Choose your future

Most Canadians who go to university choose the one that is just across town, or in the nearest big city. That is not necessarily a poor choice, since each of Canada’s universities offers an extensive range of programs and is its own universe of possibilities. But one of the motivations behind this issue of Maclean’s is to make it possible for young Canadians to consider options lying just over the horizon. Canada is a big country, offering an entire world of university possibilities. And yet unlike the United States, we have few national universities that draw a majority of their undergraduate students from beyond their province or outside the country. The only exceptions are McGill University, Bishop’s University, Acadia University, Mount Allison University and Dalhousie University.

Even at highly ranked institutions such as U of T, the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the University of Waterloo, 80 per cent or more of the student body is from inside the province. At the University of Guelph and the University of Northern British Columbia, more than 95 per cent of students are inprovince. At Wilfrid Laurier University, it’s nearly 98 per cent. This is not a crisis or even a problem. But you might want to take it as an opportunity: simply by looking beyond your hometown and region when choosing a university, and considering faraway options, you are doing something unusual. You are not following the crowd. And the road less travelled can sometimes be the path of wisdom.

To allow you to meet with representatives of those faraway campuses without having to get on a plane, we created the Maclean’s OnCampus Virtual Fair. The event, held in a Second Life-style virtual convention hall, was live on Oct. 22. But it’s now available on-demand, and free to anyone, anywhere. All you need is a computer. The Maclean’s OnCampus Virtual Fair features exhibitor booths from 32 colleges, universities and employers, as well as 16 speakers discussing their own higher education experiences, from Giller Prize-winning writer Vincent Lam to astronaut Julie Payette. You can listen to speeches, collect university and college materials and connect directly with participating school representatives, who can answer your questions about such things as admissions and financial aid. To take part please visit macleans.ca/oncampusvirtualfair.