Notre Dame or McGill for undergrad

I can’t decide!!! What’s everyone thinking? I will want to follow it with a post grad - ideally at an ivy school.

McGill. Big school with high end academic rigor. And a make it or break it reputation. Wonderful city and culture in Montreal. Better costs head to head. Completely secular. Awesome choice.

ND. Smaller school with a beautiful campus. Sleepy town. Wonderful academics. Super sports and school spirit vibe. Big time alumni network. Not secular. Parietals are still a thing. A bit conservative but open to all faiths or none at all. Awesome choice.

What major?

Bcomm @ McGill vs philosophy at ND

That’s interesting. Desautels has a strong international focus in all concentrations. This is reflected in the student body which is over 40% international:
https://mcgill.ca/desautels/programs/bcom/prospective-students/class-profile
First year classes in Desautels are small compared to say in Science.

Another difference would be the environment. Cosmopolitan Montreal versus suburban South Bend:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWgKnVgteRw

Winters at both schools would be similar: cold and snowy.

I didn’t get into the Desautels program at ND.

You mean Desautels at McGill???

Sorry, meant I didn’t get into Mendoza at ND

@mrdaisy Attend Admitted Students Days at both universities, which will inform your decision making process significantly, beyond asking other people with possibly noticeably different preferences than your own.

If at all possible visit McGill if you have not already.

Going next week to both. Thanks!

@mrdaisy Excellent, have fun!

“Those who know Notre Dame, no explanation’s necessary. Those who don’t, no explanation will suffice.” Lou Holtz

Your respective visits will move you from the latter to the former group, for both colleges. Best of luck!

You want to go to graduate school in the US. ND makes sense to me but McGill could work too.

South Bend has a winter, but Montreal’s is colder and longer. Both schools are well regarded. S1 is a 1st year Desautels, but a 'U1"(2nd year). He is a smart guy, and doing well, but there have been times where it’s been a struggle due to the rigor of the academics. He came home for Christmas and slept for two days straight.The grading can be brutal. If GPA is a concern, you might be better off at ND.

Socially, he is enjoying it. Wishes he had more time to enjoy the city, and is excited about moving into his apartment in the ghetto next year. He plays a Varsity sport, so has less free time. It’s get up, go to class, practice, study, eat, work out, eat, study, sleep (sometimes optional) go to class, study, work out, study, study, eat(not optional for an athlete)go to class, sleep?, study, whine about mid term, bargain with teacher, practice, study, go to class, eat dinner with friends and complain about how tired you are, watch game and complain about how tired you are, study, drop your cell phone down a sewer, study, wait, did I sleep, I forgot?

Philosophy and Commerce are two pretty different fields of study. That, and the large difference between the settings for the two schools would make for a pretty easy choice, IMO, depending on your personality. You haven’t shared anything about yourself, so it’s pretty hard to give you a useful answer.