My 17 year old son recently got accepted into two very good universities, University of Alberta and McGill University to do kinesiology. He has a difficult time deciding which one to take up the offer for and he needs some help in deciding. This will be his first time away from home and he usually performs well academically. Sometimes he needs a little push from me, but anything he puts his mind to, he will accomplish it. Can anyone give me some reasons why he should accept one university over the other? Thanks.
I think the biggest differences will be the social aspects of the universities and the cities where each university is located. Edmonton is cold but sunny; Vancouver is much warmer in the winter, but also rainier and darker. UBC is bigger, though UofA is not particularly small. Your son probably cannot go wrong with either school. I’d suggest he should choose the one where he thinks he’ll be happier attending–from the social and cultural (and climate) perspective. That’s my quick answer, on very little facts about your son’s preferences and family context (e.g., where you live right now).
Knowing where you are from would help in terms of having a better sense regarding what you don’t already know. My apologies if I say things that are already obvious to you. Also, I don’t know anything about the kinesiology program at either school.
Both are very good universities. Both are very strong for a LOT of majors. Both will be academically challenging.
McGill is very well known worldwide. Someone I know well went there, found it quite challenging, loved it, did very well, and said (regarding the challenge) “You have to want to do it”. McGill is known for “grade deflation”, meaning that A’s are very hard to come by. Apparently some people do manage to get A’s there, and if you do well there you will learn an enormous amount and will graduate with a degree that is respected worldwide.
One issue with McGill is that it is in a bilingual city in an officially French province. You don’t need any French at all to go to McGill. Not only is McGill a relatively large English university, but it is very close to an even larger English university (Concordia), and not all that far from a traditionally relatively English part of Montreal (Westmount). Therefore, the part of Montreal where McGill is located contains a lot of people who are capable of speaking English fluently. However, speaking some French will enhance a student’s experience living in Montreal for four years. In my experience if I walk into a restaurant or store and at least start speaking a little French, they will switch to English (which may give a hint regarding the quality of my French) and appear to give me credit and perhaps better service for having at least tried to speak French.
A lot of people like Montreal a lot. There is a lot to do there, including quite a bit of music and cultural and social events.
I don’t know Edmonton as well. It is my impression that the winters there can be quite cold. I am not sure what effect the downturn in the oil industry has had on Edmonton. I did quite like Edmonton when I visited however (in July a LONG time ago, and in April a few years ago). U. of Alberta is also a very strong and very well regarded university, and very well known in Canada although not quite as famous as McGill on a worldwide basis.
If you are not from Canada, then you might want to know that getting a four year degree from any Canadian university also allows a person to apply for and get a three year work permit.
Congratulations! My niece has just completed her 2nd year at UBColumbia. She’s been very happy there, tho cold (compared to toasty HI). Sounds like both are great Us–has your S visited both?
I sort of spaced out in my prior message–substituting UBC for McGill. I agree with the prior two comments in this thread. UofA and McGill are both excellent universities, though McGIll is more well-known outside of Canada than the Univ. of Alberta is. For most career paths in Canada (and probably outside of Canada too), my guess is that there would be little difference between the two universities, in terms of the opportunities afforded by graduating from either school. So, I would think the decision would (as per my original message) properly come down to which city and which school seemed like the best fit for cultural/social and climate reasons.
He visited McGill in Montreal for a science fair and he liked it there that is why he applied to McGill. We never visited Edmonton or University of Alberta before.
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. The weather is not a deterrent for him because we live up North where it is still in the minus celsius in the middle of May. So, frankly, anywhere is warmer. I like McGill for the French setting. I would like him to learn the language. However, I am worried that it might not be very friendly since the students are so competitive. I wonder if he will get discouraged if he does not get the A’s and I also believe that since he is not very organized a less competitive environment might suit him better. I do appreciate your answer and it give me something to think about. Thanks.
Kinesiology should not be a particularly competitive program at either school. But McGill does attract many competitive students. He will probably find more students from the North and the prairies at UA. There will be more students from Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes at McGill. I would choose partially on whether he prefers Eastern vs Western Canada.
MCGill is considered to be the “better” school, but U of A is just fine. I’m guessing that U of A might be less rigorous, but I could be completely wrong, as i don’t know much about Kinesiology. It really depends on where your son will fit in best. U of A would be less of an adjustment culturally…Montreal can be a great city, but it’s not for everyone. Both Unis are right in the middle of the city, for the most part, and both have a lot going on. I wouldn’t call McGill impersonal, but U of A a might be a bit friendlier…certainly less foreign. It depends if he is up for a bit of adventure, or would do better in more familiar surroundings.
BTW, S1 is contemplating going to McGill. We live just south of you in Minnesota. I have lived in both Edmonton and Montreal in the past. I still have family in MTL, so he would have the comfort of some familiar faces if he goes there.