What is the best Architecture university in Canada?

Going to a University in the US while you live in Canada (UCLA-university of California, Los Angeles)?

• So I want to go to university in the states but I currently live in Canada. I’m currently in grade 8 so I don’t really know my Sat scores or my GPA either. I'm considered smart, I guess -not bragging- so if this is an option, I would do my best to meet the requirements. I was planning to major in law and become a lawyer and I did some research and I found out that UCLA is a good school for law (top 15 law schools). I asked my dad about it and he said that: 1. He wasn’t sure but you might not be able to go to a university outside the country if you aren’t going on a scholarship (either you can’t pay the money or they only accept really smart people?) 2. ^if that’s not true, then it would cost a lot and you’d need to register a student visa and stuff. I searched up UCLA and found this part of their site: http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/budget.htm and it seems really expensive. I have a cousin who went to the states to study graphic designing (logos) and he said it was very difficult because he had to work a lot part-time along with the homework. Should I try applying for UCLA? Or should I just stick to University of Toronto, where I live close to. And also for the website, http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/budget.htm , it says that non-residents pay around twice as more. Does non-residents mean like, people who don’t live in the area? Or does it mean that people who aren’t from the states, like me if I were to apply/get in? Or both? And also, I told my dad that on the applying list, I was probably going to put University of Toronto first then University of California, Los Angeles second. (I would really want to put UCLA first but my dad said that it would probably be a bad idea to go on student loans and go to a university outside the country) He told me that putting a university within your country then putting one outside would be a really weird (and kinda dumb) idea because the people who review these might think negatively. What do you guys think? Thank You.

• Answer:

  A non-resident is someone who hasn't lived in the state for at least a year and doesn't move here just to gain residency to attend school. So if someone moved here a year before attending college, they still may not be considered a resident, since the college will know that they only moved here for college. They are very strict about residency. You would actually be an international student. CA residents have priority, then from other states, then from foreign countries. It's tough to be admitted to UCLA even as a local student, it's based on lots of things, not just ability to do work, your hard work, great grades and test scores. You cannot get a scholarship or financial aid from UCLA as an international undergrad student. You would need to prove you have $56,000 in cash to start at UCLA. That would be each year for 4 years, of course, by the time you were old enough, it would be thousands more a year since they are planning on raising the tuition. http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/intl.htm After 4 years of undergraduate study, you'd then be ready to attend law school. Law school is much more per year, right now it's $46,000 without apartment cost, for three years. You'd be eligible for scholarships or financial aid as an international student, but the competition is very tough. It's very tough just to get into UCLA law, even if you were there as an undergrad. http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/fees/lawfee.htm http://www.law.ucla.edu/home/index.asp?page=806#International_Aid If you took out loans for school, (if it were even possible), because there is no way you'd come close to paying your costs with a part time job, then you'd owe $200,000+ for undergrad and likely another $150,000+ for law school. Now $350,000 isn't that bad if you got a biglaw job, which pays $160,000 your first year. BUT, being in the top of your class at UCLA doesn't guarantee a big law job (it's not Harvard, Yale, etc), and it really is only very prestigious locally, outside of LA it isn't that prestigious, every place has their local favorites where alums are from. It's very hard to get a biglaw job, as there aren't that many firms compared to the number of law students. Many attorneys in big cities make only $50,000 their first years, and it doesn't go up quickly. Unless you can get clients (VERY difficult), then it will take forever to pay off your loans. I know attorneys who are now biglaw partners (so 8+ years) and they still haven't paid off their student loans. Because of the cost of being a non-resident/foreign student, it makes sense to get your education where it won't cost you as much and then when you have a profession, move to LA or wherever you would like. Once you are in a position to get a visa and job. It's good that you're planning early! Good luck!