I hope that 90% of my readers are already aware of these rankings, but if not, then read this: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=144. Times Higher Education, a respected rankings institution based in the UK has McGill ranked at #12 in the world / #1 in Canada overall, and in social science. As much as I want to brag about going to the 12th best school in the world, do I really believe it? I guess it's for each of us to decide how much to buy into the list, but I'm gonna give some reasons why I do believe it, then reasons why I don't.
Why we should believe this
1. Top-notch reputation: In Canada, the only other universities that might compare are UofT and UBC, and maybe Queens. Internationally, McGill has an exceptionally well-known name. Even at BHSOH some of the teachers knew and admired McGill University. Of course, it's not Harvard. Nor does it have the reputation of an Ivy League school, or of the top 2 British schools (Oxf & Cam). Of course it also depends on your programme. MIT has much better technology programmes, but McGill is better for social sciences. All of this aside, McGill is almost 200 years old, and has a very internationally-recognised name.
2. Pretty good faculty: Some of you can argue with me about this. And of course I know it's hit or miss. But I know that my thesis supervisor is a PhD from Univerisity of Chicago, and another one of my favourite profs earned his PhD from Cambridge. Any school that boasts faculty from schools like this can't be half bad.
3. High quality education: This is another point that you could dispute, but in my experience, the education at McGill has been exceptional - with some exceptions. Of course I can only speak really about anthropology, but I think their methodology - having you read all of the top scholars' papers instead of spoon feeding you -is really good, and I feel like I've learned a lot more that way. A's aren't given away at all, and even A-'s generally require a good amount of work.
4. Very international student background: McGill boasts an international population of about 20% (which in pure numbers is quite substantial considering its size). Admittedly, at least half of this is American. I also can't really compare this to other universities in America for instance, but I know McGill is a draw for people from all over the world. This is for several reasons. First of all, it has most of the prestige of the 2nd -tier American schools (1st tier being Ivy League & the like), for about a third of the price. Secondly, if you're French, or from a francophone country, it is substantially cheaper. Even for Americans and Canadians it is a more accessible option than the exceptional universities of the US. Montreal is also a comparitively multicultural city which is in itself a draw for a lot of diverse students.
Why we might not get our hopes up
1. Horribly underfunded: Of course, the down side of education being so cheap means that the school is horribly underfunded. Anyone who has spent any sort of time here will notice this very quickly. Facilities are not quite state of the art. Things are crumbling, and many classrooms have seen better days.
2. Administration: F. Anyone who has ever needed to see the admin for any reason knows that McGill is like the red tape capital. Front-desk workers are generally rude and useless. Example: I need a copy of my official transcript to extend my Canadian Study Permit / CAQ (québec document). I go to Dawson, wait for about 5 minutes, and I was able to get my "official letter of admission", but they told me I had to go to James Admin to get my transcript. So I went there, waited another 10 mins or so (mind you, these wait times are really short becuase the semester is over! This was yesterday), and was told by the lady, who was not very nice, that I had to "request" my transcript online and pick it up in a few days. This process was apparantly not possible in person. If you're the type of person who is self-sufficient and independent then this shouldnt be an issue for you. Unfortunately, program requirements are often confusing and contradictory, which may necessitate seeing different advisors, and being an int'l students ushers in a whole host of complications. But I guess this goes back to the whole under-funding thing.
3. For Quebec students: too accessible? Students from Quebec have a significantly easier time getting accepted into McGill then their counterparts from the ROC or USA. Granted, it's not like anybody gets in, but I've noticed in some of my classes that students hailing from Quebec simply don't take school as seriously as many others. They pay only $1500 a year (which is almost nothing compared ot the rest of North America), for which they constantly complain. Perhaps its too easy for them to go to McGill? I have no problem with accessible education; I think the USA suffers from the opposite extreme. But we must recognise the problem with education that is too accessible: quality will necessarily suffer.
4. Other rankings aren't so kind to McGill. This complicates matters slightly. The ARWU rankings, http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/ranking.htm, have McGill at a paltry #63. Of course, this ranking comes out of a Chinese univesrity- so is it as trustworthy? Of course, every ranking is biased, including the THE, which shows a clear bias towards British schools.
My conclusion:
McGill is a fine university, by any standard. Obviously, the #12 ranking doesn't apply to all programmes. For natural sciences, it is #26, for life sciences and bio medicine it is #10, for technology it is #27, and for Arts and Humanities it is #12. I also thinks it depends what you're looking for. McGill has an exceptional int'l reputation, which makes it a great choice for people looking to work internationally. It is also very accessible, which makes it a good option compared to most similar calibre schools in the UK and US. Unfortunately, this accessibility is also a bit of its downfall- resulting in a school which is quite under-funded. So, my conclusion? I do believe the rankings, if for nothing else based on the name, which I believe is extremely important when it comes to looking for a job / or getting into a Masters/Medical/Doctorate programme. The actual educational experience, while good, may not QUITE be #12, but what matters at the end is employers seeing your piece of paper that comes from McGill University. So be proud, and embrace the fact that you go to an extremely celebrated and recognised school, but don't let it go to your head, because judging by all the funding/administrative problems we have, we may not quite deserve our name.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment