McGill vs University of Minnesota w honors (CS)

[gritty trellis]

Schools: McGill vs University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (honors)
Intended major: Computer science
Both are big public universities in big cold cities. Cost of enrollment is nearly identical.

University of Minnesota

Pros:
Closer to home. My sister lives in Minneapolis
Many friends will go there
Honors program/housing/courses
Nicer facilities
My credits will likely transfer better
Has preset paths that nigh guarantee a tech job
5 year BS/MS program
School spirit

Cons:
Uglier, more spread out campus; harder to walk
High crime rate
The people on my tour were worse to be around
Less rigorous and prestigious than McGill (although for CS, some sources put UMN higher than McGill [most don’t])

McGill

Pros:
More rigorous academics
Lower student faculty ratio (14:1 vs 17:1)
Zero breadth requirements
Nicer city, more student friendly
More walkable campus, better vibe
Nicer dorms
Much more diverse student body (and city), Drinking age is 18

Cons:
I know literally no one there (except my grandpa who I have met like twice [excluding babyhood])
Grade deflation (may go into grad school)
People on r/mcgill seem kind of depressed (don’t want to get burnt out, the academics seem like a double-edged sword)
Zero school spirit
Admin seems kinda useless
Less safety net socially, mental-health wise, academically, and career-wise; seems like you’re just dropped into the deep end. Sink or swim is scary.
Certain internships/jobs would require French

Other stuff:

How hard is it to be plunged into a new city that only half speaks your language while acclimating to the college environment? (I’ve taken French classes at my HS, but that is not the same.)
How hard is it to make friends in university?
If you go to a college that’s far from home, how has that been? How about an hour away?
How much do college-provided resources for getting internships help?

How the teachers/classes are in compsci. Rankings are inconsistent.
Music for non majors; I don’t really know how accessible McGill’s music ensembles are for non-majors

I have changed my mind so many times in the past few weeks I feel like I’m going insane

[lost void]

Hihi Im Canadian

Also all of Quebec is English speaking

So I don’t think that should be a worry for you

[thorn needle]

are you a citizen of either country? and where do you plan to work after graduation?

imo you should go to college in the country where you plan to work as employers might value international degrees less and studying in that country would provide the cultural experience you would see

it doesnt matter much if youre a citizen of either country tho

[gritty trellis]

I hold american and Canadian citizenship

[meager gorge]

Not true... 😂 😅 That's a perpetuated myth...

[meager gorge]

Won't lie, everything you said is true about McGill in both pros and cons...

[lost void]

ru u quebec

[meager gorge]

Small point about school spirit: we don't have the same sort of culture in Québec (and from what I know, a lot of Canada too) around "school spirit." American colleges are very sport-focused; whilst we do have lots of athletics, people don't just go to cheer on the school team if they have no other connection to it. We still have rivalries with other schools (namely Concordia beef in the party district) but it's not the same.

[lost void]

im gfomr ontario

[meager gorge]

Hmhm...

[meager gorge]

Comments on this:
Whilst Québec doesn't speak English outside of tourism, McGill is situated within an anglophone enclave; you can get by with your day-to-day basics without needing to speak French if you have to.
Online class is shit. No friends. But we're supposed to be fully in-person starting next semester. It's much easier to talk to people in class. Frosh is also huge with Montréal unis, so you'll meet people there.
Internship support is minimal unless you're in a program requiring one; then you've got an advantage.
Music is fairly difficult to access for non-majors, but there are multiple official (accredited) orchestras and ensembles. There are a few student groups that are easy to get into though.

[gritty trellis]

thanks for the responses given already, here are some random other questions i have which would be cool if you were able to answer

given how online learning (hopefully) doesn't apply to me, if you've had any in-person classes or know people who can comment on them, how has the general academic experience been?
anything at all you've heard from any CS majors about quality of teaching or availability of jobs or internships during school or after graduation?
also, ik that pretty much only first years use them, but how do the different on-campus housing options / dorm buildings compare?

after graduation, i just wanna be a programmer of some sort. california might be nice but honestly that's a tiny preference for a place ive only been a couple of times. for jobs might do random startups or big tech and gun for faang or whatever else happens. idek. coding is fun and my future is undecided

[meager gorge]

So, I'll tell you right now, as someone who runs a non-profit in the industry, the school you graduate from is really ancillary to your coop and work experience, even as a new CS grad. In terms of programs that feature coop, you should by applying to Waterloo. McGill's program is pretty bare-bones. Internships are largely your own responsibility though, no matter the school. The teaching is pretty good. I honestly think my COMP 250 course this semester was well taught. But, as you should know, it's still a demanding program. You always have something to hand in.

In terms of dorms, what do you mean?

[gritty trellis]

which dorm buildings are the best/worst

also waterloo deadlines have long since passed (im starting next fall)

[meager gorge]

Oh, okay! You're making a choice... 👌

So, I never did dorms, but you hear about them all the time. Nearly all dorms are on campus or just outside, except for Solin, that's a bit away... You can probably see on the website, but the five dorm-style dorms are exactly as described. They're a bit older, shared bathrooms are a thing and they get stupidly hot in the summer because no air conditioning. Molson, McConnell and Gardner are the party dorms, no doubt about it. Douglas used to be a study dorm where all the prestige scholars slept, but this year, it turned into a party dorm as well. Sound isolation is pretty awful there, so be prepared. You'll have quiet times before midterms and finals, but the moment a single group of friends is done with theirs, you'll hear the parties starting up again. RVC is next to Schulich School of Music and on Sherbrooke, so it's just naturally noisier, but also closer to classes on campus. It's also the only one where you don't have to leave the building to go to the caf, so that's nice on winter mornings.