McGill vs Mount Holyoke College

^ Richer remote LACs bring entertainment on-campus, though I don’t know how MHC is in that area.

MODERATOR’S NOTE:

OP is asking about 2 colleges, so this is the correct subforum.

@tk21769 thanks for your inputs!

I know this may not be easy to answer but, now I that I know the difference properly, what would you people choose in my position?

^ Wouldn’t that depend on goals (as well as strengths and weaknesses)?

What are your potential endgames?

BTW, you would likely get more insightful letters of recommendation from faculty at a LAC as well.

Most LACs will treat you as an adult (just as much as universities do). Nobody comes around in the morning to ask if you remembered your vitamins or to take your dirty clothes to the laundry.

That’s funny, because at a recent visit to a top 10 LAC we were told that(paraphrasing), " We are like a family and look out for one another. For example, if you are not in a morning class we’ll send someone around to make sure that you are OK and haven’t slept in."

If you were one of my kids, I’d rather visit you in Montreal than in South Hadley MA.
In other respects (but before considering costs) I’d lean toward MoHo.

My kid’s first year dean said something very similar at the parent orientation in regard to a first year student beginning to flounder academically. If the student wasn’t responding to emails etc the dean said he’d go find them in their room.

I didn’t read all posts, but you seem to be heavily leaning towards MHC. You will get a lot of personal attention there and will undoubtedly form close friendships with people. LACs do make an effort to provide entertainment and actvivites. Maybe it willbe boring in occasion, but it’s very tiresome being in a city 24-7. I think the quality of education will be better at MHC and I would choose it in your shoes.

@Lindagaf: I think you should read through all the posts.

The OP was leaning towards McGill.

And I don’t agree at all that the quality of education would be better at MHC. McGill is large Uni filled with brilliant people from all over the world in an interesting, unique, location. The only thing some of us are doubting is whether the OP is up for the challenge. MHC seems to be the safer choice, but who knows, really? Some people fall in love with Montreal.

@57special: Depends on what you consider “quality of education”. Yes, McGill will have some very bright people and very challenging classes.
It also will (at least early on) have gigantic lectures with pretty much no student participation and nobody’s going to care if you struggle or fail or drop out.

And they also have small, stimulating discussions both officially, and informally, at Profs offices, homes,
or late night brainstorming sessions in coffee shops along St. Denis or in Old Montreal. The huge lectures do happen, but please don’t give the impression that is all that happens. MHC might be very safe, though perhaps stifling. McGill and it’s surroundings will be more stimulating for most people, and certainly more diverse.

It depends what the OP is looking for. The mention of mental health issues gives me pause.

Services there are worth looking into. Some schools have better resources for that than others, and it’s not always a big v small school thing.

“The only thing some of us are doubting is whether the OP is up for the challenge.”

I wasn’t doubting this. I don’t know OP at all. I was just asking OP to decide for himself whether or not he feels that he wants the challenge. To some extent every student has to decide this for himself or herself.

“McGill will have some very bright people and very challenging classes. It also will (at least early on) have gigantic lectures”

During a tour I sat in the largest lecture hall at McGill. I did not count the seats, but as far as I could tell it is the same size as the largest lecture hall at MIT, the room where I studied freshman physics. (Okay, I checked, the largest lecture hall at McGill seats 600, the largest at MIT seats 566).

“It depends what the OP is looking for.”

I agree.

Both great school. Neither is “better” than the other, and neither will provide its graduates with better odds at success. McGill obviously has a stronger reputation globally. Few people outside of the Northeast have even heard of MHC. but where it really matters, among graduate school admissions committees and potential employers, I think the two are highly regarded.

I would recommend going for fit. McGill is a large, urban, coeducational, public research university. MHC is small, private, rural-ish, women’s liberal arts college. This is a fairly easy choice if you ask me. Where would intstudent2021 be happier?

@DadTwoGirls: MIT (and any research U) would also have gigantic (or at least big) lectures.

But the OP isn’t comparing MIT as an option.
MHC won’t have classes of that scale.

I guess, since I don’t have a specific choice of “environment”, it would come down to a college where there are higher chances of me getting good grades, but no good ranking, etc vs a Uni that is quite well reputed internationally.
And that’s confusing

Also, I do realize that I will have a more “family-like” protected environment at MHC, which really means a lot to an international student, and takes away some of the anxiety of studying 8500 miles away from home.
But then I also think that McGill will kind of force me to become more independent and responsible, which may be scary in the first few months but would help me greatly in the long run.

What do you guys think about that?
Again, this is the weirdest but the toughest choice I have had to make.

Does McGill offer courses in French? Obviously there’d be more french speaking people around, if that matters to you,

You don’t care about the environment probably because you can’t envision both. It seems like there is nothing like a LAC in your home country.

I doubt many people would be indifferent between the two very different environments.