McGill, how "good" is it compared to U.S. colleges?

mcgilldad
Fri, 31 Mar 2006 11:14:59 +0000

Hope2GI: I think i am uniquely qualified to discuss this issue: my oldest D. graduated from Mount Holyoke, one of the “seven sisters”, and my youngest is a first-year ar McGill.
So I am very familiar with both types of educational environments.

First, the entrance into the Faculty of Arts is no easy feat at McGill, esp. for US residents (Arts=Liberal Arts,Humanities, not Fine Arts). Grad schools or employers really wont care which program you were in, or which is more prestigious. You should choose schools on which has the course of study that appeals to you the most. The Fac of Arts is much larger than other Faculties, so entrance a little easier, but thats like saying Brown is easier than Harvard. In 2005, it took a minimum SAT of 1370 to get into Arts from the U.S. McGill has gotten much harder to be accepted as a US student the last several years. I have posted data from McGills web site on another thread.

Small LAC’s, esp. the seven sisters give MUCH more individual attention than large Universities. My daughter at Mt. Holyoke got a great education in a small, supporting environment. She knew professors by first-name, ate at their homes, and had small classes, usually under 20 students. Opportunities from living in a large metro area were lacking, but this led to a very close,supportive community of women. Dorms were like palaces and meal plans were like restaurants ( nice ones.) The cost was over $43,000 per year, but sometimes you get what you pay for.

McGill is a much more exciting place. Classes are very large for first and second-years, and independent study is a must. No one will take care of you, like in a LAC. There are many more choices on classes, but also more competing students. It is much harder to make an A at McGill than a LAC. Canadian colleges use the European model- you are on your own and must be your own advocate. Students live off campus after first-year. Much more drinking, partying, etc. My D. wanted to live in Montreal with its music and art scene.The cost is under 50% of a LAC.

Both daughters are very happy with their choice- they needed/wanted different things from a college. They were able to realize what they were looking for and to “go for it”.
Neither is better intrinsically- it is what YOU want in a college experience. No one else can tell you that.