<p>I have to choose between McGill and Northwestern U for next fall. I've been accepted into Arts at McGill and the College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern. I'm a francophone student from the US.</p>
<p>Some issues I weigh heavily:
*Graduate schools in the US--how does McGill do placing its students from Arts (NOT management or sciences) in US grad school programs? How is McGill seen? Does it make sense to switch to one faculty over another?</p>
<p>*Northwestern campus culture--I've never visited the campus (oops! not from the mid-west). Are students happy? Proud? Immature? Be brutally honest!</p>
<p>Could someone familiar with the two schools flesh out some of the trade-offs?</p>
<p>McGill’s well known by US grad schools, no matter the faculty, so from that perspective, going to McGill is not going to hinder you toward that goal. Your undergraduate university does not play a major role in your grad school application, you do. The degree you have, the grades you get, the classes you take, the recommendation letters you obtain, those are important. Whether the diploma comes from Northwestern or McGill is essentially irrelevant. </p>
<p>For Northwestern campus culture, you better ask the Northwestern board.</p>
<p>it seems as though from visitng and talking to mcgill students, the mcgill campus culture is alive and the city’s culture is vibrant so you really cant ask for more. plus when telling doctors, teachers, family friends, etc that I am going to McGill they were more impressed than when I told them about WashU or Georgetown</p>
<p>Can’t go wrong with either of these schools. NW is one of the best and most difficult schools to get into in the US. Very, very underrated. McGill is arguable the best and most recognized school in Canada. Additionally, you are looking at Big Ten atmosphere in Evanston, Illinois (not Chi) vs. Non-NCAA in downtown Montreal. Very different atmospheres indeed, but both are very good schools. I don’t think you will find too many people on the McGill forums complaining about level of happiness and quality of life in Montreal, but I agree with blobof to look at the NW forums.</p>
<p>I disagree that undergrad degree doesn’t matter. It does, as much as well like to think it doesn’t I have heard first hand that it very much does. When comparing 4.0 vs. 4.0 student from McGill vs. X-State U, they will most likely choose McGill because of the rigorous reputation. However, this is not the case here, NW is a great school too and the name goes far in grad schools as long as you do well.</p>
<p>you should visit both. the campus and student culture at these two schools is vastly different, and it’s almost unthinkable that you would choose between them without having a clear sense of those differences and which one suits you better.</p>
<p>it is possible to get that clear sense through doing a lot of reading and web research, or through visiting. why not visit? the few hundred dollars a visit would cost is as nothing compared to the 4 years and mucho $$ you will spend at one of them.</p>
<p>“Are students happy? Proud? Immature?”</p>
<p>Silly questions. There are plenty of students at both schools who can be described by these adjectives. Go visit. Sit in on some classes in your proposed major. Decide where you will feel more at home, or more challenged, or more supported, or more of whatever you most want for the next four years.</p>
<p>I attended McGill. Before that, I lived in Chicago for multiple years.</p>
<p>One of the biggest differences between McGill and Northwestern is the surrounding city:</p>
<ul>
<li>Evanston is one of the nicest parts of Chicagoland. That said, it isn’t completely safe. Still, you’re probably going to want to go into the city, so Chicago proper is also relevant. Comparing Montr</li>
</ul>
<p>That is not what I said. I said university of undergrad does not play a major role, big difference. Of course, all other things being equal, prestigious school wins over hick college. You can’t say that for McGill and Northwestern because they’re both highly regarded universities. And all other things are never equal for grad school applications. There’s always a difference somewhere between two candidates in one of the other factors I mentioned (particularly in the recommendations). It’s never the school name that gives you the edge.</p>
<p>I still disagree based on people I’ve spoken to. For instance, a committee member for the MD/PHD program at the school I work at interviewed a kid with a 4.0 from a SUNY school and a kid with a 3.7 at NYU and she clearly favored the NYU kid because “the NYU courseload was undoubtedly more difficult”. This is just one example of several I have heard of in many graduate fields. Either way, it does happen but the weight they give you varies largely. Instead of arguing, lets agree to advise the kid to get a 3.9/4.0 which would put them in a great position to do whatever they want.</p>
<p>But was it the school name or the courseload that made the difference? </p>
<p>Honestly, I’d be wary of a 4.0 because that’s indicative of grade inflation. I don’t know a single Governor General’s medal winner at McGill who had a 4.0, and I know a few (in fact, I recall Columbia rejecting one of them for grad school, the guy went to Harvard, his first choice anyway; just to show you that graduate admission is more complex than GPA and school name, it can be very esoteric…). McGill is certainly not known for grade inflation. Chances of having 3.9 are low… If the OP can get a 3.9 at either McGill or Northwestern, he’d be able to get into most grad schools.</p>
<p>I should add that I intend to study economics and chinese. Money isn’t a factor, but NU’s tuition is outrageous compared to McGill’s. Also, never say a 4.0 is impossible! Caffeine and a spartan work ethic can do it.</p>
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