University of British Columbia vs Algonquin College vs Carleton University vs McMaster University vs Le Cordon Bleu Paris
Side-by-side comparison from 577 verified student reviews. Scan one row at a time — winners are highlighted
- +Supportive professors and quality academic programs
- +Excellent facilities and welcoming student community
- +Abundant resources and practical learning opportunities
- +Practical skills & career readiness
- +Supportive & knowledgeable instructors
- +Well-organized & engaging programs
- +Engaging and critical academic programs
- +Supportive and knowledgeable professors
- +Welcoming campus community and extracurriculars
- +Supportive and knowledgeable professors
- +Diverse and inclusive student community
- +Engaging and versatile courses
- +Exceptional teaching quality from passionate, experienced instructors
- +Unmatched precision, emphasis on quality, and professional skill development
- +Welcoming environment, strong support, and valuable alumni network
- +Practical, real-world career preparation
- +Supportive and industry-experienced faculty
- +Excellent balance of hands-on and theoretical learning
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- -Course selection and academic planning are difficult.
- -Poor quality teaching in some classes and arbitrary grading exist.
- -Social life outside of clubs is often disappointing.
- -Administrative and management issues, including financial fees and lack of support.
- -Ineffective online learning experiences with unprepared professors.
- -Lack of preparedness for the working world.
- -Lacklustre academic experience and ineffective teaching.
- -Disappointing facilities and outdated resources.
- -Administrative and management issues.
- -Administrative and management issues disrupt operations.
- -Outdated facilities and resources hinder learning.
- -Lack of communication and transparency causes frustration.
- -Administrative and management issues cause frustration.
- -Outdated facilities and lack of modern resources are disappointing.
- -The curriculum feels irrelevant and disconnected from real-world needs.
- -Administrative and management issues, including poor communication regarding important deadlines.
- -Lack of support and understanding from professors and administration regarding student circumstances.
- -Perceived disregard for student well-being and financial concerns.
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This university scores highly across most surveyed aspects, with location emerging as its strongest point at 4.45. Student life and internationality also received excellent marks, both above 4.3. Conversely, accommodation presents the weakest area, scoring 3.86, which is notably lower than other categories. Facilities, professors, and value for money all fall within a solid, mid-range score of 4.08 to 4.21.
This university demonstrates particular strengths in **Value** and **Location**, both receiving high marks. **Professors** are also highly rated, suggesting a strong academic environment. Conversely, **Accomodation** is the lowest-rated aspect, indicating potential areas for improvement. **Student Life** and **Internationality** fall in the mid-range, while **Facilities** are rated above average.
This university garners strong approval across multiple facets, with its **Internationality** and **Value** standing out as its highest-rated areas. **Location** and **Facilities** also received particularly positive marks. The **Student Life** category, while still rated well, is the weakest among the evaluated aspects. Overall, the university demonstrates a well-rounded and competitive offering.
Internationality stands out as the university's strongest surveyed aspect, achieving the highest rating. Value also scores very well. Accommodation, while still a positive rating, received the lowest score among the categories, indicating it as the relative weakest area. Overall, the university exhibits strong performance across various metrics, with internationality being a clear highlight.
This university demonstrates exceptional strength in its **location** (4.7), **professors** (4.6), and **internationality** (4.6). Students are particularly impressed with the quality of instruction and the global environment. Conversely, **accommodation** stands out as the lowest-rated area at 3.0, suggesting room for improvement in this aspect. Student life and value for money also received moderate scores.
Overall, this institution garners positive feedback across multiple aspects. Internationality stands out as its strongest area, achieving the highest rating. Conversely, accommodation received the lowest score, indicating a potential area for improvement. Other highly-rated categories include facilities, location, and professors, while student life and value also received favorable, though slightly lower, marks.
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With ~86% positive reviews and an average 4.23 rating, students praise academic programs, supportive professors, and excellent facilities. A small percentage of negative feedback mentions challenges with course selection and finding genuine connections.
With a 4.18/5 average rating, ~90% of 61 reviews are positive, highlighting transformative academics and supportive campus life. A small ~5% of feedback expressed concerns about cost and online learning effectiveness.
With 127 reviews and an average rating of 4.25, approximately 90% of feedback is positive. Students praise well-structured programs, approachable professors, and a diverse, welcoming campus community. A small percentage of negative feedback exists.
With 87 reviews averaging 4.43/5, approximately 90% are positive, praising supportive and knowledgeable professors, vibrant communities, and diverse student bodies. No negative reviews were recorded.
Students highly praise the exceptional quality of teaching and knowledgeable instructors. Facilities are noted as impeccable and the learning environment welcoming, contributing to professional and personal growth for ~100% of reviewers.
Approximately 74% of reviews highlight practical, real-world learning and supportive, industry-experienced professors. A small portion (~3.1%) express dissatisfaction with administrative communication and professor understanding.
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I was there as an exchange student from Europe, attending classes at Sauder Business School and the Mechanical Engineering Department. Studying at UBC is definitely a mixed bag in terms of the quality of education. I did have a few great professors who held wonderfully challenging and well-thought-out classes, making me feel that UBC punches above its weight in terms of educational quality. However, some other lectures were undoubtedly subpar. Grading seemed quite arbitrary at times (moving goalposts seems to be a recurring theme at UBC), and the lectures were not nearly as good as they should have been, in my opinion. It is quite fair to say that other exchange students and I were often shocked that UBC allows these courses to occur annually without making efforts to improve them. At UBC as a whole, less is expected from students than at my home university. I've seen people never show up to class and hold presentations that would never fly at my home uni. Professors seems to welcome all questions even if they are about things a fourth-year engineering student just months before graduation needs to know. I am not sure if UBC ensures that its graduates are adequately educated, and would definitely think twice if I was a recruiter and had to hire someone who attented there. From what I have seen, I would tentatively recommend Sauder Business School. For Mechanical Engineering (and probably also Electrical and Civil Engineering), UBC is simply too small, offering a lack of choices and not many lectures; usually, only introductory courses are offered for most topics. I recommend attending a more engineering/science-focused university, such as Waterloo or others in the US or Europe. It is quite astonishing how much money people pay to attend these subpar classes. Enjoyed having a beach on campus.
As an international student, I had a great experience studying at Algonquin University. The faculty and staff were incredibly supportive and made me feel welcome from the moment I arrived on campus. The university also provided me with numerous resources to help me adjust to life in a new country, such as language classes and cultural events. The quality of education at Algonquin University is exceptional, and I found the courses to be challenging yet engaging. The professors were knowledgeable and passionate about their subjects, and I appreciated the practical, hands-on approach to learning. The campus itself is beautiful and well-maintained, with modern facilities and a wide range of amenities. There are also plenty of opportunities to get involved in extracurricular activities and meet other students, which helped me feel more connected to the university community. Overall, I would highly recommend Algonquin University to any international student looking for a top-notch education and a supportive, welcoming environment.
I look back at my time at Carleton University with much fondness and nostalgia. I pursued my Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Accounting between 2010-14. The faculty were knowledgeable and approachable which made learning easier (and now that I have no deadline worries, somewhat fun). At the time Carleton was still expanding to the sprawling campus it is now, so we had to walk / run fairly far to catch classes. Now even the business program has its own building so I assume classes are more centralised. I was an international student and I loved the diversity and exchange of experiences and opinions at Carleton. No matter the subject, from Sociology to calculus to language to tax & audit, there was always just as much to learn from peers as from professors. It definitely opened my mind and made me think. The Sprott Business School had an amazing lineup of professors from within academia as well as from the corporate world, blending theory and practice well. The campus is nestled right beside the Rideau river and is a visual treat across all the seasons. Though if we talk about Ottawa, we need to speak to the cold winters and Carleton had an amazing tunnel system that spans the entire campus. You can use any entrance and travel across campus in toasty warmth. The tunnels also have a collection of different shops, vending machines for whatever you may need - along with cozy nooks and bustling junctions so you can spend time between classes recharging or hanging out with friends. Being an international student, Carleton was fairly expensive, though average in tuition costs compared to other universities in Canada. There are limited bursaries and scholarships with strict GPA requirements to retain. These were helpful relative to Canadian tuition but were significantly lower compared to international fees. Another expense was the on-campus restaurant and cafeteria; considering that you have very few options, the prices are quite steep (for a student). Other campuses like the University of Ottawa located downtown have access to a more diverse and competitively priced range of restaurants and eateries. Carleton is accessible via bus or train through Ottawa's public transit system, OC Transpo. The system has deteriotated over time and commute can be a pain point for many (especially during rush hour, in winter, or during exam season). While dormitories are convenient, they can be quite expensive. Off-campus housing near the University (Sunnyside, Prince of Wales, etc.) can be relatively cheaper with options to walk to University (yes, even in winter). I would also like to personally speak to the amazing Muslim Student's Association and prayer space that Carleton has. It enriched my time at the University and gave me fresh appreciation for views, customs and kinship across hundreds of cultures. And it provided me with a space to recharge spiritually in a more personal way, being so far from my own home, family and culture. Unfortunately I cannot speak much to the sporting facilities, but Carleton has some of the best teams in the province (especially for Basketball). Our mascot is Rodney the Raven. Their gym facilities in particular were very nice and access is generally granted with the price of tuition. Lastly, I would like to say that given the opportunity and financial ability, I would love to go back and do a graduate course at Carleton, just to be able to walk through its halls and experience the bustle of school life again. Even though it is endearingly known as the "University of Last Hope," I am grateful that I got a chance to spend my formative youth there.
Joining Mcmaster University is a wonderful experience. I personally have learned a lot. In addition, I really recommend and encourage students to join this school. University has a variety of courses.
I really enjoyed my time at LCB! I've found that my skills when I entered the work force were much higher than others. I think though there was a big portion missing in recipe development and composition. True- we did learn it through memorizing the recipes, but we really were missing classes on how different ingredients affect the final textures.. how you can change them... etc. That I still am not an expert in .. and I create recipes! Ouf! Also, I don't know if you still do a month of sugar work... but that really wasn't necessary and should be either cut or minimized to just 2 lessons. It's such a niche skill to know that I would have really preferred more technical skills. I loved the old location. The "rumors" I'm getting about the new location are that it's not as good, unfortunately - that i's become more of a money focused/marketing machine. I really hope that this image can be fixed as I love LCB and enjoyed my time there! Oh also - there should be more help for students to get jobs and featuring old students accomplishments - from cookbook launches to new bakeries so that current and old students can support them.
Truly, Humber College will always be an educational institute that I will recommend to family and friends. The reason for this is because they put students first, and hire professors who are professionals in the field they are teaching. I graduated from the Child and Youth Care program in 2018, and really appreciated the fact that my professors were Youth Workers themselves. This allowed me to gain field knowledge, and experienced education. Furthermore, the campus is clean, safe and full of fun activities year round. All in all, Humber College was a great experience for me from 2015-2018.
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