Colleges in Canada - McGill, Toronto, Montreal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey OP! I went to U of T and then on to the London School of Economics for grad school. U of T is great - good international reputation, soild campus life and academics. The only downside is that it's a mega school with an enormous student population and a real sink or swim vibe. This is what I wanted, I was terrified of going to a tiny school in a village somewhere in Maine. I'd recommend the St. George campus, and University College in particular. Victoria College is also good but it's on the eastern edge of campus so it can be a lot of walking.

It's a very academically rigorous school and the overall experience was really good. There are a ton of Americans who attend as well, mostly due to the favourable exchange rate and relative ease of getting accepted. I'd say my dorms were 30-40% American students, but mostly from nearby states - NY, CT, MA, NJ etc.

Thank you, super helpful!

[Anonymous]

Sure thing, ask me any specific questions and I'll do my best to answer.

[Anonymous]

I have visited U. Toronto. Excellent faculty who are tops in their field. Very strong research program. the facilities are a bit run down because it is a state school, and not a "state school" like we have here in the US, but one where most of their money actually comes from the state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe McGill's classes are entirely conducted in English. McGill's web site (and maybe Toronto's) specify minimum grades in different high school classes that an applicant must have earned in order to be considered for admission. They are very high requirements - for example, one program said every English class must have been at least an A-minus.

Toronto has theee campuses; the main one is St. George but different programs are offered at different campuses. It has residential colleges within the university which is a huge advantage IMO. They have different flavors, offer housing and dining options, and provide a home base amidst the 60,000 students. However, housing is not guaranteed.

I haven't attended any of these schools but DC just went through the admissions process and we researched McGill and Toronto pretty thoroughly. Canadian friends tell us those are the top two universities in Canada. McGill has a bit of a reputation as being more sink-or-swim but may have a slight prestige edge and is half the size of Toronto.

Admissions is much more transparent than at US universities and there are no essays (definitely not at Toronto and I think not at McGill either).

OP here, thanks for this. What did your DC make of them?

DC decided not to apply McGill but liked Toronto very much and nearly chose it.

[Anonymous]

I have several American friends who attended the University of Toronto many years ago. They are all currently professors, mainly in philosophy and medieval studies. They all had a very fulfilling time at the U of T.

[Anonymous]

I have family in Toronto and 3 cousins who attended U if Toronto. All three are successful, one is an Nurse Practioner, one is an entrepreneur and the last a RN. Very smart, independent people.

[Anonymous]

Not OP but curious about the French language requirement. My kids have dual citizenship (born/raised in US) and are learning Spanish. In a few years, they'll be applying to universities and I think it would be great if they looked at Canadian universities as well.

I'm unclear if it's better, acceptance-wise, for them to apply as Canadians or Americans. (And $$-wise).

And now as a secondary concern, for McGill (and who else?), I wonder if the French language requirement, as stated above, only for Canadians, right?--would mean that they should apply as Americans. Any thoughts on this would be helpful (and might inform OP as well).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but curious about the French language requirement. My kids have dual citizenship (born/raised in US) and are learning Spanish. In a few years, they'll be applying to universities and I think it would be great if they looked at Canadian universities as well.

I'm unclear if it's better, acceptance-wise, for them to apply as Canadians or Americans. (And $$-wise).

And now as a secondary concern, for McGill (and who else?), I wonder if the French language requirement, as stated above, only for Canadians, right?--would mean that they should apply as Americans. Any thoughts on this would be helpful (and might inform OP as well).

There is a big tuition difference. Very cheap for Canadians. Both kids of a friend go to McGill and have Canadian and US passports so get Canadian tuition. They are both taking French after having done Spanish in HS. So I'm guessing it was the trade off for the low tuition.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone comment on going to a Canadian undergrad and then applying to U.S. med schools? Are there any disadvantages?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but curious about the French language requirement. My kids have dual citizenship (born/raised in US) and are learning Spanish. In a few years, they'll be applying to universities and I think it would be great if they looked at Canadian universities as well.

I'm unclear if it's better, acceptance-wise, for them to apply as Canadians or Americans. (And $$-wise).

And now as a secondary concern, for McGill (and who else?), I wonder if the French language requirement, as stated above, only for Canadians, right?--would mean that they should apply as Americans. Any thoughts on this would be helpful (and might inform OP as well).

My kids also have dual citizenship. We looked into it this year as DS was applying to colleges. Because DS is a citizen of Canada, even though he is a US resident, he would get the cheaper CA tuition -- about $6500 in tuition to go to UBC (I didn't check the other universities since DH is a Vancouverite). DS decided instead to spend $40k more per year to go to a top 20 us university - ugh. Have you done all of the paperwork to get your kids' citizenship documents? It took some time and a trip to the Canada Embassy in DC to get everything done.

[Anonymous]

replying to 10:23, first thank you. Second, yes, the kids have their citizenship documents.

So the PP answered the $$ question but I am still wondering about the following:

Can you or anyone tell me if it's better, admission-wise, (not $$-wise), to apply as Canadian or American? (or is it a bit automatic because as dual citizens, it's not a choice?)

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:replying to 10:23, first thank you. Second, yes, the kids have their citizenship documents.

So the PP answered the $$ question but I am still wondering about the following:

Can you or anyone tell me if it's better, admission-wise, (not $$-wise), to apply as Canadian or American? (or is it a bit automatic because as dual citizens, it's not a choice?)

Thank you!

Its better to apply as a Canadian because unless your kid did the IB in the US they may have to do a year of what is effectively precollege programs before joining the main curriculum. I am the OP and I found that on the website of one of the three I mentioned up at the start of the thread, cannot remember which one.

the only college requiring bi-lingual French & English is Montreal and its a requirement. They test.

[Anonymous]

Your kid may end up marrying a Canadian and settling there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your kid may end up marrying a Canadian and settling there.

You do realize these universities are more than 30% international and so your kid could marry from any number of countries and move to the other side of the world - same chance at any college. Seriously, think outside of your tiny little box!

[Anonymous]

I am from Toronto and have many friends who went to u of t. It is an excellent school and one of the hardest to get into in Canada. It is a huge institution, so there won't be a lot of hand holding or personalized attention. You would want to be on st George campus- the Scarborough and Mississauga campuses have more of a commuter orientation and I think would be lonely for an out of towner. Most of my friends were in UC, Vic, St Mike's- those seem to be the most social colleges. After 1st year, few ppl live on campus (this is true of all Canadian universities). Toronto is an awesome city; safe, diverse, and fun. Expensive rents though.

I have some friends and family members who went to McGill as well. All had good experiences there too. It is smaller and maybe a little friendlier. It is similar to u of t in prestige- I think u of t is more competitive for some programs and is better thought of in Toronto at least, but in the US more people seem to know about McGill. Montreal is a great city too- its smaller than Toronto, but more charming, with a European vibe. And cheaper. I think it would feel more exotic/different, which could be good or bad depending on your kid. Montreal is freezing in the winter- significantly colder than Toronto, which is cold too.

No one I know went to universite de Montreal- it's a francophone school and not really on the radar for anglophones (at least in ontario). I don't know much about its prestige or how it would rank compared to others. Your kid would need to be really comfortable in French to do well there.