<p>Momfromme, you have either an incredible amount of faith in admissions committees, or unbelievably high expectations of them. You do realize that Ph.d programs receive hundreds of applications each year, from hundreds of different schools, often from dozens of different countries, and sometimes formatted in several totally different grading systems, right? Do you honestly think the faculty on these committees are familiar with the individual grading policies and grade distributions of thousands of different universities across America and around the world? Sure they might know specifics about MIT, Princeton and a few others, but beyond that you probably shouldn't get your hopes up. (or other people's for that matter)</p>
<p>PhD admissions committees are made up -- overwhelmingly -- by professors in the department. In other words, they are PhDs in the discipline and, yes, they do know an awful lot about departments at different colleges. (There may also be a token graduate student on the committee.) If you are a plugged-in academic in a discipline, as are faculty members at the good PhD programs for the field, you know a lot of faculty elsewhere and you have a good sense of their institution's profiles. Also, you probably have experience with the students from varied institutions who have been graduate students. Academia can be rather a small world when seen from the perspective of a particular discipline.</p>
<p>However, as I said above, this level of knowledge may not be present for other graduate programs, such as law school or MBA programs.</p>
<p>From my own post-graduate experience I will agree with momfromme. The academic world is very insular and these committees have a very good idea of their own field ( although their knowledge of other fields may be extremely limited.) Internal networks among academic disciplines are very strong. </p>
<p>In particular, the admissions committees are more up-to-date on the current strengths of various departments in other institutions and not subject to "stereotypes" of which are the best undergraduate programs based on public perception or rankings.</p>
<p>I agree with both posts #22 and #23 mom and dad (heh), although your posts do not address the issue at hand, but rather aspects of universities that are largely independent of grading at the undergraduate level. The question was:</p>
<p>"Do you honestly think the faculty on these committees are familiar with the *individual grading policies and grade distributions *of thousands of different universities across America and around the world?"</p>
<p>Of course they know their own field in terms of who is doing what kind of research at institutions other than their own. The strength or focus of a given academic department, however, says little to nothing about the grading tendencies for the undergraduate program at any particular institution. So grade inflation/deflation is for some people an important consideration, if planning to go on to graduate school in the future. That's all I was saying.</p>
<p>HA...i'd say as of now mcgill...but if they rename it "McGull" like it says on this website, then BY ALL MEANs don't go there b/c that would be horrific lol. <a href="http://media.www.mcgilltribune.com/media/storage/paper234/news/2007/04/03/McgillEnquirer/Mcgill.To.Be.Renamed-2818454.shtml%5B/url%5D">http://media.www.mcgilltribune.com/media/storage/paper234/news/2007/04/03/McgillEnquirer/Mcgill.To.Be.Renamed-2818454.shtml</a></p>
<p>I do think that faculty know about grading policies at different universities and colleges. After all, these are widely discussed in trade publications, like the Chronicle of Higher Education. They are no secret.</p>
<p>A lot of the creeps on this site have no interest in anything other than collecting "prestige" and have some strange obssesion with ranking colleges, usually because they fail at real life.
LOL@ the nerds on this site who think academics matter in the proffesional world...The majority of Fortune 500 CEOs went to average state schools undergrad. Even for IVY MBA programs, the school you went to matters even less than your GPA, which is only 4th in terms of relevance for admission.</p>
<p>Most of the dorks here will get forced into a little cubicle and will stay lower-mid level management for the rest of their lives, while the star on the company softball team gets the corner office...the corporate world is all politics, not Plato and Shakespeare.</p>
<p>Also, what does some 18 yr old snot nose kid know about getting a job? Guess what, a lot of people don't like working with entitled trust fund babies. Most kids at IVY's are already rich. That's why people confuse correlation with causation, and assume being around kids with trust funds will some allow you to have a trust fund. More likely, you'll have debt. Cornell is a brand name that rich people wear just like armani. But wearing Armani won't make you rich. It might make you LOOK better, but unless you can perform, it doesn't matter.</p>
<p>There's a seperate issue which nobody seems to care about, which is where you'll get a better education. Sadly, you will get a better education at Cornell.</p>
<p>Here are the Advantages of Cornell:
1) Better funding which translates into better education and facilities.
a) Cornell will beat McGill in almost any type of study, whether it's econ, poli sci, liberal arts, or engineering.
2) Better Reputation (in N. America and Abroad)
3) Campus life much more active
Disadvantages of Cornell:
1) For most students, the weather.
2) Some students say that you have to rely on campus activities because Ithaca is a pretty remote area.</p>
<p>Advantages of McGill:
1) If you?re not getting financial aid in the US, McGill is really cheap.
2) Offers a decent education and has a great reputation.
3) Montreal= Great city
4) French Chicks :)</p>
<p>Disadvantages of McGill:
1) For most, the weather.
2) For some students, it seems too big and impersonal
3) Other French people :( JK </p>
<p>In the end, they're both great schools. It just depends on your interest and what you're looking to get from college. I personally would take Cornell</p>
<p>I think there's more opportunity to grow emotionally, and become more independent at McGill (that should be considered somewhere). Hey, don't get me wrong, Cornell's a fine institution, and had I taken the SAT's and SAT II's, I would've applied there, however I fell in love with what McGill could offer me. </p>
<p>Quality of education, I believe, after a certain point is uniform. At research universities like Cornell and McGill, the information you will be forced to parrot will be of the same caliber, and if there's a difference, it'll be marginal. At least 90% of the tenured profs at both institutions hold ph D's, and the research being done in both places will no doubt impact someone somewhere, sometime in the not-too-distant future. </p>
<p>To the OP, visit both schools, see which one you like best. Unless you're doing engineering, and don't plan on grad school, where you go for undergrad hardly matters. McDonald's doesn't care if you got your BA from Augustana, or Cornell.</p>
<p>an2008
i disagree with some of what u said</p>
<p>i will agree that cornell is probably the better school (though not by much...it mainly wins in terms of academics being more personal)</p>
<p>McGill doesnt have decent education. It is world class.
also
i always hear that McGill is more challenging than alot of Ivy's...</p>
<p>even ************** considers McGill to be better in academics/academic rigor.
They gave McGill academics an A, and cornell a B+</p>
<p>but yes
i would say overall you are right and cornell is probably a better school (but not by much)
i think ur education at McGill is very dependent upon wether or not you can do well independently.</p>
<p>also
for people who are saying stuff about grad schools on this thread.
ALL top colleges know McGill is extremely challenging.
If they see a kid wit ha 3.3 at McGill, they consider it very highly.</p>
<p>also
grad schools are less obsessed with stastics, so its not like some grad school
is gonna see two apps with completely identical internships, stats etc, except for the McGill app student has a 3.3, and the other app (say from Brown or Columbia) has 3.55.</p>
<p>It's true, I underestimate the education that is available at McGill. Both schools have A LOT to offer, but if you don't take advantage of the resources available to you at either school, then you won't be getting a "world class" education anyway. No matter what school you go to. </p>
<p>And also from what I hear (according to College *******) Cornell is one of the most challenging Ivies.</p>
<p>I'm going to school to learn...I'm never going to be an academic, lawyer, or doctor so GPA isn't super important. My goal since I was little is to be an entrepeneur. McGill gives you a very high return on investment when you consider it's one of the hardest yet cheapest uni's in the world. If you're gaming law school admissions, don't go to McGill.</p>
<p>what are ur grades, and how hard do u work for them?
how many hours per day</p>
<p>Remember though, cornell deflates marks too.</p>
<p>Some courses (ie. intro sciences) are curved to B- !!</p>
<p>Nauru:</p>
<p>With all due respect to your knowledge about the admission to the Ph.D programs, let me say that you are absolutely incorrect. In all the top institutions, the decisions are based on the following:</p>
<ol>
<li>Current Research Projects and Funding/prospect of future availability of funds.</li>
<li>The primary evaluation of the courseload (as undertaken by the applicant) and consistency in GPA.<br></li>
<li>Thorough review of the academic profile of the applicant, esp. his/her demonstrated interest in the field of choice.</li>
<li>Recommendation from the Professor (concerned with the intended field of study) at the undergraduate institution.</li>
<li>Profile of the Undergrad institution, in terms of academic rigor and track record in sending students to Ph.D programs.</li>
</ol>
<p>I would not have responded, if I hadn't had thorough knowledge. Also, for Ph.D track, one doesn't experience applications from 'thousands of universities across the world'. </p>
<p>Let me clarify, my reply is applicable for students applying for the Ph.D track, to universities of good academic standing.</p>
<p>Finally, you are entitled to your views:)</p>
<p>I am interested in numbers for admission to U.S. med school for U.S. students with a McGill undergrad. I know McGill takes a handful, but does anyone know of a U.S. med school admitting a McGill grad? Is the reason I cannot find this stat because they will not? Does anyone have knowledge of advising for "premed" students?</p>
<p>Yeah, Cornell is really hard as well. My friend goes there, has an easy major, is very smart, and has a ~2.8 GPA.</p>
<p>To BigTwix-my grades aren't in for this year yet. I get A's, B's, and C's...with the average being a B. I work 10X harder than I did at my crappy state school, where I had a 3.91 GPA.</p>
<p>what are u studying though
are u in a hard major
and
what is a B, GPA wise</p>
<p>im really looking for a school that's really hard and will make me learn a ton.</p>
<p>How are the Language Depts.(specifically Japanese)
and Poli Sci</p>
<p>ohhh
and what are the schedules like?
How many classes do you have at once, and for how long</p>
<p>^A B is a 3.0. I'm an econ/math double major. I'm dropping the math cuz it's too hard for my feeble brain. Poly sci is not that hard here, just don't expect to get straight A's. The only possible way to get str8 A's is to take quantitative classes. Even if you get everything "right," you will often get a B+. There will be no explanation why you didn't get an A, and you can't have the grade changed, because a B+ is considered too good of a mark to be contested within any humanities department.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Canadian Uni's don't see all majors as equal like the more liberal counterparts in the U.S. That's why there are different requirements for different faculties. McGill will openly admit that Econ is harder than Poly sci, for example. Thus, poly sci majors have to deal with a stigma attached to their major.</p>
<p>whatever</p>
<p>so teachers just give u B's for the heck or it?
and how much do u usually study a day?
isnt and A- like a 3.3?
are the language deptartments good?
what are core requirement classes, or did u not take them since u started at another college?
how long are terms and how many classes do u take at once?</p>