What should I look for when choosing which university to go to?

[canmovie]

I applied to, and got offers from:

University of Toronto (Scarborough)
Co-op Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics (0,000$/year scholarship)

Carleton University
Computer Science Honours:Computer Game Development, Co-operative Education (2,000$/year scholarship)

Honours Bachelor of Science with Specialization in Computer (uOttawa)
Science Co-operative Education (1,000$/year scholarship)

The deadline is June 3rd, and I don't want to wait till June 2nd and make a last minute decision.
I'm leaning towards Carleton, simply because of the 2,000$/year scholarship - I want to get through university with as little debt as possible.

The one concern I have about going to Carleton is the education I will be getting. Am I going to get the same level of education and co-op I would be getting at UofT? Would going to UofT improve my programming skills further and my understanding be more extensive? Will getting a job be significantly easier with a degree from UofT?

What should I look for and what do I need to know before making a decision?

Thanks in advance for any kind of advice/opinions/criticism.

[Tony]

in the grand scheme of things, $2000/year is not that much money. How would you rate your options if scholarships made no difference?

[canmovie]

Tony @ Fri May 17, 2013 5:53 pm wrote:

in the grand scheme of things, $2000/year is not that much money. How would you rate your options if scholarships made no difference?

I don't know, that's the only reason I'm using money as a reason. They all have good reputations in the computer science departments. UofT has a great overall reputation, and Carleton has many specializations within CS, I don't know which one I would pick if scholarships made no difference.

[crossley7]

Keep in mind your options for co-op. Which school will give you the most opportunity to make money through the coop process and gain experience in the field you want to end up. 2,000 a year can be made up in a 4 month coop if you find the right job. Or when you gradute, the 8,000 total you saved during school may not make a difference when there is a 20,000/year difference for entry level salaries. That being said, I'm throwing numbers around but you get the point.

I remember seeing somewhere on here in the past that unless they are paying >40% of your ENTIRE University education, you should really think twice before using scholarships to guide your decision. That being said, it's up to you and if the money now matters, go ahead and take it

[Tony]

canmovie @ Fri May 17, 2013 7:35 pm wrote:

I don't know, that's the only reason I'm using money as a reason.

Sounds like there's a lot more that you can look into.

Does the city matter?
Does the campus matter?
Do the classes offered?
Professors? Other students? School clubs?

How are the industry connections? Where is the industry (that is, jobs available) anyway?

Not every question has an answer that's a number. It's not easy to compare, so take your time.

Another way to think might be to go with the University that was the toughest to get into -- in which case it's likely the one with the least amount of scholarships given It really depends on what you look to get out of the experience.