<p>What does your aid look like? I had to turn down Emory because even though I loved it and would’ve loved to go there, it was way out of my price range in affordability. (I had to turn them down again for graduate school, but that was because I got a better offer somewhere else. LOL, I never realized this before. Maybe third time will be the charm with a post-doctoral position or something.) Which school is the ‘best’ doesn’t really matter in context if your parents can’t afford it.</p>
<p>You said Emory is “extremely expensive.” What does expensive look like in the context of your financial aid award? How much will you owe after 4 years? How much will your parents have to borrow or pay out of pocket, and will they be able to do that? Same questions for McGill and U. Mass-Amherst. Compare them in the context of finances.</p>
<p>I am biased because I went to high school and college in Atlanta, and I like the city, and I loved Emory’s campus and their resources and their considerable diversity and their gorgeous LIBRARY. But I’ve never been to Montreal (and I’ve heard good things, very good things. I really want to visit.) It’s also very true that Atlanta is a car city and that can put a damper on your fun, let me tell you, although Emory seems to be the kind of campus where people stay on the weekends (the school I eventually went to wasn’t).</p>
<p>It is true that if you go to graduate school, your undergraduate institution doesn’t really matter as much when you go to get jobs. It’s also true that if you plan on going to graduate school, the name of your undergraduate institution doesn’t really matter, but rather what you do there. But “well-rounded,” no. Graduate schools don’t want Renaissance men and women; they want specialized scholars who are going to do well in their specific field. Medical schools don’t care if you played hockey; they want to know that you have research and/or clinical experience in the area and excellent math and science grades. Psychology programs don’t really care about Model UN but they do care about that psychology REU you did two summers.</p>
<p>Also, yes, if you are considering going to graduate school (particularly expensive professional schools like medical school) you may want to cut your costs. Once you have an MD where you went to undergrad ceases to matter at all. Unless you marry into a society family or something.</p>