<p>for a US student:</p>
<p>my thoughts, would welcome debate:
montreal vs. ann arbor, edge to montreal (depends on what you want)
cost is less at mcgill
spectator sports are better a u mich
school spirit better at u mich
better campus at u mich
academic reputation - about the same, michigan more recognizable due to sports but academically about equal
lecture class size - honors/rc at u mich = small class size</p>
<p>hireability in the US?</p>
<p>tia,</p>
<p>McGill is great, but I don’t think it’s comparable to Michigan in the US and abroad. Michigan has virtually no academic weaknesses.</p>
<p>Montreal is an awesome city, but Ann Arbor is equally as awesome in its own, very different way. I also think Michigan would be more heavily recruited on campus by US firms. However, if you are going to be sending your resume out to companies on your own initiative, I do not think they will differentiate too greatly between the two. Also, in the US, I think Michigan’s academic reputation is stronger than McGill’s, but not by much. The real question is cost. McGill is about $15k/year cheaper than Michigan. As such, I think McGill is a better deal. However, if your parents can easily cover the cost, I think Michigan is a better overall choice.</p>
<p>i might be in the same situation as you soon…(waiting on umich and mcgill’s decisions still) but i got accepted to u of toronto so if im lucky enough to get accepted to all three ill have to pick!
price and value wise i think mcgill would be a better deal
umich and mcgill have comparable prestige and reputation but if youre looking for a job in the US, umich might be more well known</p>
<p>its gonna be a hard decision to make!!</p>
<p>If I was a philosophy major who wanted to read post-structuralists in cafes with more of a pure city feel I would choose McGill. Otherwise, for a true college experience in almost every sense I would choose Michigan. Aside from concerns about money, of course. For over 95% of the country, I doubt the words Michigan and McGill would ever cross their minds in the same sentence.</p>
<p>^To give a more global perspective of rank, although arbitrary, the Times Higher Ed ranks Umich at 12, University of Toronto at 16, and ties Duke and McGill at 31 ;)</p>
<p>So, quietdesperation, what is your field of study and do your folks comfortably have an extra $60 k or more (over 4 years?)</p>
<p>Re: Employers…UMich alumni is outstanding, no doubt. However, if you’re targeting the east coast, I feel McGill is pretty well known/regarded.</p>
<p>Montreal is an awesome city, but as one who has lived there, how’s your French? 
You’ll get a little more “fun” mileage if you can parlez!</p>
<p>McGill is a great school. You can’t go wrong either way. Do whichever one makes the most sense financially. I have a friend who made the decision to go to McGill over UMich and Toronto and has no regrets.</p>
<p>In this kind of scenario why not take the 108K in merit at Tulane (and you can still speak French :))?</p>
<p>thanks for all the great replies. Here are some thoughts:
<p>tulane and $108k of merit aid is still in the mix. new orleans(!), more student support @ a private school, honors program. too bad u mich won’t throw in some $.</p>
<p>
kmcmom13, is this the ranking you’re referring to?
[World</a> University Rankings 2012-2013](<a href=“http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2012-13/world-ranking]World”>World University Rankings 2013-14 | Times Higher Education (THE)) </p>
<p>I see Michigan at #20, Toronto at #21, Duke at #23, and McGill at #34. All 4 schools mentioned seem to score about the same (75-85) though which indicates they have equal international clout.</p>
<p>I would choose McGill if I wanted to work in Canada or NYC post-graduation but choose U of M if I wanted to look for jobs in any other major city in the U.S.</p>
<p>I think kmcmom was talking about the prestige (reputational) ranking. And if you are talking about “international clout”, the reputation ranking is obviously going to be more telling. Let us face it, according to most “international rankings”, all of which are useless if you ask me, Harvard is not ranked #1 (usually #4 or #5). However, reputationally, Harvard is far and away #1 globally. The Times is hardly accurate in its global reputation ranking mind you. But even then, Michigan is widely regarded a top 10 US university in Europe. Even in France, Michigan edges out McGill. </p>
<p>And Michigan trumps McGill in NYC. Michigan’s reputation is ridiculous on NYC. Only HYPSM, Columbia, Cornell and Penn have stronger presence or reputation. </p>
<p>If money is not a concern, it’s Michigan over McGill regardless. If money is a concern, McGill is a great value that’s worth considering.</p>
<p>“I would choose McGill if I wanted to work in Canada or NYC post-graduation but choose U of M if I wanted to look for jobs in any other major city in the U.S.”</p>
<p>Based on what evidence is McGill a better choice to work in NYC than Michigan goldenboy? Don’t bother to answer…</p>
<p>
People in NYC are extremely sophisticated and knowledgeable about schools internationally and McGill is thought of in elite social circles as the “Harvard of Canada”.</p>
<p>
We"ll have to agree to disagree here Alexandre; multiple lists that pertain to "social prestige’ and elite NYC prep school yield rates point to the fact that UMich is seen as a backup to the entire Ivy League so there’s 8 schools right. That’s not including Stanford, MIT, Duke, Northwestern, and UChicago.</p>
<p>I would say that Michigan’s reputation in NYC far trumps any other public school in the country besides UVA though. Berkeley, UCLA, UNC, and Texas are nowhere near as known or respected there as Michigan.</p>
<p>Have not found one person in NY that thinks it’s close. Personally, I think this is simply misinformation as it’s clearly very close.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I lived in NYC for a long time. People there like to think they’re extremely sophisticated and knowledgeable about schools internationally (and domestically, for that matter), but in fact they’re mostly gullible and for the most part have really shallow bases if information. For whatever reason, McGill does enjoy an outsized reputation in NYC, disproportionate to any objective measure of its excellence (and to be clear, it is an excellent school). It would be hard to make a case that, among Canadian schools, McGill is appreciably better than U Toronto or UBC, for example, and most Canadians see the three on the same plane and a definite notch ahead of a number of other fine Canadian universities. But McGill enjoys a much more exalted reputation than either of those other two in and around NYC. </p>
<p>It may be partly proximity. It may be partly that McGill, although an Anglophone university, is in a Francophone city and that appeals to the strongly Francophile residents of NYC. It may be partly that by their names, U Toronto and UBC are immediately recognizable as “public” universities while many New Yorkers erroneously believe a school with a name like McGill must be private, and in their little parochial corner of the world “publics” are not as good as “privates.”</p>
<p>I think most of that misinformation circulates among HS students and parents of college applicants. Among major employers in NYC, and certainly with anyone who has substantial academic credentials in practically any field, Michigan’s reputation equals or exceeds that of McGill among the true cognoscenti in NYC, though perhaps not among high schoolers applying to college and their parents.</p>
<p>goldenboy, Chicago, Duke and Northwestern do not enjoy a high yield rate among the top Northeastern private high schools. In fact, other than Georgetown (surprisingly), MIT and Stanford, most private elites outside of the Ivy League do not seem to have a great yield at those top East Coast schools. Not surprising really, since high schools will tend to place regionally. That’s to be expected. As such, Chicago, Duke, Michigan and Northwestern do well relatively speaking. And your insinuation that Michigan is a backup among those who enroll is not accurate. There is no basis for it anyway. Backups are almost always cheaper or regional. Michigan is neither regional, nor is it cheap. Regional backups for students at elite high schools would be schools like NYU, BC, BU, Tufts, GWU etc…</p>
<p>Quietdesperation, perhaps in your own circles, Michigan does not have a strong reputation. No university is going to shine in every single respect. Well, Harvard and Stanford and a couple other universities will, but that’s it. Beyond those universities, you really have to poll thousands of unrelated people at random to get a real picture. </p>
<p>But I was not referring to reputation among high school students. Among high schools students (and there gullible parents who blindly follow faulty rankings), McGill is indeed as highly regarded as Michigan. I was referring to reputation in the workplace, which was one of your original questions. Michigan alumni are very well represented at the top of several industries in NYC, including Banking, Consulting, Legal and Medical.</p>
<p>That being said, you should go with your gut. It would seem you want McGill. That’s a great choice too…and at a more reasonable price! ;)</p>
<p>Golden boy and Alexandre – yes, I was responding to the student’s question about perceived prestige, hence the reputation ranking and dollop of FWIW
I am also aware, whether merited or not, that In terms of reputation, McGill possibly enjoys a certain cache on the east coast. (don’t get me wrong, it deserves a great reputation, I’m just not getting into the comparative debate.) Both are great schools and it’s splitting hairs at this level, IMHO.</p>
<p>Quietdesperation, have you visited both schools? If money truly isn’t in the equation, visit both and get a sense of fit. You mentioned RC for smaller classes – that’s certainly true and I know many students who enjoy that setting. I would try to arrange visits and sit in on some of the polysci classes to get a feel for the department and faculty. That was the most valuable thing my son did a few years back to help with his decision. He’d sat in on both an introductory class and a senior class in his specialization to get a sense of what his course of study would be like.</p>
<p>In his case he chose Michigan and has been very happy there (McGill had just discontinued the undergrad degree he was seeking to apply for and instead converted it to a masters program, so it was no longer in play, but interestingly his current department head hails from that program at McGill </p>
<p>At any rate, congrats on your great choices! Time for a road trip to help settle the question, I think!</p>
<p>Have visited McGill, scheduled to visit u mich this month. Not leaning in either direction, just anecdotally reporting findings. Agree it’s splitting hairs and fit is most important</p>
<p>Thanks to all!</p>
<p>
That is false Alexandre. Duke is located on the East Coast and is as highly regarded in NYC as Cornell and Columbia (probably more than Cornell). The only school I know in NYC that reports yields is the Saint Anne’s School and here is how these schools stack up:</p>
<p>[Honors</a>, Awards & Admissions](<a href=“http://www.saintannsny.org/info/honorframe.html]Honors”>http://www.saintannsny.org/info/honorframe.html)</p>
<p>Duke: 14/27= 52%
Chicago: 21/75= 28%
NU: 3/17- 18%
Michigan: 16/100= 16%</p>
<p>You’re right that there is a regional aspect to reputation but its more coastal than anything else. Generally, schools in the Midwest aren’t as highly regarded on those on the East Coast or West Coast.</p>
<p>If you know of any other schools that report yield, please feel free to share the data to prove me wrong.</p>
<p>Perhaps you are correct about Duke goldenboy. I do not have evidence to support my claims. I always noticed that the Ivy League attracted more of those students than all universities outside of the NE. Perhaps I was wrong about Duke, but I am not wrong about Chicago, Michigan and NU. Those three do not attract students from NE high schools. </p>
<p>That does not mean that they are not well regarded when it comes to professional placement in NYC. Michigan in particular is always considered among the most prestigious universities among major NYC firms. Only half a dozen universities are more highly regarded than Michigan in NYC, while perhaps only a dozen more are regarded as highly.</p>