Concordia Or Mcgill

[KaSa11]

Hey,

I'm trying to transfer uni to either McGill or Concordia. I got accepted to both to continue my undergrad, but not sure which to go to. Can anyone help me and tell me which is better and why ?

Thanks.

[Haribo7173]

McGill is not as amazing nor as hard as some say it is.

 

Concordia is not as shitty nor as easy as some say it is.

 

If med school is your end goal, it really doesn't matter where you go to do your undergrad. Both are good schools and will get you where you want to be provided you work hard enough. I guess it all depends on what program you're interested in, location, school life/atmosphere, etc.

[Guest]

mcgill is nice, many classes are recorded (which is like the most necessary thing for a school to have). can't say anything about concordia

[FinalShowtime]

I did my Software Engineering at Concordia University (now finishing my preclinical years at UdeM).

I really enjoyed it and 90% of my professors were amazing.

[indefatigable]

It depends on the med schools you are targeting and your individual tastes.  Concordia has an older student population compared to McGill.  McGill has much more premed culture and support - but you can still get into med school from Concordia.  Overall, in terms of difficulty, I don't if there's a huge difference between the two, but choosing courses wisely can make a difference in either case.  McGill, I think, has really tried to change its image and places increasing emphasis on undergraduate teaching.

 

Concordia lab classes and sections can fill up very quickly.  McGill doesn't have A+ grades, which is helpful for Ontario (OMSAS), but possibly not for all the francophone schools (not sure).  At Concordia, an A gives 3.90 on the OMSAS scale but for McGill it gives 4.00.     

[Bambi]

Hey,

I'm trying to transfer uni to either McGill or Concordia. I got accepted to both to continue my undergrad, but not sure which to go to. Can anyone help me and tell me which is better and why ?

Thanks.

It would depend upon the program you wish to take. The below is an excellent program st Concordia and leads to medicine provided you attain straight A's. The material is not really difficult, however, it is voluminous and requires consistently hard work throughout. It also prepares you for medicine. By doing the Specialization, you have internships with the chronically ill and therefore, apply the knowledge you have learned, thereby reinforcing what you learned and giving you patient experience. And the class size is small. Read the thread completely. It is relatively easy to attain B's but this won't get you into medicine.. I cannot speak to their other programs.

 

http://forums.premed101.com/index.php?/topic/47595-cegepiens-eng-french-who-need-to-choose-an-undergrad-program-leading-to-medicine/

[kleck096]

When it comes to getting interviews at med schools, grades first, everything else second. It is what it is. 

[SunAndMoon]

Strategically I'd say Concordia might be a better choice. Perhaps easier at undergrad level, also possibly less competition for good research awards. I had much less competition at UdeM compared to McGill for the NSERC for instance

[caribou]

I mostly second what everyone has said. "Better" is a relative term... better for what? What program(s) are you considering? I did an Arts undergrad at Concordia and loved it. Within Canada, I don't think it matters whether you do a pre-med undergrad at McGill or Concordia. My understanding is you'll have a very different student experience, though. I never took a Science class at Concordia that had more than 200 students, and that was a big class. I hear from McGill undergrads that Science class sizes can reach two to three times that. Smaller class sizes can make it easier for you to develop a relationship with a prof, possibly work in a lab (if that's something you're into). I also didn't get the sense that the Concordia premeds were especially cutthroat, as compared to what I've heard of McGill's. I would assume since McGill has more med-oriented programs (ie, Anatomy & Cell Biology, Physiology), it attracts more premeds and ultimately a more competitive student experience. Beyond that, does location matter to you? Concordia's Science classes are held on their Loyola campus, in NDG, whereas McGill is downtown. 

 

In short, I don't think the quality of education at the undergrad level is measurably different between the two schools. Concordia may not have McGill's international reputation, but it's a great school that has a lot to offer and can definitely prepare you for med. Make your choice based on the program that interests you (and in which you are most likely to succeed), and the atmosphere in which you are most likely to thrive. 

[yych208]

Generally, Concordia is easier when you are comparing similar programs (some ppl can say its subjective but that's quite BS). 

Ex. McGill biochem is harder than concordia biochem, mcgill kinesiology is harder than concordia kinesiology (or exercise science, they call it). Again, i'm comparing the same program. I agree with others than difficulty is subjective, when you compare Concordia biochem with McGill kinesiology, which you can't!

 

That (concordia is easier) being said, if your end goal is med, I think in the end it wouldn't matter much. McGill is much much more prestige, but it doesn't really help when it comes to the admission process (job wise I can't guarantee, but thats definitely the case for most if not all med schools). 

Furthermore, different schools have different perks. Maybe by going to the harder but more prestige/resourceful school, you end up doing research at a top-notch lab and publish something, getting you into med. Maybe by going to concordia, the less prestige/resourceful school, you end up founding a club that Concordia does not have but McGill does, thus demonstrating exceptional leadership skill and innovation. 

 

Honestly in the end, if you are smart or if you are willing to work hard, you'll be able to shine at either school

[indefatigable]

Generally, Concordia is easier when you are comparing similar programs (some ppl can say its subjective but that's quite BS). 

Ex. McGill biochem is harder than concordia biochem, mcgill kinesiology is harder than concordia kinesiology (or exercise science, they call it). Again, i'm comparing the same program. I agree with others than difficulty is subjective, when you compare Concordia biochem with McGill kinesiology, which you can't!

 

 

Even comparing the same courses within say Concordia - e.g. biochem, there are substantial differences with different instructors.  Comparing whole programs is just as incomparable as inter-program comparisons.  I split my OChems between both unis - both were difficult in different ways - the classic breadth vs depth dichotomy.  And there are substantial differences in terms of teaching for different sections of a common course.  

[Manchester1]

It really depends what you are interested in ! 

 

I echo what everyone else says- if you want in to McGill med NO ONE CARES if you went to concordia or mcgill as long as you did well, became an interesting person along the way! 

 

If I were doing social sciences I would go to McGill personally having taken classes at both. Journalism/arts concordia. Psychology either way works.

 

For chem/bio/engineering both are good, I like concordia. Business concordia. 

 

if you want anatomy/physiology definitely McGill. McGill has cool stuff and MacDonald too.

 

Undergrad basically matters very little once you actually get in to med school.

 

Other questions to consider: do you want  a dorm community? Do you want a progressive/left community? Do you want to make friends from a huge range of fields (med/law/dent/music) or are you happy with a smaller community?

 

Where do you want to live?

[KaSa11]

So 85% which is an A is a 4.0 GPA at mcgill and at Concordia 85% is an A but that's a 3.9 GPA ??

I'm just trying to get the highest grades possible in the prerequisites and the program that I will choose which I'm not sure what to take yet.

[indefatigable]

So 85% which is an A is a 4.0 GPA at mcgill and at Concordia 85% is an A but that's a 3.9 GPA ??

I'm just trying to get the highest grades possible in the prerequisites and the program that I will choose which I'm not sure what to take yet.

 

If you apply to Ontario - yes.  If you apply to McGill, then Concordia A=McGill A=4.0.  I'm not sure about the French schools.