As I'm studying a field that is constantly changing under our feet, I opted for the University of Ottawa for its unique experience in the capital city of Canada. Additionally, I like the city for its small-town feels but big city infrastructure.
Course Curriculum
The School of International Development and Global Studies is fairly new, and as a result, I feel that the curriculum is underdeveloped in the junior years. In the first two years, one must take a starter course for international development for each year. So far, I find that these courses are incredibly similar and result in content overlapping. I do know that the School is aware and that formal steps to remedy this (such as documenting student's opinions by conducting focus groups) are taking place.
Placement
There are many job opportunities, but most of them are with government work. The reality of the situation is Ottawa is heavily concentrated with government positions, but I wish there were more connections with private sector employers, even if it is outside of Ottawa.
Internship
Not an internship, but my school offers a Co-op program. Overall I've had an okay experience. I'm happy as the program helped me place a position with the federal government.
Fees
I pay around 7,000/year for tuition, which includes anywhere from 8-10 courses/year. Included in this cost is also a bus pass for the region, and fees for student associations. The other large charge is if one is in the co-op program, there are additional co-op fees of $700 for the services they provide, like resume building workshops, online simulations, etc.
Examination Structure
The exams are alright! Most exams take three hours to write and the schedule for them comes out around the reading week prior to that exam season. Most exams are either written or filled out on a scantron.
Faculty
I love the Faculty of Social Sciences! My school is one of the only Universities that offer a Bachelor's of Social Science, which is pretty cool. The vice dean seems to care so much for her students, as she is constantly reaching out for opportunities to be among us and learn about our opinions.
Hostel
Ottawa is a student-friendly city! I value my residence experience for my friendships, feelings of safety, and convenience, but my residence was extremely overpriced. Additionally, the residence ends near the end of April, but most people moved into their new apartments on May 1st. In this gap, we paid to stay in our rooms. It was advertised it to be similar to paying nightly for a hotel, but as time passed, there was no cleaning service for communal areas (including toilet paper changes), no power in some parts, no front desk security, etc.
