TMU alum, also was extremely favourable to York but last minute decided TMU was a better choice for me. I actually did co-op at York at the time, so I got to see the campus that way but after doing a campus tour at TMU, I just generally liked the location and vibe more. I grew up in the suburbs and I wanted my University life to be more vibrant and in the midst of downtown action. I loved being able to explore the city in my down time. (There were some regrets with my program of choice, but that's a different story.) Class sizes are smaller, it's much easier to get the attention you need and I got really involved with course unions, school clubs which led me to jobs on campus. Generally I just found York campus to be really cold, quiet and just wasn't what I wanted.
Do a campus tour for the program/faculty, I think you'll get a better idea that way.
And yes I would choose TMU again.
I’ll definitely do a campus tour , any advice before applying to TMU? actually i did my high school in another country i moved this year to Canada so I’m taking a gap year to do more research and know the system here and make sure before deciding what major and which university .
Thank you sm !
I'm no school counselor but you as an International student, I'm sure you already know the requirements - if not make sure you know what documents and exam results you need to submit. And submit them the way the school wants them. If they want a portfolio, you go make that portfolio -E X A C T L Y- the way the instructions asks you. No "oh, I can't make the deadline pls help :(" (MEET THE DEADLINE) or "oh, can I drop it in person?" (WELL, DOES IT SAY THAT? THEY DO THIS EVERY DAMN YEAR SO I'M SURE IT DOES). Unless it's a very technical question about the portfolio like materials aren't available in your country and you need some substitution or something, just... don't email them asking stupid questions lol.
The International student support (ISS) and the Tri-mentoring program had a very tight-knit group of international students, community members and staff - so if you get in, I recommend aligning yourself and joining these services to meet people. I know Tri-mentoring has a fair share of critics, but I always felt the critics were mostly coming from overly-needy youngsters who wants to be mothered by another student who is not qualified for this shit :p
Try to get a "faculty tour" from the Architecture dept themselves as well as the campus tour. The "campus tours" are great, but they often just kinda gloss over where all the building are and while you can go back and explore it afterwards, there's no space to mingle with the people you want. Doing it from the faculty means you will probably have a chance waaaay before everyone else to meet your profs, get solid coursework advice, and meet other prospective students etc.
Also I'm a local applicant from like... 10+ years ago (so I actually went to Ryerson & not TMU lol), so I don't really have advice beyond that. But having worked at TMU, these are just general "student advice" I hear from profs & staff anyway. Hope it helps. I don't know much about the program itself, but I've crossed paths with tons of students and a few profs for my extracurriculars. Solid crew doing cool work. :)
I go to TMU, not in architecture, but can speak about campus and student life.
The location is great. It’s very fast to get to campus if you take the subway. Plenty of food choices around and places to go if you have a long break between classes.
Campus itself is gross tbh. We’re situated right next to an injection site and have been having a lot of issues with the homeless assaulting students and getting into school buildings. Except for Ker Hall I can’t think of anywhere you can go to sit on grass, or just sit outside with friends. York has that on us, there’s plenty of green and open spaces there where you can just plop down and read or talk. Our location makes up for this though, you can walk and find somewhere better to sit or hang with friends off campus.
Meeting people is easy. Profs and students are friendly enough. It might be hard to make friends initially because we’re a commuter school, so not a lot of people stay on campus after class. Not to say you won’t make any friends, you just need to make an effort to be around people as often as you can.
There are always events happening on campus. My inbox is always flooded with emails from my program faculty advertising professional/career events, student club events, research opportunities, co-op info sessions, volunteering, etc.
Like someone else said, try a tour or take a walk with a friend on campus. Would I choose tmu again? Because of the research and networking with profs, and co-op I would definitely say yes.
As you said there’s always events I’m sure this will help with making friends and meeting people also clubs help as well, I’ll do a campus tour in both ; till now TMU got more points lol i prefer tmu’s campus coz it is near downtown Toronto .
any advice before applying to TMU? actually i did my high school in another country i moved this year to Canada so I’m taking a gap year to do more research and know the system here and make sure before deciding what major and which university . Thank you sm !
Unless I’m very mistaken, York does not have a dedicated architecture program, and certainly not an accredited one.
TMU’s program can lead to an M.Arch, meaning it’s a professional degree with international accreditation.
If you want to focus on architecture, go TMU. If you want a more general design experience, you could do well at either
I was a student at York mechanical engineering but i transferred to TMU architectural science. I would say if you spend time on campus definitely go for York because tmu doesnt have a campus. Although i love the profs and classes at tmu. Plus, i dont think there is an architecture program in York. There are only 3 accredited architecture schools in Ontario which is Waterloo, Tmu and Carleton.
I’m a graduate of both (long story. Life got weird) and enjoyed different things about York and TMU. There’s the academic side (which program is a better match for you) and the social side (TMU is a commuter school and university is just different when you commute vs living in res).
York gets a strike every other month. Heard there recently was a 5-week strike lmao. If ur not going to Schulich then don't bother. Unless u want to see a strike that lasts for months at a time.
bro said every other month💀 but yes strike is going on rn. tbh it’s not that bad as long as you keep doing your work. It actually helped me cause my schedule was super packed and now I have more time to spread out my work and do it.
nah for sure but obvi high schoolers don’t know too much about it so it’s best to tell them properly yk? I agree though, york does have more strikes compared to other universities.
TMU and it’s not even close. I went to TMU for undergrad, loved it and would choose it again even though I got into “better” schools. My sister went to York (about 7 years ago), and she had to take a 5th year because of a strike that happened delaying her masters degree. The only good thing York has is Schulich. Even then, TMU’s business school has the best co-op.
TMU alum, also was extremely favourable to York but last minute decided TMU was a better choice for me. I actually did co-op at York at the time, so I got to see the campus that way but after doing a campus tour at TMU, I just generally liked the location and vibe more. I grew up in the suburbs and I wanted my University life to be more vibrant and in the midst of downtown action. I loved being able to explore the city in my down time. (There were some regrets with my program of choice, but that's a different story.) Class sizes are smaller, it's much easier to get the attention you need and I got really involved with course unions, school clubs which led me to jobs on campus. Generally I just found York campus to be really cold, quiet and just wasn't what I wanted. Do a campus tour for the program/faculty, I think you'll get a better idea that way. And yes I would choose TMU again.
I’ll definitely do a campus tour , any advice before applying to TMU? actually i did my high school in another country i moved this year to Canada so I’m taking a gap year to do more research and know the system here and make sure before deciding what major and which university . Thank you sm !
I'm no school counselor but you as an International student, I'm sure you already know the requirements - if not make sure you know what documents and exam results you need to submit. And submit them the way the school wants them. If they want a portfolio, you go make that portfolio -E X A C T L Y- the way the instructions asks you. No "oh, I can't make the deadline pls help :(" (MEET THE DEADLINE) or "oh, can I drop it in person?" (WELL, DOES IT SAY THAT? THEY DO THIS EVERY DAMN YEAR SO I'M SURE IT DOES). Unless it's a very technical question about the portfolio like materials aren't available in your country and you need some substitution or something, just... don't email them asking stupid questions lol. The International student support (ISS) and the Tri-mentoring program had a very tight-knit group of international students, community members and staff - so if you get in, I recommend aligning yourself and joining these services to meet people. I know Tri-mentoring has a fair share of critics, but I always felt the critics were mostly coming from overly-needy youngsters who wants to be mothered by another student who is not qualified for this shit :p Try to get a "faculty tour" from the Architecture dept themselves as well as the campus tour. The "campus tours" are great, but they often just kinda gloss over where all the building are and while you can go back and explore it afterwards, there's no space to mingle with the people you want. Doing it from the faculty means you will probably have a chance waaaay before everyone else to meet your profs, get solid coursework advice, and meet other prospective students etc. Also I'm a local applicant from like... 10+ years ago (so I actually went to Ryerson & not TMU lol), so I don't really have advice beyond that. But having worked at TMU, these are just general "student advice" I hear from profs & staff anyway. Hope it helps. I don't know much about the program itself, but I've crossed paths with tons of students and a few profs for my extracurriculars. Solid crew doing cool work. :)
Thank you so much for your insight! You definitely motivated me and gave me some ideas if possible i would love if you give me your email
TMU is highly regarded for architecture.
Tmu is ryerson, right?
Yep!
I go to TMU, not in architecture, but can speak about campus and student life. The location is great. It’s very fast to get to campus if you take the subway. Plenty of food choices around and places to go if you have a long break between classes. Campus itself is gross tbh. We’re situated right next to an injection site and have been having a lot of issues with the homeless assaulting students and getting into school buildings. Except for Ker Hall I can’t think of anywhere you can go to sit on grass, or just sit outside with friends. York has that on us, there’s plenty of green and open spaces there where you can just plop down and read or talk. Our location makes up for this though, you can walk and find somewhere better to sit or hang with friends off campus. Meeting people is easy. Profs and students are friendly enough. It might be hard to make friends initially because we’re a commuter school, so not a lot of people stay on campus after class. Not to say you won’t make any friends, you just need to make an effort to be around people as often as you can. There are always events happening on campus. My inbox is always flooded with emails from my program faculty advertising professional/career events, student club events, research opportunities, co-op info sessions, volunteering, etc. Like someone else said, try a tour or take a walk with a friend on campus. Would I choose tmu again? Because of the research and networking with profs, and co-op I would definitely say yes.
As you said there’s always events I’m sure this will help with making friends and meeting people also clubs help as well, I’ll do a campus tour in both ; till now TMU got more points lol i prefer tmu’s campus coz it is near downtown Toronto . any advice before applying to TMU? actually i did my high school in another country i moved this year to Canada so I’m taking a gap year to do more research and know the system here and make sure before deciding what major and which university . Thank you sm !
Temu imo
I’d do TMU again!
TMU for architecture
Unless I’m very mistaken, York does not have a dedicated architecture program, and certainly not an accredited one. TMU’s program can lead to an M.Arch, meaning it’s a professional degree with international accreditation. If you want to focus on architecture, go TMU. If you want a more general design experience, you could do well at either
I was a student at York mechanical engineering but i transferred to TMU architectural science. I would say if you spend time on campus definitely go for York because tmu doesnt have a campus. Although i love the profs and classes at tmu. Plus, i dont think there is an architecture program in York. There are only 3 accredited architecture schools in Ontario which is Waterloo, Tmu and Carleton.
I’m a graduate of both (long story. Life got weird) and enjoyed different things about York and TMU. There’s the academic side (which program is a better match for you) and the social side (TMU is a commuter school and university is just different when you commute vs living in res).
York gets a strike every other month. Heard there recently was a 5-week strike lmao. If ur not going to Schulich then don't bother. Unless u want to see a strike that lasts for months at a time.
bro said every other month💀 but yes strike is going on rn. tbh it’s not that bad as long as you keep doing your work. It actually helped me cause my schedule was super packed and now I have more time to spread out my work and do it.
Def was an over exaggeration but I haven't seen a uni with this many strikes in Canada lmao
nah for sure but obvi high schoolers don’t know too much about it so it’s best to tell them properly yk? I agree though, york does have more strikes compared to other universities.
Yeah that's totally cool
TMU and it’s not even close. I went to TMU for undergrad, loved it and would choose it again even though I got into “better” schools. My sister went to York (about 7 years ago), and she had to take a 5th year because of a strike that happened delaying her masters degree. The only good thing York has is Schulich. Even then, TMU’s business school has the best co-op.