Quest University Canada is ...
Private not-for-profit
Address
3200 University Blvd.
Squamish, BC, Canada
Website
Quest University Canada Reviews
121 reviews
The courses were really hit and miss. Some were informative, and some were just powerpoint presentations that went on for hours and the prof literally just read off the slides. You are required to take a few courses as foundations which have absolutely no value. There are two courses "evolution" and "what is life" which cover the same ground, and are both required to graduate. Other courses the professors will assign so much work that you won't sleep. Those courses you will learn a lot in, but its a wasted effort because other colleges and employers will laugh when they see your transcript. The courses have really corny names like "what is life?", "self, culture and society", "how do magnets work?" etc.
Quest is garnering a good rep. Our alum have been accepted into prestigious colleges for graduate studies (Yale, Colombia, London School of Economics, to name a few). Some have gone on to med school, others have been hired to work at consulting firms. Like other undergrad degrees, the job market isn't exactly blooming with job opportunities for contemplative degrees like liberal arts and sciences, but the same could be said for degrees offered by traditional institutions (like English, linguistics, history, etc.). The difference with Quest is the structure of the degree allows you to begin following leads to work for organizations, intern, research, etc., as a graduation requirement. The flexibility allows students to begin creating opportunities for themselves early on.
Quest is situated in the sea to sky region half an hour north of Vancouver. Coming from the eastern U.S. I was instantly charmed by the friendly people, spacious dorms, and amazing surroundings. When I decided to attend I couldn't wait to start. The first few months were great. I was in courses with the right level of challenge, I was enjoying going on runs in the mountains, and I made a few social connections. However, as time went on I began to find the social life less and less rewarding. I had a few friends I really connected with, and we became a small clique, but I felt cut off from the community as a whole. A lot of people just don't go outside their dorms, which is odd for a small residential liberal arts college. There were a few bullies on campus who made life difficult for everyone else. The administration would turn the other way, or even blame the victims. One guy vandalized a lot of property, got caught and received no punishment. Things were constantly being vandalized or stolen. People falsely accused each other of sexual harrasment for fun. There was constant drama about a minor sexual assault that happened a few years ago. I had to put locks on the cupboards because my food got stolen so often. Another student threatened me with physical violence because he/she "didn't like my redneck accent". My bike was stolen. I began to go for long runs in the woods to avoid after class to avoid people. I stored a lot of my food and clothing in a tent in the woods because it was less likely to get stolen. I started to hang out with guys i met in town because I couldn't stand people at quest. In the end I was couch surfing and living in the woods for weeks. I went to campus only to take classes and to check in on my roommate and use his bathroom to shave. I am now transferring to my local community college to complete my degree. It was a waste of time, and slightly traumatic.