York University - YU
speciality: Development Studies

York U is a great place to meet new people. As a first year, I guess you could say I found it easy to make friends. There’s a lot of fun at this school and the experience with friends make it better. Overall a solid school.

York University has provided nothing but a good experience for me. From courses to classmates, it is a solid university and there haven’t been any developments recently to change that opinion of mine.

York university has been very great so far! Most of my peers and professors have been really nice and approachable. There are always a lot of events going on in the campus as well which I love because this was a good way for me to socialize to other people. I’m in the Global health program and some courses are tough but it is tolerable with the help of the different resources York university offers to students. Also, the diversity of the campus makes me feel at ease and feel accepted!

York University was an okay university, if you can look past a 6 month strike that took students online a year and half before the pandemic did. Overall it served its purpose in getting me my degree and moving me along in life

York University has the privilege to rank 33rd in the Times Higher Education Ranking for SDGs in the world. This is a worthy feat as I believe HEIs should transition from academic reputation to impact as a basis to measure student achievement. Young people should be trained to take over the mantle of handling our world’s issues and HEIs are the best and most convenient way to teach SDGs. I believe Canadian Universities still have a long way to go in championing the SDGs, but it’s initial steps are amazing as seeing YorkU assist changemakers such as creating an AI for water assessment in refugee camps or giving people the opportunity to serve vulnerable populations like indigenous tribes. I believe my platform as a student ambassador can help universities all over the world commit to the SDGs. I have a position in the UN Joint SDG Fund and I use my platform to uplift universities in the Philippines’ commitment to the SDGs. I believe this opportunity aligns well with my personal goals to advocate for young people.

As a global health major at York University, I have participated in relevant class discussions focusing on current global issues. Collaborating with a diverse group of peers in all classes has been helpful in accelerating my learning experience, as it has helped me shift away from personal biases. Overall, york university has offered an excellent study experience, with various relevant clubs and student groups that provide a welcoming and safe space.

As a student at York, whether undergraduate or graduate level, you have many opportunities to conduct research, especially as a social science student, through the help of the various centres and research clusters available at the University. Students are able to complete certificates and graduate diplomas in specialized fields, as a complement to their major field, which look good to both employers as well as in graduate school applications. The Career Fairs held on campus also bring many notable employers, and students have a chance to be hired on the spot through speed interviews. On the other hand, York is a commuter school, so if you are looking for vibrant residential life, although there are efforts made to sustain community, it will not be at the level of truly residential colleges and universities. Overall, I still recommend the university for the quality of the education, the post-grad opportunities, as well as the funding schemes offered to students.

York University is an institution for everyone. The demographic represents a large part of the world’s population making it easy to find comfort and community (2 important factors for great learning). For this reason, York attracts a varying range of international students. The programs and faculties have an option for everyone and combines a good balance of academic and co-curricular opportunities. Financial aid at York is a big one – there’s always opportunities to fund your degree through scholarships, bursaries, work studies and other research assistant positions.

With all the great points, Yorks overall institutional structure could be improved to avoid strikes as these occurrences are a setback for a lot of students.

York University Keele campus definitely has one of the best location in Toronto! It’s away enough from the inner metropolitan city that you get the proper university experience but it also has a subway station right in the middle of campus so that you can visit downtown at any point of the day.

Overall, classes

I liked what I studied within the program, I feel that it is valuable to the changes that are needed in this world. The classes and teachers were overall good, I just wish there were more internships or opportunities to be more hands on in the program starting in 2nd year. York is a diverse school and my classes reflected that and I saw diversity with the profs over the years