Why is it that US colleges require recommendation letters, co-curricular activities, essays and all that, but all i need to do to apply for a Canadian Uni is to fill up one simple form and submit my transcripts? So they make admission decisions solely based on academics?

@lovelysky
I think there's quite a Malaysian community in Dalhousie University doing medicine. Most of them are from IMU. Do check out their website

No they don't have a thread here. Go to their official website http://www.dal.ca

Going to Halifax, Nova Scotia this fall. Visa is taking sooooo goddamn long. It's been more than the 28-day standard they try to maintain. I'm gonna give them a call to check on the status of my application tomorrow. Is it typical for them to take this long to process study permits?

Yup. I saw the news on FB. Hopefully things'll get more or less settled by the time i get there early Sept.

And btw, i got an email from the embassy this morning asking me to collect my medical forms Will go there tmr!

Yessh, and the flight ticket costs a bomb too! Cheapest deal i got for now is ~RM4.6k, one-way T_T Don't remember whether its going the Atlantic or Pacific route, but as long as can save some money, the 6hr layover won't be a problem i think.

What sort of pre-term activities might i ask? You went to Dal too?

@feynman
Apparently MSL doesn't have any student fares from KL to Halifax. Just dropped by their office this morning and they quoted RM6k one-way

Guess it's my own fault for booking at such last minute *sigh* Thanks for the suggestion! Will look into it

Oh dear... You told that to the lady at the counter/reception? Cuz i didn't even have to go through interview...

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Added on August 11, 2010, 11:23 amWell, it's settled. I'm taking AirAsia to Stansted International, London, stopover for a couple of days, then flying straight to Halifax by Air Canada! Cheapest option available at the time of booking... Can't wait

This post has been edited by cain: Aug 11 2010, 11:23 AM

I was just browsing my uni's job postings today. A part time admin on-campus job for international students pays CAD$10/hour. I'm guessing the average would probably be $7-11/hr...

Whoa, you remembered!?!?! Feels like ages ago when i was plagued with deciding what major i should pursue. Basically, i had a hard time in A-Levels, screwed it up completely (even after having worked especially hard in Further Math & Physics too...) which served as a wake up call for me, well, sort of... Took a somewhat radical change in direction and spent little more than a year in ADTP as a Psychology major, and thoroughly enjoyed the learning process in the more holistic American education system. Ended up in Canada, where the legal age to drink is 18 instead of 21, muahahahaha XD

@kellyisevil
Well, there's a highly ranked private school here around my place which offers IB. I assume other schools do too.

@terrabyte
Dude, i'm in Dal Not in medical school though. It's a small (some would say sleepy XD) town, like Ipoh instead of big city KL.

Yup. I got credit exemptions for subjects that i did in my A-Levels

No need to apologize lah~ I'll do my best to answer your questions.

I know IMU partners with Dal for their medical program, and i know there's definitely some M'sians here, wouldn't say 'many' and i haven't met them personally though... There're lots of Chinese students from China here to study business/commerce and Indian students from India here to study Computer Science... I have no direct experience being at the receiving end of racist comments, or perhaps i was just oblivious to them, i dunno, hehe...

Basically, i am taking longer than i expected to adjust. I haven't developed this 'love' for the school yet, as many students and Haligonians would. I actually find speaking to strangers in the shops or bus-stops easier than speaking to my peers in class The school's fine, the people're fine, its me where the problem is. I'm sure you'd fare much better than me, so ignore my cynicism ya

@feynman
I AM happier doing psych Now that u mention it, i think it's 19 over here, either way, it's good to know that i don't have to worry about breaking the law when i'm out having some fun ^^

Well, Dal is right around the downtown area, and there're plenty of convenience and drug stores scattered here and there, not to mention a whole shopping street just next door, so you should be able to get most of what you need within walking distance. Also there's a bus pass that's included in everyone's tuition fee, you can't opt out of it, which is great for students like me without a car.

Was a little bit surprised to see you asking about Dal, since i have never heard of it before i came here, and i expect most people don't too

Oh, and i've actually only been here for a couple of months, since Sept.

Don't make yourself sound so old lah haha... France must be awesome

This post has been edited by cain: Dec 4 2010, 11:21 PM

Errrmm, nope. A while back i had to google bluenoser to find out that the name of the convenience store is actually a reference to the locals XD

@terrabyte
Hmm... Really? I would've expected less discrimination in Toronto, seeing that there's much more diversity over there. I don't see it as a major decision factor though, but that's just me

If i'm not wrong, letters of recommendation does not necessarily have to come from lecturers. Employers or other professional acquaintances can write them too!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_in_Canada

U of Alberta has a pretty good Dept of Linguistics from what i hear