<p>I really want to go to a university in Canada (I just loved the atmosphere when I visited UBC and McGill). I'm in Portland, OR right now, so I'm used to the rain.</p>
<p>I have a 4.0 GPA unweighted, 4.4/4.5 GPA weighted
Class rank: 1/469</p>
<p>Junior Year Courseload:
AP English Language
AP US History
AP Biology
AP French
Hon. Latin I
Precalculus
Newspaper</p>
<p>Senior Year Courseload (projected):
PSU (College-in-highschool) English Literature
PSU (College-in-highschool) French Language
AP Constitutional Government
AP European History
AP Macroeconomics
AP Art History
AP Calculus
Hon. Latin II</p>
<p>I plan to maintain my 4.0 and be Valedictorian</p>
<p>I got a 2160 on the SATs (740, 700, 720) and a 30 on my ACT (euuuugh)</p>
<p>Can I get into McGill? UBC?</p>
<p>I also speak French pretty well, but I'm not quite fluent YET..</p>
<p>From what I've gathered, you should be able to get in, especially with that rank. McGill is the university I'm planning to go to as well, unless of course Quebec holds another referendum and separates from Canada!</p>
<p>You'll get in to both McGill and UBC just fine. </p>
<p>Though it should also be noted that you'll be a U1 student (Sophomore) at McGill, rather than a U0 student, where most non-Quebecers start out, same thing for UBC.</p>
<p>Don't worry about not speaking French. It's a bit long to explain but McGill and surrounding areas basically form an English-speaking bubble.</p>
<p>I'd probably want to do either International Business or International Finance with a language minor, and then get an MBA somewhere. Or I would take the liberal arts route and major in Classics with a language minor and then go on to law school.</p>
<p>I love McGill, but you might want to shoot a little higher if your main interest is business/career placement. If you're just interested in making money, there are places in the U.S. that will do a lot better for getting you on an MBA track. Now, if you wanted to go premed, liked science, or loved Montreal and intended on gradschool, etc. then I would say go for it. Also, I guess admissions are so tight these days that even valedictorians are getting rejected from Ivys. I'm kind of flattered that someone with your profile is considering my school.</p>
<p>Both schools would still be a challenge, but your not going to find a lot of valedictorians at either school. And also, why business? Undergrad is for learning, then get your MBA. Business is not an intellectually demanding field, particularly at McGill. Also, Quebec is not a pro-business environment. Again, I would still come to McGill, but only because I love Montreal so much, NOT because of the business program.</p>
<p>If you do decide on McGill, and I commend you, study Honours Economics, minor in math, and take some international finance courses. This will get you on a better track to a top 10 MBA program than studying international business.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your input, WuTang; my parents want to discourage me from taking on a business major as an undergraduate, and now I understand. I love languages and history and, as I said, I probably will end up taking the liberal arts route but with a practical minor, such as math or economics.</p>
<p>And now on to more trivial yet deciding factors: is McGill a pretty campus? Do the aesthetics of the campus match those of their female students, of whom I have heard only great things? Also, I'd love to practice my French; is the university strictly English speaking?</p>
<p>Also, is there any financial aid for international students like me?</p>
<p>You're able to use U.S. Federal Student Loans at the University, but not grants or work-study. There are scholarships that the University does sometimes give out, as well. Other than that and Private Scholarships, you're pretty limited when it comes to financial resources.</p>
<p>Well McGill is a great school, but please do consider US schools. McGill is a great school, you would have such an easy time getting in. You can aim for "better" schools.</p>
<p>raise your SAT and you should be a really strong candidate for many top schools.</p>
<p>It is just that, not so often are safeties first choices.</p>
<p>Yeah, I know that I could get into some nice U.S. schools, and I'm applying to some, but I don't just want to go to a school because of its prestige or because I could get in. I really fell in love with McGill when I visited, and I know I'd really be happy there. I'm not like all the other CC kids who have my stats + 2,384 ECs and a 2490 on the SAT that are just like OHMYGODCANIGETINTOHARVARDPRINCETONYALESTANFORDBLBLBLBLBLBLLB; also I don't want to go to a school WITH kids like that.</p>
<p>If my AP test scores weren't so bad (4's and some 3's), I'd apply to schools in England.</p>
<p>Ha, yeah, I am NOT a super grind. I just worked hard in high school so I could have my pick of where I wanted to go to school. I partied a bit in high school, but I figured that college is the place for really enjoying my social life. That's why I don't want to school with tardasses who only care about their school's prestige. I'm not stuck up at all, and I want to go to college with other more down-to-earth people. I'd probably shoot myself in the face after a week at an ivy.</p>
<p>While the attitude is admirable, you still want to have EVERY option available to you. Don't look to McGill as a safety, but don't look to it as a reach. Check out some other schools (US top 20) that you might like, just in case your attitude changes (and you realize that cc'ers are but a VERY SMALL percentage of college-bound kids). </p>
<p>Don't get me wrong, I'm all for McGill. Yay McGill! However if you've got the goods, why not flaunt them (aka, take a shot at some other big name uni's)?</p>
<p>Good luck to you during your application process, I highly suggest you talk to your college counselor at your school. I'm sure she could hook you up with some schools that are like McGill (i.e. UPenn, NYU Stern though it's no Penn, Columbia, etc.). </p>
<p>I'll mirror Wutang, though. I chose McGill for Montreal, not just for the faculty of engineering. Coming from a suburb of Chicago, I wanted to be in a city, and McGill IS RIGHT FNCKING DOWNTOWN. That's pretty cool.</p>
<p>i dont reccomend shooting for higher because of prestige, but soley for academic reasons. If you do want to do business, apply to places like Berkeley, UPENN, Stern, UMICH, etc. If not, i still think you should be aiming for better school. McGill is an incredible school, but with you stats, you should be able to get into schools that will give you a better education in your desired fields of study.</p>
<p>Also, you said that instead of business, you might do liberal arts (you said classics).
If you are going to take languages, you might want to find a world region you are interested in and try majoring, or taking classes in the language that they speak. If you would like to learn a language, it is convenient if you speak one that will help benefit your business, and make you enjoy yourself. Classics is great, but i think it is best suited for things outside of business.</p>
<p>Well thanks, you guys have been much more helpful than anybody on the normal "chance" threads. I guess I have kind of underestimated myself after viewing all the psychoapplicants on cc, mainly because my extra-curriculars are few and not TOO strong. McGill, however, will still definitely be on my college list, even if it isn't a reach, or even necessarily a match.</p>
<p>The valedictorian in our local high school had similar credential to yours and attended McGill's science program, which has proven to be quite challenging. You won't be alone at McGill and your lack of extracurriculars won't hurt you. McGill's judgment is based on gpa and standardized test scores.</p>
<p>Trust me, my decision was made from a purely academic and social standpoint. I do NOT want to go to school in Canada because I feel that Canada is more politically and socially righteous, as many ignorant American liberals are all too happy to pronounce. My decision that I wanted to attend a Canadian university came from the style of education offered at Canadian schools (lectures and tests, no BS), the international aspect and oppurtunities of the universities (mainly McGill and UBC), and the overall laid-back aura that I sensed when I visited the universities, which contrasts greatly with the stick-up-one's-ass disposition that is so popular among the more prestigious American universities.</p>
<p>I assure you that my desire to attend a school in Canada is not so that I may boast the fact to my domestic friends, nor because I simply believe Canada is "cooler." I have taken the decision of where to attend college/university very seriously, and, as I have said before, I am also considering a good handful of American institutions as well.</p>
<p>BIGTWIX, I must admit you have spurred a question for me: are Canadian university students welcoming to American students, or not so much?</p>