You will get a good education wherever you go. I totally understand that your parents can afford any one of them but education is still an investment. I’m actually in the exact same position as yours, with various opportunities across Canada, the US and Europe. My family can also afford any one of them but I prefer to make sure it is worth it - that is the main point.
If you want to work in Europe or Morocco after you graduate, I would go for either the X or McGill. Both of them will give you an outstanding education and great graduate prospects. The X will certainly be more Europe-focused, while McGill will open doors in North America as well. If you are looking for opportunities in America, Cooper Union will give you a better shot BUT be aware that it’s hard to stay in the US after you graduate (if you don’t have citizenship). Engineering is still in the STEM field, so you should be able to work there for a couple of years (2 or 3 if I’m right).
So basically:
Europe: 1. X and 2. McGill
US: Cooper Union or McGill
Now when it comes to the student experience, McGill wins in my opinion. It is bigger, has more student-led organizations, better social life and Montréal isn’t very expensive. Polytechnique and Cooper Union will give you a different experience, perhaps a bit more academically focused, but still very entertaining.
I kind of got lost in my explanations maybe so I hope you get the idea. If I were you, I’d go for the X. It’s an amazing program, less expensive and in Paris. You will also have plenty of time to study in North America afterwards, so don’t worry about that. If you are wondering, I would probably pick McGill over Cooper Union - it’s not just about prestige but also about the student experience and the doors that it will open. However, bear in mind that the class size at McGill could be well above the class size at Cooper.
Good luck in making a decision, and don’t hesitate to ask for clarifications!!
My recommendation would be McGill in terms of value for money.
l’X campus is in a bland suburb, not in Paris. It’s nice and quiet (not one of those high poverty ghetto-suburbs), and Saclay has lots of colleges and students. I don’t know whether students live there, or if they live in Paris (where the fun is) and commute. This article implies transportation/connections aren’t quite there yet, as the light rail is promised for 2027. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03004-x
It’s probably roughly the same cost of living as Montreal though, perhaps less. NYC will be more expensive.
You probably need to add $25,000 for housing, food, and miscellaneous expenses in NYC, and probably $15,000 for housing/food/misc.expenses in Paris and Montreal (added to current tuition/fees).
NYC probably more expensive than that unless you’re disciplined (but then you’d feel like missing out on fun). There’s simply too much to do/eat/spend money on. $100 bills fly out like $20’s elsewhere.
Saclay is still indeed pretty remote, and will remain so until Métro line 18 reaches it, possibly by 2027. I don’t see how one could easily commute between Saclay and Paris until then. Paris Métro Line 18 - Wikipedia
Palaiseau where X is located is already a little bit more accessible via RER line B, but still quite a long ride from Paris. RER B - Wikipedia
That said, Palaiseau is certainly not Paris. Bland suburb is a good qualifier.
Unlike US suburbs, not all French/Parisian suburbs are bland. The terms urban/suburban do not translate well to French. The French word “Banlieue” (suburb) is typically used to refer to a low-income high-crime suburb.
Suburbs north or Paris are “banlieues”:
“However, since the 1970s, banlieues has taken on an additional meaning in French, becoming a popular word for low-income housing projects (HLMs) in which many French of foreign descent reside, in what are often called poverty traps” Banlieue - Wikipedia
If I understood the majority correctly, you advise me to go to McGill because it opens doors for me to work in the United States and in Europe and the campus experience is better. Then as a second choice polytechnic and lastly Cooper union.
But if I do a master or a PhD after McGill in the United States, then I will be able to work in the US. And if I understand correctly, it’s easy to get into an Ivy League to do a master or a PhD after having a bachelor’s degree. Plus you can get scholarships.
A paid masters program in the US (that you pay for) may be relatively easy to enter from any of these 3 bachelors programs (in which case, you may want the cheapest bachelors).
A funded masters or PhD program would be tougher to enter. They would like to see research experience if you are in North America and have those opportunities.
Just to add that while it may be difficult to stay in the US after graduation that is not always the case. Our son studied computer science. With a STEM degree he was eligible for the extended OPT of 36 months. He used 6 months of that on two summer internships while completing his degree. He found that the tech companies at least seemed to have no problem considering OPT students for roles after graduation. He was successful in getting a job at one of the big tech companies and started with 30 months still to go on the clock. While on OPT your company is able to apply for H1B though there are only so many visas each year so there is a lottery each year to allocate the visas. When he was at this stage there was about a one in three chance of being selected and he would have been able to apply three times (once a year during the remainder of the OPT). He was then fortunate to be selected in the H1B lottery the first time, so changed to that visa, which came through the summer before he started work. His company then filed for a green card for him the moment he started work (again he was fortunate as some companies will wait till you have been there for a period of time as they don’t want to enable you to “jump ship” to another employer). Green card processing seems a strange and uncertain process (and I understand it is extremely difficult for applicants from countries like India and China as there is some sort of limit each year per country - like no more than 7% from any one country). In our son’s case his green card came through after about 18 months meaning that he is now able to stay permanently in the US if he so chooses.
Career services will help you find internships if you complete their workshops. Your adviser will help you with your application, but finding peograms is on you.
Looking at 2019 numbers about 30K H1B visas were granted for Software jobs and just around 1K for ME but I guess the real question is how many applications and what are the ratios.
I have until June 1st to decide, for now I am more attracted by the internship and research opportunities in the United States but I can lean towards McGill at any time. I want to get away from the French system for a while, so I don’t think polytechnique is really for me. Plus it’s only 3 years of polytechnique then I have to figure out where to go. And I’ll be in the same situation as I am now.
