McGill
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Anonymous
| DC is interested in McGill. Seems like a good option, although tough to get into. Wondering what type of kid from DC-area schools attends McGill? My sense is that lots of smart kids apply but few choose to attend if admitted. Wondering what kids who enroll see in McGill as opposed to similar US colleges. What type of kids thrives there? |
Anonymous
| A very independent kid who does adult life very well at 18. |
Anonymous
| Hopefully someone with first hand experience there will reply. I’d expect a lot less hand-holding and would only consider it if I had a confident, independent student who would thrive in that environment. Plus ensuring my kid didn’t want all the rah rah athletics and school spirit stuff largely unique to American colleges. But for some kids, I think it would be a great opportunity at a top college. If I had a higher stats kid who didn’t do a ton of ecs and could adapt to a new system, I’d be considering. |
Anonymous
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Both of my DC applied and got in but declined to attend. We visited in 2018 (so pre-COVID). My takeaway is that if your kid vibes NYU, he/she would be happy at McGill. However, McGill is much larger and there is very little handholding. It has the reputation for being relatively easy to get into (by US standards) but with a fair amount of grade deflation. Basically, it is a no-nonsense place; students are expected to work hard and be self-sufficient.
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Anonymous
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My kid applied and got accepted last year, and there’s something attractive about the Canadian and European approach to admissions. You either have the stats and grades or you don’t. It actually helped boost my DD’s spirits during a brutal admissions year (and they even offered her a small scholarship).
If it were any other year she would have seriously considered it but Covid uncertainty made it less viable. Great for an independent kid that wants to be in a city campus (unless science, then the campus is outside of Montreal). |
Anonymous
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My US-based, dual-citizen kid applied last year but got in ED in the US.
I agree that it should be a kid who is good navigating on their own. I think McGill is a great option but my kid probably needs a little more hand-holding so it wasn't the best fit. (but my second kid would thrive there) I want to mention one thing about McGill--your kid needs to decide if they want a BA or BS (or combined) when they apply. You can select more than one program when you apply, but once accepted and chosen a particular program, it's very hard to switch. This was a bit of a stumbling block, as my DC wants to be a doctor, but wants to study history and take the extra science classes on the side. That can be done easily in many US schools, but not at McGill. If you are in the BA program, you will not be able to get the extra science classes because they are reserved for the BS kids (reserved, or given priority to). I know this because I called them to discuss; didn't want us to make a mistake regarding this. That's a bit specific to my DC, however; the point is if your kid is at all unsure of whether to go BA or BS, (and doesn't have the higher stats needed to do their BA&BS degree), it's not a fit as they will have a very hard time switching (they would actually have to apply to the other program once there) |
Anonymous
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^^also McGill doesn't take into consideration if your kid went to a tough or easy school; they have grade minimums and different standards for the BA vs. the BS vs. the BA&BS programs.
I recall my kid's science grade in 10th was not good enough for the BS program. It was a bit ironic because she is good at science and also got a 35 on the science part of the ACT, which was way over their minimum. But that 10th grade grade was a factor...they do have a space in their application where you can explain stuff (for instance, my DD's 10th grade grades were compromised by a 6 week long illness) however; that will delay the application response time. Anyways the grade and SAT/ACT minimums for American students are on their website; you might want to look at that. |
Anonymous
| Internationally-minded kids who took French in high school who are also interested in Boston/NY/Chicago schools. From the people I knew who went there. They all loved it and were incredulous that more Americans don’t attend. |
Anonymous
| Great dorms |
Anonymous
| Would anyone share what the stats/grades were for last year? I have heard conflicting things about how high your stats actually must be....My DC wants to apply but did not take APs and may not take SAT/ACT either (but has A GPA). |
Anonymous
This should answer your questions. https://www.mcgill.ca/undergraduate-admissions/apply/requirements/us |
Anonymous
| The few McGill grads I know had a hard time landing a job back in the states. While the university itself would probably be about a T30 or T40 of it were in the U.S., the alumni networks and career advising isn’t quite there, if that’s something that’s important to you. |
Anonymous
Nonsense. |
Anonymous
New pp. It’s true. Going to a strong grad school ameliorates this. |
Anonymous
It’s too large. What schools does McGill beat in cross admit battles in that set? |