<p>I have been accepted to the Arts and Science programs at both McGill and Queen's. I have visited both Mcgill and Queen's and really like them. Right now I'm leaning towards Mcgill because of Montreal, the campus, and the academic programs but I have some concerns. I'll be far away from home and I'm curious about the student life at Mcgill, Queen's appears very spirited and close-knit but at Mcgill, even though it's diverse, it felt a little lonely. I'm not a partier, but I do want to go somewhere with an active student body.</p>
<p>Also, how are the undergrads treated at Mcgill? I heard that it may be a better place to do graduate studies and the undergrads are seen as unimportant untill they have a diploma on hand, will I be able to interact with my professors?</p>
<p>Thanks so much, I really want to make the best choice I can, but I'm finding the decision hard!</p>
<p>Not directly answering your question, but if you’re from the US, Queens will be almost unknown compared to McGill; also, I am unsure, but I think that because tuition increases were tightly regulated in Quebec until this year, McGill will cost less.</p>
<p>I was in your shoes two years ago when I was trying to pick between McGill and Queen’s. I choose McGill, but ended up regretting it and wishing I had choosen Queen’s instead. Here’s some of my thoughts…</p>
<ul>
<li>Montreal is definitely a much better city (in my opinion, at least) than Kingston is. There are so many things to do and see. It has a very multi-cultural feel. You will definitely enjoy the city. </li>
<li>Both schools are fairly large, but McGill actually feels huge. If you are in science, your first two years will be spent sitting in classes which may be as large as 600 people (I had one last year that had 800 people enrolled). Some Arts classes can be very large too (like Social Psych, for example, which is about 600 people) It gets to be very overwhelming and while I can’t say this for every single professor, many do not show much concern for their students. Now, this is university and things will not be spoon-fed to you anymore and I completely understand this, but it always felt like a very cold environment in classes. You will NOT make friends from classes (unless it’s in a smaller class or a lab), all your friends will likely come from rez. [I must add that this becomes much different later on once you get into 300 level classes; they tend to be significantly smaller, and you actually start to see your professors as humans - who would have thought…]</li>
<li>McGill has ZERO school spirit. Except for the first game of the year, we are lucky if we get an actual crowd at our football games. Basketball is no better. Queen’s without a doubt has more spirit and a more active student population.<br></li>
<li>Please do not pick a school based on reputation. While Queen’s may be more “unknown” than McGill, what matters most is the grades you get and not the name of the school on your diploma. If you aren’t happy, you won’t do as well - it’s that simple. </li>
</ul>
<p>That said, I’m sure there’s plenty of things that Queen’s students dislike about their school as well, but hopefully I’ve been able to give you a better view of what it’s like to be a McGill student…</p>
<p>I was going to list all the reasons why Queen’s is much better choice. But Carly36 did it for me. Choose Queen’s. Frankly those torn between Toronto and McGill should choose Queen’s. LOL. Everyone talks about international reputation but nationally it’s Toronto and Queens, followed by Waterloo and McGill. Queen’s is a fabulous college town with a great night life, strong alumni network and close knit community spirit.</p>