Let me be real with you…read more This school will break you where you need to be broken and they will rebuild you stronger than you ever thought you could be. The 1 star reviews are entitled teens who refused to learn real life lessons and chose to complain rather than grow as people. As a farm kid, I absolutely blossomed because I knew how to roll up my sleeves and pick myself back up. This was the best experience of my life. I walked in here, assuming I could match my 98% average from school. Nope. I broke down, hard. That little number, a grade, defined who I was and it was shattered on the floor. I learned that I was more than a number. THAT was the lesson. Then I was given more work than I could reasonably complete. I broke down, again. Hard. I learned to prioritize, schedule, and say "no". THAT was the lesson. Then, I had a major personality clash with a professor. I learned to live in her silly world rather than rage and force my own views. THAT was the lesson. Then, life outside of school hit me harder than I could handle. The moment I reached out, student services and every single professor was immediately there for me. I learned I was never alone, that adjustments would be made, and that it would always be okay. Also, their student services team is always open and helps with anything you can think of. They literally counselled myself, my partner, and our toddler, helped me find and apply for scholarships, and have a small food bank. Just walk in. Anytime. You can even schedule it if you want to. There is a thriving, welcoming queer community, neurodivergent community, people in their 40's, teens, parents, everyone artistic or techy. It really is an oasis out there. Lastly, I never really write reviews. Actually, most successful alumni here don't, simply because they're too busy with their careers - perhaps why this rating is low. People say "scam" because their entitlement was shattered the moment they realized this isn't a pay to win ticket with cute little grading systems. You're not a number here. You're a person. They will prepare you for the real world. I recommend CATO to anyone up for the challenge. Sincerely, A 3D animation grad from 2021 (currently working on Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight)

DO NOT LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE THE RESULTS THAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR…read more I see many reviews about CATO saying it is a scam/waste of money/rip off, etc... Well let me tell you my success with CATO I attended CATO in January 2018 for the 1 year Network Administrator program. 12 months later I graduated in December 2018. I am 3 months into 2019 and I have my CATO diploma and currently work as Desktop IT Support for a Texas oil and gas corporation downtown Alberta. My entry level pay is $25/hour which will only increase as I gain more experience and certifications. CATO will help you learn everything you need to get your foot into the IT industry. The student loans can be paid off quite quickly with the amazing pay of being an IT professional. You can work anywhere in the world, I've had interviews with companies in Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Miami Flordia, Houston Texas, Hungary, and even London UK. Ended up landing the Texas oil and gas job. I have never been happier.. attending CATO was the best decision of my life. So if you are debating on going to CATO, please don't let the bad reviews turn you off. It is not CATO's fault that a student did not succeed. It is ultimately up to the student whether or not she/he wants to succeed. That applies to any College or University on the planet. It is always up to the student how bad they want to succeed. Please reach out to me if you have any questions about the school, about the program and about my professional career path. You can reach me @ adammartonbeke@gmail.com Sincerely, A former CATO student

Feels like a fancy high school in the US, this campus has some good things like a killer outdoors…read moreclub and a medical school.

The campus itself is pretty nice, there are some great professors and good programs; however, UBCO…read moremakes me sick with the amount of money they try to get from students. For example, in the summer, on weekends and nights you still have to pay for parking, even if you have purchased a gym pass. It is expensive - min 45 a month - which is more than the cost of the gym membership itself. The dining options at the school are garbage as well. The majority of the places on campus are run by Aramark, which means they almost all have the same quality and menu with slight differences and they are all hilariously mismanaged - the employees are under-trained and not expected to work hard (except for the "keep it rocking" guy at green thread, he's awesome. In addition, the food is expensive and there are almost no healthy and tasty options. Another problem with the school is the Student Union, although it has gotten better in the last year or so, they were known for being super corrupt and wasting student money on things like breakfasts at the expensive gulfstream restaurant for the whole union multiple times a year. In addition they have been accused of "misplacing" thousands of student dollars, in which they did not uncover the use of the funds and nothing was done about it to my knowledge. On the positive, the school has some great clubs and programs (like the co-op program which landed me a dream job), and, at least in my experience, was overall a positive place to grow and learn. The professors are mostly easy to talk to and knowledgeable and will help students if asked. I enjoyed my time here growing and becoming the person I am now. In the future, they are planing to expand and hopefully this will solve some of the problems I discussed. In conclusion, the school has lots of positives, but they do not care about students and are focused on one thing - money. In my 4 years here I have learned this school is pretty overrated because it is a "UBC" school. I would recommend it if you want to move to Kelowna as the city is beautiful and has lots to offer as far as nature goes, but otherwise you may as well get an undergrad at a cheaper school that is more focused on students and accommodating them, rather than increasing student pop., making money and competing with the Vancouver Campus.