<p>Hi guys! I am stressing over the decision between these 2 universities. I haven't totally decided my major (either med or business), and I am intending to go to an Ivy League grad school. Any advice? Thx in advance.</p>
<p>considering i've never heard of mcgill, usc for sure ! =p</p>
<p>I was considering McGill Commerce and Biological sciences vs USC Marshall. This is the advice I got from my dad who did undergrad science at McGill and Dental School at Penn (the Ivy, not Penn State, btw):
McGill has always been known as the Harvard of Canada. Despite the recent slight decline in ranking due to the financial strangle by the French Quebec provincial government, it is still amongst the top three in Canada and its international reputation has not suffered at all. (By the way, due to an aggressive endowment campaign and awakening from the provincial government in recent years, there has been a resurgence and McGill reputation is rising in Canada again.) Every year, they still manage to attract a Canadian student body that possesses the highest GPA in Canada amongst all the Canadian universities. Scores of bright students from the U.S. north-eastern region go there, attracted by the bargain prize tag for the excellent academic education that is often regarded as equal to that of Cornell's caliber.
If I were to plan on graduate schools or professional schools and not for looking for a job right out of college. McGill is the school. It offers a new experience, exposures to a new culture, different perspectives on world issues. By choosing to walk a different path, it also demonstrate a sense of adventure, and innovativeness. These are qualities a top grad schools would look for. In combo with a first class education, you will make a very attractive candidate.
Since I plan to go to a top US MBA program, getting a very impressive work experience is crucial. My dad reluctantly advised me against McGill since he is worried about me being outside the country will make it harder for me to set up network and connections to jobs within US.
I hope this is helpful.</p>
<p>BTW. There are a lot of business top executives, such as CEO, COO and CTO of some biotech firms, Sony entertainment, accountant firms such as Price Waterhouse and Ebay,etc. that are patients of my dad. He has been picking their brains about this and he was consistently told that all the world class top firms are very aware of McGill's reputation and would do international recruitment all the time. Job placement will not be a problem. But for internship inside the US, I would have to do all the legwork myself, or rely on my family's connections. McGill will not have any US internship leads as in other US schools. And internships are important and very instrumental in landing a good job.</p>
<p>Thx so much bioeng, its very helpful!! BTW, just wondering, is Mcgill easier to transfer to the Ivys than USC?</p>
<p>That I can't tell. But my dad often says if he hadn't gone to McGill, he probably wouldn't get into Penn.
Noticing you are an international, I shall tell you this. My dad was a foreign student from Hong Kong. When he was applying to the professional schools, that was the era of the late 70's when admission rate to medical schools and dental schools are in the ratio of hundreds to one and only the cream of the crops dared to even try. Unlike nowadays that there are lots more diversions to MBA's and stuff. Back then, the golden financial route was medical professions and MBA was for the ones who can't quite make it. At that time, a lot of medical professional schools wouldn't even consider any foreign applicant. Under that backdrop, my dad was able to get into some Canadian and US medical schools and dental schools. That is-applying as a foreign student from Canada into these US schools. You can draw your own conclusion as to how the US schools view the degree from McGill. As a transfer, you might have the same regards from the Ivy's.
I can tell you another example. One of our family friend's son just transfered to Harvard from Cal Poly from San Luis Obispo last year as a junior. Cal Poly is the California public state university system, not even as well respected as the UC's. I think if you do well and convey your reason for transfer convincingly, you can transfer to anywhere from anywhere.</p>
<p>We are almost in the same shoe, bioeng. Thx again 4 ur advice, After reading ur post, I am leaning more toward Mcgill. But I am afraid of the weather and USC is offering me more scholarship than Mcgill. so...huge dilemma there.....BTW, have u made ur decisions yet?</p>