Choosing between McGill and Boston College for undergrad

[dames]

Those are the only two decent schools that I got into and for the life of me I can't seem to decide which to go to for pre-med. I'd love to go to McGill; it's vastly cheaper, it's in Montreal which I absolutely love, and it's decently far away from the Boston suburbs that I live in. However, I'm not really sure how much going to McGill would affect my chances of getting accepted to a US med school. I've checked all over online, and I've found vague sources that say it's no problem. I haven't been able to find any hard statistics or personal experiences, though, and that worries me. I even asked the faculty advisor when visiting the school, and he said he didn't know. Is it because not many US citizens apply to US med schools from McGill, or is there a deep conspiracy that I'm not aware of? I thought that when it comes to admissions, all that med schools care about school-wise is GPA and courses. Does McGill's lack of scaling really make it THAT hard to get a decent GPA? I understand that if I went to McGill there would be no hand-holding on the part of the administration (at least compared to BC, which by the way has some pretty impressive stats when it comes to med school acceptances), but would going there be downright suicidal?

If any of you did/are doing undergrad in McGill, please share your experiences. I'm dying to know.

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[IAMS]

Hey,

Congratulations on you acceptance! I interviewed there this winter - and have had correspondences with some 4th year students from the US who were much more helpful than the folks hosting. Basically - McGill has a lot of respect, because you get hands on training - so you shouldn't have any problem getting a US residency. The biggest problem for US students is preparing and studying for the boards. US schools schedule around the boards, and from what I hear, McGill's admin is not very flexible for US students - not their problem, as it were.
Anyway, if you don't go, I'll be happy to take you're spot - I'm on the alternate list

 

[tigress]

Hey,

Congratulations on you acceptance! I interviewed there this winter - and have had correspondences with some 4th year students from the US who were much more helpful than the folks hosting. Basically - McGill has a lot of respect, because you get hands on training - so you shouldn't have any problem getting a US residency. The biggest problem for US students is preparing and studying for the boards. US schools schedule around the boards, and from what I hear, McGill's admin is not very flexible for US students - not their problem, as it were.
Anyway, if you don't go, I'll be happy to take you're spot - I'm on the alternate list

he's talking about college not med school

I say go wherever you're happiest. People get into US schools from McGill. I'm no expert though.

 

[IAMS]

he's talking about college not med school

I say go wherever you're happiest. People get into US schools from McGill. I'm no expert though.

oops.

 

[mhmd09]

I can't talk about McGill, but I graduated pre-med from Boston College last May...so here's my two cents:

Boston College has a fantastic pre-med advising program. I think the last time I checked BC got about 95% of its pre-meds into med school. The director of the program, Dr. Wolff, has a lot of great connections with admissions committees at many medical schools and can do a lot for you in terms of getting you into a medical school you would be happy to attend. He also has a lot of practical wisdom about the whole application process in general.

That said, I'm sure kids from McGill go to US med schools all the time. I can't speak to exact numbers or stats, but I'm sure its not a problem. When you make your decision keep in mind that you what you need to get into med school are good grades, a good score on the MCAT and some extracurriculars. Going to a school where you are happy for the next for years is going to make the above so much easier to acheive - being miserable at your undergrad school and pre-med is probably the worst combination I can think of. It's all about no regrets.

On a side note, Dr. Wolff has always spoke very highly of McGill's Medical School (he calls it the Harvard of Canada) and has a good relationship with their admissions committee. If you are really concerned about the pre-med situation, consider going to Boston College undergrad and shooting for McGill Med School. I know for a fact that its not a problem to go to McGill for med school and get an excellent US residency.

Hope that helps. Please PM me if you want to know more about BC.

 

[winstonm]

McGill is an outstanding university and one of the best anywhere. Most Canadians wouldn't call it the best in the country anymore (our version of US News has had Toronto #1 for the last decade) but it's debatable. McGill does have more US students than any other Canadian school though. It sounds like BC is awesome too.

I don't think McGill, or any Canadian school, has a pre-med or pre-professional advisor since applicants here just send individual letters of recommendation when applying. They will certainly have a career office though, which can probably provide mock interviews, advising etc. I have heard of admin hassels there.

I wouldn't put too much weight in the presence or absence of an official advisor as far as your decision goes. It sounds like you really like Montreal, you'll still be a reasonable distance from home, and since you're a US citizen you'll be at no disadvantage applying to the US for med. That, the price, and McGill's academic rep would lead me to choose it. Also, McGill is a major research university with a very good med school so you'll have tons of opportunities to volunteer and do research there.

Make sure you check the programs and course calander. I don't know much about BC, but a lot of US schools have general biology concentrations/majors which encompass a lot of courses, with a few options like Molecular bio, biochem etc. At McGill your program will be more specific, so you'll choose between Microbio and Immunology, Physiology, Neuroscience etc if you're doing sciences.

I don't know much about McGill's grading policies. I know Toronto has a "mandatory" (strongly, strongly suggested may be a better term) class average of C- to B- in every class over 40 people (thus an average GPA of slightly higher than 2), and McGill may have something similar; you won't find grade inflation at these schools. Go to the Canadian pre-med board and its McGill thread and you'll find someone who went to McGill for undergrad: http://pub125.ezboard.com/bpremed101

Just ask for honest answers as there's a tendency for people to say "you can do well anywhere as long as you work hard" on that forum.

 

[masterMood]

from a purely financial point isn't the american dollar weakening and the canadian dollar becoming closer to the american dollar, and the fact that mcgill gives no financial aid to u.s. citizens makes a mcgill education just as risky as b.c.?

 

[uptoolate]

I'm also a BC grad, although I will be attending my TEN YEAR reunion in a few weeks. I was a bit of a train wreck at BC but last year I went to meet with Dr. Wolff and he treated me as if I was a current student. They've managed my letters of recommendation and provided admissions counseling with a rigor and interest in my situation that I would have thought effusive even if I were a current undergrad. Dr. Wolff even called me at home (not in Boston) on several occasions to check up on how the interview process was going. In addition, BC has invested quite a bit in upgrading their science facilities since I'd finished and I, for one, found them quite impressive. BC has a strong emphasis on service and social justice and there are many opportunities for volunteer work- locally, domestically, and internationally. I'm sure you know it's Catholic.

I am now finishing my Ph.D at Johns Hopkins- one of my co-investigators is faculty at McGill. Among the people with whom I have worked, McGill is regarded as being a top notch institution. I doubt you'll have issues with med school applications coming from there, particularly if you were offered an acceptance as a US citizen. Given the association with hospital facilities and a medical school, I would expect that opportunities for research and clinical experience would be readily available.

In the end, I would go where you feel most comfortable and are likely to be most happy in the next four years.

 

[xadmin]

Go to McGill, it's cheaper.