Why wouldn't everyone apply to McGill?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Yes, Montreal is freakin' cold. If you're the type of person who really can't stand the cold, then that is one consideration. Also, if you live really far away from McGill and get homesick easily, that's another consideration. But think about everything McGill has to offer...</p>

<p>1) First-rate academics. McGill is widely recognized as the best college in Canada and one of the best in the world. In the London Times list of best North American colleges, McGill ranked as the #13 University, ranking very competitively with some of the best Ivies.</p>

<p>2) McGill costs about the equivalent of $12,000 a year for American students (and only about $2,000 for Quebecians). It costs about 3 to 4 times that amount to get the same quality of education at an American college.</p>

<p>3) Montreal is a GREAT city. You'll never run out of interesting people to meet from all over the world and you'll never run out of things to do. Also, unlike some city schools (e.g., NYU), McGill actually has a campus despite its city location. To top it off, the legal drinking age in Canada is 18. Need I say more?</p>

<p>4) Even though McGill has a great academic reputation, it is not impossible to make like some American schools. Also, the admissions process may be the easiest of any college. Absolute NO extra cirriculars, teacher recommendations, and personaly essays are factored into the admissions process. All you need to do it take the SAT, two SAT IIs, and attend your high school classes.</p>

<p>5) The Montreal women are stunningly beautiful. Well, at least that's a good reason to go from a man's perspective...</p>

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<p>Firstly, I'm from Montreal. I think McGill is a great school for Americans and other foreign students, but I'm not going. I agree with everything you said--Montreal is a great city, especially for college kids (cheap living/eating, drinking age is 18, lots of easily procurable drugs...). That said, there are some problems:</p>

<p>1) There is a mystique about the Ivies and other top schools that McGill simply lacks. While it may do well in worldwide rankings, the Ivies are still perceived as the best, especially for undergraduate education and graduate education (particularly in law and business).</p>

<p>2) McGill is a massively huge bureaucracy. The school is poorly funded, meaning there are large classes, little interaction with professors, and facilities not quite up-to-date with those at top American schools.</p>

<p>3) There is no real campus life or sense of community. Of course, that's the same with several American unis.</p>

<p>That said, I don't know why anyone would pay to go to a competitive but low-ranked school (relatively) like NYU, BC, etc...when McGill is cheaper and has a better rep.</p>

3

<p>I didn't really want to go to a Canadian College because I think I would have been bombarded by too much anti-american crap. </p>

<p>I do love Canada However,, what is the application deadline, did it already pass?</p>

4

<p>The biggest criticism is, as jpps noted, the bureaucracy. It is a big university trying to deal with some logistical problems.<br>
It is an excellent university and very attainable for many students.</p>

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<p>Also I dont know any french so ill probably just apply to Univ of Toronto as my only Canadian school..</p>

6

<p>Point well taken. But the problems McGill represents will be found at ANY large university in a city location. Yes, that means some classes will be very large and the campus will not be huge. And yes, McGill's prestige isn't quite on the level of schools like Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Stanford, but McGill is the next step down. And like I said, McGill is A LOT easier to make than any of those other schools I mentioned, making it a much more realistic possibility for me and many others.</p>

<p>So, if you're the type of person who needs a lot of individual attention, small classes, and a nice, grassy campus, then you should go to a small liberal arts college. Also, if you are a super genius who actually has what it takes to make a school like Stanford, by all means, go to Stanford. </p>

<p>But if that's not you, then I don't see why you wouldn't apply to McGill.</p>

<p>Oh, and the McGill application deadline passed yesterday.</p>

7

<p>My brother is in his senior year at McGill and doesn't know ONE WORD of French. McGill is an English speaking instituion. ALL of the McGill students and professors speak perfect English. Also, although French is the official language of Quebec, everyone in Montreal speaks English and just about everything is writting in both English and French, including signs, restaurant menus, etc...</p>

8

<p>I think the French thing, freezing weather, and lack of name recognition in the US prevent lots of US students from being interested.</p>

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<p>I might apply to McGill but how does it compare to Univ of Toronto I heard that was overall a better university</p>

10

<p>Well I wouldn't apply to McGill "BECAUSE I CAN'T" as you pointed out the deadline has already passed.</p>

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<p>you can get by w/ English in montreal.</p>

12

<p>mcgill sounds good......but man i wish i had read this thread earlier :(</p>

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<p>lack of name recognition? i believe most large business have heard of McGill and toronto just as they have heard of oxford and cambridge, and not to mention all the other well respected universities in China, India, Sweden France, Spain etc etc</p>

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<p>I can't name one well respected university in China, India, Sweden, France, and Spain, and I'd like to think I'm an above average person who reads college confidential reguarly.</p>

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<p>im not talking about us, i am talking about businesses, they know and actively recruit from schools outside the US all the time, hence to them there is recognition. For Finance, some of the most heavily recruited schools are from outside the country inlcuding </p>

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<p>I think businesses like name recognition, too. </p>

<p>"Hey Dan, meet the new guy. Bob, meet Dan. Bob here went to Princeton. Yeah, yeah, I know--he must be a genius and worth his inflated salary. Dan here went to some Canadian college--what was it called, again?--but anyway, some London newspaper said it was really good. And hey--Dan can order beer in both English AND French now."</p>

<p>We're not a meritocracy yet.</p>

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<p>Businesses know McGill.. the whole world knows McGill.. it really has an ivy-level name recognition among the real world</p>

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<p>"Well I wouldn't apply to McGill "BECAUSE I CAN'T" as you pointed out the deadline has already passed."</p>

<p>You realize those deadlines are annual right :P</p>

19

<p>McGill advantages for Americans: cheap, good academics, relatively easy to get admitted.</p>

<p>McGill disadvantages for Americans: huge classes, freezing weather, not well-known in the US, and located in a militantly anti-anglophone province of an often anti-American country.</p>

<p>As you can see the balance does not favor many Americans applying to McGill.</p>

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<p>You really ought to get out more. You never heard of the Indian Institute of Technology? It's among the top tech schools in the world - up there with MIT and Caltech. And its admissions is more selective than either US school. You never heard of the Sorbonne in Paris? It's only one of the most famous universities in all of Europe, on par with Oxford and Cambridge. Or you never heard of Karolinska in Sweden? They only happen to be the outfit that awards the science Nobel Prizes. I could go on, but you get the idea.</p>