First time poster interested in your thoughts on McGill, specifically the Macdonald campus. Daughter has been accepted with a scholly, how is it? Do students there ever get to go downtown? Is McGill known for Animal Science? Will it be too tough to come out of there with a decent GPA for vet school? Bear in mind, she wants to be a vet and would actually turn down an offer from a rural US state university that is guaranteeing her a spot in their vet school. Is McGill worth taking the risk? McGill parents, please ask your kids if they know anyone at Macdonald. Information very hard to come by about that campus.
Your daughter has been accepted into a combined undergrad/DVM program with entry to the DVM program guaranteed? That would be hard to turn down. I’ve read that vet school admissions is harder than medical school admission.
There is a university shuttle bus between Mac and downtown plus commuter rail and STM transit busses that link Ste.-Anne-de-Bellevue to downtown. Some students have asked her on CC if they could live downtown and commute to Mac. It is possible but would involve a lengthy 50 mile round trip and would be a major hassle.
I’d go with the early accept program. It takes a lot of pressure of undergrad. If the program is Kansas State or Mississippi State both have vet schools right there that offer a lot of opportunities. My son in in the K-State early admit program and wouldn’t trade it. Even though it is “rural” the town is busy and the kids are always off to Kansas City for other things.
Yes, she has been granted Early Entry at Mississippi State. I know, a big difference between Montreal and Starkville, but also a big gamble. If one of you McGill folk were to tell me the McGill moniker will give her a leg up on vet admission like a Princeton or Cornell degree, then maybe it’s not a big gamble.
Our entire family are huge McGill fans, and daughter loves Montreal after attending their Summer Academy this year.
I assume you mean Cornell and Penn vet schools. McGill/Mac would certainly prepare your daughter for vet school admission. However I do not know if vet schools consider undergrad school in their admissions decisions. GPA and test scores are critical. Also most vet schools, even Penn and Cornell, have many slots reserved for instate students or students from states that contract with them.
Also note, as you may already know, that Mac is quite different from the rest of McGill. It is a small campus with about 2000 students. Classes are small and the opportunities for agricultural/environmental research and hands on experience on campus are extensive.
In my opinion, this campus is the Best of worlds: small classes, collegiality (v. Huge lectures), green space… But just a ride away from downtown Montreal and McGill’s prestigious name.
It’d be like attending Columbia on Staten Island.
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“she has been granted Early Entry at Mississippi State.”
Admission to veterinary school is similar to admission to medical school. It is a long shot even for very strong students. Every veterinary school in the US (and in Canada) is very good.
Turning down a spot and a scholarship at McGill is tough. However, I would turn down a spot at McGill if the alternative were guaranteed admission to veterinary school. If she wants to be a veterinarian, and has a guaranteed spot at a very good veterinary school in the US, and if you can afford it, then I would take the guaranteed spot in veterinary school.
The “if you can afford it” issue is important. I don’t think that your daughter wants to graduate from veterinary school with $250,000 in debt. Veterinarians do not make nearly as much as doctors, and doctors have enough trouble paying off this much debt.
A minor nit: There is a shuttle bus from the Macdonald campus to the downtown main campus. It is a 22 mile ride (36 km). 50 minutes might be typical, but how long it takes will depend on the time of day.
Wrt guaranteed Admission: look closely at the conditions.
Some similar programs for med schools are truly ’ guaranteed not. Others offer nothing more than 'if you do everything you need to do to get into med school, you’ll get into ours". Is there z lower test scores? BIO GRE waived? Lower GPA than is normally expected?
Email the school: over the past (5-10) years what percentage freshmen who started in this program get into vet school? (The answer should be above 90%)…
Tom,
I’m wondering if the McGill reputation would precede itself if she decides to apply to other vet schools from there. Or should I tell her that going to McGill means she is a lot less likely to become a vet? Her home vet school (usually the one you go to) is UF, and we actually spoke to their Dean last year about going to McGill and his eyes lit up with excitement. But will other vet schools understand how rigorous McGill is?
Not sure about the first part, the second part is not the case though. There have been several threads here on CC debating whether medical schools look solely at GPA or if they “weight” that with the stature of the undergrad college. There has been no resolution of the question.
Some may challenge me on this but I believe that the caliber of student she would be with at Mac would be superior to the students at Mississippi State in terms of academic record. It would make for a more stimulating environment but also more competition.
How many slots at UF vet school are reserved to FL residents I wonder.
If she’s a resident of Florida, she’d be considered a resident for Vet School, right (unless she chooses to become a permanent resident of Canada, she’d keep her US residency I assume).
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@TomSrOfBoston Here are UF’s class of 2022 Statistics.
https://education.vetmed.ufl.edu/files/2018/11/Class-of-2022-Statistics-Report.pdf
They enrolled 91 in-state students vs 25 OOS. Candidates are ranked in two independent applicant pools: Florida residents and Out-of-State.
45 earn their BS or BA at UF, 9 at UCF, 6 at FIU, 5 at FSU and 3 at FGCU. Then it’s 1 or 2 at colleges all over the country.
@Gator88NE That is one gender imbalanced program!
Almost all the vet schools are highly gender imbalanced due to the imbalance in applicants. Many more females applying than males. Shocked me when I heard the mix for my son’s school.
@TomSrOfBoston Can you help me with how McGill’s grades are reported? Is it a 4 point scale? Do they use flat letter grades or do they do a plus minus (A- =3.67, for example) system?
@MYOS1634 Have you been to Macdonald campus, you seem very familiar with Macdonald.
McGill uses the standard 4.0 grade scale with +'s and -'s.
@Happy4u @ShrimpBurrito @SwimmingDad Any advice? Do your kids know anyone at Macdonald campus?
Is McGill worth giving up a guaranteed spot in a Deep South vet school?
Sorry, I wish I had something helpful to share. I have visited the Mac campus. It’s VERY different from the downtown campus. It’s rural, in a lovely little town.
Same here. We have driven through the Mac campus, and got some delicious apples from the Mac farm, but my daughter doesn’t know students who are Mac based. She is a humanities student though. Congrats on having great options!
The reason I call it “best of both worlds” is that you’re on a real campus with a college town nearby, what Americans imagine a typical college to be. But you’re just a ride away from the center of a lively, cosmopolitan metropolis. And you get a prestigious degree.
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