Gibson's Guide to Graduate and Professional Programs at Ontario Universities

Alexander D. Gregor is Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at the
University of Manitoba.

Gibson’s Guide is an annual publication aimed at both prospective
students and educational counselors. The author has had direct
experience in both university teaching and admissions, and brings to the
book an obvious understanding of graduate and professional programs;
and, just as important, an understanding of the types of information a
student needs in order to make an informed choice of program and
institution, and then wend his or her way through the largely
unchartered terrain of application and admission.

Besides providing comprehensive profiles of the individual institutions
in the Ontario system (including programs offered, services and
facilities, financial aid, contact people, etc.), the book provides
excellent overviews of the general and specific characteristics of the
major professional programs (Business, Education, Engineering, Law,
Library and Information Science, Life Sciences, and Social Work), as
well as the general character and expectations of graduate research
programs (usefully subdivided into the Humanities, Social Sciences, Life
Sciences, and Physical Sciences).

In addition to presenting specific information, the author does a very
nice job of discussing the various options that face any student
considering this next move, and providing a reasonable basis for
deciding whether those various options really match the student’s
interests and plans. This very effective broad-brush overview of choices
and options makes the book something every prospective graduate and
professional student should read. The more specific information, from
interdisciplinary options to teaching assistantships, will make the road
a little smoother for even the most confident and sophisticated
applicant.