URGENT: Concordia or Memorial univ of Newfoundland for CS

[sunprashanth99]

Hi Folks,

Request the senior members to help me on this.

I have a computer science admit from concordia university and memorial university of newfoundland(co-op option)

In my opinion,
Pros for concordia:
* better ranked for CS
* in Montreal - good student life
* can apply for QSW after one year of study
* have a chance to apply to PEQ(I dont know a word in french now though)

Cons for concordia:
* costs more - (20k$ more than memorial univ). Would be tough for me financially.
* need to learn french(even required for part time jobs)
* as you had mentioned in a post, my ties would me more with quebec. Though I try for a quebec visa, I prefer living outside quebec.

Pros for memorial
* very affordable - i can manage wthout any issue
* co-op program - industry experience
* no need to learn french - can concentrate on curriculum
* can move to ontario/BC/Alberta - wherever i get a job and can still be eligible for EE.

Cons for memorial
* I was told climate is very cold(but when i search online montreal had lower temperature than st.johns)
* cant apply for peq
* concordia seems to be better ranked in CS.

Just to give you an overview of my profile, I have an IELTS band of 8. 2.5 years IT experence. So if i finsh my masters anywhere in canada and work for a year, I am scoring 505 points in express entry - without PNP.

What I am thinking is, I can go for memorial and then move to Ontario/Alberta/BC once I complete my studies. By doing so, financially the difference would be around 30k$(b/w concordia & memorial) - which is substantial for me. But I am worried if st.johns is a boring place and I would be missing the lively life of montreal. However I feel wthout knowng french part time jobs are tough in montreal. So, economically I am much better in MUN. Even the ranking seems to be fairly good for memorial.

Please suggest which option would be better for me in your opinon. In terms of PR as well.

 

[mead]

so just out of curiosity how many points are you getting now?Since u calculated 505 after education . I feel if u r getting 450+ now without canadian education why not directly get PR rather than education unless u really want to study. I am confident CRS would drop to 450 soon.

 

[sunprashanth99]

I am getting around 400 points ...a masters degree and one year o work ex would increase it by 100...
BTW any suggestion on the univ

 

[mead]

I am getting around 400 points ...a masters degree and one year o work ex would increase it by 100...
BTW any suggestion on the univ

well i cannot answer that I will always be biased towards concordia as i studied there but memorial can be good too not sure

 

[sunprashanth99]

Wow...thats great Mead....I can at least have half the information...

How is the university's reputation in Canada. Please pardon my ignorance as I am totally not aware how much reputation plays a role in getting a job.

As you would be knowing in India - reputed college ==> better job with more package!

Is it the same in Canada?..Does university matter so much? Now since Concordia is more reputed than memorial, does it mean that I get shorlisted in more companies? Basically does university reputation matter so much?! Concordia is supposed to be a good univ right?! I mean I dont think ppl frm McGill or UoT or UBC are the only ones that get good jobs

Appreciate any info you share in this regard!

Thanks!

 

[mead]

Wow...thats great Mead....I can at least have half the information...

How is the university's reputation in Canada. Please pardon my ignorance as I am totally not aware how much reputation plays a role in getting a job.

As you would be knowing in India - reputed college ==> better job with more package!

Is it the same in Canada?..Does university matter so much? Now since Concordia is more reputed than memorial, does it mean that I get shorlisted in more companies? Basically does university reputation matter so much?! Concordia is supposed to be a good univ right?! I mean I dont think ppl frm McGill or UoT or UBC are the only ones that get good jobs

Appreciate any info you share in this regard!

Thanks!

my opinion if u leave out top 5 and bottom 5 universities well may be bottom 10 ....all other which are in between r almost the same not much difference. for job and package thats totally different ball game. Job and package ur past experience and negotiating skills matter more as well as ur field of study. forget about the package first and foremost you should be worried if u will get a job.

 

[sunprashanth99]

I get it Mead!

My only concern is that is it necessary to spend around 25-30k dollars extra on Concordia leaving out memorial. I know Concordia is a good univ and Montreal is a good place.

But If it isnt going to make a LOT of difference I'd rather save those 30k dollars(around 15 lakhs INR) and use it for my accommodation when Im searching for a job.

Also, I am a total zero in french and i feel I would stand a better chance for part time jobs in St.Johns than in Montreal(due to french).

P.S: I am not very rich but I have a bank loan that would help me with the fee for Concordia. However even if I can afford, it would put me under mental pressure while Im studying and ultimately I do have it to earn it back right

Please share your thoughts

 

[mead]

I get it Mead!

My only concern is that is it necessary to spend around 25-30k dollars extra on Concordia leaving out memorial. I know Concordia is a good univ and Montreal is a good place.

But If it isnt going to make a LOT of difference I'd rather save those 30k dollars(around 15 lakhs INR) and use it for my accommodation when Im searching for a job.

Also, I am a total zero in french and i feel I would stand a better chance for part time jobs in St.Johns than in Montreal(due to french).

P.S: I am not very rich but I have a bank loan that would help me with the fee for Concordia. However even if I can afford, it would put me under mental pressure while Im studying and ultimately I do have it to earn it back right

Please share your thoughts

like i said i cannot tell u where to go its totally up to u ...yes save money if its cheaper in memorial..just make sure all the course work is same too

 

[sunprashanth99]

Yes Mead!

Thank you so much. Appreciate your help!

 

[kool.keith]

I am in a same situation need to chose between Memorial and Concordia

Got MSc in CS in MUN and M.Eng Information System Security in Concordia.

And I have 4 years of work experience as a Network Security Engineer.

So can anyone please advice. Which would be a better option, I dont know French and Concordia's fee is like three times of MUN

Your views are so welcomed

Thanks

 

[sunprashanth99]

Hi Kool.keith,

From my experience, I would say depends on what you are looking for. I have joined Concordia and even if it cost me more, I don't regret joining.
Infosec in Concordia is very good. Only a few univs in Canada have the course. Again the jobs related to infosec are limited. So you need to be among the best to secure a job in security(although you can find jobs in software). My honest opinion would be - depends on how far you can afford that extra bit of fees. Im not sure about St. John's but Montreal is indeed a great place to live and Concordia is good even if it might not be the best.

Hope this helps!

 

[kool.keith]

Hi Kool.keith,

From my experience, I would say depends on what you are looking for. I have joined Concordia and even if it cost me more, I don't regret joining.
Infosec in Concordia is very good. Only a few univs in Canada have the course. Again the jobs related to infosec are limited. So you need to be among the best to secure a job in security(although you can find jobs in software). My honest opinion would be - depends on how far you can afford that extra bit of fees. Im not sure about St. John's but Montreal is indeed a great place to live and Concordia is good even if it might not be the best.

Hope this helps!

Thank you so much. Appreciate your response.

Would you be kind enough to enlighten me about the life of people who don't know French in Montreal ?

 

[sunprashanth99]

Montreal is bi lingual...I dont know french for that matter. Almost everyone speaks both english and french in Montreal. So I guess you need not worry about it.

 

[kool.keith]

Montreal is bi lingual...I dont know french for that matter. Almost everyone speaks both english and french in Montreal. So I guess you need not worry about it.

Alright thanks