Hot Listings: Dalhousie + King’s

The University of Florida it is not. 

My first impression of Nova Scotia’s Dalhousie University was shaped by caffeine - not advanced planning. On my first morning, I hoofed it from my hotel to their student union, desperately seeking a boost. Once sated with black coffee, I turned around and beheld the building’s vast center stairway - it was painted with the Progress Pride Flag. I had gone from liquid inspiration to actual inspiration in mere moments. 

In the year and change since America got turbulent again, people have increasingly had Canada on the brain - dreaming of a break from the division and rhetoric and bluster and hand wringing. And many parents and students, particularly in the East, at least want to know what the options are. 

And Dalhousie is an ace in that deck. Its academic reputation is strong, and buoyed by their membership in the U15 consortium of top Canadian research institutions. Their curriculum is expansive and rich, their faculty talented, their scholarship outstanding. Programs in engineering, architecture, health sciences, and marine biology attract particular acclaim. Computer science also looms large - and they have an impressive new research facility dedicated to cutting-edge work and innovation in that area. 

The vibe here is both scholarly and extroverted, and deeply collaborative. People are kind and balanced. The student body diversity is stunning. And though the community is relatively eclectic, students are generally quite socially aware. Much of the social life emanates from over 200 student-led societies - focused on everything from academic disciplines to social justice to the performing arts. There is a party scene, but it appears quite measured - and I wouldn’t call this a place to come if you are looking for your own version of Animal House. 

Despite the academic rigor, there is a chillness and humility and unlabored coolness that is refreshing - so very Canadian. It just pops: as I waited for my tour in the ultra-stylish Admission Office, the “classics” radio station thumped out Wannabe by the Spice Girls. 

It was a fitting entree to the rest of the day, as I would soon have the privilege of landing with two student guides who were also poppy and fabulous. 

Abby, from Montreal, effortlessly trotted me around the main campus while elucidating her deep interest in environmental epidemiology. She showcased the impressive physical footprint - including the ultra-mod DalPlex fitness center - and gave me the 411 on moving off campus. She also attested to the vitality and cohesion of the overall community, and noted how responsive the administration is to the needs of the students in its care. 

Jessica, from Ontario, gave me a two hour dunk at the engineering campus - filling me in on everything from co-ops to course sequencing to her involvement with Dal’s Solar Car Team. She also noted the incredible student support offered to undergrads, and that despite being a STEM powerhouse, Dal was a place where people uplifted each other and actively eschewed more typical competitive instincts. She further illustrated this by walking me through the Dalhousie Engineering Capstone Conference happening in the massive lobby of their IDEA Building. Hundreds of seniors excitedly talked about their required year-long group projects to their peers and professors (and me). Energy and brilliance for days. 

And much of it seems to be tethered to the common good. It’s a place for problem solvers, for sure. As one senior administrator put it to me: “This is a place for people who give a s***.” I totally see it. Dal was recently ranked as one of the top 100 universities in the world for progress toward the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. 

The shape of the Dal experience is given further dimension by their sui generis neighbor: the University of King’s College. King’s is a closely associated university - and the two institutions enjoy a long standing and deeply intertwined relationship. 

King’s is essentially a small liberal arts college with about 800 undergraduate students. It has its own quad, its own housing. It’s as funky as the day is long. It’s scholarly, cerebral. Rebels and thinkers wanted. An intellectually rigorous, boutique experience. 

King’s is famed for their Foundation Year Program, which is a “great books” joyride for first-year students commencing with The Epic of Gilgamesh. Their bookstore is a real independent one that also serves the surrounding area, and is packed to the gills with workout gear for your brain (and classic rugby shirts). King’s is also home to one of Canada’s most venerable journalism programs, highlighting the inseparable relationship between critical thought and public expression. Their hottest social event of the year is Dante-themed - a three floor dorm party with a heaven, a hell, and a purgatory. On the whole: King’s is Canadian Reed. 

But truth be told, I struggled initially with how to pay proper homage to the connection between Dal and King’s. It is sort of a “best of both worlds” scenario; students at King’s can take classes at Dal, and vice versa. Many faculty teach at both, and there are for sure overlapping social worlds. Many facilities are shared. 

But let’s turn up the vibe with two stylish, lush allegories that I just couldn’t pick between: 

1.) King’s is the modish, lightly-tattooed aunt who lives in Williamsburg, works as a fundraising consultant, teaches free prenatal yoga classes, heavily favors wide-leg denim, and plays in a community badminton league in McCarren Park. She’s a well-read humanist, and the sage of the family. 

2.) King’s is the Best Supporting Actress who, despite being given less screen time, makes up for it with flawless delivery, a distinct point of view, and exceptional talent - thus elevating the whole film to masterpiece level. Paging Dianne Wiest. 

I think they're both apt. But however you put it, it’s a remarkable partnership - which equals a remarkably special opportunity for students. 

Now for the (happy) elephant in the room: Dal and King’s both benefit from a massive fiscal advantage versus many colleges in the US. When all is said and done, they cost just north of $40,000 (USD) per year for US citizens, depending on the division. Yes, I’m completely serious. As a reminder: Vanderbilt will soon cost $100,000 per year. So you could fly a private jet back and forth to Dal and eat Patrossian beluga for lunch every day and still come out way ahead. 

And lest we forget the surrounding roost: Halifax. Canada’s fastest growing city, and an emerging North American tech hub. Fun, cool, safe. Relatively affordable (compared to Boston and other coastal American hotspots). Global diversity everywhere. Incredible food. Totally walkable. Great art. And importantly: both Dal and King’s have enclosed campuses - so you get both city and community. 

And I find that it’s that community connection that a lot of young Americans are looking for right now - it indeed seems increasingly elusive for many. That intense but natural sense of belonging. Of being valued. Of being seen. Of being accepted. Of kindness. Of letting yourself be. Of letting other people be. 

I was at Dal and King’s for only four days, and even little old me felt that way. And it wasn’t just the super gay stairs - it’s what they told me; where they lead me. 

Dal and King’s feel like a rare and precious safe harbor - just north of the border, but totally within reach.