Prospective student needs help!

<p>I'd like to know which is better for an undergraduate degree focusing on political science/international relations, Mcgill university in montreal or Cal? I am out of state for cal and money is somewhat of an issue (have french citizenship, that would make Mcgill considerable cheaper).</p>

<p>Cal is better. But if you have french citizenship, doesnt that make you quebec price for McGill?
In that case, McGill would definitely be the better deal.</p>

<p>I would say that most programs at Cal have a slight edge over all of them at McGill, with certain notable departments, one of them Ide assume to be Poli Sci. Others being anything science related, language related (besides french), and econ/business.</p>

<p>really, most, if not all Cal programs are perhaps among top 20 best in the world. Same with schools like UChicago, HYPSM, etc.</p>

<p>Cal Berkeley is over $55K (closer to $60K for out of state residents) absent scholarships. McGill is either $2K or $5K for French citizens. I'm unfamiliar with McGill's rankings in your area of interest, though it is likely well regarded. In your situation, I would go to McGill undergrad and consider Berkeley, Stanford, the Ivies (especially Harvard and Columbia), Georgetown and Tufts, for grad school. FYI--I believe Zbigniew Brzezinski is a McGill and Harvard grad as are a number of other known political figures (see List</a> of McGill University people) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia%5DList">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_McGill_University_people)).&lt;/p>

<p>I am not sure if this will help you or not. My daughter is a sophomore at McGill and enrolled in an economics class. The class was based on Canadian economics, which is different from the US. I imagine political science will be the same. McGill is international, there are lots of students from all over, probably more so than Cal, so that may be a benefit, for you will meet people, as my DD has, from all over the world. But if you are interested in US politics, then look into what McGill offers in the online course listings. BTW, McGill honors US Gov't loans such as the Stafford Loan and AP courses in HS are also honored for credit, even US History AP.</p>

<p>Once you learn that in the world of master's studies where you get your undergraduate degree is so meaningless, you'll have a hard justifying a $50k+ bill each year for a degree that isn't even terminal. </p>

<p>Harvard B.A. as a terminal degree...I guess impressive. </p>

<p>Harvard Masters or PhD...much more so (though some could argue where you do your PhD is of little importance...).</p>

<p>^^^i never really get those PhD arguments tho.<br>
At least most the time, it seems to me like most famous professors from top schools all got theirs from top schools. Idk.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone, these are all really helpful comments! it's going to be a tough choice</p>