McGill or University of Michigan

[hadron23]

Hello,

I am a master's student in electrical engineering at one of the top 3 schools in Canada (prefer not to disclose just for privacy). I have applied to a few places for a PhD and have heard back from a couple. I am trying to choose between two schools, McGill or the University of Michigan.

I am a firm believer that it is better to choose the school based on the reputation of the professor that you will be working for, rather than the reputation of the school itself (especially for a PhD). The respective professors at each school are both very well known in their fields and I would consider them to be of equal quality.

However, I will be spending at least 4 years in whichever city I choose, and I want the quality of life to be decent. I have visited Montreal a couple of times and absolutely loved it. I have never been to Ann Arbor, MI. Should the location (city) of the university factor into my decision? If so, how much?

Thanks

 

[DivisionByZro]

I've traveled a lot. I live nearby to Montreal but I also have been to Michigan (Just not Ann Arbor specifically, only near it). Having seen both areas, I would recommend you go to McGill for a few reasons:

If you get permanent residence in Quebec, then there's free healthcare, a good plus.

Depending on the language(s) you speak, you might like the community in Montreal as there is virtually every language there.One the cons of McGill:

There are very few English universities nearby, only Concordia (Montreal) and Bishop's (Sherbrooke). I could see this as causing problems if you wanted to work with other people from nearby universities (Unless you can speak French)

If you have any more questions regarding Montreal/Quebec (The province) or the surroundings, just PM me.

I hope this helped you a little.

-D

 

[hadron23]

Thanks for the quick reply. I did leave out some details.

I have been offered a fellowship at UMich (tuition waiver and stipend), which includes health care coverage. I am still waiting on if I will be offered any funding beyond tuition and living expenses (bare minimum) at McGill.

 

[jtbell]

Having lived in Ann Arbor for eight years as a grad student, I can say that it's a nice place and I enjoyed living there, although obviously it can't compare to Montreal for the big-city and multicultural experience.

 

[DivisionByZro]

I suppose it really depends on what you prefer in terms of city-size. Montreal is, obviously, very big and has a lot to do, but it is also always busy and noisy.

It sounds like Ann Arbor is more peaceful. I do like, however, being able to get my tea from China Town, maybe you could consider those types of things in your decision. You will be able to find anything you could ever want in Montreal, probably.

 

[hadron23]

Having lived in Ann Arbor for eight years as a grad student, I can say that it's a nice place and I enjoyed living there, although obviously it can't compare to Montreal for the big-city and multicultural experience.

Did you ever get bored in your off time? I know there is no shortage of things to do in Montreal, but I'm not sure if I can say the same about Ann Arbor...

 

[jtbell]

Depends on what you like to do, I suppose. I'm into classical music, and Ann Arbor was a great place for that because of the university. Lots of visiting performers and orchestras, and the music school puts on a lot of stuff, too. I spent a lot of time in the bookstores, especially Borders (the original Borders, before it became a chain). I was also heavily into bicycling with the local bicycle touring club. I liked being able to get out in the country in ten minutes from my apartment on my bike. I wasn't into the night-life scene (my night life was in the lab), but there were some clubs. Lots of restaurants for the town's size.

Unfortunately having Detroit next door doesn't do much for providing a big-city fix. But it's easy to drive or take the train to Chicago for the weekend if you're desperate.