@ultimom I’m definitely not set on law school at all. my dream job is the foreign service but I’m also considering education and academia and a whole bunch of other stuff as careers. which is why I’m a little worried about mcgill, because I don’t quite know what I want to do yet.
Btw, based upon the selectivity of the schools to which you’ve been accepted, I’d expect you to have Georgetown as an option as well.
OP an additional approach is to use a weighted points system.
List all the relevant factors you can think of, assign a numerical weight to each based on their importance to you,
then assign a number for each factor for each school based on how you feel it ranks on that factor.
Multilply weight 1 x weight 2 for each factor, then add all the results up by school.
I’m a Reed alum, loved it, and would normally recommend it over any of your other options without hesitation, BUT.
Given the debt situation, your career goals and what you’re looking for in a school, I think McGill sounds like the right choice for you. You’ll probably love Montreal, you’ll make friends with people from all over the world, the school has some brand recognition even in the States and, most importantly, you won’t be in debt.
Seriously, do future you a favor and don’t go into massive debt to go to college, please.
Yeah, I think @Ghostt is right. I’m also a Reed alum and share the same sentiments but if McGill really comes out 30-40k less, with the need to fund the gap through loans than I also would think twice
I’m not clear on where you have visited. These seem fairly divergent in terms of campus vibe. Oberlin & Reed are somewhat out of the mainstream on the left — Colby & Hamilton less so. I personally don’t think anyone should pick a college without visiting it first - but I think that is especially true for Oberlin & Reed. And one of my kids disliked the Colby vibe, do it is not for everyone as well.
Hamilton is in Clinton, NY. Clinton is a lovely, charming village.
In answer to the OP’s question- you probably can reach your career goals from any of your choices, so pick the best fit. You asked, “Is an expensive, elite education worth it?” All five of your colleges will have brilliant students and can be considered academically “elite” in that only the best and brightest students are admitted, so I do not think that particular question will help you differentiate among them, although it may help you rule out other options you may not have named. In addition to the opportunities and connections, top colleges will provide a wonderfully stimulating intellectual environment where students engage in discussion of ideas both in and out of the classroom.
One of your colleges is huge while the others are tiny, so you will need to decide which you prefer. Do you want the small college experience, with a tight-knit campus community and where you will have a lot of face-to-face interaction with professors who are excellent and dedicated teachers? Or do you want the endless course options and ability to specialize, and ability to keep meeting tons of new people, that McGill may provide?
Does location, as explored in other posts above, matter to you?
Do you want Hamilton’s open curriculum? Colby’s one-month winter term? Reed’s quirky intensity? Oberlin’s music scene? All these colleges are great, so explore questions such as these.
I can comment best on Hamilton’s vibe, as it is the only one I visited personally, and it was one of my son’s top choices. It is a very friendly campus; its students stood out for their friendliness on our tour of 21 colleges! It has a nice mix of students (and this variety is even echoed in the architecture): you can find students who enjoy sports, the arts, a wide range of subjects, fratty and nerdy and artsy and outdoorsy types, etc., etc. The open curriculum is really cool, too: study whatever you like, in classes full of people who really want to be in that class.
I am not sure if you meant you are international only at McGill or at all, but I do know that many professors at Hamilton welcome students who live far away into their own homes for Thanksgiving. Another example of the beautiful interpersonal warmth of the place.
Debt matters, too. Since they are all colleges that attract top students and provide good opportunities, you can consider cost and still know you will get a top education.
Good luck!
I am American, and I am not going too far from home at any of these colleges with the possible exception of Reed. McGill is the only school I’d be an international at. The only school I toured so far was Oberlin, but I went to Hamilton early in the morning to look around the campus. Very beautiful needless to say, but at both colleges I was a little wary that they might be both in the middle of nowhere, but also with very little access to skiing or hiking (which I enjoy a lot). Montreal seems very cool, and I’d definitely try to pick up French and escape the McGill bubble. But I grew up in a huge city, and wouldn’t mind moving out to the country (this will probably be the only time I can!) so long as there is access to fun in nature.
I actually have ruled out Oberlin (or rather had it ruled out for me) since my parents flat out said they wouldn’t send me there, and I was always a little iffy on it. Just taking a look at some of the McGill courses has me pretty enthralled (there’s an Old English class…Hwæt?!), and I am driving there and to Montreal to tour in a couple weeks. I am also going to do the Colby accepted weekend, and the kids I’ve talked to online all seem so intelligent and funny. And there’s a small chance I’ll fly out to Reed if one of my friends gets in.
As of right now McGill is the front-runner in my mind because of its price, but I think the choice will be much clearer upon visiting. In any case I am not willing to go over 20k in debt, so the choice might not really be much of one at all in the end. Definitely with such great options and an eye on grad school the finances come first.
I will keep you guys posted and I really appreciate all the help!
wackrapconcarne
For an examination of campus social dynamics, prospective Colby students should probably watch the film Colby Life Documentary.
For a cultural and visual perspective, prospective Hamilton students should probably read or watch The Sterile Cuckoo.
This might interest you: http://www.ssmuski.com about McGill. The ski club is very robust and popular. There seem to be lots of ways to escape the city, particularly being set on the edge of Mont Royal Park, with its trails and skating. You need to be a self-starter to succeed at McGill - it’s a wonderful school, but not as “curated” an experience as a smaller, private school. Good luck with your decision!
@merc81 @intparent @monydad @TheGreyKing @merc81 @ucbalumnus and to any others who I forgot to mention
Ok. So I just visited Ham and Mcgill (visiting Colby next weekend) and I have to say, while I LOVED Montreal, I wasn’t a huge fan of McGill’s location within it. The campus felt a bit cramped, and there was so much construction and noise because it’s right downtown. But the neighborhoods east of St. Laurent are incredible. I’m also a little wary of the housing situation, as I don’t want to go to a commuter school (which it seems like McGill kinda is after the first year). As far as the social life goes I heard there was a lot of clubbing, which I am a little weirded out by, but I guess it’s fine. That being said I liked McGill alot, and if the finances push me towards it I would be more than happy to go. All the students were so down to earth and chill (and VERY attractive, at the risk of being shallow, I think they just took more pride in their appearances), and it seems like an incredibly dynamic and fun place to be, if stressful.
Hamilton was sosososo nice academically (I sat in on a class of 5 people which was incredible) but yeah it was in the middle of nowhere, and it did seem a little precious/hand-holdy. But they obviously do place a lot of trust in you and let you do your own thing what with the open curriculum. Not sure about what the social scene is like there, unfortunately I couldn’t overnight, but it seems fairly standard if maybe divided between the dark and light side. I was in the admissions office just looking through a course catalog and a student just volunteered to walk me to the class I was looking for, and she as well as our tour guide were really friendly and open. Also such a beautiful campus with a nice sort of variety in architecture. I am leaning towards it right now because I feel like the academic quality is just so much better for humanities.
I assume Colby will be similar to Ham, but a bit more sporty/outdoorsy. But they have been super proactive in reaching out (a department head just emailed me out of the blue-pretty cool) so maybe they will have stuff which Ham can’t match (we shall see!). Certainly the skiing is a lot better around there 
Anyway thanks for your guys’ help again. I’ll let you know what I end up deciding and why.
Bottom line is that if you go to McGill, you are going to have to take care of yourself. At most of the other schools listed, they will take care of you(or at least give you that illusion). All are going to be quite rigorous…by reputation Reed is very tough, and McGill is a shock for a student who is used to getting straight A’s, as are all the top Canadian schools.
As a city kid, you should know whether or not you want the McGill experience. It’s actually more of a mid sized city, but has a big city feel. S1 was up for the challenge, and wanted to get away from the midwest. He had offers from some outstanding LAC’s such as Carleton and Swarthmore, but felt claustrophobic at the LAC’s, and didn’t want to go to a school that was smaller in enrollment than his HS. So far, so good, but I will say that you shouldn’t have to worry too much about the distractions of the big city(i.e. clubbing). Significant amounts of study are necessary just to pass courses, let alone excel, unless you are unusually brilliant.
You can usually get a ski bus package leaving on or near the campus going to either the Laurentians(i.e. Tremblant) or the Eastern townships(i.e. Owl’s Head, Bromont, Jay Peak?). Good skiing/boarding.
@wackrapconcarne I like @privatebanker’s advice, but another thing you might want to do is to write down or think about a few things you like about each school, and also consider how you would feel about not going to that school. You might find then that a college that you liked in some abstract way wasn’t one that you would feel bad about not attending, and that a different school actually called to you more.
MCGILL 2023!!! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP 
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Best of luck to you!