<p>Hi everyone,
I'm Canadian, but I live overseas. I'm a senior at a high school in the Middle East. I have been accepted to science programs at Waterloo, Queen's, McGill, UBC, McMaster and Toronto, and I have narrowed my choices down to Waterloo, Queen's and McGill.</p>
<p>I'm indecisive by nature and I'm really struggling with this decision. I hope you all can help me out with your opinions and background knowledge!</p>
<p>I want to go to medical school after undergrad, although I have not decided whether I'm going somewhere in Canada or in the US. For this reason I'd like to take a life sciences program; my first choice is probably biochemistry.</p>
<p>McGill:
It has a great international reputation, probably the one of the best known Canadian schools worldwide. It's also in Montreal, which I have heard is a very pretty and fun city (I've never been there). I've heard the campus is nice. Is it easy to change majors within a faculty? (I was accepted to Biology & Mathematics but I want to switch to biochemistry).</p>
<p>However, I do not speak French. I can read it pretty well because I know Spanish, but I can't really speak it. Will this hinder me? I was thinking of taking beginners' French classes at McGill... good idea? I know the class sizes are very large. Also, I've heard that it's an extremely competitive environment, rather cutthroat, is that true? Is it true that there is a lot of stressful peer pressure for girls to be skinny, pretty and fashionable?<br>
Is it true that anglophones at McGill are able to learn/pick up French pretty well over the four years? </p>
<p>Waterloo:
It has a pretty good reputation I think, particularly for engineering and science. My father went there for chemical engineering, and my brother currently goes there for the same. I've visited the campus and it's alright - I like the closed campus feel, but some of the buildings are ugly. I would probably be more comfortable in Ontario because that's where I'm from.</p>
<p>On the other hand, does Waterloo have a good international reputation for science? I would NOT be doing co-op because I don't want to spend an extra year in uni when I have med school and residency in front of me. I've also heard that the student population has become much more cutthroat with so many immigrants attending, is this true? My American friends have never heard of Waterloo, and while they generally have a poor opinion of Canadian schools in general, is it really that unknown?</p>
<p>Queen's:
I visited the campus over the summer and it was lovely, plus I liked Kingston overall. I think it has a pretty good reputation internationally but I'm not sure. Some of the buildings were recently renovated so they're in better condition than some of Waterloo's buildings. The residences were cleaner than the one I saw at Waterloo </p>
<p>It has the reputation of being a party school, with heavy drinking and rowdy, excessive partying. I'm a pretty quiet, studious person so the idea of heavy partying going on all the time worries me a bit. Is it all true, or is the partying limited to only a certain number of people, and the rest are more focused on school? As well, in Queen's science you do a general first year before choosing your major, which I dislike somewhat. I'd rather get started on my program of choice right away, particularly in preparation for the MCAT. Starting later doesn't seem like that much help. </p>
<p>Which one will help me get into medical school the easiest? I know I need to maintain my GPA in order to get into medical school. Which university has the most research opportunities for undergraduate students? If I decide to go to med school in the US, will a certain one of these universities improve my chances? </p>
<p>Thank you so much for your help!</p>