<p>Hi Everyone, I'm a Canadian in a US high school who has been accepted to most of my colleges. Michigan, UIUC, McGill, Toronto, and UBC are the big ones, but I think I will either be attending Toronto and McGill due to the huge tuition differences between the US and Canadian schools.</p>
<p>I'm just wondering if anyone has any opinions on which would be a better fit for me?</p>
<p>McGill:
Good engineering program, and the school as a whole is probably the most well-known Canadian college. Montreal is a pretty awesome city, and the atmosphere there looks amazing. However, most people there will be speaking french, which I do not know, so I would assume that could be a problem. I was admitted into their ECE program.</p>
<p>Toronto:
Not as internationally well-known as McGill, but ranked much higher in engineering. A very different city than Montreal, but I've been there also, and I loved it. I was accepted into their Track One program, which is one of the biggest draws because I am undecided in what kind of engineering I want to do. I only hesitate when it comes to Toronto because I hear that they keep their grades artificially low, and that could be a problem since I intend on going to graduate school.</p>
<p>Any suggestions? Any feedback is welcome :)</p>
<p>UofT has a great academic reputation. Fewer random Americans on the Eastern Seaboard have heard of it, but I don’t see that affecting you.</p>
<p>The curves at UofT are supposedly harsh. I can see that as a good or bad thing, depending on your perspective. I’ll PM you a link that might be useful.</p>
<p>Ah, thanks :)</p>
<p>Well, I’m leaning slightly toward Toronto, just because I think the city would be a better fit for me. Would choosing a college just because of the campus/city be a mistake?</p>
<p>Hi, I’m a first year engineering student at McGill. Both are very good schools I would say, so I wouldn’t let academics decide it for you. Choose which school you think will give you a better overall university experience. That’s the best advice anyone could give to you. I chose McGill because I love Montreal and love the bass music scene here. Somehow, a lot of people think that French is essential in Montreal…that’s not true (from experience). Montrealers are mostly bilingual, and around the downtown/McGill area - almost everything is English. If you’re looking for the absolute “top” school, then U of T is the place for you - or better yet; Waterloo for the amazing job opportunities. It’s up to you.</p>
<p>I feel like Toronto seems like a better fit for me, but I’m still considering montreal just because I hear it’s a great city and I might want to try something new.</p>
<p>For McGill, is it possible to change majors within engineering? Say, between Electrical and Mechanical? A big reason that I’m slightly leaning toward Toronto is because I got into their Track One program, which lets me declare my major after first year.</p>
<p>Yes you can do that. Just make sure you apply for the “General Engineering Program”, where you take the same courses as every engineer but you declare majors at the end of the year. Though, make sure you get at least a 3.0 GPA - then your choice is guaranteed.</p>
<p>Ok, officially rejected from UCB today. </p>
<p>Now I’ve really got to make a choice. What would you guys suggest? I don’t really think visiting in a possibility, so I’ve got to make a decision just from what I know.</p>
<p>There isn’t a wrong choice here…I’d just follow your intuition.</p>
<p>yeah im a first year engineering student at uoft…you really cant go wrong here.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>In first year this is somewhat true. However as ive been told by older students profs will allow higher averages after first year if they do occur. </p>
<p>The bell curve in engineering will only help you since the averages are usually low. But a lower average in engineering is true of just about any Canadian school.</p>
<p>Dont worry about the whole grades thing like i said this is engineering its not going to be easy anywhere you go.</p>
<p>Alright, thanks. I’m sure both are great schools and I can’t go wrong with whatever I choose. :D</p>
<p>Really leaning toward Toronto now…</p>
<p>Should I accept now? Or wait for residence offers?</p>
<p>University of Toronto engineering vs McGill engineering compared to Waterloo engineering?</p>
<p>UofT is pretty good, but they make you take a year-long course called engineering strategies and practices - or ESP - in first year. Sounds cool, but hardly anybody likes it. Some really, really hate it. Really. Be warned. Tons of work too. Some students work all night to finish the assignments. And the marking often seems unfair. Depends on whether the TA likes you. And you have to sit in group meetings that drag on and on. But McGill doesn’t have that course, which makes it a better place imo.</p>
<p>McGill’s course names seem boring, but if you read the course descriptions, you’ll see they teach basically the same stuff.</p>
<p>McGill is much cheaper than UofT. UofT gives pretty good scholarships, but after first year, they get much smaller. It’s a trick to snag you.</p>
<p>McGill gets a higher score overall from students on ratemyprofessor.com. The individual prof ratings are mixed for both universities.</p>
<p>Waterloo’s biggest draw is RIM, but RIM is in trouble these days. Anyone know if they still hire students?</p>
<p>Waterloo is an all co-op program. You might have to find work in other cities every work term. I’ve heard you have to move around a lot, which can be a pain. Anyone know about this?</p>
<p>What I think:
- Waterloo if you want co-op and don’t mind moving around. They have a great reputation too.
- McGill if you want excellence at a good price.
- Toronto if you already live there, if you can afford it, and if you can tolerate their infamous ESP course for a full year. Avoid engineering science unless you are a masochist and want your ego crushed.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yeah on second thought go to mcgill…the above is not lying about pulling all nighters for this course its complete bs. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>lol I agree…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yeah guy from high school landed a job in toronto for electrical engineering. So yeah you do have to do some moving around. On the plus side its pretty legit some of the jobs they land.</p>
<p>Hmm, the ESP thing is just one year though. Is it really that much of a game changer to not go there at all? </p>
<p>As for cost, the cost difference is nothing compared to if I go to a U.S. school. So it’s not that big of a factor in my decisions. </p>
<p>I was already slightly leaning toward Toronto. I’ve never heard of this ESP course, but I don’t know much about McGill either. Hmm, my decision just got harder…</p>
<p>Montreal has two English universities, McGill and Concordia. The combined student population is over 80,000. That’s 80,000 English-speaking people you might bump into.</p>
<p>Engineering is lots of work, so you may end up being too busy to care which city you live in.</p>
<p>How to decide? Be like an engineer and list all the pros and cons of each choice on a spreadsheet. Give each a weight and a positive or negative value. If you don’t like the result, just fudge the numbers!</p>
<p>Also, look up each u on wikipedia.</p>
<p>Fun facts and figures:
UofT and McGill have about the same number of Nobel prize winners.
University of Guelph is popular, and they have an engineering program.
Queens is well respected. It’s in Kingston, on Lake Ontario. There’s also a great penitentiary there too.</p>
<p>I have considered the pros and cons of each university, and just from what I know, I’m leaning toward Toronto. However, I feel like I should be a lot more knowledgeable before I accept an offer, and visiting isn’t really an option. </p>
<p>Thanks for all the feedback, though. It’s been a great help! Any more suggestions are also welcome :D</p>
<p>If you explain more about what your opinion is based on, you might get more forum comments. E.g. You could say that your decision is based on the following (I’m just guessing):</p>
<p>McGill:
well-known +2
awesome city +3
atmosphere +2
speaking french -5</p>
<p>Toronto:
Not as internationally well-known as McGill -2
ranked much higher in engineering +4
I’ve been there also, and I loved it +5
Track One program + ? (McGill has something similar?) ±?
they keep their grades artificially low -5</p>
<p>That’s just an example. What I mean is, the more specific you are, the easier it is for other people to relate to what you are saying, and give you advice.</p>
<p>Just an update. I ended up deciding to accept the offer from Toronto. Thank you guys for all the help! Very excited :D</p>
<p>Hey. Congrats about Toronto.</p>
<p>If I may ask, what was the deciding factor?</p>
<p>My niece is considering both these schools also. </p>
<p>If you could give us some input on the “social” aspects of each school that would be greatly appreciated–for instance, school spirit, clubs, student activities, friendliness of the campus as a whole, is the area around each campus student friendly, etc Thanks!</p>
<p>There wasn’t really one deciding factor. I just sat and thought about everything, and decided that Toronto would be the better fit for me. Both are great schools, but I guess something just really made me gravitate more toward Toronto. </p>
<p>I can’t give much input on the social aspect of each school, I only know limited knowledge from what I hear. There’s not too much school spirit at Toronto, but being a city school, there’s obviously a ton to do. Mcgill is in Montreal, which is one of the nicest cities with the friendliest people. One of the big draws when I was considering both schools.</p>