Let's start with the PROs: The campus is beautiful, the professors are great, there are uncountable learning opportunities and resources, and everyone is friendly. Speaking from the academic perspective, this is a great university for study and work.
Now the CONs...
UVic is full of money-grabbing policies and establishments.
-> CARSA - biggest money grab, you have to pay (can't opt. out) for regular membership, but it costs additional $$ to use weights or climbing wall or to reserve equipment or space ahead of time.
-> The parking is really amazing (not!), even if you pay yearly - you can't find a parking spot when you arrive and have to hunt for one for up-to 30 minutes (sometimes longer), and they can't even remind you to renew your annual pass and then ding you $30-$60 for forgetting.
->The food is not that great, considering how expensive it is, like $4.50 for a slice of pizza. Most food outlets close at 2:30 (right after lunch) - what about those students who study till 9pm?? Good luck getting any food on campus during exam week, except from a couple of places. The food shops on campus are there to make money - not to feed you.
-> The Student Financial Aid services will help you prepare a document but will NOT fax it to Canada Student Loans for you - you have to pay out of pocket and go across campus to do this yourself.
-> On weekends and holidays and daily after 5pm most buildings turn off the heat in the winter, so poor students have to suffer the cold. These are not healthy working conditions. They say the University is "closed", but people still work (including some professors) - so why not provide some heat?
These are just a few small examples, I'm not even talking tuition fees, especially for international students!! Poor international students - my friend was living on campus (dorm) and the school shuts down during the last week of December, so they forced him to move out during that week!!! Where are you gonna live for a week if you're international student??? (answer: not on campus).
This place is seriously ridiculous, and no one is doing anything about it, and it's getting worse and worse each year.
The campus is beautiful and professors are great, that's why two stars. Everything else is highly questionable.