Archive for November, 2009

Your student loan, your credit history and you

You’ve got a student loan and so far things are great. The government sends you a cheque every semester and as long as you make sure they know you’re still in school, they don’t charge you interest and they don’t expect any money from you.

But some day not so many years from now, the government is going to want you to start paying them back. You’ll have two choices:

1. You can pay them.

2. You can tell them to get stuffed.

I know the second choice looks really appealing — it’d save you so much money. But as is often the case in this world, the appealing course has some serious ramifications you should be aware of before you make your decision, and that means understanding what credit ratings are and what they’re going to mean for your future.

Some students think that student loans are somehow less real than other loans. Students are expected to be a little irresponsible, aren’t they? You’re having a wild and crazy time at university, right? And when you apply for a car loan a few years after graduation and the bank’s loan officer sees that you defaulted on your student loan, he’s going to chuckle and shake his head and approve the loan anyway, right?

I’m sure you don’t need to be beaten over the head like this. Obviously, what I’m getting at is that student loans are very real, and your ability to mess up your credit history by mismanaging them is equally real. Actually, because of bankruptcy laws, your student loans can have even longer-lasting effects than everyday loans that people take out on cars and homes and eight-piece dinette sets with no money down and no payments until 2012.

Canada has a credit reporting system that is designed to help lenders make informed choices about who they lend their money to. We talked to Odette Auger, Vice President of Operations of Equifax Canada about the credit reporting system and it turns out it all comes down to sharing information.
Continue reading Default danger

Tough. Challenging. Rewarding. That’s student life at the Royal Military College

At precisely 7:30 on a cool, damp morning in late October, moments before the sun begins its ascent into an overcast sky, the Parade Square on the campus of the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont., is filled with about 1,000 cadets wearing camouflage uniforms. They are aligned in a giant U formation, and in the middle stands their cadet wing commander, 21-year-old Nicolas Bouchard, a fourth-year chemical engineering student and army combat engineer.

“I’m throwing you a challenge,” says Bouchard into a microphone. “Anyone who gets either a 95 per cent average at the end of the semester, or anyone who gets 500 on the next PPT [Physical Performance Test], will have an award created in your name.” A hush falls over the cadets. “Correct me if I’m wrong,” Bouchard continues, “but I believe that’s what Russell Crowe really meant [in the movie Gladiator] when he said, ‘What you do in life echoes in eternity.’ ” The speech ends, but a buzz filters through the crowd. At RMC, cadets are used to big challenges, and this one is no exception.

Just getting into the college is difficult. In any given year, the 39 Canadian Forces recruitment centres across the country receive as many as 1,500 applications for the Registered Officer Training Program (ROTP); only about 300 make it into the college. Applicants need at least a 70 per cent high school average, although most have an average greater than 80. And they must successfully complete a series of aptitude tests, interviews and medical examinations. Being well-rounded is also imperative. “A person who has a 95 per cent average but never had a part-time job, played a sport or had a hobby will really struggle here because they have never multi-tasked,” says Commodore William Truelove, RMC’s commandant, who is the head of the institution.

Anyone who makes the cut had better not expect a laid-back transition into university life. Before classes begin in the fall, all first-year cadets take part in their first military training exercise: a three-week boot camp. If you hail from Ontario or the West, the training takes place at RMC; those from Quebec and the Maritimes travel to the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., which also serves as a preparatory school for Quebec students who want to complete their first year of CÉGEP and then attend RMC. “The boot camp is a bit of a transition, to say the least, if you just came from sitting on your couch,” notes Bouchard, who was born in Summerside, P.E.I. “It’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced before.”

Upon arrival, cadets have their hair cropped, their cellphones and computers taken away, and their civilian clothes exchanged for military fatigues. Each day brings intense physical training exercises and lectures designed to teach the basics of military life and the officer-like qualities needed to be an effective leader and comrade.

They are also introduced to an idea that could one day alter, or even end, their lives: unlimited liability. “It means you agree to go off and serve your country at the risk of potentially losing your life, as some of our countrymen have done,” says Truelove. “Over the next four years, and through their summer training and courses, you instill in them that reality.”

Hey Jaclyn (?) Lee (?), How are you? I am well. I hope all these years after our graduation have treated you kindly. First of all, I’m not exactly sure that your name is, in fact, Jaclyn . I’ve been told through the grapevine that you have a bone to pick with me, but I [...]

Hey Jaclyn (?) Lee (?),

How are you? I am well. I hope all these years after our graduation have treated you kindly.

First of all, I’m not exactly sure that your name is, in fact, Jaclyn . I’ve been told through the grapevine that you have a bone to pick with me, but I don’t remember you in the slightest. What I do know, however, is that you’re really upset that I won’t add you on Facebook. Now I make no pretense of being popular, so it’s not like I spend my days ignoring friend requests, but certainly I say no to more people than I say yes to.

But I genuinely cannot remember who you are. I usually only identify people by a distinct character flaw, so you must be really perfect because nowhere in my half-decent memory can I find you or your name. I will go ahead and assume you are a blond/brunette white female between the ages of 17 and 20.

What I can’t understand, however, is why you would be so wound up over the fact that I won’t add you. Clearly we had little contact, nevermind a full conversation.

Please show yourself. I feel like I may owe you an apology.

Or maybe I don’t. Maybe I’ll find out who you are and it’ll just increase me ire for you and people like you, who require the popularity contest that is Facebook friending. And to be so irked by the fact that I just won’t say yes, to be so personally offended by it that you tell one person who tells another who tells me and then you become this joke, this extravagant joke about this broad that is hurt because I will not add them – well that’s so sad for you.

Or maybe you’re not like that, who knows?

In my defense, the purpose of Facebook is to keep in touch with people that you want to keep in touch with, however, if there is no need found on the part of either parties to keep in touch, what’s the purpose behind it? The way I see it, some people drift away, some people don’t. I have no desire to keep talking to that girl that sat in the back row of my Math class and cut Simple Plan lyrics into her wrists.

For all I know, Jaclyn (?) Lee (?) could have been that girl. In reality, what would we have to catch up on if we’ve never been caught up int he first place?

So please, if I hurt you – or any of you, for that matter! – please expose yourselves to me. As some do when I delete them, confront me. I’ll give my reasons and you give yours.  It’s Facebook. It’s not even as serious as Twitter – IT’S FACEBOOK.

Anyway, I hope there’s no bad blood. Or maybe I do? Depends on who you actually are.

Hope you’re well, Jaclyn (?) Lee (?)!

-  Scaachi

Our on-the-ground undergrad reports on his debut month

I consider myself something of an idealist. I’m reasonably conscious of the many problems in the world and of the effects my actions have on the planet and its inhabitants, and I try to act accordingly. Of course, I hope others will do the same, and perhaps I too easily apply my values when judging the actions and beliefs of other people, governments, corporations, etc. My idealism has also earned me regular reminders from friends and family to “take yourself less seriously.”

I’ve just begun my first year at the University of Toronto, and I’m aware that this is a time when values and personalities can be challenged, shifted and eventually—potentially—solidified. People tend to progress, maybe unconsciously, from idealism to pragmatism as they mature. Idealism becomes a sort of nostalgia: you remember “the good old days,” but are resigned to the fact that those days are decidedly in the past.

Even at the tender age of 18, I have noticed this shift in myself. The more I learn, the more complex things become. The more I realize the barriers that lie in the way of the more equitable, sustainable, logical world I idealize, the less likely it seems that my idealism stands a chance.

Most universities in Canada have become veritable degree-churning machines. A bachelor’s degree today is yesterday’s high school diploma. Six million Chinese graduate each year into an already saturated global job market. A desire to do good is often dismissed as naive or met with suspicion. All in all, there doesn’t seem to be much room left for idealism.

We’ll see what kind of shape mine is in after a month of university.

Touchdown

Aug. 30: If you’re moving to a new city for university, it’s a good idea to arrive a few days before school starts so you can have a chance to explore the area around your new home. Once the craziness of Frosh Week begins, followed immediately by your first classes, you’re not likely to venture far off campus, so familiarizing yourself with the neighbourhood can give you a head start on breaking the bubble that often develops in first year.

For me, coming from Vancouver, it gave me a chance to spend time with friends and family who already lived in Toronto and knew the city well. One of them took me to a drum circle, the likes of which I had never seen: hundreds of people gathered in a park in the middle of downtown Toronto, dancing to a beat you could hear from blocks away. It gave me an idea of the immense variety of things to do and see in this city, and I wouldn’t have had the chance to do such things had I come straight to school.

Through the rabbit hole

Sept. 3: Today was move-in day. After the initial “awkward lunch”—standing around for two hours meeting your fellow first-years and hearing the same questions over and over (“What’s your major? Where are you from?”), it was time to learn the requisite school cheers, glorifying ourselves and putting down everyone else. It’s curious how people always feel this need to distinguish themselves within a group, even as they dismiss it as just a fun tradition.

With six months left at university, even trivial things now seem to have a much greater significance.

In the spring of my final year of high school I got a little bit stir crazy. I could not wait to move on to bigger and better things. My last fall semester as an undergrad is half over, and I am starting to feel a grasping at straws hysteria. It is a nostalgic longing for the fleeting best days of my life. If I had the chance to go back to freshman year and do it over again, I would do it in a heartbeat. And I would gladly repeat these past years at university many times over, because it does not get much better than this.

When I was a freshman, I measured my first year at Carleton University in all my different firsts. I remember my first lecture, the first time checking out a book from the library, handing in my first essay, writing my first exam in a cold gym and as nerdy as it sounds, it was always exciting for me to cross my next post-secondary hurdle.

I realized something a few weeks ago while I was packing for Thanksgiving. Sadly, as a graduating student in my fourth year, my outlook has changed. I no longer see things as brand new and exciting; instead I’m looking at every milestone as a last. That was my last Thanksgiving long weekend as a university student; my last Halloween at Carleton, and that midterm on Tuesday was last test I have to write for the fall semester.

I know how gloomy this all sounds. I’m trying to stay away from the 2012/end of the world fear mongering, but my clock is ticking. The cure for Senioritis is not to slack off! You have to keep pushing forward. When you only have six months left of university life, you have to make every second count.

If you need better marks, some private schools are happy to oblige—for a fee

One afternoon in the spring of 2007, teacher Peter Hill was recording marks when he confided to a colleague that one of his Grade 12 English students was in danger of failing. In fact, Hill explained, he’d been concerned about the grades of several of his English 12 students at University Hill Secondary School in Vancouver, and he thought it strange that none of them had come to him for extra help.

“I was used to handing back essays to kids and if they weren’t doing well they’d come to me after school and they’d want to know how they could improve,” says Hill. “But in this case I handed back the essays and they’d just sort of grin at me, throw the essay away or whatever. And I was like, ‘God, that’s different.’ ” His colleague, a guidance counsellor, told Hill not to worry: the student would likely get a good mark anyway because she was taking the same course after-hours at a nearby independent school. Hill was stunned: “I just said, ‘Huh? What other school?’ ”

It turned out that five of Hill’s students had been taking Grade 12 English at Century High, an independent school that catered largely to international students hoping to attend a prestigious university in Canada or the United States. The students would regularly attend Hill’s class during the day, then take the same class at Century in the evening or on Saturday. “The weird thing is that kids were enrolled here [at University Hill] taking English with me and they were going to Century High, and if they decided they wanted the Century High mark, then it would go on their transcript and it would appear as if the mark came from this school,” says Hill. In British Columbia, that was made possible a few years ago when the province introduced a new policy allowing students to take courses from different institutions. The change was intended to provide choice for rural students, who could take online courses not offered in their home schools and then choose their “best mark” to appear on their transcript. But the policy has led to so-called credit shopping, too.

It bothered Hill considerably that a student could be taking the same class at two schools at the same time, then use the higher marks on her application to university—so much so that he decided to do a bit of sleuthing. He found a B.C. government website that lists class marks and provincial exam results for every school—private and public—in the province. And he found some disturbing information: for the year 2006-2007, 101 Century High students (60 per cent of the class) received a B grade or higher in Grade 12 English; just three failed. When he looked at how the same group of 138 students performed on standardized provincial exams, the results were just the opposite: 108 had failed the exam and only eight students got a B grade or higher. He found similar differences dating back to 2003-2004, when the online records begin. And Century wasn’t the only independent school showing a large difference between marks awarded by teachers and provincial exam results.

Hill decided to blow the whistle. He reported his findings to the local media, and a few days later then-minister of education Shirley Bond ordered an inspection of Century and any other school—public or private—that had big discrepancies between class marks and standardized exam results. In March 2007, the B.C. government issued warnings to five independent high schools in Vancouver — Century, Kingston, Royal Canadian College, Pattison and St. John’s International— insisting they move quickly to address concerns about large disparities between English 12 marks on provincial exams and the marks awarded students for class work.

Brutal requirements, years of school, long hours—and a guaranteed job

For other professions, including engineer, architect, ad man, teacher or marine biologist, pick up Maclean’s 19th annual rankings issue, available on newsstands now.

What you’ll do

Physicians can be found in any number of health care facilities, from small family practices to high-pressure emergency rooms to research labs. One role that rarely finds its way into television shows like House and ER is that of the doctor as small-business owner: general practitioners spend their time not only seeing patients but also building their practice, managing staff and paying bills.

Is it for you?

Aside from having to be able to stand the sight of blood, doctors need to be empathetic and excellent listeners. Thoughtfully observing patients and picking up on subtle signals is essential to an accurate diagnosis, and all medical schools emphasize the need for strong interpersonal skills. Students considering medicine should also be detail-oriented, analytical, very strong academically—and willing to stay in school for years.

What you need to get in

In order to get into medical school, you have to be an exceptional student. While most schools set their minimum average in the B range, intense competition has pushed entering averages skyward. The University of British Columbia allows applicants with averages above 70 per cent to apply, but its entering class last year had an average of 83 per cent. McGill recommends applicants have a 3.5 GPA (between a B+ and an A-) to be considered competitive. The mean GPA of those accepted at the University of Alberta was 3.8. To apply at most schools, applicants must also write the MCAT exam, complete prerequisite undergraduate courses, submit reference letters and write an essay. The lucky ones who get through the first cut will be invited to an interview.

Schools to consider

There are 17 medical schools in Canada. Most limit the number of out-of-province students, so you’ll have the best shot by applying in your own province. Some schools emphasize academics more than others, so research which school’s application process will best complement your strengths and weaknesses.
Next: What you’ll study

Figuring it out: Tuition rates vary considerably across Canada

In his teachings, the Greek philosopher Epictetus proclaimed: “Only the educated are free.” Unfortunately, an education isn’t. On average, undergraduate tuition fees across Canada increased by 3.6 per cent this year, the same percentage jump as last year. Ontario had the highest increase at five per cent, the maximum allowed by the provincial government, while British Columbia had the lowest increase at two per cent. Despite a 4.2 per cent increase, students at Quebec universities still pay among the lowest tuition in the country—as long as they are residents of the province. Meanwhile, Manitoba and Saskatchewan ended tuition freezes with increases of 4.3 per cent and 3.4 per cent respectively.

Tuition fees in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador remained unchanged, while in Nova Scotia, fees actually decreased by 3.1 per cent. Thanks to the implementation of the Nova Scotia University Student Bursary Trust in March 2008, fees for residents of the province will remain frozen until 2011. International students, who generally pay considerably higher tuition than Canadian students, saw their fees rise 7.1 per cent for an average fee of $15,674.

When it comes to compulsory fees, undergraduate students across the country are paying 6.8 per cent more on average this year, with Alberta students facing an enormous 31.1 per cent increase.

—Sally Brown

All fees in the accompanying chart are for undergraduate arts and science programs as of September 2009. The names of several universities appear twice:

Quebec institutions where out-of-province fees apply, and universities where there are different fees for arts programs and science programs.

Compulsory ancillary fees can vary according to program, or in the case of UBC and UNB, by campus location: students at UBC Okanagan campus pay $125 less than students at the main Vancouver campus; students at UNB Saint John pay $61 more than those at UNB Fredericton. UOIT’s fees include the cost of a laptop. Ancillary fees include student health plan fees. If students are covered by another insurance plan, they can opt out of most health plans, which range in cost from $52 to $386.

*Tuition at Nova Scotia universities is reduced for residents of the province.
Out-of-province students must pay $1,022 more than the tuition fees listed here.

A look at five primarily undergraduate universities reveals the variety of post-secondary options across the country

University of Ontario Institute of Technology

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology is a relative newcomer to the post-secondary scene, but its mission was clear from the outset: to give its graduates a competitive edge. Putting an emphasis on the practical, UOIT’s focus includes business, information technology, engineering and science. Its faculty of energy systems and nuclear science offers Canada’s only honours degree in nuclear engineering. The university is also committed to innovative approaches to alternative energy sources, and offers courses in wind, solar, hydrogen, hydraulic, nuclear and geothermal energy. Currently under construction, the $28-million Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE-Global) will be a cutting-edge research, design and training centre for the automobile industry. In fact, strength in research contributed to UOIT making a strong debut in the Maclean’s rankings this year, placing 12th out of 22 Primarily Undergraduate universities.

Located in Oshawa, UOIT is growing rapidly: undergrad enrolment was 6,285 this September, a 15 per cent increase from last year.

Wilfrid Laurier University

Wilfrid Laurier’s compact main campus is in Waterloo, Ont., part of Canada’s so-called Technology Triangle. Housing 21 research centres and 10 research chairs, innovation is the norm. In spite of growth that has seen its student population double over the past 10 years, Laurier retains a strong sense of community. It tied for fourth place in the Primarily Undergraduate category in this year’s rankings, with a strong showing on the reputational survey and the number of faculty winning awards and research grants.

The School of Business and Economics has an enrolment of more than 4,500; one of the biggest drawing cards is its co-op component. Meanwhile, a liberal-arts-focused campus in Brantford, Ont., offers an interdisciplinary program in contemporary studies and a concurrent education program in partnership with Nipissing University. A social work program, at the nearby Kitchener campus, allows students to work closely with service agencies in the area. And through the Centre for Community Service-Learning, more than 1,300 students earn academic credit by working with local non-profit organizations.

University of Lethbridge

The focus at Lethbridge, in southern Alberta, is on giving students a well-rounded liberal arts education. Undergraduates are encouraged to participate in research, and the university’s modest size allows close contact with faculty. When it comes to research, the university strives to stay relevant to the region. The recently completed Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building collects an interdisciplinary team of geologists, physicists and economists under one roof, all researching water. (A second-place finish on the number of faculty winning medical-science grants helped propel Lethbridge to a rank of sixth this year among Primarily Undergraduate universities.) The faculty of education, meanwhile, offers an array of Aboriginal-centred program options.

U of T sessionals still set to strike on Nov. 9

The union representing part-time instructors at U of T has just taken the next step in a complicated dance that may result in yet another major university work disruption. If you’d like to follow all the news as it develops, you can watch for updates at the official strike website. It currently bears the following message:

Monday November 9
Day 1
In the event of a strike, the picket lines will be at the following locations:
-King’s College Entrance, College Street (just west of McCaul)
-Simcoe Hall, Galbraith Entrance (on St. George Street)
-Wellesley underpass, Hart House Circle
-UTSC, Military Trail entrance
-UTM, Mississauga Road entrance

In direct messaging to instructors who may be on strike, the union has some immediate tips, such as clearing out one’s office and making alternative e-mail arrangements in the event that U of T shuts down accounts.

Additionally, if you’d like the university’s own updates on the strike, you can access those here.

We are so many steps into this dance that it’s hard to remember where it started, but at the time 3902 was quick to reassure members that voting for a strike is a strategic consideration and that the union has traditionally not taken a strike mandate as far as an actual work stoppage. It’s entirely true that a strike vote has rarely resulted in a real strike, and that a strong “yes” vote gives the union clout at the bargaining table. But something about the tone of things this time around just makes me feel it in my gut.

So far it’s too early to assign any blame, and if we get as far as an actual strike there will be blame all around. It isn’t my intention to go around pointing fingers. But as someone who does believe in the power and value of organized labour, I’ve got to say that something is fundamentally broken in the post-secondary sector. Rhetoric and posturing seems to have replaced any kind of functional and respectful relationship between employer and union. This is true across the board.

As I wrote in the aftermath of the York strike, labour actions in a post-secondary context must be understood as unique. This isn’t the same thing as garbage collectors or drivetest workers going on strike. There are crossover issues, certainly, but the massive pressures on the rapidly evolving post-secondary system create a special situation. This isn’t simply jockeying over how much of the pie employees will receive. The entire sector is changing, and locating a reasonable benchmark for compensation, benefits, and job security in this context may be all but impossible. In such an unsettled environment, labour strife is all but inevitable.

I wish I had cheerier thoughts. And I hope my sense of the situation is wrong and it resolves quickly and without disruption to classes. But I suspect otherwise. Whether in this instance or in others, there will continue to be nasty and bitter labour disputes in the post-secondary sector for some time to come.

—

Questions are welcome at jeff.rybak@utoronto.ca. Even the ones I don’t post will still receive answers, and where I do use them here I’ll remove identifying information.