Dear everyone,
I am struggling to make a choice between these different schools. Indeed, I would like to go to the school which is going to offer the most opportunities, open the most doors.
I am an italian student looking to study either business or international relations.
For the moment Georgetown is my top choice because I know the McDonough School of Business is excellent and the school is very prestigious.
However, I am also considering my other options.
Indeed, Barnard would give me access to Columbia University while to being required to fulfill Columbia’s strict core. Though I have the possibility to take all my classes at Columbia, I am not sure Barnard as the same reputation as Columbia and will enable the same opportunities and be as recognized.
Northwestern is also a great option. Highly ranked and recognized, it would provide me with a liberal arts education while having access to the Kellogg School of Management.
USC is also excellent in Business but it seems to be less prestigious than my other options.
Lastly, McGill coud be a good option, especillay for Business as the Desautels school of commerce is the best of Canada.
In terms of social life and environment, all of these schools seem great.
Do you have any thoughts or advices ?? Which school do you think is the most recognized and prestigious and going to open the most doors ?
Thank you in advance for you help.
I would pick Northwestern.
All are great options for your intended major. I would say in terms of social scene, they are all pretty different. McGill’s social scene would be more off-campus events in the city. If you’re worried about Barnard’s reputation, I can assure you that it is pretty similar to Columbia’s- they have a great alumni network with many connections, and your diploma will even say Columbia University on it. If you want a more traditional college experience with a campus, social life, etc. I would say one of the schools in the US. Although McGill is great, you wouldn’t be as involved in a community like you would at the others. Hope this helps. Good luck!
I will say that a friend of my son’s chose to go to Georgetown just based on it’s prestige. He is looking to transfer, already. This isn’t to say that it’s not an excellent school , just that you shouldn’t get too caught up in going to a school because of someone’s idea of “prestige”.
S1 is going to Desautels. He is enjoying the friends he has made, and Montreal is general. The grading is brutal, though. Part of that is because he started in 2nd year(U1). You don’t want to be taking more than 4 core courses per term. Mix in a basket weaving course, though I bet mcGill would find a way to make that hard. Montreal would be the most European city that you will find in North America.
Northwestern is a really good school, in a nice part(a suburb, really, but a nice one) of an interesting city. A Big10 school without the annoying parts.
I don’t know about Barnard, but if it’s anything like Columbia it’s a great school. Rigor will also be very real there. There’s nothing like NYC…very exciting, but potentially tiring, place. I loved NYC when I lived there, though I expected to hate it. It’s certainly not a place you can be neutral on.
USC is very well regarded for just about anything, though I am ignorant about their business program. A local kid turned down Cornell and Dartmouth to go there, though it’s unknown how much of that decision had to do with the weather.
I don’t understand the comment above about McGill having having less of a community, unless your idea of community has to do with going to football and basketball games. I would say that McGill has more in common with Columbia than Columbia does with USC or Georgetown.
@57special : I wonder if Northwestern brochures will include your tagline: Northwestern–a Big 10 school without the annoying parts.
While DC is great for offering opportunities to US citizens, opportunities are rather limited for internationals. Many jobs are either with the Fed or companies mostly feeding on Federal contracts. They almost always require US citizenship and some even require security clearances.
The Kellogg certificate programs at Northwestern will offer the most advanced coursework along with the highest ranked economics department among the US colleges on your list (don’t know much about the Canadian system). If rigor and advanced coursework are what you are after, Northwestern is probably the best choice out of the US ones. Kellogg also has a 10-mo MS in management studies program only available to NU undergrads to apply.
Northwestern offers several certificate programs with Kellogg. Two certificates which each require 4 courses are:
Financial Economics Certificate & Managerial Analytics Certificate.
NU’s website has a nice chart which compares the two certificates.