Along with the interest in moving to Canada to avoid Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, Canadian colleges have a growing appeal for American students. Young Americans can escape for four years, or more, to be students up north, USA Today reported.
The increasingly popular move doesn’t just coincide with the political landscape. USA Today reported that there was an almost 50 percent increase in American students enrolling at Canadian colleges between 2000 and 2011. Since then, there are more than 10,000 American students enrolling annually, The Fiscal Times reported.
Reasons include finances, better professional preparation for postgraduate life, and an easy transition from the United States to Canada.
For the 2016-2017 school year, however, some still couldn’t resist the idea of escaping to Canada for political reasons.
if trump becomes president i am moving to canada for college i cannot believe people actually support that rotting pumpkin
— elizabeth baker (@absurdelizabeth) December 2, 2015
if Hillary Clinton becomes president i WILL be attending college in Canada and raising my family there as well
— not cole (@GrunerCole) May 23, 2016
if trump wins im moving to canada and attending film school there for college
— megan (@fearIessqueen) June 13, 2016
USA Today College spoke with Maya Murthy, 18, who will be attending the University of Toronto in the fall as a freshman. She referred to Trump on Facebook as a “solid piece of Cheeto dust” and emphasized she would be safe in Canada.
Murthy has dual citizenship in the United States and Canada, and always considered attending a Canadian school. While financial considerations and academics were her motivation, politics were as well.
“Canada is just so much more progressive as a country. I don’t want to fall into the trap of being an American idiot that thinks Canada is a paradise because it has its own problems, especially with its indigenous peoples. But racism in Canada is not at the level it is in the United States,” she said.
Murthy also praised Prime Minster Justin Trudeau for helping people accept all races and backgrounds.
Whatever their reasons, students are not alone. After Trump’s Super Tuesday wins in March, Google searches were at a high for moving to Canada, with celebrities also pledging to leave. On July 1, Canada Day, The Economist published a chart showing the unprecedented interest.
What makes the student motivation stand out, however, is that an investment in one’s education is likely to last longer than political frustrations.
