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McGill vs Purdue vs UCL (for Electrical Engineering)

Hey

I was wondering if anyone could guide me whats best out of the three unis for electrical engineering.

Purdue University (Ranked #9 by USNews for Engineering)
McGill University (Best in Canada)
UCL (Ranked #2 by gaurdian in UK )

Since i havent visited any of them... Any help will be appreciated

Thanks :p:

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Reply 1

WokSz

Wow, that's a tough question. Personally I would ask myself this: Where would I like to live? Canada, US or UK?

If you want to work in the UK, a degree from UCL will put you in very good stead for a top job. Mcgill will probably have the overall better reputation; however, UCL will allow you to live in London.

Reply 2

sarbruis

They're all good schools. Any of them will get you into a nice job/postgrad spot if you put in the effort. As bEEt said, look into which country you'd like to live in. Purdue is going to be four years, instead of three at UCL. Also take into account the different uni systems: in the US, your degree isn't as specialized as in the UK (I don't know anything about Canada).

Purdue is in West Lafayette, Indiana. It's about two hours from Chicago and an hour and a half from Indianapolis (driving). So if you want city living, UCL is a much better choice. My brother visited Purdue (he's going there this fall) and he said it's a nice place; there are plenty of shops in Lafayette and the university is a city itself.

So, again, they're all good unis, but their settings, etc. differ quite drastically.

Reply 3

Phoenix Wright

McGill Engineering is pretty good; in Canada, at least, I know U of T is generally rated more highly for it, but only marginally. Its sorta like the Oxbridge thing where neither institution really has a decisive edge. Anyway, it might also be the cheapest of the three as well since Montreal is a cheap city to live in (unlike London).

Reply 4

shady lane

UCL isn't well known in the States for whatever reason, but McGill is known in Canada and the US so it would probably be your best bet for careers if you want to be geographically mobile. And it's probably the cheapest as well.

Reply 5

WokSz

^ Not just US or Canada. McGill probably has a far superior reputation outside of those countries too. I see you're from India so if you want to live there after graduation then a degree from McGill will put you in very good stead for a job.

Reply 6

radioman2

Firstly id like to thank u guys ( bEEt, sarbruis, Phoneix Wright and shady lane) for giving me your useful tips...

Somehow i also feel McGill is the best option for me ... Coz the money i save from going to McGill can be invested in my masters (from a better institution).. Ideally i'd like do a masters from the states.. but I donno how hard it will be to do a bachelors from canada and then swap to a masters in the states... I guess it should not be a problem

Well the only thing that attracts me abt purdue is that its in the states and people tell me the job oppurtunities are the greatest there. Putting aside the cost factor (between Purdue and McGill), i think somehow purdue does not have a very good overall reputation.. Like u know it gives me the impression that they accept almost anyone.. I was comparing transfer students at Purdue and Gatech... The transfer requirement of Gatech is atleast 3.5 (Grade Point Average) unlike purdue which is 2.5 ... Its true Purdue's had a few Nobel prize winners but somehow i just feel the school is losing its value..

Im not really sure what are the advantages of going to UK... In UK i have offers from UCL, Kings, Bristol, Warwick, Manchester and Bath... but somehow i feel UCL's the best in this bunch soo i guess this elminates all the remaining in UK. On advantage i see of going to UK unis is that its only 3 years but what im worried about is finding a job there... Looking at the job market its becoming increasing difficult to for aliens to find a job there... And once i finish my bachelors i need to work (outside india)for 2-3 years before doing a masters... The thing that REALLY REAALLY REALLY attracts me about UCL is that its right next to SOASSSSS. My Gf studies in SOAS but i guess i gotta be objective here :p:

....

In my list of priorities the 3 main things are:

1.Finding a job
2. Good Education
3. College must have a good name

My main problem right now is that im running outta time to choose outta the 3uni... What would u guys suggest after reading this?

Thank you once again :smile:

Reply 7

mashrur111

I think you should go for McGill. Its the most renowned of the three; Its the cheapest and if u do well there you can do paid internship programs in your summer break (for Electrical Engineering, you will get a lot of opportunities).

Plus from there you can get into a really good grad school in the U.S if you want to go there later.

I got into McGill and Carleton College (U.S.A) and I'm choosing McGill for all these reasons.

Reply 8

Artemidoros.

Ucl

Reply 9

brpqzme

I'm pretty surprised to hear the McGill is ranked higher than UCL - I've some friends who applied there and their offers were pretty low compared to what the UK unis offered. Some were even offered a place after they'd missed both their Firm and Insurance offers here.

Reply 10

shady lane

McGill is much easier for non-Canadians to get into than for Canadians; it's the #1 university in the country. They really want to attract foreign students for whatever reason.

But the reason several of us have said it is 1) it's the cheapest and 2) it has a reputation that is known in many countries, importantly the US, where UCL is not really known and Purdue is just average.

Reply 11

Phoenix Wright

^^ I don't know how easy it is to get into McGill as a foreigner, but I remember how hard it was to get in when I was applying for undergrad. (I, personally did not apply, but have many friends in McGill now). Even LSE had a lower cutoff grade. Hah.

Reply 12

shady lane

When I was in high school and considering applying to McGill or UofT, the average SAT scores for incoming Americans was high 1200s. I had more than that, plus APs, so it looked much easier to get in considering I was applying to Ivies with an average SAT score around 100 points higher.

Reply 13

brpqzme

when you say UCL isn't as known in the US as here, do you mean by the average person, or by employers?

our school had everyone apply to mcgill, and most everyone did get offers. the reason i didn't know mcgill was considered this good was because the only ones that ended up going there were, like i said, those who had missed their offers here, so it seemed to be a logical conclusion. well now i know :biggrin:

Reply 14

shady lane

It's the best in Canada--but Canada is a small country that needs immigrants, so they make is easier for international students to get in. Doesn't mean the quality of the teaching is bad though; it's nearly impossible for Canadian students to get accepted.

Reply 15

sarbruis

You are right about Purdue not having high entry requirements. It's definitely not as selective as the other two.

Reply 16

Posh Portia Kabine

Yeah Canada is TINY!

HA HA

Reply 17

Phoenix Wright

My dear, she was referring to our countries' respective populations. America has 10 times our population while we have slightly more land. Of course, since most of us live within 200 km of the US border and in cities, I generally haven't gotten a real sense of how sparsely populated Canada really is. One day, I'd like to take a trip up north and see what it's like.

Reply 18

mashrur111

Also the tution fees for international students is much higher than for the Canadians. International students have to pay something like $15000 CAD annually. Canadians have to pay something like $3000.

But McGill is a good university. Everyone tells me you got to work real hard to keep up.

Reply 19

hji1008

Canadian Unis including McGill are relatively easy to get in, regardless of whether u r a foreigner or not. And Purdue doesn't seem popular for undergrad courses.

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