When choosing a university for your post-secondary education, your options are truly endless. As an international student, I knew my choice was going to be one of the most important I'd ever make!

From the universities in your city and country, to the ones outside your country and even continent, there are indeed a lot—and I mean a lot—of options to pick from.

So why Ontario Tech University? What did I find totally unique and fascinating about Ontario Tech? Enough for me to pack my bags, leave my family (I miss you mom and dad), hop on a plane and start this wonderful adventure? 

After graduating high school, I was uncertain of the career path I wanted to take. I didn’t know what I wanted to do.

I sought advice from everyone around me, analyzed the professions of those close to me, looked at my interests and what I love to do. I still could not figure it out and decided to let the universe speak to me.

I've always loved helping people around me, so I decided to read and research on the professions that help people improve their standard of living, and impact their lives positively; I gravitated towards engineering.

Through my research, I discovered Mechatronics Engineering; the universe spoke to me and I answered.

I felt so ready and excited to begin my university journey until the selection and application process began. I wasn't just looking at universities in Canada, but also in Nigeria, South Africa, the United States, England and other countries I can’t even remember (I was adventurous).

As my major is relatively new, this made the elimination process for me somewhat easy. I got rid of a bunch of universities from my list and was down to a few. Now the deciding factors for me were location, the quality of education, environment, reputation and most importantly, the cost.

I was able to further narrow down my options and send in my applications. I got accepted and my letters came in. So why Ontario Tech?

Cost

Compared to the other universities I applied to, Ontario Tech’s Engineering program was relatively affordable for me.

Not just my tuition and school fees needed to be taken into consideration either—my accommodations, food, transportation, emergency costs, well-being and many more aspects were also thought about. 

As I would be away from my family and taking care of myself, I had to make sure that pursuing my studies wouldn’t mean sacrificing necessities or breaking the bank.

Ontario Tech made that all possible and have been helping me through it ever since. 

Location

For me, this was a really important factor as I was going to be living in a country different from mine and far from home. The weather, seasons, culture and norms would be very different and I would need to adapt to my new surroundings.

Believe it or not, your surroundings impact your life. From daily activities and habits, to your moods and productivity. Making sure I could adapt to my new living situation with no problems was paramount. My top pick was Canada which has really cold weather.

So I got my winter coats and jackets ready for my new exciting adventures.

I would be lying if I said I was adequately prepared for my transition because I struggled in the beginning. I caught a bad cold my first week but to my surprise, Ontario Tech has a doctor's office right on campus! This made it convenient to book an appointment in between classes and get healthy again!

Quality of education

From my research, the quality of education at Ontario Tech University was top notch. The university has driven and passionate professors that are ready to educate and teach students.

The courses taught are outstanding, using state-of-the-art equipment, and the learning environment is ideal. Experiential learning, which is important to every program, is also available to complement classroom learning.

As technology is and will always be a part of my daily life, I needed an environment where I could be up-to-date with the ever-evolving devices, and knowledgeable on the ones yet to come. Ontario Tech was the place, being a tech-focused university.

Environment

While searching for universities, I looked at pictures of the environment and surrounding areas of the school’s campus. I tried to imagine myself studying and learning in those places. Not just the campus, the whole vibe of the city it was situated in.

Being the kind of person I am, I knew the kind of environment I would thrive in academically, and Ontario Tech’s location was ideal. It is calm yet close enough to Toronto that I get the best of both worlds. 

Whenever I needed to explore or have a feel of the city atmosphere, I could just plan out my adventures, take public transit and kick-start my very exciting outing.

The campus is surrounded with various affordable, off-campus housing options for those who decide to not live on residence. 

The size of the campus makes it easy for students to walk to everything, or take a short bus ride down to our downtown Oshawa location. 

For me, life at Ontario Tech was going to be awesome and I could see my very bright and promising future as a student. The environment ticked all my boxes.

Reputation

This may be biased or sometimes overlooked. I had to make sure that wherever I was going to study was going to provide me with the very best education in my field of study and adequately prepare me for my career.

I made sure that all the universities I applied to were well-rounded, provided students with the very best in my field of study and had a very good reputation in the educational sector. 

As post-secondary education is an investment, I wanted to ensure I was getting the valuable experience I needed.

Looking back, I couldn’t be happier with my decision. My advice would be to know what you want and you will find it—most likely at Ontario Tech! 

Choose wisely—no pressure😉.

Forever a proud Ridgeback!

Want to learn more about Mechatronics Engineering or any of the other programs offered at Ontario Tech?