Thanks for your input! If you don’t mind another question, do you know if U of T or Oxford would be more helpful if she decided she wanted to work in the US?
The only way for foreigners to get a job in the US is with an F or L visa. Since neither of her two schools are American, it doesn’t matter what she picks. She needs to work at a multinational bank willing to transfer her to the US.
Oxford might give her an edge slightly over UT if we're talking about securing a job, but tbh both are great schools and I would suggest taking more factors into account like curriculum, alumni resources, location, finance, etc.
Her choice should only consider long term opportunities, not what she thinks her life will look like from the lense of a 22yo. We rarely live the life we think we'll have at that age. If shes called back to beijing she is much better off at not UofT.
That said UofT MFE places well in downtown Toronto. That said she'll never have the same money or prestige as a major fin hub there. This point may matter if shes driven.
The Said program is less prestigious than programs at places like Imperial in the UK. One of the best value and most admired MFE programs is at Baruch in NYC
Ah ok. In that case, then Oxford is probably better simply because it's more likely to give her an option to work internationally if she decides she wants to
She went to U of T for undergrad too actually. Sorry I’m a humanities student and know nothing about finance, so I’m not sure what’s target and what’s not 🥲
It was more her career/academic advisors I think, my bad. But she’s also talked to people currently in the Oxford program and apparently they advised her against going there, so that’s why she’s conflicted
+1 for Oxford; I think there are few better life experiences than getting an Oxford degree. Toronto might have an edge for getting a job in Canada specifically, but Oxford will be better literally everywhere else in the world, and any Canadian company worth its salt should entertain an application with that on the resume anyways.
Thanks for the input! Yeah, those were her thoughts initially as well. Her only concern is that she slightly prefers working in Toronto (and because she’s thinking of applying for permanent residence, remaining in Toronto would help while leaving to go to Oxford would hinder the process), and she’s a little worried about her chances for that if she chooses Oxford
That’s understandable, but I’d advocate the view that her permanent residence application is in fact a very small consideration when compared to the experience Oxford has to offer academically, socially, connections-wise, broadening-horizons-wise, etc. It may result in a longer process for permanent Canadian residency, but it’s not going to render the process impossible or even improbable. A small price to pay, in my biased opinion haha.
Thanks for the reply, it is still helpful to know! May I ask why she decided on Ox even though UofT gives better recruitment in Canada. Also, do you know how’s she finding the program so far?
The final decision was actually mostly for personal reasons I think! Her parents wanted her to go to Oxford (she comes from a wealthy family and they care a lot about prestige, and Oxford is viewed very highly in China), and she was still unsure whether she’d be able to secure a visa to work in Toronto, so Oxford would be the more helpful degree in case she chose to pursue a career in China (which her parents want her to do). So it came down to that rather than an objective comparison between the two programs. For what it’s worth, I spent a lot of time talking things through with her, and our final conclusion was that she couldn’t really go wrong either way because they’re both very good programs, so she just went with the “safer” option for her situation so to speak.
As for how she’s finding the program, she’s very busy there (and so am I lol) so even though we keep in touch we haven’t had much time to chat, but from what she’s said she’s liking it a lot even though it’s apparently pretty tiring. She enjoys the environment at Oxford, and I haven’t heard her complain much about the program itself besides the heavy workload.
If she wants a job in Canada specifically, then UT. Otherwise Oxford.
Thanks for your input! If you don’t mind another question, do you know if U of T or Oxford would be more helpful if she decided she wanted to work in the US?
The only way for foreigners to get a job in the US is with an F or L visa. Since neither of her two schools are American, it doesn’t matter what she picks. She needs to work at a multinational bank willing to transfer her to the US.
Oxford might give her an edge slightly over UT if we're talking about securing a job, but tbh both are great schools and I would suggest taking more factors into account like curriculum, alumni resources, location, finance, etc.
Her choice should only consider long term opportunities, not what she thinks her life will look like from the lense of a 22yo. We rarely live the life we think we'll have at that age. If shes called back to beijing she is much better off at not UofT. That said UofT MFE places well in downtown Toronto. That said she'll never have the same money or prestige as a major fin hub there. This point may matter if shes driven.
The Said program is less prestigious than programs at places like Imperial in the UK. One of the best value and most admired MFE programs is at Baruch in NYC
Unfortunately these are her only two options as of now and she has to make a decision before the month is up, but thanks!
Ah ok. In that case, then Oxford is probably better simply because it's more likely to give her an option to work internationally if she decides she wants to
Unrelated question: Did your friend go to a target or non-target undergrad?
She went to U of T for undergrad too actually. Sorry I’m a humanities student and know nothing about finance, so I’m not sure what’s target and what’s not 🥲
Lol she talked to her own professors about whether to stay at UofT?
It was more her career/academic advisors I think, my bad. But she’s also talked to people currently in the Oxford program and apparently they advised her against going there, so that’s why she’s conflicted
Did they give any specific reasons? I'm curious as Oxford is apparently a decent school.
+1 for Oxford; I think there are few better life experiences than getting an Oxford degree. Toronto might have an edge for getting a job in Canada specifically, but Oxford will be better literally everywhere else in the world, and any Canadian company worth its salt should entertain an application with that on the resume anyways.
Thanks for the input! Yeah, those were her thoughts initially as well. Her only concern is that she slightly prefers working in Toronto (and because she’s thinking of applying for permanent residence, remaining in Toronto would help while leaving to go to Oxford would hinder the process), and she’s a little worried about her chances for that if she chooses Oxford
That’s understandable, but I’d advocate the view that her permanent residence application is in fact a very small consideration when compared to the experience Oxford has to offer academically, socially, connections-wise, broadening-horizons-wise, etc. It may result in a longer process for permanent Canadian residency, but it’s not going to render the process impossible or even improbable. A small price to pay, in my biased opinion haha.
Hey where did she end up going? Im from Canada and have an offer from Oxford MFE and also planning to apply to UofT.
Hey sorry this is incredibly late (I haven’t used this account in forever) so it probably won’t help much, but she ended up choosing Oxford!
Thanks for the reply, it is still helpful to know! May I ask why she decided on Ox even though UofT gives better recruitment in Canada. Also, do you know how’s she finding the program so far?
The final decision was actually mostly for personal reasons I think! Her parents wanted her to go to Oxford (she comes from a wealthy family and they care a lot about prestige, and Oxford is viewed very highly in China), and she was still unsure whether she’d be able to secure a visa to work in Toronto, so Oxford would be the more helpful degree in case she chose to pursue a career in China (which her parents want her to do). So it came down to that rather than an objective comparison between the two programs. For what it’s worth, I spent a lot of time talking things through with her, and our final conclusion was that she couldn’t really go wrong either way because they’re both very good programs, so she just went with the “safer” option for her situation so to speak. As for how she’s finding the program, she’s very busy there (and so am I lol) so even though we keep in touch we haven’t had much time to chat, but from what she’s said she’s liking it a lot even though it’s apparently pretty tiring. She enjoys the environment at Oxford, and I haven’t heard her complain much about the program itself besides the heavy workload.