Braemar College is an international school in downtown Toronto

Canadian universities are among the best in the world. Many parents want to send their children to high school in Canada to prepare them for admission to the prestigious University of Toronto or University of British Columbia. But not many Ukrainian families are ready to pay for pricy Independent schools. When parents come to me with such a goal, I can offer a few proven options. One of them is a secondary school with a reasonable price in Toronto that specializes in preparing international students to the admission to best Canadian universities. This time I want to tell about Braemar College, whose representative I met several times at the international conference ALPHE. I would recommend this school especially for children, who have completed secondary education in their home country and want to prepare for ranked University admission. As for children of 14-16 years, in my opinion the school is unable to offer facilities necessary for their development.

Braemar College has three remarkable characteristics that make it attractive to our students: location, preparation for University and price. All this you will learn from my interview with a representative of the school. By the way, the Manager who is responsible for the region of Eastern Europe in Braemar College – is Ukrainian and is one of my former students. There is also Ukrainian in the admissions office, so Ukrainian students and are very welcomed in Braemar College.

L: I know that Braemar College has a wonderful location in downtown Toronto. Tell us more.

R: Yes, Braemar College is located in the Central business district of the city, near the campus of the University of Toronto. The area is full of restaurants and shopping centers. There is a prestigious residential area around and overall the location is very advantageous. Our students live in host families. Thanks to the good public transport in Toronto it is not difficult to get to the school, it takes not more than an hour. Though, from nest year we will open a residence for students 16+ who can live independently, 5 minutes walk from the school, and this option would be slightly more expensive.

L: Tell me more about Host family accommodation for children as for now it’s an only option for younger students

R: We offer families with whom we cooperate for a long time. Children are accommodated in single rooms, with all necessary furniture. The family provides meals, three times a day. Children would need to go to school by themselves, using public transport but it’s very safe and there is never a problem for our students.

L: Which Diploma students receive after Braemar College?

R: We prepare international students for admission to universities in Canada, USA and UK. The majority of graduates remain in Canada, 22% of students go to University of Toronto. This is a great indicator and we are proud that we can prepare students for entry into the most prestigious University in the world. Moreover, students receive scholarships and can partially cover the cost of studying. We accept students from the 9th grade preparing them for Ontario secondary school Diploma. For those who experience difficulties with English we offer ESL classes (English as a foreign language). Thus, the child adapts quickly to studying in high school in Canada.

L: How many students are inBraemar College?

R: Now we have 300 students, about 90% of them are foreign students. 40-45 are Russian-speaking students from Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. We don’t have many Ukrainians and happy to accept new as our students from Ukraine show high results. There are 10-15 students per class and we try to maintain an individual approach to every student.

L: I know you have quite reasonable prices in 2018. Do you expect increasing in school fees?

R: You are right; tuition costs are lower than in many other schools. The price will not change significantly; tuition fee at Braemar College for the next academic year is just over $14000 CAD. Additionally, you need to pay for accommodation, food, textbooks, and guardianship. With family accommodation, it’s about $25000 CAD and up to $40000 in a student dorm.

My conclusion

Education at Braemar College is really cheaper than in most Canadian schools but it is designed for independent children: there will not be such care as in the boarding school, and the children must go to school on their own. Unlike boarding schools, Braemar College cannot boast of outstanding sporting infrastructure and sports clubs. But this is a good school that would prepare an independent and slightly older student for entry at prestigious University.