Hey y’all,
I’ve narrowed down my choices to these two schools. I am full pay at both (I might have to take some out loans at Colby, not really sure yet), and plan on studying something in the humanities (probably Philosophy or Government or maybe even minoring in Music) and going to Grad/Law school, possibly going for a PhD. I’d really like to learn a new language in college and study abroad as well.
I am a guy from NYC who would likes to play music, write/read, hike/ski, and have long conversations about philosophy and politics. I also play ultimate, and would like to continue with that in college, and possibly play some intramural soccer or baseball.
I did the ASP at Colby and had a good time. I made friends with some really nice people, and was surprised to see that there was some pretty decent diversity (actually it seemed better than McGill…) and that not everyone was an athlete, although there were a ton of them (I think 1/3?). I was a little concerned that there might not be an intellectual atmosphere, but I feel that I could probably find my people while also having a good time and leaving my comfort zone. Everyone was so nice and seemed genuinely happy to have us there. I didn’t like the administrators though, they seemed a little precious and fake-concerned. I tried to ask about transferring credits and was basically told to wait until I got there, which was pretty unacceptable. There were some prepsters, but I didn’t feel like more than 1/4 of the kids were visibly preppy WASP types (which I am a little weirded out by). Overall I liked it a lot, and could totally imagine myself there even if I don’t fit the stereotype.
I also visited McGill and loved Montreal as a city, although I wasn’t thrilled by the McGill campus (kinda dirty/cramped, tons of construction). I was also really concerned with the huge class sizes, especially as a humanities person. The combination of low GPAs with crappy advising services/support made me a little wary. However, I cannot tell you how much I loved Montreal. Although I initially was very drawn to LACs because I want to live at least one part of my life not in a city, Montreal really seems like a whole new world. Also, learning French, while a challenge, seems like it could be a cool and transferable skill within the humanities, especially in academia. I feel like McGill would really be jumping into the deep end, and I could either thrive or completely collapse.
So this is my choice, between a college I know would be fun and an amazing education, with a greater rate of success, or a university which is really sink-or-swim, but which has one of the best cities in North America right there as well as a great social scene and a new language to learn.