McGill vs Johns Hopkins vs UCSD

Hello cc!

I’m in a dilemma here and could use some advice. I’m a dual citizen (French and American) from California hoping to pursue medicine. I got the Hodson Trust Scholarship and Woodrow Wilson Fellowship for JHU (Bio major). For Mcgill since I’m a French citizen I will pay the non-Quebec Canadian rate (biomed major). For UCSD I will pay in state tuition (biochemistry).

Personally I’m leaning towards JHU however my parents seem pretty adamant about Mcgill. Jhu and UCSD will cost around 30-35k/yr but Mcgill about 9-12k/yr. They could pay for jhu or ucsd but it will be marginally.

What should I do?

Congratulations on your success with college admissions. If your parents are paying for your education then it does not sound like a real dilemma. What do you like about McGill?

They are all wonderful choices - congratulations! One thing to keep in mind from a financial perspective as a Californian, is that it is very difficult to gain acceptance to California med schools, and you will likely be looking at paying OOS tuition for med school. Might be a reason to save $100k on undergrad…

JHU is one of the top schools for Bio major. if you are going to Medical school, I think JHU will prepare you better than the other 2. UCSD has top Bio dept, but it’s a huge school. You might not get the personal attention comparing to JHU. McGill is also a big school same problem as UCSD. I go with JHU > McGill > UCSD

@CollegeSpec, true, though JHU has an absolute ton of pre-meds, all looking for recs, research opportunities, etc. JHU may have more pre-meds than UCSD, despite being much smaller.

Preparation should be fine at all 3.

Great choices! Personally 30-35k per year would be a bit too rich for me as ($120 000-150 000 for a degree isn’t cheap) and would pick the choice that avoids carrying a major debt after graduation (thus McGill in your situation), especially if you plan on going on to medical or graduate school.

Your in a great situation to be sure though!