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University College London, University of London
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UCL or McGill University

Hi all,

I'm an EU student and am interested in studying at UCL (Information Management for Business) and McGill (International Management).

I did some research: UCL’s course lasts 3 years, and McGill’s course 4 years (including one year abroad).
UCL’s programme is 3.5 times for expensive than McGill’s and the cost of living in London is also much higher than that of Montreal.
In terms of course structure, information management for business at UCL is more IT-oriented, while McGill’s program is more broad.

Finally I heard that having a business degree is “considered a joke”, it this true? Would it be easier to get a job with a UCL degree or McGill degree?
Last question : overall which is better? UCL or McGill?

Thanks!
Original post by Hmmmmm.
Hi all,

I'm an EU student and am interested in studying at UCL (Information Management for Business) and McGill (International Management).

I did some research: UCL’s course lasts 3 years, and McGill’s course 4 years (including one year abroad).
UCL’s programme is 3.5 times for expensive than McGill’s and the cost of living in London is also much higher than that of Montreal.
In terms of course structure, information management for business at UCL is more IT-oriented, while McGill’s program is more broad.

Finally I heard that having a business degree is “considered a joke”, it this true? Would it be easier to get a job with a UCL degree or McGill degree?
Last question : overall which is better? UCL or McGill?

Thanks!


Hope my opinion helps - I got a offer from UCL and hit the grades but when I visit it I also realised about the reality of cost living in London it is very expensive. So if its also 3.5x more expensive IMO in your position I'd think what more am I getting for what I pay.

So in the cost category McGill wins.

However they are two completely different locations in different parts of the world, where would you like to work and study its not really something no-one can really tell you, you have to figure that out for yourself.

As for the course content, - although you'd think this would be the most important, IMO it doent matter at all becauase it wont actually teach you much you will actually use at work.

As for you hearing business is "considered a joke" it depends which way you look at it, theres not really many jobs that are limited to those with only business undergrad degrees so its sort of non-specific. I.e its not like doing structural engineering where the degree would be practically a requirement, as in it would be a really long complicated road to be a structural engineer without the degree that you almost must have it.

So IMO its not a total joke its just that it doesn't lead to a hardcore skill that others cant do. E.g. an English grad would be eligible for similar roles to you, you may have a slight advantage due to your degree title, but i'm not experienced enough in that particular field to advise you on that one
University College London, University of London
University College London
London
I did an exchange at Concordia in Montreal and yeah the city is fkn great. the difficultly in the classes however were staggering. I took intro classes and barely got half marks and 50 was a D-. So u really gotta be hitting 85+. what I found is that the whole teaching set up was worse than UK. u get a lecturer and for seminars it’s just a TA in ones of mine it was a dude in year above. course content isn’t standardised so grades influenced by who ur prof is. Also most ppl get external tuition too it’s part of the uni culture of want to do well and it costs a few hundred dollars. I came home thinking wow they’re just giving out degrees in UK

one final consideration imagine getting up early and going to class when it’s minus 35 outside
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 3
Original post by bigstu99
Hope my opinion helps - I got a offer from UCL and hit the grades but when I visit it I also realised about the reality of cost living in London it is very expensive. So if its also 3.5x more expensive IMO in your position I'd think what more am I getting for what I pay.

So in the cost category McGill wins.

However they are two completely different locations in different parts of the world, where would you like to work and study its not really something no-one can really tell you, you have to figure that out for yourself.

As for the course content, - although you'd think this would be the most important, IMO it doent matter at all becauase it wont actually teach you much you will actually use at work.

As for you hearing business is "considered a joke" it depends which way you look at it, theres not really many jobs that are limited to those with only business undergrad degrees so its sort of non-specific. I.e its not like doing structural engineering where the degree would be practically a requirement, as in it would be a really long complicated road to be a structural engineer without the degree that you almost must have it.

So IMO its not a total joke its just that it doesn't lead to a hardcore skill that others cant do. E.g. an English grad would be eligible for similar roles to you, you may have a slight advantage due to your degree title, but i'm not experienced enough in that particular field to advise you on that one



Wow thanks so much for your reply!
Reply 4
Original post by Dominoes
I did an exchange at Concordia in Montreal and yeah the city is fkn great. the difficultly in the classes however were staggering. I took intro classes and barely got half marks and 50 was a D-. So u really gotta be hitting 85+. what I found is that the whole teaching set up was worse than UK. u get a lecturer and for seminars it’s just a TA in ones of mine it was a dude in year above. course content isn’t standardised so grades influenced by who ur prof is. Also most ppl get external tuition too it’s part of the uni culture of want to do well and it costs a few hundred dollars. I came home thinking wow they’re just giving out degrees in UK

one final consideration imagine getting up early and going to class when it’s minus 35 outside


Ok, thank you! I’ll take your comment into consideration
Original post by Hmmmmm.
Hi all,

I'm an EU student and am interested in studying at UCL (Information Management for Business) and McGill (International Management).

I did some research: UCL’s course lasts 3 years, and McGill’s course 4 years (including one year abroad).
UCL’s programme is 3.5 times for expensive than McGill’s and the cost of living in London is also much higher than that of Montreal.
In terms of course structure, information management for business at UCL is more IT-oriented, while McGill’s program is more broad.

Finally I heard that having a business degree is “considered a joke”, it this true? Would it be easier to get a job with a UCL degree or McGill degree?
Last question : overall which is better? UCL or McGill?

Thanks!


I assume you're a French citizen, because otherwise you'd be paying international fees at McGill (which are 3x the cost of UCL's annual fee). Both are great unis, I'd go to whichever is cheapest. I'm unfamiliar with McGill's IM degree, but UCL's Information Management for Business is certainly not a joke - a quick LinkedIn search shows how employable it is.
Reply 6
Hey, I am wondering what did you eventually choose? this is because I’m almost in the same situation as you were last year choosing between UCL and McGill. I am going to McGill Desautels and I’m not sure what I’d like to major in (probably hons Econ).Do you regret your choice? How is UCL/McGill?
Reply 7
Original post by crzz
Hey, I am wondering what did you eventually choose? this is because I’m almost in the same situation as you were last year choosing between UCL and McGill. I am going to McGill Desautels and I’m not sure what I’d like to major in (probably hons Econ).Do you regret your choice? How is UCL/McGill?


I am quite in a similar position .. I've firmed UCL for economics and I've put KCL as my insurance choice. I am french and I've just finished my exams and unfortunately, I am pretty sure I won't get the grades for UCL in maths
What would you recommend between KCL and Mcgill? If I go to McGill I would also do hons economics
Reply 8
Original post by Alex74b
I am quite in a similar position .. I've firmed UCL for economics and I've put KCL as my insurance choice. I am french and I've just finished my exams and unfortunately, I am pretty sure I won't get the grades for UCL in maths
What would you recommend between KCL and Mcgill? If I go to McGill I would also do hons economics

Wow! What a match :smile: I have exactly the same firm and insurance choices in the UK, but for law (And I don’t want to go to any of them).
Personally, I am leaning more towards McGill for a reason that I can build my degree (have a major+ a minor or two), which allows me to explore my interests in different areas. It is important for me because well-rounded education is really appealing to me. And I would have more degree/career flexibility.
Why wouldn’t I go to UCL/KCL? That’s because at the time I applied to UCL/KCL (which was half a year ago), I did not realize that I don’t want to study law. Law does not give me much flexibility with career choices, meaning that it would to an extent “determine my future”, because with a law degree you’re most likely to end up as a lawyer, which I’m not sure I want to be. So I would prefer McGill just for the reason not to study law and have more degree flexibility.
Talking about your situation, I would say that KCL and McGill are pretty much on par academically (UCL a bit higher up).
About KCL: it’s in London, which is a great networking place and has good employment opportunities. KCL economics is definitely more selective than McGill’s, which makes it seem more prestigious. (But that does not mean that KCL is necessarily better. That’s just because McGill’s socialist policies force the uni to admit loads of people into their Arts faculty, most of whom won’t study Hons Econ because their maths is not good enough. Idk if you’re is Desautels or arts though.) Unlike McGill, KCL doesn’t have funding issues, so the facilities are be better there. UK is entirely English speaking so that might be beneficial for you if you’d like to brush up your English and distance yourself from French. However, you should keep in mind that the UK is leaving the EU and it’s not known how smoothly this will happen and how much it will affect you as an EU citizen.
McGill: it’s a very well known university across the world. It definitely has a better reputation that KCL in overall perception of the university, which might not be the case in economics. (McGill is well known in both Europe and North America, while Kcl is mostly known in Europe only). Montréal has vibrant student life and is very compact, which gives this cosmopolitan city a cozy feel. Flexibility of courses at McGill. If you’re an IB grad you can finish McGill in 3 years instead of 4. Probably the tuition is cheaper at McGill for French citizens than in KCL, idk though, I’m not French.
From my perception, KCL seems a better place to study economics, but that could be because I live in the UK and I hear a lot about KCL, and not much about McGill
Another thing that confuses me is the reaction I get when I tell people that I got into McGill VS KCL. Everyone is like: McGill?!... cool!! And I receive a more neutral reaction when I tell people about KCL. Although people look at me as if I’m crazy when I tell them that I’m planning to decline my UCL offer.
I think that these universities are pretty similar academically, so you better look at other factors, such as location, language, job markets, your intended country for work, proximity to your family etc.
Reply 9
Original post by crzz
Wow! What a match :smile: I have exactly the same firm and insurance choices in the UK, but for law (And I don’t want to go to any of them).
Personally, I am leaning more towards McGill for a reason that I can build my degree (have a major+ a minor or two), which allows me to explore my interests in different areas. It is important for me because well-rounded education is really appealing to me. And I would have more degree/career flexibility.
Why wouldn’t I go to UCL/KCL? That’s because at the time I applied to UCL/KCL (which was half a year ago), I did not realize that I don’t want to study law. Law does not give me much flexibility with career choices, meaning that it would to an extent “determine my future”, because with a law degree you’re most likely to end up as a lawyer, which I’m not sure I want to be. So I would prefer McGill just for the reason not to study law and have more degree flexibility.
Talking about your situation, I would say that KCL and McGill are pretty much on par academically (UCL a bit higher up).
About KCL: it’s in London, which is a great networking place and has good employment opportunities. KCL economics is definitely more selective than McGill’s, which makes it seem more prestigious. (But that does not mean that KCL is necessarily better. That’s just because McGill’s socialist policies force the uni to admit loads of people into their Arts faculty, most of whom won’t study Hons Econ because their maths is not good enough. Idk if you’re is Desautels or arts though.) Unlike McGill, KCL doesn’t have funding issues, so the facilities are be better there. UK is entirely English speaking so that might be beneficial for you if you’d like to brush up your English and distance yourself from French. However, you should keep in mind that the UK is leaving the EU and it’s not known how smoothly this will happen and how much it will affect you as an EU citizen.
McGill: it’s a very well known university across the world. It definitely has a better reputation that KCL in overall perception of the university, which might not be the case in economics. (McGill is well known in both Europe and North America, while Kcl is mostly known in Europe only). Montréal has vibrant student life and is very compact, which gives this cosmopolitan city a cozy feel. Flexibility of courses at McGill. If you’re an IB grad you can finish McGill in 3 years instead of 4. Probably the tuition is cheaper at McGill for French citizens than in KCL, idk though, I’m not French.
From my perception, KCL seems a better place to study economics, but that could be because I live in the UK and I hear a lot about KCL, and not much about McGill
Another thing that confuses me is the reaction I get when I tell people that I got into McGill VS KCL. Everyone is like: McGill?!... cool!! And I receive a more neutral reaction when I tell people about KCL. Although people look at me as if I’m crazy when I tell them that I’m planning to decline my UCL offer.
I think that these universities are pretty similar academically, so you better look at other factors, such as location, language, job markets, your intended country for work, proximity to your family etc.



Hi !!!! Thank you so much for your answer! that is extremely helpful as I've been undecided for a while now
In mcgill, I would be in Desautels too but the weather is kind of scaring me and I really didn't want to be in a French environment but I have concerns about the course in KCL
maybe we'll see each other next fall depending on our choices haha :smile:

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