Over the last few years, Alberta has mostly been in the news for its oil sands which contain heavy crude oil and prompts one to draw an image of a grimy and a polluted region. However, there’s much more to this province of Canada, including picturesque landscapes comprising of mountains, forests, meadows as far as the eye can see, about 600 lakes, glaciers, the largest indoor waterpark in the world and the badlands. Even though still known as badlands on account of criminals of the long past using the area for safe houses and hiding from the law, the entire range is quite magnificent with the valley of the Red Deer River and the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.
A little off the point, one of the things that probably need a mention is that Alberta also has the dubious distinction of having passed a law about 90 years back that made it compulsory for individuals of ‘undesirable traits’ to go through sterilization. This law was only abolished as recently as 1972.
Today, Alberta is one of the regions of Canada that provides the best of education and Calgary and Edmonton are especially teeming with international students. There is also no dearth of activities outside of studying. Whenever you want to get away, apart from the usual, there are nature parks, biking trails, hiking trails, unimaginable geological formations, concerts and shows, fabulous parks and gardens, skiing and other winter activities, whitewater rafting, any number of amusement parks, several museums, shopping districts, farmers markets and all kinds of fun and games. The West Edmonton Mall holds the honour of having the largest parking place in the world for 20,000 vehicles.
List of Universities
Please check out the websites of the universities to make sure what meets your requirements:
The King’s University, Edmonton
Official website
MacEwan University, Edmonton
Official website
University of Alberta, Edmonton
Official website
University of Calgary
Official website
University of Lethbridge
Official website
(This university also has a campus in Calgary)
Cost of Living
One more thing that sets Alberta apart is that the per capita income in the province is the highest in the country. Thus the minimum wages in Alberta are also pretty good at 15 CAD per hour. Compare this with 12.50 CAD per hour in Quebec. The student rentals are also lower than in Quebec and Toronto and due to this, your money, even if you wish to earn and learn goes further. This being the situation a budget of around 1,250 to 1,500 CAD should see you comfortably through each month. This does not include your university fees which would be between 15,000 CAD and 30,000 CAD depending upon the university and the course you choose.
Photos: Shutterstock
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