Incoming undergrad: McGill or Cornell for pre-med? (Please anyone respond)

Pre-Med & Medical School
,
1

I understand this sub is not mainly used for these type of questions, but I genuinely need help. There are so many special factors regarding each school (Pros and Cons) I need help making the best decision.

Important information for both schools:

McGill University

Pros:

- Would be able to complete my degree in three years (Would start as a sophomore due to my high school AP credits)

  • I LOVE Montréal so much, would be genuinely so much happier at McGill rather than at Cornell. Genuinely my dream environment.
  • My best friend will be attending McGill also so I would be way less lonely and more motivated in comparison to Cornell

Cons:

- I am from the U.S. and if I were to attend McGill I would definitely be applying to mostly U.S. med schools. Canadian med schools don’t really value non-academic or non-research activities (Doctor shadowing, clinical volunteering, EMT jobs, etc.) So the way the pre-med structure at McGill is set up means that I would have basically no time do be present in any of those activities, creating a huge disadvantage for my U.S. med school applications. Though, if this seems viable I would love to take 1-2 gap years after finishing my 3 year degree and return to the U.S. and spend my time building up my resume by doing those types of activities. Also for reference I would always maintain my U.S. domestic citizenship so when I apply to American med schools I will be considered as a U.S. domestic applicant.
-Total cost for three years (Tuition, fees, housing, etc) would be around 130,000$ including financial aid. Almost 3x the price of Cornell for 4 years (Including Financial Aid) Though, I would still be able to graduate debt free but with less money in the bank for med school.

Other info regarding McGill:

- Would major in Anatomy and Cellular Biology

Cornell University

Pros:

  • Ivy League school, T20 University
  • Total of around 60,000$ for all 4 years including financial aid, SO much cheaper than McGill, would graduate debt free + At-least like 100 grand in the bank for med school
  • Generally considered a better school for pre-med in comparison to McGill

Cons:

  • I absolutely hate Ithaca (Cornell’s Location) It made me depressed just visiting the campus and the town, I can’t imagine how I would feel spending 4 years there.
  • I know nobody there.
  • Would genuinely just be so sad there in comparison to McGill

Other information regarding Cornell:

- Would major in Biological Sciences

So I feel a question that basically summarizes this is the following:

Is it worth spending 4 years at a place I strongly dislike, would be so sad there and lonely. Basically a sorrowful college experience, BUT the college is considered great for pre-med, strong medical school advantage, AND graduate debt free plus like 100k in the bank for med school.

OR

Be able to get a degree in 3 years from somewhere still good for pre-med, where I absolutely LOVE, would cherish every moment, have friends there and actually feel comfortable and happy, BUT still graduate debt free but have less money in the bank for med school.

Feel free to ask further questions. Any responses are appreciated, thanks.

2

Q: Have you already been admitted to both Cornell University & McGill University?

Q: Are you applying to Cornell because it’s an Ivy League school? If so, are you willing to consider any alternates (e.g. Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth etc.)?

3 Likes
3

Based on a previous post it looks like you are a senior.

I would not apply to Cornell if you truly dislike the school and feel it would impact your mental health.

Have you considered your state schools?

4 Likes
4

Ok…here is my opinion. If you hate Ithaca and it made you feel depressed, do NOT go there for college. You need to find a college where you feel you will be happy for all four years. Happy students do much better than unhappy ones. If you do premed, you will need to be at the top of your academic game, and being unhappy won’t help you get there.

You can do the required courses for medical school applicants at just about every four year college in the U.S. (arts conservatories excluded). Are Cornell and McGill the only colleges you are considering? You need to broaden your list of potential colleges a bit.

Cornell would be a reach for you (and most anyone) anyway. Folks here will gladly give you suggestions for colleges…if you want them.

Another thing to consider…costs. Medical school will likely cost more than $100,000 a year by the time you get there. Federally funded loans are now limited and don’t nearly cover that amount. Yes, there are private loans you can take, but maybe conserving some money for undergrad can be diverted to medical school…should you get there.

There are U.S. medical school students who graduated from Canadian colleges. @WayOutWestMom can elaborate. You can do things like shadowing, etc during school vacations or during a glide year or two following undergrad.

1 Like
5

For reference…here is this poster’s chance me/match me thread.

6

Why the focus on two schools? Work to create an application list that includes reach,match, and safety schools that appear affordable and that you would be excited to attend.

Two things I’d do now: 1) take Cornell off the application list if you find the school/area depressing; and 2) drop any notion of McGill or anywhere else as a “dream school.” Take your friend’s college plans out of the equation as well.

7 Likes
7

McGill is perfectly fine for a undergrad pre-med. You’re right, though, that you would need to do 1-3 gap years to gather the necessary ECs for a strong med school application.

US med schools consider Canadian degrees on equal footing for admission purposes as degrees from US colleges & universities.

If the idea of going to Cornell depresses you–don’t go and don’t apply. Pre-med is hard enough without adding additional stress.

BTW, how’s your French? Although most activities (classes, administration, activities) at McGill are in English, Montreal is a French-speaking city and you’ll be missing out on a HUGE part of the cultural life of the city if you don’t speak French.

~~

But I agree with the posters above. You haven’t been accepted yet so don’t start planning your future at McGill just yet.

What other schools are planning on applying to?

You need an affordable option that leaves you some money to pay for med school (which is ferociously expensive!) That affordable option should also be a good fit for your interests and living experiences (so you’re not miserable) as well as offering you options beside pre-med.

Did you know only about 7% of those who say they are pre-meds when applying to college actually make it into med school? Those are terrible odds!

3 Likes
8

Since you haven’t been admitted to either, this question is premature. But if you don’t like Ithaca and find it depressing, why would you even apply there?

I’m guessing you won’t land at either of these schools. What does the rest of your list look like?

5 Likes
9

The obvious solution is find US colleges that would cost something similar to Cornell, or less, but where you do not hate the location and would not be sad to attend.

5 Likes
10

OP- you need a list of match and safety schools like every other applicant- and neither McGill nor Cornell fit that.

So why not stop worrying about which school to ED to (the answer is likely “neither of them”) and focus on finding other schools that will work for you, are within your budget, and where you are likely to be admitted?

I’d take Cornell off the list entirely (not sure how it ever got on there to begin with, frankly. If you don’t like Ithaca, four years is a long time…) and refocus your research. And I’m not sure why you are so confident about how much financial aid you are going to get from a college you haven’t been admitted to, but it’s moot. Cornell depresses you, so don’t apply.

3 Likes
11

I was sold here.

The friend part is not a reason in my opinion.

Ask McGill about US med school placements and how they help.

And how will you afford - much more than Cornell and then how do you pay for med school?

Oh, and you have to get in I assume ?

Good luck.

12

Thank you @thumper1 What a mistake - should I ED to Cornell, which is in Ithaca, that I’d hate. And then introduce a school you prefer - McGill.

Get a budget and don’t ED. You are not a candidate.

1 Like
13

McGill is famous for grade deflation. While it is a great university, I would be somewhat concerned for a premed student from the USA.

You could consider Concordia, which is right up the street from McGill. At one point we stayed in a hotel half way between the two and visited both universities just walking to each from the hotel. Concordia and McGill are the two universities in Montreal that teach primarily in English (there is one more elsewhere in the Province of Quebec).

This is critical for applying to medical school in the USA. I would be somewhat surprised if you can do much of this in Montreal unless you are pretty close to being fully bilingual (my apologies if I missed this somewhere in your post).

To me this makes Cornell a bad choice.

Overall, to me this makes both McGill and Cornell likely to be bad choices for you as a premed student. I would strongly suggest that you consider other schools.

There are lots and lots of universities in the US that are very good for premed students, hundreds of them. While highly ranked schools might get a higher percentage of their students into medical school, a LOT of this, and maybe even all of this, comes from the consistent excellent quality of the freshmen who start off in these highly ranked schools in the first place. A student who is academically strong enough to get accepted to Cornell might for example have just as high a chance of getting accepted to medical school if they attend their in-state public university (or one of their many in-state public universities if coming from a larger state).

If I am remembering correctly from a different thread and you are from North Carolina, then to me UNC as one example seems like a better choice for a premed student who hates Ithaca and is not fully bilingual (in English and French of course).

I would say no, it is not worth it.

I think that you can find a third school that is no more expensive than Cornell, just as likely to get YOU into medical school, and is not so dark and cold in the winter. This is coming from someone who actually likes dark and cold and snowy winters (I am originally from Montreal), but who understands that not everyone agrees.

14

There’s a million schools. Yes, you need affordability but why does it have to be Brown, Cornell, or McGill. Guess who goes to med school. Kids from W Carolina or E Tennessee or Southern Maine or SUNY Oneonta, etc.

So many from “regular” schools - so find a school that fits you - including budget and that’s a great place to go.

2 Likes
15

I am a double legacy for Cornell and still have strong stats so I would guess to be admitted (My Dads making me apply)

My stats are on par with the average admitted student to McGill, if not above, so again I would expect admission.

1 Like
16

I understand that dominant parents will at times dictate to their children what to do like what colleges to apply to. I do want to caution you, if your father is forcing you to apply ED to Cornell & you are admitted, you must enroll with only a few rare exceptions allowed. If this is the case, can you convince him that you would prefer to apply RD? Also, he is completely against you attending McGill? What about other Ivy League schools besides Cornell? Also, what about ‘saving’ Cornell for medical school - though I’m not sure if the double legacy would provide any advantage in that process?

1 Like
17

Legacy doesn’t have the same pull as it used to at Cornell unless your parents are huge donors or you have a major hook.

We are also a Cornell family and I know plenty of multi generation legacy students who were denied admission. One family we know had kids end up Princeton and Duke so they were highly qualified students but still weren’t accepted to Cornell.

That said, unless it’s your clear #1, convince your parents to apply RD so you have some choices.

Note: There is no legacy consideration for Weill.

3 Likes
18

Legacy plus stats below school’s average tends to lead to a charity wait-list, but not admission.

Neither school sounds right for you. If you’re a premed, you should realize that some 80% of those who enter as premeds wind up switching out of it. That’s why I would advise going to a large school with lots of majors, in case you decide against premed down the road.

Unless you can assemble the record of ECs necessary during summers back in the US, you have to figure on at least a two year gap, maybe longer. Med school apps go in over a year ahead of time, and you need your great MCAT score a few months before that. So your gap may be even longer than two years.

I’d forget about going where your friend is going. You go to the school that is best for you, and you make new friends there.

Plan on 400K for med school.

3 Likes
19

In your post trying to decide between Brown and Cornell ED application from nine days ago, you said you’d be genuinely happy at either place. Now you hate Cornell and you want McGill because your friend is going there.

I advise you to not ED anywhere, make a robust list of schools for RD, and attend multiple admitted students days in the Spring. It sounds like you need as much time as possible to make a decision. Best of luck!

7 Likes
20

So as a Dad myself, I hesitate to explain this, but . . .

Even if your Dad can make you apply, and even if he can make you apply ED, he probably can’t stop you from finding some way to make sure Cornell will not admit you.

Again, ideally you and your Dad can get on the same page about all this, and that won’t be necessary. But in practice, you probably can get out of this without his permission.

2 Likes