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I am a high school student wanting to study overseas. A lot of my friends are applying to Canadian universities. What do you think of Canada for higher education?

Canada was named as the Best Country for Education in 2017, followed by United Kingdom, Germany and Australia in rankings by U.S. News. While the total number of international students is much smaller than its southern behemoth, the growth in this sector is the highest amongst all other countries and as result student numbers have more than doubled there. A prime reason for this growth has been the government’s International Education Strategy to maximise the economic opportunities associated with international education and make the country attractive to top talent from emerging market economies. For any international student, the cost of education and the employment opportunities resulting from this education are major factors in taking a decision. To bolster Canada’s attractiveness to top global talent, not only are international students allowed to stay there for three years after graduation but the system also allows a spouse to work alongside them, thus mitigating the economic burden. The best of Canadian education tends to cost less than similar options in the US. There are also very few scholarships, such as the Ontario scholarship and the Commonwealth scholarship, which an international student could target. While Canadian educational institutes may not have the same prestige and international recognition as the Ivy League or Oxbridge Universities, they cannot be discounted and about 10 of them are ranked in the global top 200 Universities with University of Toronto, McGill and University of British Columbia being household names. Areas of excellence include technology, telecommunications, environmental sciences, agriculture and medicine.

I am in grade 11 and would love to study English language and literature and make a career out of it. Is this a realistic dream?

Wanting to follow your passion is indeed laudable but is equally important to ensure your skill sets match your enthusiasm. For this, we would recommend you sit for a credible psychometric test and have the results interpreted by a professional. Studying English language and literature is thankfully not merely an indulgence but has a fruitful career attached to it. Learning English language can land you jobs in writing, the traditional print periodicals to the emerging digital content. It also opens doors in advertising copywriting, media related writing and marketing content creation.

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