<p>Got into both Johns Hopkins and McGill! I'm planning on majoring in bio and then going to med school. Personally, I prefer Johns Hopkins because it's smaller. McGill seems to be less personal, less student advising and that sort of thing. I also have to find out of campus housing after the first year. However, cost is an issue. As an international student with no aid, McGill is basically half the price of Johns Hopkins. My family isn't poor, and parents can afford to send me to Johns Hopkins. However, it's not easily affordable. Both schools have world famous biology departments and medical schools. The location of both are great. Johns Hopkins is near DC, and McGill in is Montreal. I took high school French for four years, so I can speak basic French. I don't think the French environment would be a big issue for me. Upperclassmen from my school have attended both, with great reviews. Anyone else facing this dilemma? What would you choose?</p>
<p>Congratulations on getting into two excellent schools. Now the big question is where do you plan to study medicine? And where do you plan to practice?</p>
<p>I know that it is difficult for international students to get into medical school, but I used to hold greencards for both the US and Canada. They’re expired now, but I’m hoping to recover them. Anyhow, the plan is to go to med school in the US or Canada and finish my residency where my med school is and get a few more years of experience as a practicing doctor. Then I’ll return to Shanghai, China and work at a hospital there. Many people at school (teachers, classmates) advise me to go to Johns Hopkins which has a greater name brand, saying that it’s worth the price. My parents are leaning towards sending me to McGill because it’s cheaper, and according to the “all powerful” QS rankings, McGill and Johns Hopkins are about the same. The alumni of my high school who went to Johns Hopkins are evidently having a great time. Lots of stress they say, but they wouldn’t trade it for anything else. I hear mixed reviews about McGill. My dad’s friends in Canada say that McGill is great, completely worth its price, one of the best names in Canada. My science teacher’s daughter who attends McGill loves it. The valedictorian in the year ahead of me at my school is having a pretty hard time at McGill. He feels marginalized by the French speaking environment, even though he took three years of French, and he hasn’t made any friends (a pretty popular, social guy in high school). He hates the cold weather too. It’s gotten so bad that he’s decided to transfer. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>I actually agree with your parents: I think McGill would be preferable in your case. It offers a great education at a reasonable price. Plus I would think med schools are much cheaper in Canada as well. Think how much you can do with the money you save: buy a great equipment for that medical practice you can open in China, travel the world, even get a really nice apartment in Montreal. It’s true that McGill’s college experience is a bit different from the college experience in the US. But many Americans thrive there, so take the stories of other people ‘having a pretty hard time’ with a grain of salt. That happens at every school, and I bet there are those at Johns Hopkins that are also looking to transfer, for whatever reason.</p>
<p>Go to McGill. Do you know how much med school costs? Save your parents the money and go there.</p>
<p>I’d pick McGill. If your parents lean towards McGill, it means they feel burdened for JHU. Also, Canadian residency is probably easy to get, regardless of your old GC. You may even earn it partially (I seem to recall that’s the case) just by living there for school. In the US, when it’s lost, you can’t just come back to recover the next day. You will have to restart the process, assuming the basis for your GC eligibility is still valid (e.g. if your dad is a US citizen).</p>
<p>It is a decision that only you and your parents, acting together, can make. Is Johns Hopkins a better school for what you want to do? Probably. With the possible exception of Harvard, there is no stronger name in medicine that Johns Hopkins. That’s not to put down McGill, but you are comparing a large public university with 26,000 undergraduates with a small private one with 4,800 undergraduates. That is a big difference, without even getting into the whole Quebec v. English speaking world thing. </p>
<p>But there is a big difference in cost as well. Is the difference worth it? That is very subjective. A Mercedes is more expensive than a Toyota. The Toyota will take you to the same places in the same amount of time. Is it worth spending more on the Mercedes? It is to some people, but not to others. Some people who drive Mercedes cars wouldn’t be caught dead in a Toyota. And visa versa.</p>
<p>If you can, it would be great if you and your parents could visit both places. And if you visit Hopkins, make sure you see both the Homewood campus (where the undergraduates are) and the Medical Campus (although you wouldn’t be based there, many undergraduates do research, volunteer work, and some take classes there). I’ve never met anyone interested in medicine who isn’t blown away.</p>