<p>I've heard Uchicago a lot, anyone else?</p>
<p>McGill is nothing like UChicago. Zero. Culturally and politcally it's worlds apart.</p>
<p>Closest to U Michigan-Ann Arbor, UW-Madison, Cornell, UC-Berkeley (a little bit of a stretch), and NYU. Mix those and you have McGill, just with more money.</p>
<p>What about in terms of selectivity in admissions? For American students at least? To which American schools is it similar in that category?</p>
<p>mcgill does have an "elite" atmosphere similar to that of uchicago as well as a rich history. however, in terms of class sizes and such, it is definitely more similar to big elite schools, such as umich, nyu, etc.</p>
<p>It does have the whole faculty thing though which is unique from most american schools.</p>
<p>what about in terms of academic difficulty and prestige? No offense to NYU, but other the Stern, what other academic schools(not film) are really glamorized at NYU?</p>
<p>NYU Political science is really good and has some of the best math departments in the US.</p>
<p>As for UChicago Elite atmosphere, it is not elite at all.
Everyone is humble and conversational about academics. They are no pompous elite Ivy students who think they are the best. They are just intensely intellectual, with a great desire to learn.</p>
<p>I really, really hate being so honest, but...as I've said before, as someone who goes to McGill, it's not a very intellectual atmosphere BUT it's very, very challenging. Basically, it's the opposite of the liberal arts schools in the U.S., which encourage lots of discussion and such but offer tons of easy, "mind expanding/hippy" courses. McGill is big lectures, no talking, and a brutal exam at the end. It's very European. Honestly, UMich or Cornell are similar in that the kids work really hard, but most are not super brilliant.</p>
<p>the "elite" atmosphere isn't exactly contributed by the student body. like i said, it's more similar to big public schools than any ivy. it's what goes on in the school that makes it count. the endless extracurricular opportunities and clubs for almost anything from classical music appreciation to quebec independence to queer alliance, mostly ran by high motivated students; the quality of the individual professors (not exactly the large classes themselves) who come from mostly top tier schools around the world; but mostly, the european culture of montreal, one of north america's most culturally rich cities, and its impact to every student at mcgill. </p>
<p>but yes, the bureaucracy of the school administration definitely is one of the fews things that hurts one's experience at mcgill.</p>
<p>to wutang, you are a transfer student right? if you haven't been here since freshmen year, missing out on that "transition" part every year could be a problem. i also strongly disagree with what you said about umich and cornell. while certainly not in the calibur of HYP, most students there are quite intellectually engaging (probably except for a couple of instate kids at umich who barely got in).</p>
<p>well student 1, to go against your refuting of wutang... U Mich, Cornell, and McGill all have things in common that other top schools do not always share so much. Strong academics where people know how to party.
There are geniuses and average joes at all three schools, but whether they are smart or not, they party.</p>
<p>And that's what counts.</p>
<p>Is McGill, prestige wise among US employers, as respected as say.. a top 10 USnews school or an Ivy league?</p>
<p>(bump to top)</p>
<p>I wouldn't say top 10 probably, but it's comparable to an Ivy league along the lines of Cornell or UPenn (except Wharton).</p>
<p>^I've been to Cornell frats...there are plenty of mediocre kids there. If you go to a top prep school, it ain't that hard to get in.</p>
<p>McGill, even more so. There are prep schools in Canada where close to 100% of kids get into McGill. Trust me, some of these kids would not make it in a Boston public high school, and most fail out of McGill. That's the problem though-the Canadian system is different than the U.S. Your not really "in" McGill untill you pass U1. Every grade, you have to kill yourself for. Being admitted to McGill means next to nothing...Canada is about providing the opportunity for all who wish to pursue higher education, but you have to do the work without any guidance.</p>
<p>I wouldnt not say prestige wise in the US that it is comparable to a top 10 school or IVY, but as far a business goes, all big businesses know of mcGill. Probably hold ground similar to Michigan and UCLA, but below berkeley, cause berkeley...well, berkeley is known everywhere.</p>
<p>i would compare it to michigan, ucla, nyu and within the reach of cornell. but nothing above that.</p>
<p>IDK, I used to live in China, and over there, McGIll is more respected than say. Brown and Cornell. I do agree that Berkeley holds a better international reputation though.</p>
<p>I think berkeley hold more international ground than cornell and brown because, although they are famous for being ivy leagues, it is just that. They are ivy leagues, who cares. Berkeley on the other hand is the university responsible for the creation of the most devastating weapon on the face of the earth today. Not only that but berkeley is practically the world university headquarters for insane science pioneering and is responsible for countless numbers of inventions and scientific findings.</p>