poppys

I teach at York and I have to take exception to the comment re its poor quality intellectually. We've got a good school and we are strong in many areas. Indeed, York has a lot to offer in the arts as well as education, social sciences, math and hard sciences. In Winter it's not as cold in Toronto as it is in upstate New York or parts of New England. I'd be happy to answer further questions personally if you post your email address.
Poppy

Cat123

I have to support poppys on this one. My husband went to York and my Dad just finished his MA there. During my MA, I met with lots of students and faculty from York and was impressed with all of them. It may lack some of the charms and history of UofT, but it is a fine school and I would not hesitate to send a child there.

lesliec1

Uh oh. I hope we haven't ignited a firestorm over the relative academic merits of York U. v.s. other schools! Certainly here in the U.S., when most people are asked to name fine universities in Canada, they tend to mention McGill or Univ. of Toronto. But chances are that's because those are the only Canadian schools we have heard of. That doesn't mean there aren't hundreds of other equally excellent schools in Canada. I'm sure York, as a very large school, has students that represent a wide range of ability and dedication,just as it must have courses that range from marginally rigorous to incredibly intense. My impression that York may not be a "top" destination for science/math students came from a few former residents of Canada, including one who had attended York, who suggested that those areas of study were not particular strengths of York U., and that Univ. of Toronto would be a better choice for that. We have no shortage of fantastic schools for science and math close to where we live in the U.S. I don't think we'd want to deal with the difficulties involved in attending a college that requires such a large amount of travel as well as administrative hassles (visas, "guardianships&quot merely for the sake of its academics. What York seems to have that is more unusual (and for my daughter, very important) is a strong emphasis on the performing arts in a setting where a motivated student is bound to be able to find sufficiently challenging science and math coursework. AND, it's in Canada, where (presumably) the students do not live and die over the weekly football game, a sport that interests my daughter not at all!!! (Please do not burst her bubble by saying that Canadian students live and die for the weekly ice hockey game...) Thanks, Poppy, for your kind offer to answer our questions about York. My email address is [email protected]. Funny you mentioned the weather in upstate NY. When I took my son to visit Ithaca College in upstate NY, it was a gorgeous sunny day. A professor walking past our group of touring parents interrupted the tour leader to say, "And the weather is just like this every day!" HA! Our books about U.S. colleges all say that there are about 5 sunny days in Ithaca the entire school year! Oh well!

travelbunny

another hotel you might try. It is quite basic but in a great location- Yorkville. It is literally a block from Hazelton Lanes and 2 blocks from the 4 seasons. It is the Howard Johnsons on Avenue Rd.

Jab_5

It's the CN tower not CNN tower

Cat123

Since you are on a shoestring budget, you might want to take advantage of these FREE Toronto walking tours if you're in town at the right time:

http://www.heritagetoronto.org/progr...how?eventId=46

HappyBean

Do NOT stay at this hotel. It's not even a hotel. I would consider this to be a motel. My concern was actually regarding the area, but it should have been the motel. The area was ok as long as you didn't stay out after midnight. During the day it's busy, so nothing much could really happen anyway. However, the room I stayed in was infested by bugs. I got rashes from the bites, and I had to launder all of my clothes during my vacation in Toronto. Never have I had to do this on any of my other trips. Not only were there bugs, but bug excrements and blood stains! I got so freaked out that I called the front desk after midnight. The next day I checked out and demanded to speak to the owner, but was denied this request. They made me pay for a full night when all I did was stand in the middle of the room until morning. Who could sleep after a bug infiltration! Where the heck did the blood stain come from? When I got home I saw the doctor and got medication to kill the mites on my skin, and disinfected everything I took on my trip. Don't go through this nightmare like I did... find a decent hotel (preferably a four start hotel in a large city like Torono). I'm still dealing with the itch!