<p>I have heard that McGill is Canada's Harvard. And I just want to know: Is it?
Because it's a lot cheaper and much easier to get in. Is McGill comparable to the Ivies and other elite schools in the US?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>no. its not.
its more like columbia, or another large research university.</p>
<p>im going to have to disagree
i dont think its like columbia</p>
<p>the academics are great, but its not as personal as Ivy's</p>
<p>ide say its more comparable with Cal</p>
<p>so yeah
Top notch academics
but not that personal</p>
<p>yeah
its still an incredible school
TIMES rankings ranks it 21 in the world...
and ranks it above brown,dartmouth,columbia,cornell</p>
<p>People read too much into that comparison. McGill is Canada's Harvard in the sense that it's been historically considered the top university in the country.</p>
<p>Not that it matters much, but cornell and columbia ranked higher than McGill in the TImes.</p>
<p>Does the prestige of an institution even matter any more? </p>
<p>Now that undergraduate work is a near must in any industry, and now that even more kids are applying for positions at universities everywhere, name-brand recognition means next to nothing. </p>
<p>I've heard Harvard alums say that the name Harvard opened a door for them, optimistically, 1/10 times they went out for something. It's not where the sheepskin on your wall is from, it's what you did during your time earning it.</p>
<p>okay
so i was going off assumption
but well
i do know that it was ranked above brown
so yeah</p>
<p>No. It's not comparable to any top 50 university in terms of resources, facilities, advising, quality of instruction, funding, etc.</p>
<p>It's just that it's harder than probably any U.S. school outside of the top 10.</p>
<p>wutang, you're really down on McGill, I've noticed...</p>
<p>^not really. mcgill is a good school, but it really has some glaring flaws to it that most people really don't even think about.</p>
<p>^I'm definitely a curmudgeon, and I'd probably complain no matter where I went. Also, I have no intent of transferring, mainly because I love the people I've met at McGill. But McGill as an institution has some serious flaws (the vice chancellor of McGill would agree). Americans tend to be very naive when it comes to Canadian Unis. When something seems too good to be true, it usually is...like most socialist institutions, McGill is better in theory than in reality.</p>
<p>Why are you comparing McGill to a "socialist institution"?</p>
<p>Well, perhaps this may come as a shock to you, but most of the kids around where I live pretty much understand that no school is perfect. Every school has its blemishes. Pointing them out is useful, but shining a spot light on them, however, isn't as useful as one could imagine (it just becomes an eye-sore). </p>
<p>It's also nice to sometimes talk about the good of institutions, instead of the bad all the time. Think positive imaging and projecting. Remember, if an institutional was TRULY horrible, people would stop attending, or transfer out once they realized what was up (even the lowest of the low have redeeming qualities). </p>
<p>In McGill's case, they don't see to have a retention problem with first year students, so I can't imagine anything happening behind the scenes is that much different than advertised.</p>
<p>Anything I said has the possibility of being wildly false, but I just don't see how numbers can lie. </p>
<p>p.s. if your goal is to educate the Americans, I sincerely suggest you make a thread and ask a moderator to make it a sticky.</p>
<p>McGill certainly does have some flaws. I don't know what kinds of criteria they use for evaluating applicants for scholarships. I scored a 2380 on the new SAT, was ranked 1st in my class from a public school in Nova Scotia, and had some very original extracurricular activities, such as working at a community centre for gay youth organizing trips/retreats, delivering homophobia workshops at schools and workplaces, and developing resources for school curriculum development. I also was in the top youth wind ensemble in Nova Scotia as 1st trumpet and did volunteer work helping kids learn to read and write in French. I was accepted by Harvard with a full ride guaranteed for four years. McGill gave me $3,000 renewable. BS.</p>
<p>McGill suffers from severe underfunding, so maybe that's why it's so stingy with its money?</p>
<p>McGill is incredibly hard. Not so easy to make top grades there-
No inflation of grades like the Ivys i nthe US.<br>
It is a top notch school -if you get in , you will have to WORK.<br>
I am proud that my son chose McGill where he is challanged and not a US IVY where in many cases he would not have been so challanged.
Your choice.</p>
<p>I am dismayed at the continued assumption that students at Ivy League schools don't work. You're right that grade inflation has been a problem at many schools, but Harvard, for example, has taken many steps in the last ten years to eliminate it. </p>
<p>However, Harvard students are some of the hardest-working students I know. I know students at many top schools in Canada and the US and I know they likely could not handle what is expected of students here at Harvard. It has a reputation for a reason. Just about every single student here at Harvard is challenged intellectually. It is not all fun and games. Harvard is about serious mental maturity. Classes are difficult and rightly so. Harvard is lucky in that is has the resources to recruit students of incredible talent without regard to finances, for example. </p>
<p>Please do be proud of your son. McGill is an excellent school that certainly does challenge students (I know for a fact my friends at McGill work hard!). But please don't berate Harvard and other Ivy League schools for not being challenging or expecting a lot of their students. It's simply a false statement. Why are so many Harvard graduates so successful in science, medicine, law, government, etc.? Because they slacked in college? That's unlikely. It's because they're mature, motivated, and extremely intelligent. </p>
<p>On the other hand, Harvard does have, as does every school, some serious flaws, but having a lazy student body or undemanding curriculum is not one of them. Harvard has one of the most rigorous general education programs in the world and graduates knowledgeable, resourceful, and well-educated students. </p>
<p>I love McGill as a school. I visited Montreal in January during intersession and loved the students and the atmosphere. People seemed very happy there and satisfied with the educations they were receiving and the social scene. The fact is, one of McGill's flaws is that is doesn't do a great job of recruiting talented students, for whatever reason (underfunding?). When I, and many of the people I know, began receiving scholarship letters, we were disappointed with what McGill was offering us. I simply could not afford to attend McGill with a $3,000 per year scholarship. And when I had received substantial offers from other top schools in the US and Canada, it was hard to really continue to consider McGill as a viable option financially. </p>
<p>People that work very hard in high school near the top of their classes like to see their work transformed into results. I didn't like the thought that I could have worked half as hard in high school and been in just about the exact same situation. I'm sure others will agree with me. Hard work in high school should certainly be rewarded by universities, to show that they value students that are serious about academic work. I was not satisfied with what McGill was offering me, especially when compared with the support other schools were offering me. I wanted to see my hard work pay off, and that wasn't reflected in McGill's offer.</p>
<p>ummm
i kinda disagree with part of what ur saying...
first off
both schools i would say have relatively difficult academics. most ivy curriculum and McGills curriculum and some other top schools all have very difficult curriculum.<br>
But most people do know that McGill grades are deflated.
So to work to a certain level of knowledge, ide say it is both equally strenuous in both Harvard, but to get good grades at McGill seems harder because, there is no direction. You have to take the bull by the horns adn kick it in the @$$.
As for harvard and other top schools, u usually have more direction in your studies. </p>
<p>overall, i belive a 4.0 at harvard might be slightly less hard than a 4.0 at McGill, but that your education might actually fare better at harvard since professors are more open to helping, and the environment is super competetive (at McGill there are definately some slackers, while on the other hand, slackers dont ever get into harvard)</p>
<p>and to refute you claim about Harvard students doing amazing things in their fields...
ever bother to think that harvard students go to the college with the best Alumni network in the world, the richest college in the world, and the most prestigious college in the world, making them much more sought after in job marketing and placement directly after graduation</p>
<p>Since top companies all look for harvard grads, they usually start them out at good positions (not the lowest end rates)</p>
<p>Brooklyn Mom, don't delude yourself. McGill is a very challenging school, but 60% of students at McGill are from Quebec; to get in, these students only need to pass CEGEP. There are many students at McGill who, if required to take the SATs, would be at community college in the U.S....</p>
<p>Harvard has much, much smarter students. McGill gives fewer A's, but if a student was admitted to Harvard, and attends McGill, that student will probably get a 4.0. Simply put, only around 10-20% of kids in a class at McGill are IVY quality, and they capture the A's on the grading bell curve.</p>
<p>Clearly, McGill's easier to get into than the Ivies, but you underestimate grade inflation in the Ivies and minimize grade deflation at McGill at least with respect to courses in the sciences. My understanding is that 50% of the students at McGill are from Quebec. You seem to be implying that they all (or at least most of them) are poor students. Do you really mean that? Btw, many top schools, such as Rice and Stanford, have large percentages of in- state students. What's your opinion of the rest of McGill's student body?</p>