What University should I chose?

VMT
Sat, 02 Apr 2016 11:33:57 +0000

I will try to answer some of your questions.

It is probably harder to get an A at McGill than at WPI. WPI is not easy, but I know McGill is especially difficult with no evidence of grade inflation. You do have to be much more independent at McGill. From personal experience (so just a few data points) the advising is not nearly as good as it is at WPI. However, not everyone needs handholding. It is easier to fall through the cracks at McGill. That doesn’t mean you will fall through the cracks. Just that there isn’t the safety net there is at WPI.

WPI is on a 7-week term system. Courses move quickly and there are some intense periods. The down side of this is there is no slow period. There is a lot of work from day 1. Computer science courses are probably some of the most time consuming. I would assume there is a lot of homework at McGill as well even though they have a longer semester.

What is nice about McGill is that they build in a ‘reading week’ before finals which actually gives you time to study for finals. At WPI, professors teach right up to the final. On the other hand, it seems most finals at WPI are not cumulative. My daughter typically has 3 exams per course, so one exam every 2 to 3 weeks. The last one is the last day of class. So she would have 3 exams (one for each course) the last week of class, plus any final projects due. There isn’t a lot of free space in the 7-week term.

As far as specific course requirements (humanities, etc.) you can check online course catalogues. Both schools spell out requirements. Just about any engineering curriculum will require you to take some humanities. It’s a question of how structured the requirements are. Please do your research as I am sure you can find that info online.

It is colder in Montreal than Worcester in the winter. But, neither school is a good weather destination. September can be very warm. May can be very warm. Summers you can definitely wear a tank top. Fall is beautiful, winter is cold and usually snowy (except for this winter).

Look at a campus map of McGill. Most of the campus feels like a campus, though there are some streets running through it. It’s not like NYU which is a purely urban campus. There is a definite McGill campus and it is very pretty and a bit hilly. But you don’t forget you are in a city. WPI has a much smaller campus with a slightly more isolated feel.

Worcester as a city probably has more crime than Momtreal on a per capita basis. However, the campus is very safe. I have never heard of ‘killings’ on campus. Montreal is an infinitely nicer city than Worcester. And one has to be more careful in Worcester. The school is good about impressing upon the students the need to be careful off campus, not to walk alone at night, etc. Montreal has more of a nightlife shared by residents of the city, more restaurants and music venues. So it is very lively at night and feels much safer.

I would say McGill is on par with University of Illinois and is more prestigious than WPI. That doesn’t mean you would not do well with a degree from WPI. Their grads are very successful. These are two very different schools. My daughter wanted the smaller, close-knit feel of WPI. She liked that it was easy to get to know the professors, and they seemed dedicated to undergraduate education when we visited. It was a better fit for her than McGill would have been. McGill is more impersonal. I think a strong student can thrive at either school.