McGill vs. University of Toronto

Hello everyone!

I have received offers and scholarships from both McGill and UofT in recent weeks. As the time to make decisions approaches I find myself looking for more personal, first hand experiences of life in the city of Montreal and Toronto.

Having been to Toronto, I saw it was an very good city, even if it was a bit more urban that what I'm used to :p:

I'd like some informed opinions and experiences with Montreal, I've spoken to a few friends who have lived or currently lived there and all of them seem to speak well of the city. But I feel I could use some better opinions of the university as well as the city itself.

Thanks in advance!

Reply 1

mcgill2oxford

Disclaimer: I went to McGill, though I have visited U of T once and knew alumni from there.

Montreal is rated by many the best city in North America. San Francisco and maybe Boston are its only real rivals, IMO. Easy win for Montreal here.

U of T has a slightly better reputation within Canada and may make finding a job easier if you plan to work in Toronto. You will not be able to find work in Montreal unless you speak French, so McGill graduates have to move on and find work elsewhere (or learn French).

McGill has a FAR better reputation outside of Canada: I've experienced people in the US, UK, and France who have been very impressed that I went there (although this is not common, as opposed to say Harvard or Oxford where _everybody_ is impressed by the name). But U of T is not well known abroad.

After some years of stagnation, McGill has been improving a lot recently: there is a big capital drive underway that has already scored some huge donations, and McGill won two Nobel prizes last year, which will probably boost it in the international rankings quite a bit.

Reply 2

illu45

First, a similar disclaimer: I am from Toronto and a UofT student, although I have visited Montreal several times. Montreal certainly has a better reputation in terms culture and city life, which is well-earned. That isn't to say that Toronto is entirely boring as a city, there are theatrical productions, concerts, clubs, and all of the usual things that you would expect to find in a city. Montreal does tend to have more festivals and a more active night-life, though, in my experience.

I can't really comment on which one will make getting a job easier, although I know that McGill does have some provisions for learning French, which could be a plus depending on where you would like to work and what field you would like to go into. I am a bit skeptical of the idea that McGill has a better international reputation, though. I've spoken to people in Europe and professors in the UK who knew of both schools and seemed to regard them both quite well.

At the end of the day, both schools are good, and, at least in my experience, have fairly good international reputations, although Montreal is probably more exciting as far as city life goes.

Reply 3

A Backward Glance

I think it also depends on what you're studying, and which college you got into at University of Toronto. Trinity and Victoria College are the most prestigious and have some really notable alumni like Jim Balsillie and Malcolm Gladwell, so they're really well-known. As well, the University of Toronto has an excellent international relations program. McGill is good for sciences I understand, and business. In terms of city life, I'm a resident of Toronto and prefer it over Montreal any day.

Team U of T!

McGill

McGill is definitely NOT better than U of T. McGill is certainly not more prestigious, and it's living on an outdated reputation. My father was a professor at McGill, I know tons of people going there and McGill marks harder to merely create the facade of a more presitgious, difficult school. I personally am happy to leave Toronto, but depending on the program U of T may be better. It's certainly better for anything IR or politically related.

As well Montreal requires some basic French, and French is an awful language in my opinion. Both cities are expensive, but I would say Montreal has the superior nightlife.

It's tough to decide I am sure, but I think the guys here are totally over-rating McGill.

Reply 6

mcgill2oxford

Well, according to the Times Higher Education supplement, McGill is the #18 university in the world, and U of T is #29. Meaning they're both excellent--but McGill does rank better overall. I agree that for certain programmes, and those who prefer the university's culture, U of T can be a better choice. But McGill does have a higher reputation--whether that matters depends on how much you think reputation matters. For some people, it's everything, for some people, it's completely irrelevant, especially when the schools are similarly ranked.

It's also hard to take someone's opinion about education seriously who says things like "French is an awful language in my opinion".

Reply 7

BDoubleG

McGill. Torontonians will argue to the death that UofT is the best in every respect. I'm from Ontario, near Toronto, and I went to neither school for my undergrad, so I'd like to think I'm relatively unbiased. McGill is a more reputable school, and Montreal is a great city.

Reply 8

devil09

But U of T is not well known abroad.

I'm American and have always been under the impression that Toronto is the top university in Canada. :confused:

Reply 9

aphrodite61092

I am in the exact same situation as you. LOL :smile:

I would choose McGill. I know alumni from both McGill and U of T. They are both good universities. However, Montreal is an awesome city. McGill has an awesome reputation worldwide. McGill is prettier than U of T St. George campus. U of T offered me a better scholarship though. However, McGill has done some great research and the professors are super friendly.
U of T SUCKS for undergrad. Their postgrad schools are AWESOME. If you are planning to do undergrad, I would definitely recommend McGill. U of T has HUGE class sizes.

Reply 10

ragnar_jonsson

Harris

As well Montreal requires some basic French, and French is an awful language in my opinion.

Tu n'aime pas le français ? Pourquoi, monsieur ?

mcgill2oxford

Well, according to the Times Higher Education supplement, McGill is the #18 university in the world, and U of T is #29.

Rankings are not necessarily contingent on reputation or quality, especially world rankings. I don't believe UCL deserves the fourth place for instance nor do I believe Imperial deserves a higher place than MIT (note: I applied to and like both schools; I'm just being objective).

Reply 11

dztd1e

Disclaimer: U of T alumni.

It really depends on what you are looking for. I wouldnt say one school is significantly better than the other. That being said, I studied economics and I thought it is an excellent school to study that. If you look at the professors teaching, most of them are from Chicago, Harvard, Yale etc.

As others said, a comparison between Toronto & Montreal needs to be made. Toronto is much bigger and more like New York. Montreal on the other hand is more of a European city. So here again, depends on what you're looking for. I've been to Montreal at least 4-5 times a year since I had friends studying in McGill. And they came to Toronto as well. And you cant really chose between the schools here, so you gotta chose between 'styles'. Two different cities, two different styles.

Reply 12

dztd1e

Btw, in U of T I went to Victoria college and the experience I got there was amazing. Literally. McGill doesnt have that 'college community experience' as far as I know. Its true that in the first 2 years the class sizes are huge, but thats no disadvantage in my opinion. In a class size of 800 my professor e-mailed me and asked my why my grade from 2nd midterm is significantly lower than my first and invited me to have a talk about it. So they are very helpful in that sense despite the huge number of students. Some say the school is so big that there is a significant chance for one person to meet another one day and never see them again in their 4 years of school life. Its correct. Happened to me, and its bound to happen to others. McGill in that sense is a closer, smaller community. But to be honest, I think Toronto is a great city to live in and to study in. Montreal on the other hand, is generally more fun and European. People are more laid back, especially students. And it is definitely cheaper than Toronto, in terms of real estate. My friends at McGill paid half the price for a condo in Montreal compared to what I paid in Toronto, for a very similar apartment.

Reply 13

dztd1e

Just to make one last point. I never applied to McGill. Just applied to University of Toronto. So i wasnt thorn between these two schools.

From my high school 10 of us applied to Canada, 4 went to McGill, 5 went to U of T and one went to Queens. And from all the people who went to McGill and U of T, none of us ever said 'I should have gone elsewhere'.

Reply 14

henrytsangsh

i got an offer for engineering science in toronto
and i also got an offer at Imperial college
i would like to know if accepting toronto will kill my ucas/IC offer cause IC is kinda my first choice

thx for any advice

Reply 15

ragnar_jonsson

henrytsangsh

I don't quite understand: if you wish to study at Imperial, why not decline Toronto's offer and firm Imperial's offer? If you're worried about missing the grades, then just pay the deposit at Toronto and firm Imperial?