<p>Trying to decide between McGill Engineering (General, thinking of going into Chemical the year after) and U of T's EngSci program.
Here's the catch: McGill's offering me a $60 000 scholarship over 4 years, as compared to U of T's measly $2000 one-time-only award.
I'd love to hear experiences from people in these programs right now to help me decide. Thanks!</p>
<p>Trust me, choose McGill. First off, EngSci is super tough, and in your first two years, you’re going to have to take courses in subjects that are completely unrelated to your intended field (e.g. abstract algebra, quantum mechanics, particles and waves) for the first two years. After learning all of this exotic and hardly useful knowledge, you will still be competing for the same jobs as other U of T engineers, despite the fact that your major is 10 times tougher. To top it all off, you have 36-40 hours of class per week and are competing against 300 other equally smart (if not smarter) students, 110 of whom drop out (a handful fail, but most get scared and run away) after the first two years. McGill, on the other hand, is much better because of its higher reputation and relatively easier (it’s not that easy, but much better compared to EngSci) program, and if McGill’s offering you $15000 per year, why bother considering U of T?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say McGill has a better reputation when it comes to engineering. Toronto is just as well known in the field of engineering. Engineering Science is one of the toughest engineering programs you can go to, because you’ll be learning a very wide range of information to better prepare you for fields like Biomedical Engineering or Nanotechnology. </p>
<p>From what I hear, engineering science majors don’t usually go into the same jobs that regular engineering students do. You have to pick a major to specialize in after two years, which are totally different from the “Core 8” programs that Toronto offers, like Electrical, Mechanical, Civil…etc. Many of them do research at universities, while others pursue careers like doctors or lawyers. It’s a well-respected program, although it is infamously difficult (You know it’s going to be hard when even the website says it is “one of the most rigorous Engineering programs in the world.”) A lot of extra work if you just want to get a job that a Chemical Engineering degree can get you. </p>
<p>This is your year 1 schedule: [Division</a> of Engineering Science | University of Toronto Engineering | Year 1](<a href=“http://engsci.utoronto.ca/explore_our_program/foundation_years/first_year.htm]Division”>http://engsci.utoronto.ca/explore_our_program/foundation_years/first_year.htm)</p>
<p>Engineering Science majors: [Division</a> of Engineering Science | University of Toronto Engineering | Majors](<a href=“http://engsci.utoronto.ca/explore_our_program/majors.htm]Division”>http://engsci.utoronto.ca/explore_our_program/majors.htm)</p>
<p>^It is utterly futile to defend that program which is fit only for masochists. Trust me, go on YouTube, search EngSci, and you’ll find an xtranormal video that basically says the entire truth about that over-rated program.</p>
<p>“while others pursue careers like doctors or lawyers.”</p>
<p>First off, let me tell you how wrong you are when you say that. Lawyers? Seriously? It is nearly impossible to think of an engineering student with grades that are more fit for sewers going to Law School. Second, only about 1 person every year from Engineering Science ends up at Medical School, because the grading is so outrageously unfair that only about 1 person out of 300 people is good enough to go for Med School. Also, while EngSci students perpetually brag about the fact that their peers regularly get into well-known graduate schools such as MIT, Caltech, etc. the truth is that only a few good students end up at those highly-selective schools and the rest usually end up at dead-end jobs after graduating from a university that selects plenty of freshmen, takes their money, and fails them with their terrible grading system. </p>
<p>I would highly suggest that you go to a fairer and much more well-known college, such as McGill, instead of busting your brain at a program where nearly everyone gets heavily beaten up.</p>
<p>you know for mcgill, general year means year zero right?
if you choose mcgill, you have to spend five years there unless you decide to transfer
so… i would choose it wisely btw i’m also thinking to go to mcgill elect next year
hopefully change to chem 2nd year</p>
<p>Hi Maelong,</p>
<p>“general year means year zero right?”</p>
<p>Didn’t catch what you were trying to convey. Can you pls. explain why 1st year is 0th year?</p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>VInsim</p>
<p>You can skip year zero if you have enough credits. And I don’t think you have 5 years. It’s Year 0,1,2,3, as far as I know. Check with McGill…</p>
<p>At McGill, your first year - U0 - will be general science courses. After that, you can specialize in one of the various programs under the Engineering department. </p>
<p>Nearly all of them are very demanding credits-wise; this usually means one of three things: </p>
<p>1) Extra semester (4.5 years of undergrad)</p>
<p>2) Summer courses</p>
<p>3) Crammed semesters (17/18 credits, which can be more or less fatal)</p>
<p>Having transfer credits means that you may bypass some of the general science requirements.</p>
<p>no year 0 simply means it’s year o
as year 0 you take courses others don’t take, and at the end of year you choose which one to go
then in the 1st year you do general and after that you take specialized courses</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>[General</a> Engineering Program | Faculty of Engineering - McGill University](<a href=“http://www.mcgill.ca/engineering/degrees/general]General”>http://www.mcgill.ca/engineering/degrees/general)</p>
<p>“Applicants who already know which major(s) they wish to study should apply directly for the major(s) rather than select the General Engineering Program option.”</p>
<p>Im in the general engineering program at mcgill. Im taking the exact same courses as my friends in their streamlined programs already. and i mean, I’m taking the EXACT same courses. All engineering students have to do a general first year, in order to make sure that they know everything that they need to know to succeed later on in their program. As to the whole “year zero” terminology, it’s a little bit strange to most people. As a student from Ontario, I’m used to the terms “first-, second-, third- and fourth-year.” At mcgill, first year is labelled Year zero, or U0 as it’s officially called. In engineering, you’ll either work your butt off in order to finish all of your required credits to graduate after U3, or, as a lot of students do, you’ll space your program out a bit more and finish in U4. The only reason mcgill tells you to apply to the major you wish to study rather than take the general course is because even within the general engineering program, it’s incredibly competitive. You have to submit a list of the engineering programs ranked in the order you’d like to get into. If you complete U0 with a 3.2 GPA (around a 73% average), you’re guaranteed placement into your first choice. If you don’t achieve this (which is very likely, it’s very difficult to achieve, but kudos to everyone who does!) they place you where there is space. As long as you pass, you’re guaranteed a spot in a program, though, so the stress is minimal. If you’re trying to get into chemical engineering, you’re going to want to try really hard to achieve that 3.2. Chemical and mechanical are the most popular programs for people to want after the GEP. Smaller ones, like materials and mining, are easier to get into from the GEP, simply because fewer students want to take them (they add on time to your studies with more required credits and coop). Hope this helps! But also, I would personally like to tell you I hope you chosse mcgill! In my perfectly biased opinion, it’s fantastic! Montreal is one of my favourite cities ever, and for all of the stress of school, your social life more than pays you back for it!</p>
<p>The scholarship would be the dealmaker for me, since both Universities have pretty solid programs. Go to McGill.</p>
<p>PS: I have never been in engineering but have studied at both McGill and the University of Toronto</p>