<p>Ok so I've been accepted to Gtown (the college) and I plan on studying government/political science but I dont qualify for financial aid but my parents are going through somewhat of a rough economic time.</p>
<p>I got a full tuition scholarship at Mcgill in Canda so it is between 56k/year versus roughyl 10k per year (because of room and board)</p>
<p>Any thoughts on what I should do?</p>
<p>McGill is surely a fine school but in terms of location and name recognition Georgetown certainly stands higher. Paying 46k less each year adds up to 184k in 4 years. If your family could put away that kind of money, perhaps it can even pay for MA if you are planning on getting one in the future. </p>
<p>If your parents will have a hard time paying so much, or if paying means getting you indebted, I would certainly choose McGill.If you will do well there, the graduate schools will most certainly see it and Georgetown would not make much of a difference. I regret, however, that you have to make this type of difficult decision.</p>
<p>McGill University is just as prestigious as Georgetown, if not more. If you have the chance to go there, do not hesitate…even if they’d give you so much aid.
On the ranking of Times Higher Education Supplement, McGill ranks 20th IN THE WORLD while georgetown ranks only 110th. I know it’s just a ranking, but it supports my point that McGill is renowned. I have a friend who goes there and loves it. I dont know whats the problem with its location. Its right int he middle, in the heart of Montreal which is a vibrant city. Its not in the USA, but Canada is not overseas…
I don’t think that its worth 150,000 dollars not to attend McGill-I hope you get my point. McGill is the harvard of Canada. Dont miss it.</p>
<p>Okay, as a Canadian citizen who was accepted to both universities, I would say that there is not even a comparison in quality.</p>
<p>To get into Georgetown one needs great ECs, recs, grades, SATs, and recommendations. To get into McGill one does not even submit recs, SATs, or essays. Moreover, McGill basically accepts individuals completely based on marks.</p>
<p>The fact that Georgetown requires so much more application material than McGill is indicative of the difference in quality between these two institutions. Yes, McGill is ranked higher because of its larger size and stronger graduate programs but for an undergraduate education Georgetown is far superior.</p>
<p>Brown14 - you MUST apply for financial aid from Georgetown even if you think you don’t qualify (maybe you do - sounds like there is a need). File your FAFSA and CSS/PROFILE in January and follow the instructions on Georgetown’s financial aid website: [Georgetown</a> University :: Office of Student Financial Services](<a href=“http://finaid.georgetown.edu/formsug.htm]Georgetown”>http://finaid.georgetown.edu/formsug.htm) </p>
<p>University ranking is not as important as “fit” - follow your heart even if you have to take loans. For example, I would turn down Penn in favor of Georgetown after visits to each campus. GU just felt right for me. This a huge decision for you but don’t make it without knowing your GU financial aid offer … good luck!</p>
<p>^well, although I do realize that after a certain point rank does not make much difference - such as something ranked 9th vs. school ranked 17th- I think in this case the gap is very large. In terms of name recognition and employment opportunities Georgetown is hard to beat with a degree from McGill.</p>
<p>Are you Canadian? What do you want to do after graduation? Really, this is a choice only you can make, and those are only two of the many relevant questions. If going to Georgetown means taking on the cost difference in student loans, then I’d say you probably shouldn’t do it. Yes, Georgetown is a great school (and better than McGill for political science generally speaking), but 180k in debt is a humongous burden.</p>
<p>If you’re desperate to get a policy job in DC, your chances coming out of McGill don’t look so good (particularly when compared to GU), but if you are shooting for that policy gig, it’ll take you a decade to make back that 180k. If you’re aiming for law school or some such, go to McGill and save to pay those big law school bills. Anyway, it’s hard to give advice that generalizes well, but I will once again say that I have a hard time envisioning a situation where it would be worth 180k in debt to go to GU over McGill.</p>
<p>Georgetown offers the kind of opportunities that McGill cannot. Being in DC, one has so much internship as well as volunteer opportunities.</p>
<p>Moreover, talking to my friends at McGill, classes are far larger there and there is far less emphasis on an individual student. As well, McGill is far more of a party environment where it is in general far less academic.</p>
<p>I have know idea of your financial background so it is impossible to answer your question, but in terms of quality of undergraduate education Georgetown is considerably superior to McGill.</p>
<p>Just wondering,are you a Canadian citizen and non-UScitizen/permanent resident? What are the reasons that you don’t qualify for financial aid from Georgetown? Maybe you’re talking about federal aid (which internationals don’t qualify for), but you should most definitely qualify for aid from the college if you apply for it.</p>
<p>Brown14 - why not call the Georgetown financial aid ofice and talk to someone there about your situation? I’m sure they would be very helpful…</p>