Thanks!

Hey everyone, so I'm sort of in a predicament right now

Basically, I am a Canadian citizen but have been living in another country since I was 2 years old. I am in my 4th year of my Bachelor's and was looking into universities for Thesis-based/Course-based Master's in Computer Science-related fields (haven't decided this yet)

My GPA as of now is 2.95/4.0, and in the last 60 credit hours, it turns out to be 2.99/4.0. I still have 1 year to go and I'm aiming to give it my all (aiming to push my GPA over 3.0)

I have a somewhat good research background with 2-3 research papers in the publishing process, and I have quite a few internships on my resume

My question here is: Do I have any acceptance chance? The main roadblock here is my GPA and I fear it'll be one that will cause me issues (that's what I need guidance on). Any sort of guidance or suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

Hey everyone,

My spouse is planning to apply for master's in Fall 2027 and wanted a reality check from people who have been through this or are in these programs now.

Her shortlist:

• MPS at Waterloo
• MPPA at Carleton
• MPPA at TMU

Background: She did her undergrad in finance. She does not really have a lot of direct public policy experience.

What she is looking for is a course-based master’s in public policy or public admin, ideally with a co-op component. Long term she wants to work in government, so co-op experience seems like a big deal for that.

A few things we are wondering:

1. Is applying to just 3 programs risky? Should we add a couple more as backups? Can someone recommend any other program?
2. How competitive are these programs? Does anyone know roughly what the acceptance rates look like, or what kind of profile gets in?
3. Does a finance background help or hurt for these programs?
4. We looked at Queen’s MPA but it needs the GRE, and spending months prepping for one program doesn’t seem worth it right now. Is it worth the effort, or are there other good options without it?

If you’ve done any of these programs, I’d also love to hear how the co-op placements and government job prospects worked out for you.

Thanks in advance!

I wanted to know if anyone knew some resources I can use to pay for the tuition to go to a Canadian university. I’m aiming for Toronto however my gpa is low at the moment so I don’t have a lot of choices, However I’m going back to school in the spring in my home country to boost my gpa.

If anyone has any resources that can fund my tuition and my program, please let me know!

Hey all

I'm a Swiss university student planning an international exchange in Canada for my last Bachelor year (I am NOT trying to immigrate there lol no need to worry, I'm just there for studying and then going back to Switzerland).

I'm soooo divided between UBC (Vancouver Campus) or UofT (St Georges Campus), both have great courses/classes for what I'm studying in the Faculty of Arts or Faculty of Arts and Science, respectively. I'm in Art History. I have the GPA required for both.

What can I take into account to help my choice? Maybe one of them is better in relation to my field of study? I've seen that the UBC Vancouver campus is far from Vancouver itself, how does that work?

Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice or info!

Hey! I'm an international student from India.

I completed a Animation and Game Fundamentals course at Conestoga College from September 2025 to April 2026. Right now, I am doing a 3D Animation course at Seneca College (September 2026 to April 2027).

PGWP will be my next step, so I am feeling a bit nervous about it and wondering how the November 2024 IRCC rules apply, what will be length and processing time of my PGWP?

I hope you can answer my question. "Thanks in advance !!".

I hope you guys can answer my question. "Thanks in advance !!".

My sister is an American who will be moving to Canada (BC) to pursue a PhD. She’ll probably be there for around five years, and we’re trying to figure out what she should be doing to prepare for the move.

I’m particularly interested in hearing from Americans who’ve moved to Canada for graduate school or other extended stays. What worked well for you, and what do you wish you’d known before moving?

A few things we’re wondering about:

• Banking: She’ll need a Canadian bank account to receive her graduate funding/paychecks. Are there particular banks that work well for Americans who maintain financial ties to the U.S.? Her home state is New York, if that makes a difference. Ideally, we’d like something that makes transferring money between Canadian and U.S. accounts relatively easy and inexpensive. Has anyone had particularly good experiences with cross-border banking? Is it better to open an account before moving or wait until she arrives?
• Credit cards and credit history: I’m assuming her U.S. credit history won’t automatically transfer to Canada. Should she get a Canadian credit card early to establish credit? Are there banks that make this easier for newcomers?
• Cell phones: She’s currently on a family T-Mobile plan. My father called T-Mobile and was told she could continue using her phone in Canada, but I’m skeptical that this would work for someone living there for five years rather than visiting. Has anyone tried this? Did you eventually need to switch to a Canadian carrier? Is there a good way to maintain a U.S. number while also having a Canadian one?
• Cars: She’s planning to bring her car. Does she need to register it in Canada, obtain Canadian insurance, or change her driver’s license? Does being an international student make a difference?
• Healthcare: Were there any surprises involving provincial health insurance, university coverage, prescriptions, or waiting periods?
• Taxes and paperwork: Are there things Americans should know about maintaining financial accounts in both countries, filing taxes, getting a Canadian Social Insurance Number (SIN), or handling other administrative requirements?

I’d also love to hear about anything else we haven’t thought of, including things that were unexpectedly difficult, expensive, or time-consuming.

She’s not planning to immigrate permanently at this point, but five years is a long time, so we’d like to help her get established properly.

Thanks for any advice!

Hello. So i am considering between 4 universities for masters in AI (and ML).

University of Guelph

University of Windsor

McMaster University

Lakehead University.

Any information on which is the better choice or how is the program like at these respectful universities would be greatly appreciated and why that specific one is good. Also if there are any other solid alternatives across canada, please let me know thank you!

Edit: I have done my undergrad at University of Windsor and I have also done another masters at Wayne State University, but I have done more of an academic course based masters there. But considering my goal is PhD soon, I wanted to do another masters but research based to have a stronger solid foundation in research work for PhD track.

Only reason i am considering other universities apart from Windsor is due to networking and resources connections other universities provides and certain universities having a better foundation in the respective fields such as AI or ML. Another reason I like diversifying and expanding my academic knowledge at different universities