Emory vs. GWU vs. McGill

[annaphylaxis]

My other options are UMass Amherst, BU, and SUNY Stony Brook, but honestly Emory, GWU, and McGill are the schools that seem the best options/that I think I'd be happy attending. GWU gave me a 25k scholarship, and at McGill I can graduate in 3 years, so Emory is the most expensive.
Thank you!

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[efle]

My other options are UMass Amherst, BU, and SUNY Stony Brook, but honestly Emory, GWU, and McGill are the schools that seem the best options/that I think I'd be happy attending. GWU gave me a 25k scholarship, and at McGill I can graduate in 3 years, so Emory is the most expensive.
Edit: Not sure how relevant my intended field is, but if it has any importance for undergraduate schools, I'm thinking of anesthesiology, cardiothoracic surgery, or plastic. I'm open to change, however, and I'll take whatever I can match with.
Thank you!

How much more would Emory cost across 4 years than GW?

 

[annaphylaxis]

How much more would Emory cost across 4 years than GW?

Around $40-50k.

 

[soporific]

I would choose McGill. It has a good combination of affordability, nice location, and reputation. It is very well regarded by medical admissions committees to the small extent that matters.

The only thing is that Canadian schools are very large and there is less individual support. But if you go find your own mentors and opportunities then you can have just as good an undergraduate experience.

 

[efle]

Around $40-50k.

That's tough. Emory is one of the country's premed powerhouses (about 1/5th of their graduates are medical applicants) but $40-50,000 is a lot of undergraduate debt to take on unless your family is very well off and/or you see yourself being much happier there than at GWU.

 

[realfakedoctor_md]

My other options are UMass Amherst, BU, and SUNY Stony Brook, but honestly Emory, GWU, and McGill are the schools that seem the best options/that I think I'd be happy attending. GWU gave me a 25k scholarship, and at McGill I can graduate in 3 years, so Emory is the most expensive.
Edit: Not sure how relevant my intended field is, but if it has any importance for undergraduate schools, I'm thinking of anesthesiology, cardiothoracic surgery, or plastic. I'm open to change, however, and I'll take whatever I can match with.
Thank you!

I'm a GW alum and current MS1 and I have to say that GW can be expensive, but given the new Science and Engineering Hall and a bunch of multi-million dollar grants we've received recently, the sciences at GW are getting a lot of love from admin and faculty. In terms of pre-med studies, the advising staff is great and the science classes are becoming much more stream lined. Plus, living in DC is an incredible experience. Honestly, though, undergrad is what you make of it... I had classmates that went to Harvard and Hopkins Med and I had classmates that were rejected across the board. It's all worth it in the end, though. Feel free to message me with questions.

 

[annaphylaxis]

Thanks for your opinions everyone!
After rechecking costs, it's approximately $45k/year for McGill (but 3 years only), $60k/year for Emory, and $40k/year for GWU. I know I'm paying a lot as my family is in an odd financial situation (my parents are legally divorced but both support me, however my mother, the legal guardian, does not work and my father plans on retiring soon, hence my need to try to still minimize tuition). I'm applying for scholarships as well but I don't expect much.

For McGill, my main concern is finding research and intern opportunities, especially since its main appeal is being able to graduate in 3 years. I'm willing to take a gap year after graduation to gain more work experience, but I'm not sure how that will look on applications.
Emory is a great choice, but its also the most expensive and I don't know how well I can do academically. Considering Emory seems to be trying to attract Ivy admits, I'm most certainly not going to be at the top of my class.
I enjoyed visiting GWU, and based on merit scholarships I hope I'll be able to keep a good GPA, but the dorms seemed kind of rough and the cost of living in DC is high.

 

[efle]

Thanks for your opinions everyone!
After rechecking costs, it's approximately $45k/year for McGill (but 3 years only), $60k/year for Emory, and $40k/year for GWU. I know I'm paying a lot as my family is in an odd financial situation (my parents are legally divorced but both support me, however my mother, the legal guardian, does not work and my father plans on retiring soon, hence my need to try to still minimize tuition). I'm applying for scholarships as well but I don't expect much.

For McGill, my main concern is finding research and intern opportunities, especially since its main appeal is being able to graduate in 3 years. I'm willing to take a gap year after graduation to gain more work experience, but I'm not sure how that will look on applications.
Emory is a great choice, but its also the most expensive and I don't know how well I can do academically. Considering Emory seems to be trying to attract Ivy admits, I'm most certainly not going to be at the top of my class.
I enjoyed visiting GWU, and based on merit scholarships I hope I'll be able to keep a good GPA, but the dorms seemed kind of rough and the cost of living in DC is high.

Canadian universities have a reputation for much more deflated grading than US private schools, not sure how much that stereotype fits McGill. If cost is a concern then absolutely go for the $80,000 of savings by GWU > Emory.

 

[soporific]

Thanks for your opinions everyone!
After rechecking costs, it's approximately $45k/year for McGill (but 3 years only), $60k/year for Emory, and $40k/year for GWU. I know I'm paying a lot as my family is in an odd financial situation (my parents are legally divorced but both support me, however my mother, the legal guardian, does not work and my father plans on retiring soon, hence my need to try to still minimize tuition). I'm applying for scholarships as well but I don't expect much.

For McGill, my main concern is finding research and intern opportunities, especially since its main appeal is being able to graduate in 3 years. I'm willing to take a gap year after graduation to gain more work experience, but I'm not sure how that will look on applications.
Emory is a great choice, but its also the most expensive and I don't know how well I can do academically. Considering Emory seems to be trying to attract Ivy admits, I'm most certainly not going to be at the top of my class.
I enjoyed visiting GWU, and based on merit scholarships I hope I'll be able to keep a good GPA, but the dorms seemed kind of rough and the cost of living in DC is high.

You shouldn't have any problems finding research opportunities. McGill is a research powerhouse. You will have to email professors yourself until you find one that is willing to take you, but I'm not sure that's different from Emory or GWU. I'm not sure about internships.

Here is some information on undergraduate research funding at McGill: https://www.mcgill.ca/science/research/ours/sura

Canadian universities have a reputation for much more deflated grading than US private schools, not sure how much that stereotype fits McGill. If cost is a concern then absolutely go for the $80,000 of savings by GWU > Emory.

Canadian universities have that reputation but I don't really think it is accurate, at least compared to someplace like Emory. (I go to a Canadian university and have several friends at McGill). The nice thing is that >85% is an A, 80-84% is an A-. I don't think the exams would be any harder, so if anything it might be easier to get a higher GPA than an American university where often the grade scales are higher. This is backed up by the observation that more students at Canadian universities get a 3.9-4 overall GPA compared to American students... I don't have any hard stats besides medical school admissions statistics in Canada vs. US but I think it's true from looking at things like dean's list/honours/etc.