<p>Hey, I am an international student from the Netherlands and now face a problem which I simply can not get my head around. Ive been accepted to University of British Colombia, University of Michigan (at Ann Arbour), McGilland University of Manchester for Chemical Engineering but I really have no idea where i should go. Here is what I think of the universities:</p>
<p>Michigan: prestigious but very expensive (and in a way intimidating due to its size)
UBC: Great campus (really close to the mountains too so can snowboard often), not too expensive but not cheap either,
McGill: yet again prestigious but expensive and its in Quebec?
Manchester: again good university, cheap, close to Amsterdam (home/family) but not good gut feeling and campus isnt great either</p>
<p>It probably shows in the descriptions I gave of the universities but like I said, I really have no clue where I should go. Like always all the universities have their pros and cons. Personally, Im leaning towards Michigan and UBC but again, I can't decide which one. UBC is willing to give more financial aid which is a plus but I have no idea how Michigan is in giving financial aid to international students (although i do not know if i count as international or out of state. They sent me my acceptance with information for international students but I do have an American passport). Any information on the universities and help is appreciated.</p>
<p>UBC is larger than Michigan, and McGill is only a touch smaller [than Mich]. I don’t really know about Manchester, but the other three are large schools. Michigan, McGill, and UBC all have very strong reputations (at least here in the US). They are all great institutions.</p>
<p>Michigan has 40,000 students, as do Manchester and UBC. McGill has 32,000 students. I am not sure why Michigan is any more intimidating than the other three. All four schools are large.</p>
<p>Michigan is expensive, but they also spend a lot more money on facilites upgrades and cutting edge research. Michigan has an endowment three times larger than UBC, McGill and Mangester combined and its operating budget of $5 billion. Does that translate into a better education? Probably not. However, the extra money is put to use.</p>
UBC with 36,630 undergrad crowded on a small campus is quite a bit bigger than Michigan(26,000); while Manchester(27,300) and McGill(24,000) are about the same.</p>
<p>Michigan’s campus (not counting the arboretum) is more than three times larger than UBC’s.</p>
<p>p.s. You are considered domestic out-of-state, thus eligible for financial aids. File your FAFSA asap if you haven’t done that already. However you might have filed the wrong application (international), hence the international info with your admission notification. You should have filed the domestic application and stated that you are US citizen. If that’s the case, you should correct that asap as it will affect your financial aids (international students not eligible for financial aids).</p>
<p>UBC does have excellent engineering, I know that much. As a Canadian student who is planning on doing engineering, I got a lot of encouragement to go there (heading South instead). It seems like a very fun program, has a lot of traditions and whatnot. Vancouver is as nice a city as you’re going to find too.</p>
<p>McGill, I can’t vouch for their engineering. But my brother attends, it is a good school, and Montreal is an amazing city culturally. But be prepared for cold. It can be about 30 degrees celsius colder than Vancouver in winter.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I dunno why i was intimidated it might have also been the reputation of Michigan (as I knew Michigan long before any of the others). Anyway the money is one of the biggest problems for me. Will I be missing out on a lot if i go to UBC instead of Michigan. Is my education going to any less or are my chances for a transfer (possible to an even better University) in the future going to be less at one university than the other? I really don’t know the system too well in the US and Canada (unlike Europe which i have a clearer understanding of) don’t want the lack of knowledge to affect my choices in a negative way.</p>
<p>UBC is a very well regarded university and has a well regarded Engineering program. It does not have the international reputation that Michigan or McGill have, but it does not mean it is not excellent. You can definitely get a great education at any of the four universities you are considering. So, if money is a concern, I would recommend either McGill or UBC.</p>