What Students Say
Likes
- Faculty teacher ratio is good
- Interactive learning method
- International environment
Dislikes
- Harsh winter weather
- Limited day light in winter which leads to depression in international students sometimes
- Lack of integration among diverse backgrounds
Course Curriculum
10
- The course curriculum was quite easy for me. The course was a mix of both practical and theoretical but tends to be more practical. I have to submit only one assignment per week and the exam was open book. The positive part of this course is that it is more practical and was open book I don’t need to memorize all the equations and the negative part is that the exam was quite tough. The average number of students in my class was 20, and 2-3 of them are Indian students.
Admission Experience
- I applied for the following universities:
-
University of Calgary ( Admitted)
University of British Columbia ( Waitlisted)
York University ( Admitted)
University of Victoria ( Admitted)
University of Toronto ( Shortlisted)
McGill University ( Admitted)
Dalhousie University ( Shortlisted)
Western University ( Admitted)
MacEwan University ( Admitted)
McMaster University (Admitted)
-
University of Calgary ( Admitted)
- I was admitted to most of the universities and shortlisted in some of them. The major reason I was not admitted to those universities was my reference letter and motivation letter I got the email stating that I am waitinglisted because my reference letter and motivation letter are not good.
- The major reason behind choosing the University of Alberta is that I received a scholarship, which significantly supports my educational journey. Additionally, the University of Alberta has a good world rank among other universities.
For admission, we need to fill out the online application form through the university website.
For masters, we should have a minimum GPA of 3 out of 4 in undergraduate and an IELTS score of 7 with no band less than 6 in each section. There are other options too, like TOEFL iBT but I don’t have an idea about it. Also, we need three references and a motivation letter for the application.
My admission experience was so smooth; the admissions committee was supportive and communicated effectively, providing timely updates on any issues, like when one of my reference letters was not submitted; they notified me through mail. - I applied for the fall intake. The major factor was the high ranking of the university in Canada and overall world. Also, universities have good research laboratories and facilities, and they have collaborations with many industries; that’s why they have strong employability. The admission process took 2-3 months from application submission to acceptance letter.
Faculty
10
- The faculty-to-student ratio in the chemical engineering department is about 1:15; it is much lower, due to which it has a positive impact on education quality and interaction by enabling personalised attention and also improves student engagement and motivation.
- Teaching methodology is good. The course content is more practical than theoretical; may be it will help in securing a job in my field. Faculty members help in securing part-time and full-time jobs; many faculty members appoint students as their teaching assistants and pay for that.
- I admire my supervisor a lot She is a kind-hearted person; she helped me understand the curriculum and also appointed me as her teaching assistant.
Campus Life
10
- The university has 4 campuses.
- North campus: it is located in Edmonton this one is the original campus.
- Campus Saint- Jean: it is also in Edmonton, this is for the French language education.
- Augustana Campus: located in Camrose, this is for liberal arts and sciences programs.
- South Campus: located in Edmonton, primarily for agricultural research. My campus is the north one this the main campus so I have the access for all the facilities like library, sports and medical services. The popular event is week of welcome features live music, club fair and various activities to engage new students. They also organise seasonal activities like pumpkin carving for Halloween and host winter party.
Part Time Jobs
- 2 out of 3 graduate students secure TA, RA and DA . The minimum wage is $18 per hour. I don’t have an idea about other on-campus jobs but there are a lot of on-campus jobs. 24 is the maximum hours per week that are allowed to work as a student. Finding an on-campus job is very easy for graduate students, as they are appointed as teaching assistants and research assistants.
- Most of the Indians work in cafes, restaurants, stores, and warehouses. The hourly wage depends on an individual position, like cashier, who gets the minimum wage of CAD $15 per hour and maximum is $22 per hour. Finding a part-time job depends on the motivation of the individual. The usual process involves sending resumes to the owner of the stores and manager of the company; if we get selected, they call for the interview, give 1-2 week training, and then we can work as a part-time employee.
Placement
10
- About 80% of the students secure jobs within 6 months of completing their course. The average salary is cad $80,000 per year. Students usually find jobs through faculty members and also from online websites.
- My batchmates are still students; no one of them got job because I am first year student. Most of the students appointed as a junior engineer.
- Major company who hire students from my department are Energy and Oil Companies like Syncrude Canada Ltd., Husky Energy, and Nova Chemicals.
Accommodation
Off Campus
10
- I find my accommodation through website. My monthly rent is CAD$ 600 which includes heat and water and the apartment was fully furnished like they provided the gas stove, fridge, oven, dishwasher and a separate laundry space with washing machines. I don’t face any difficulty in finding accommodation.
- For future I would recommend join as many groups as you can so that you can interact with your future roommates and get to know about them. My apartment has a drive of 10 min from the university. Most of the Indian students stays in an apartment.
Exams
- IELTS, TOEFL, Duolingo, CAEL, CAE, CPE, PTE any one from them for English language proficiency test. We need three letter of references from our past college, CV and Statement of Purpose to complete the application form.
- There is no interview for the application and admission process we just need to complete our application form and submit it with application fees of CAD $135.
Fees
- For my course, the tuition fees are CAD $12,400 per year, and on-campus housing is around CAD $15,000 with meals for an 8-month term, but I rented an apartment, which costs me around $600 per month.
- The fees are charged per semester in my case.
- The monthly expenses for rent, groceries, and other regular expenses are like $1000.
- Transportation is free for university students.
Scholarship
- I did receive a scholarship for my course. If anyone is admitted in the masters in chemical engineering they automatically receive scholarship of CAD $27,000 per year for two years.
- There is no other eligibility criteria for this; we just need an offer letter from the chemical engineering department. Every single student of chemical engineering gets this scholarship for their masters and PhD degree.
