Brisbane to Toronto
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Hey guys! Newbie here.
Chanced upon this forum and am really excited to finally find an online community for overseas Singaporeans. I'm currently studying and working in Brisbane Australia (have been for the last 2 years) and am looking to do my masters in Canada when I'm done in June 09.
Have been wanting to go to Canada for the longest time (huge hockey fan though thats not the only reason...i think) and see this as the perfect opportunity. Love Brisbane and Australia, and have no reason to leave. Truly is an amazing experience being here, but would like to try somethink different.
I'd like to ask you guys if you know any educational agents for Canadian unis (such as the Aus uni equivalent of IDP) that I can check out when I came back to s'pore for the holidays. Thanks so much and looking forward to talking to you.
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Best of luck.
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Originally posted by adel84:
Hey guys! Newbie here.
Chanced upon this forum and am really excited to finally find an online community for overseas Singaporeans. I'm currently studying and working in Brisbane Australia (have been for the last 2 years) and am looking to do my masters in Canada when I'm done in June 09.
Have been wanting to go to Canada for the longest time (huge hockey fan though thats not the only reason...i think) and see this as the perfect opportunity. Love Brisbane and Australia, and have no reason to leave. Truly is an amazing experience being here, but would like to try somethink different.
I'd like to ask you guys if you know any educational agents for Canadian unis (such as the Aus uni equivalent of IDP) that I can check out when I came back to s'pore for the holidays. Thanks so much and looking forward to talking to you.
Oh, all you have to do is to head down to the canadian embassy. They have an office that cater to students.. You can get all your info for the uni's. What major are you in ?
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Hello! Thanks for the replies. Will do just that. Am doing a degree in business management majoring in marketing. So far I've looked through a whole bunch of canadian uni websites and am quite interested in UofT, ryerson and mcgill. I know it will be difficult getting into a masters program with an aus degree (or so I've heard) but no harm checking it out. Thanks for the recommendation ben1406.
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that'll be the canadian education center .... just don't let them smoke you into buying useless student discount cards ...
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The cec website is exactly what I was looking for...thanks! And no worries on the student discount cards...idp tried to get me back as a rookie and i wouldn't budge! Anyone has any idea how comparable canada is to australia in terms in living expenses and job opportunities? I have a couple of canadian friends here and they tell me how similar canadian and aussie culture are. quite excited to go!
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hmm........i don't know about mba with u of t. i've got a friend who quit his job in sg (in his mid 30s) and took up mba with western. in his first summer, he interned in south africa. before he graduated, he got an offer with a bank and is now working in the us.
i tink a lot depends on oneself too. we have to take iniatives to make things happen for ourselves no matter where we are or where we land.
i do know queens has a good mba program too. check out the uni web site. you will have vibes too so you may wanna follow your heart and how you feel.
i can tell u, u will feel very at home/comfortable in toronto. but our winters can be quite harsh sometimes.
good luck with your decision and come back often to chat. oh, check out facebook. there is a group, "singaporeans in canada". one of the member is a don't know what in u of t. maybe u can check him out and he can provide u with more info?
all the best! ;-)
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yah, western's got a very good reputation, supposedly the best in canada for business ....
I hear it's very competitive to get into though, even for the bachelor's program ...
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Originally posted by Fatum:
yah, western's got a very good reputation, supposedly the best in canada for business ....
I hear it's very competitive to get into though, even for the bachelor's program ...
yup, agree with you re: western. this guy i was talking about? he was a sg scholar. he did his bond and once he was done, he was out of there!!!!
i tot it was pretty cool that he took 2 years off employment and returned to the workforce rather easily.........and in his inching towards 40???? now....now.....who said 40 is old???? kekekekeke
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which other schools are good for MBA ? ...
UBC, SFU I suppose ? ...
but it'll be like studying in hong kong or shanghai I suppose? . ..
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Originally posted by Fatum:
which other schools are good for MBA ? ...
UBC, SFU I suppose ? ...
but it'll be like studying in hong kong or shanghai I suppose? . ..
hmm......if u talk about reputation, i only know western and queens. actually, york has a world class business school. have u heard of schulich school of business? it is very difficult to get in. one of the seniors is a s'porean lady and she sets very high standards for enrolment. i couldn't get in. :(
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I hear waterloo's not bad also ....
lots of attachment opportunities ...
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so many choices! i'm very interested in ryerson and their communication or media programs, but i haven't ruled out an mba. my aim is to go into sports marketing/advertising. i'll call cec tomorrow. i know they may not be able to advise me over the phone, but am hoping they could put me in contact with someone here. checked cec aus website but no brisbane office.
it's 11 degrees in brisbane now and i have my heater on at full blast! i think canada would be a shock to my system. i did spend a couple of months in san fran and lake tahoe in the dead of winter, so maybe i can handle it
. or is toronto worse?the other option for me would be to do a work exchange through aiesec. i'm a member there and am eligible to apply next semester as i'll be graduating in july. i do agree with you, littlestream, that we have to make things happen for ourselves. i'm determined to go. operation canada 2009 has officially begun!
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Originally posted by adel84:
so many choices! i'm very interested in ryerson and their communication or media programs, but i haven't ruled out an mba. my aim is to go into sports marketing/advertising. i'll call cec tomorrow. i know they may not be able to advise me over the phone, but am hoping they could put me in contact with someone here. checked cec aus website but no brisbane office.
it's 11 degrees in brisbane now and i have my heater on at full blast! i think canada would be a shock to my system. i did spend a couple of months in san fran and lake tahoe in the dead of winter, so maybe i can handle it
.
or is toronto worse?the other option for me would be to do a work exchange through aiesec. i'm a member there and am eligible to apply next semester as i'll be graduating in july. i do agree with you, littlestream, that we have to make things happen for ourselves. i'm determined to go. operation canada 2009 has officially begun!
no, not even close, not even the snowy mountains come close ....
they don't call it the great white north for nothing .... you've experienced winter when it's so blardy cold your car refuses to start even though you've got the block heater plugged in, or your eyebrows and fringe are frosted over from walking to school ... so be forewarned, or simply look for a school in BC ...
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Originally posted by Fatum:
I hear waterloo's not bad also ....
lots of attachment opportunities ...
yah, waterloo's good too. basically, if from any of these names, the canadian companies will sapoo lah. LOL waterloo has the best co-op, so many companies make annual trips there and their student online jobmine is really extensive.
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Originally posted by adel84:
so many choices! i'm very interested in ryerson and their communication or media programs, but i haven't ruled out an mba. my aim is to go into sports marketing/advertising. i'll call cec tomorrow. i know they may not be able to advise me over the phone, but am hoping they could put me in contact with someone here. checked cec aus website but no brisbane office.
it's 11 degrees in brisbane now and i have my heater on at full blast! i think canada would be a shock to my system. i did spend a couple of months in san fran and lake tahoe in the dead of winter, so maybe i can handle it
. or is toronto worse?the other option for me would be to do a work exchange through aiesec. i'm a member there and am eligible to apply next semester as i'll be graduating in july. i do agree with you, littlestream, that we have to make things happen for ourselves. i'm determined to go. operation canada 2009 has officially begun!
ryerson has good comm n media programs. many of their graduates go on to work in television or radio. but then hor, erm.....our accent....... unless u r thinking of working behind the scenes lah. quite interesting 'cos the students get to work in rogers during term breaks. get first hand experiences. oh, rogers is our major cable and telecom company.
hee hee........alamak....in winter hor......11 deg is warm for us leh. but no worries lah. so many peeps can, u can also. i.e. if u really wanna come here. u will make things work, right? besides, u hop from one heated place to another. our heating system/regulations is great!
best of luck! sometimes u just gotta try to know. there is no dead end. if it doesn't work, there is always options and alternates. and youth is on your side, right? erm, pai seh....not trying to fish your age hor. kekekekeke
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Fatum: Holy hell that sounds crazy! I haven't experienced anthing like that. Closest was when my cousin and I borrowed (read: stole) our aunts car when we were in San Fran and drove up to Seattle. It was so cold and we weren't prepared for it. And our car wouldn't start...at first...only took 30 secs to get it going again. We were young punks of 19 back then. Although we still haven't learned our lesson. Last year we borrowed (read: again stole) our other cousins car in Sydney and drove to brisbane and back just to see if we could. yes, not too bright. fun though!
Littlestream:
Yep, its that hands on approach that interests me about ryerson. i did a mass comm dip at ngee ann and was told that the program is quite similar in certain aspects. Accent wise...i think i'll be fine
11 degrees is warm for you??!! I'm screwed! But still want to go! And i'm 23! does that count me as young? Please say yes!!
Where are you guys currently at?
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Originally posted by adel84:
Fatum: Holy hell that sounds crazy! I haven't experienced anthing like that. Closest was when my cousin and I borrowed (read: stole) our aunts car when we were in San Fran and drove up to Seattle. It was so cold and we weren't prepared for it. And our car wouldn't start...at first...only took 30 secs to get it going again. We were young punks of 19 back then. Although we still haven't learned our lesson. Last year we borrowed (read: again stole) our other cousins car in Sydney and drove to brisbane and back just to see if we could. yes, not too bright. fun though!
Littlestream:
Yep, its that hands on approach that interests me about ryerson. i did a mass comm dip at ngee ann and was told that the program is quite similar in certain aspects. Accent wise...i think i'll be fine11 degrees is warm for you??!! I'm screwed! But still want to go! And i'm 23! does that count me as young? Please say yes!!
Where are you guys currently at?
okay, u qualify for risk-taking. sounds good to me but whatever you do, u gotta take some caution too eh?
it can be really cold. some days it hit...READS....minus 40 (wind chill factorered in). otherwise it's usually sub zero. but u know what? if u r not outdoors for long, i am usually in a "regular" (clothes i bought from sg) and a GOOD winter jacket/coat. so, u see, i don't layer at all!!!! like i said, my car is heated. i get off, walked to the office, office is heated. or if it's not the office, the mall. the mall is well heated. so, really, nothing much to worry.
but if u know u gonna be outdoor and if u take public transport, then yah, u wanna bundle up. 'cos waiting for a bus for 5 minutes can seem like forever. the transport system downtown is not bad. but where i live? the interval can be like 15 minutes or half an hour and if low peak, it's like AN HOUR!!!!
so, again, it depends where u gonna live too eh? so, check around. i strongly suggest u contact this yeow guy in facebook. in fact, he organizes the annual singapore toronto film festival. if u r into this form of arts, u may wanna rub shoulders with him.
check out the unis. decide what u wanna do. anything learnt is still ammunition for you. but u wanna do something u like, believe in yourself and pursue your dream. once u hv decided on the uni, then u can talk about accommodation and the rest. u can take it from there and we will help with whatever info/knowledge we have.
fatum? well, can i say he is ex-canuck? kekeke.... me? i am still in toronto......for easy reference. :)
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i'll definitely heed your advice, littlestream. minus 40 is no joke! its a good thing then that the heating systems up there are great and everywhere indoors is more or less heated in winter. here, even in winter the air-conditioning is still on in the buses or at the malls, etc. i know a norwegian guy who says he feels more cold here than in his hometown because of this.
i know its still a year to go before i graduate, but no harm researching now. i'm more or less set on toronto and ryerson, or an aiesec exchange but i shouldn't get OVERLY excited just yet. it's nice to know that there are fellow singaporeans up north! and i appreciate all the information you guys are giving me. brought me back down to earth to really think this through.
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Originally posted by littlestream:oh, check out facebook. there is a group, "singaporeans in canada". one of the member is a don't know what in u of t. maybe u can check him out and he can provide u with more info?
all the best! ;-)
yeow tong chia ? yeah he is teacher or some thing like that in uot. u on facebook ah streammie ?
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Originally posted by adel84:
i'll definitely heed your advice, littlestream. minus 40 is no joke! its a good thing then that the heating systems up there are great and everywhere indoors is more or less heated in winter. here, even in winter the air-conditioning is still on in the buses or at the malls, etc. i know a norwegian guy who says he feels more cold here than in his hometown because of this.
i know its still a year to go before i graduate, but no harm researching now. i'm more or less set on toronto and ryerson, or an aiesec exchange but i shouldn't get OVERLY excited just yet. it's nice to know that there are fellow singaporeans up north! and i appreciate all the information you guys are giving me. brought me back down to earth to really think this through.
it's not everyday that is -40. but it is cold ! im like living 5 mins away from the lake now so it's freaking COLD ! but 11 deg is heaven for us in Canada. during winter, after a few days of -20s as soon as it hits zero, you'll see people just wearing a hoodie.
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Originally posted by ben1406:
yeow tong chia ? yeah he is teacher or some thing like that in uot. u on facebook ah streammie ?
yah yah....that name. oh, u r in the group too? si mi nick. i look for u. kekekeke~~~
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Originally posted by adel84:
i'll definitely heed your advice, littlestream. minus 40 is no joke! its a good thing then that the heating systems up there are great and everywhere indoors is more or less heated in winter. here, even in winter the air-conditioning is still on in the buses or at the malls, etc. i know a norwegian guy who says he feels more cold here than in his hometown because of this.
i know its still a year to go before i graduate, but no harm researching now. i'm more or less set on toronto and ryerson, or an aiesec exchange but i shouldn't get OVERLY excited just yet. it's nice to know that there are fellow singaporeans up north! and i appreciate all the information you guys are giving me. brought me back down to earth to really think this through.
vancouver has supposingly mild winter but when i was getting ready to move there from toronto, my torontonians friends told me "oh, you don't need your winter jackets." crap, the fall was so chilly cold because it was so wet and damp. i was like "who said i don't need my winter jacekts?"
toronto is cold but at least it is dry. however, when the wind acts up? one really needs to bundle up!
yup, no harm in advance planning. even that, sometimes plans change too but it is still better to be arm with a plan than no plans at all, right? one step at a time will lead the way, kiddo! all the best! :)
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Originally posted by littlestream:
yah yah....that name. oh, u r in the group too? si mi nick. i look for u. kekekeke~~~
benjamin fong