Post secondary students have been in the news almost every day in this province for the last month or so. Many CEGEP and university students in Quebec have been on strike to protest against the proposed raising of fees over the next couple of years. With that kind of unrest going on around me I began to think about the best places in the world for students. I didn’t have to look far to find something relevant. And one of the top ten cities for students was a surprise to me.
QS World Rankings usually makes lists of things to do with scholarity like what are the top universities in the world, etc. A survey of theirs that caught my attention was the one that dealt with the question, “What is the best student city in the world?” The people at QS used several different sets of information, surveys and pertinent data. These are all cities in which students can choose from a number of post secondary institutions, can easily meet other students, eat cheaply, and go out for a fun night. Read it over and see if you agree.
Here is their list of best student cities in the world from number one to ten:
1) Paris, France: Options are a plenty in the city of lights. There are 16 ranked institutions in the city and the student fees are rather affordable. Plus it is Paris meaning there is plenty to do, great food and something to drink everywhere.
2) London, England: In London you can go to King’s College, Imperial College, London School of Economics, University College London, amongst others. You can even attend classes given by the University of Notre Dame in London. The choice is aplenty. London has plenty of cheap eats, museums, top notch theatre, and a pub on every block. Being a world financial centre doesn’t hurt either.
3) Boston, Massachusetts: World class institutions like MIT, Boston University, Tufts, and Harvard are in this city. Seven of the top institutions in the world as ranked by QS are in Boston, including two of the top universities in the world. As a result it is called by some “the Athens of America”.2) London, England: In London you can go to King’s College, Imperial College, London School of Economics, University College London, amongst others. You can even attend classes given by the University of Notre Dame in London. The choice is aplenty. London has plenty of cheap eats, museums, top notch theatre, and a pub on every block. Being a world financial centre doesn’t hurt either.
4) Melbourne, Australia: The number one service industry in Australia is higher education. As a city Melbourne has been described as friendly and welcoming with a nice mix of students. It also has good job opportunities for students.
5) Vienna, Austria: Vienna is home to two of the top ranked universities in the world (University of Vienna and Vienna University of Business and Economics) and is one of the most beautiful cities in the world architecturally. It is the cultural, political and economic centre of the country. In 2005 it tied with Vancouver for the city with the best quality of life in the world.
6) Sydney, Australia: Great climate and a fantastic Opera House. Five institutions within Sydney are ranked and there are many others to choose from. Ranks amongst the top ten most livable cities in the world.
7) Zurich, Switzerland: The student fees are very cheap ($1,000-$2,000 dollars) and there are around 20 universities, colleges and places of higher education in the city. A big plus is that there is a ton of art galleries to go to. A city of international importance. One of the world’s most important financial centres and ranked as the wealthiest city in Europe.
8) Berlin, Germany: You can sum up the city in one word: cool. A city where it is always possible to find an electro-party going on at 4 a.m. Home to three ranked institutions. It has a relatively cheap cost of living.
9) Dublin, Ireland: Home to two top ranked universities. An amazing amount of literary alumni from these two universities like Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, and Samuel Beckett. Is the place to be if you want low tuition fees. As a city it has a worldwide reputation as fun, filled with friendly people and as a result has a large student population.
10) Montreal, Canada: (Surprised?) Home to McGill, Concordia University and Université de Montreal. A fun city with an interesting history. What will make students happy are the low tuition fees (!!) and the variety of restaurants and bars.
