<p>So I have to make a decision between Tufts and McGill. Ultimately it may be a simple question of which cost less, but I would like to hear how other people would compare the two. As a point of reference I want to major in Political Science with a focus on the Middle East. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each in terms of academics, social environment, placement into Graduate/Law school, general quality of experience? Thanks for reading this. I look forward to your responses.</p>
<p>I’m pretty much in the same boat as you, although I’m deciding between McGill, Tufts, and Northwestern. I’d really love to hear some input from CC’ers…</p>
<p>Well do you want to go to school in Canada or the United States? Do you want a small LA-style campus in metro Boston or a large public urban campus? Either will serve you well for Law school in either country.</p>
<p>Although McGill is extremely cheap if I could remember correctly. What type of aid are you expecting from Tufts?</p>
<p>The McGill price tag is a big mark in its favor, and I doubt I will get enough aid from Tufts to make it a possibility. But disregarding that… I’ve spent some time at both schools and really enjoyed both. I love the independence and true adult hood I would get from McGill but also felt very welcomed by the Tufts community. </p>
<p>Really my intentions in starting this thread was to learn more about both schools. I’d love to hear what would be the deciding factors for “you” if faced by the same decision.</p>
<p>Well Montreal is coooooooooooold… It’s a fun place to vacation but I don’t know if I would want to spend 4 years outside the good old U S of A. McGill and Tufts have completely different types of feels, and it’s impossible for one person to give you a knowledgable and unbiased opinion on both. Visit both before you start deciding.</p>
<p>Also why do you think you’ll get more independence at McGill? Short of being (legally) able to drink.</p>
<p>Detail,</p>
<p>Thats the trick, I’ve spent quite a bit of time at Tufts and McGill. Although I am planning on revisiting both. The feeling of independence I’ve gleamed from McGill is based on my visits, talking with students, and the fact that everyone moves off campus(cooks for themselves ext…) after the first year. </p>
<p>The weather thing is a fare point, although I can’t let that be a deciding factor. I’m not asking for some definitive and unbiased judgment of each school, because as you said this is a very subjective and personal decision. I’m hoping to, by seeing what important to others, work out a clearer picture of what factors do and do not matter to me. </p>
<p>Thank you (all) for taking the time to respond.</p>
<p>Tufts and McGill are totally different types of schools. Tufts is a small liberal arts college in large research university. The classes are small and very much student centered. I am a senior at Tufts and I have loved the attention that undergrads receive, the resources at our disposal and the campus atmosphere. If you have specific questions about programs and academics and/or life in Boston, let me know.</p>
<p>Could anyone elaborate on graduate school placement for either school and how they compare? I also got into both schools and love both of them so I’m having a hard time choosing…I know I definitely want to earn a master’s degree so does anyone know which school is a bigger (top) grad school feeder?</p>
<p>^^ GPA and experience>“Prestige” of your undergrad institution. Based on published med and law school statistics people with near perfect gpa and test scores at Ivys have no better chance of getting into top grad schools than people with similar gpa and test scores of state schools. In fact the only clear advantage was when a student applied to a school of his/her alma mater. </p>
<p>Someone with a 3.5 at Harvard will have a competitive advantage to someone with a 3.5 at Umass, but chances are that someone with a 3.5 at Harvard would have ended up with a near perfect GPA had he attended Umass. So no going to a great undergrad institution is not your free pass to a good grad school. You generally have to work even harder for the same competitive advantage.</p>
<p>^I understand that a good undergrad school is NOT a free pass to a good grad school, obviously. But at this point, I think it’s pragmatic for me to consider my future after the next four years. I am not asking about the prestige of the institution and whether that influences grad school admissions, rankings mean nothing to me–I’m simply asking for the plain hard facts about the relationship between these two schools and grad schools. </p>
<p>Sorry if my question wasn’t phrased clearly. :)</p>
<p>I’m so pleased this thread went up! I’m surprised at the number of people who are in a similar boat as me. I have not decided (Mcgill or Tufts) yet but here is my train of thought:
- Price. Enough said.
- Each city AND university would provide great opportunity for work and internships. Something to concider: can American students work easily in Canada?
- The chance to study international affairs/political science at an internationally recognized and intionally oriented institution like Mcgill is very cool. Think of the different perspectives and opinions that would be shared in a class at this melting pot!
- The ability to become fluent in French. Tres cool.
- Independence factor. They coddle you at Tufts. This is neither a pro nor a con. Coming from a private, single gender school I’m not sure if I’m ready to stop being coddled by my teachers. But maybe this belief means I need to step out of my boundaries. Idk
- You will get a FINE education at both. You CANNOT go wrong with either. Obviously it’s a personal decision, but I’m leaning towards Mcgill</p>
<p>^Well said…I’m still completely torn. Whatever happens with my Tufts FA package tomorrow will definitely help me swing one way or another, I think.</p>
<p>xcchika:
- Yeah, obviously McGill wins in price, unless you get a very generous aid package from Tufts
- I’m not really sure why that’s significant. Is it easier for Canadian students to work in America than it is for Americans to work in Canada?
- Tufts also has an internationally renowned IR program, although it’s more notable at the graduate level. However, there are still students who come from all over the world for IR and other programs. Tufts definitely has a large amount of diversity, but I don’t know how it compares to McGill.
- While I guess that would be easier to accomplish where French is spoken, you can still take plenty of language classes here and participate in activities/organizations oriented towards better learning the language.
- I don’t know enough about McGill to compare the amount that you would be “coddled”, but I don’t think Tufts students are particularly coddled anyways. It sounds like more people live off-campus at McGill and it is a larger school that is directly in the city (I think?), so I can see how that would require more independence.
- True</p>
<p>7) Do you run XC/would you run for either school?</p>
<p>Thank you everyone who has lent their thinking to this discussion, it has proved very interesting and informative. Best of luck to those of you who, like me, are waiting to hear about financial aid today. Tufts vs McGill is a very hard decision to make but I hope we all get the money we need to truly allow it to be our decision.</p>
<p>As several others have stated we are very lucky. We have to make a decision between two of the best schools in the world. It a hard decision but in reality we cant go wrong.</p>
<p>Aaaaa I’m deciding between these two! I’m actually leaning more towards Tufts. I absolutely love the small-school & community feel, I’m much more familiar with the US and Tufts than McGill, and for my intended career (IR), Tufts is one of the very best. McGill is fantastic but it’s too big and too cold.</p>