<p>But was it the school name or the courseload that made the difference? 
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<p>Honestly, I’d be wary of a 4.0 because that’s indicative of grade inflation. I don’t know a single Governor General’s medal winner at McGill who had a 4.0, and I know a few (in fact, I recall Columbia rejecting one of them for grad school, the guy went to Harvard, his first choice anyway; just to show you that graduate admission is more complex than GPA and school name, it can be very esoteric…). McGill is certainly not known for grade inflation. Chances of having 3.9 are low… If the OP can get a 3.9 at either McGill or Northwestern, he’d be able to get into most grad schools.</p>