prospectivesocphd

Where would you recommend for the best prices and accessibility overall to McGill? We are looking to rent cheaper places (4 1/2 in the 650-850ish range), because we anticipate it taking a little time for my husband to find a job upon arrival. We will not bring a car with us, so public transit and bike routes are extremely important. I have never been to Montreal, so as specific as possible would be great! You can PM me if that is easier.

I will be attending McGill for my phd in the fall, and my husband and I are trying to figure out the apartment situation. If we go up the first week of July, will it be difficult to find a decently priced apartment in the city to start in late July or early August? We're looking at the CDG/NDG, Parc Extension, Lachine (possibly), and Verdun areas. I will also be going up at the end of this month to meet with program faculty and get a feel for the city--would it be better to try to secure an apartment to begin in July or August during that time? We are American (and would prefer NOT to live in a mainly Anglophone area of the city), so other than renting a place we've never seen, these would be the two times in which we could actually visit a place.

I don't know anything about Minnesota, but I will be attending McGill in the fall. My impression of them has been fantastic so far, especially in regards to the faculty and how open they have been with contact, Skype, discussing research, sending manuscripts, etc. I also spoke with a POI from CUNY on the phone yesterday about my decision to attend McGill, and he was extremely complementary of the department (quant & mixed methods training, up-and-coming professors, etc) and their rate of placement at quality institutions in both the US and Canada. I will be going up in a few weeks to visit the department (and Montreal!) and anticipate that being a great trip as well. I should mention that I am looking to do comparative research between Canada, the US, and France, so that heavily influenced my decision to apply and subsequently attend.

After some conversations with faculty, it will be very feasible to work out the funding, and I'll most likely only come out needing to pay ~8k. It fits with my research and goals better in the long run, so I will be attending McGill in the fall. Thanks for the feedback!

My ultimate goal is to be a professor at a research university, where I'm spending time doing both research and teaching. From what I can tell, Pittsburgh does not have as good of a placement rate/record as McGill does with this. I am not so worried about being placed in the top tier of universities in the US, as teaching and researching internationally is very attractive to me, in which McGill seems to have a great placement record. My main concern is passing up an offer for which I would not have to pay anything for one that I may have to shell out ~8k or so. If I am considering ultimate professional goals and placement in my desired positions, McGill is the better option. ~8k is not so much at the end of the day, and I don't have any other debt to pay, but I cannot get the voice out of my head to "not pay anything for your doctorate", although this may be irrational.

I have been watching this forum like a hawk the past couple months, and am now in need of some feedback. I have a few offers on the table at this point, one of which excites me the most. I have narrowed down my choices to either University of Pittsburgh (17k/yr for 5 years) or McGill University (21k/yr for 4 years). I already have a master's out of field, and McGill has admitted at the PhD2 level, meaning I would be able to finish in 4-5 years, whereas Pitt has admitted me at the basic level, meaning it would take a minimum of 5 years to finish, most likely 6 or 7. I have read it is typical for Canadian universities to make their stipends higher because they do not pay your tuition for you, which is true in my case, and would even out to be an average of about 11k/yr for my personal living expenses for the 4 years when all is said and done. I should mention I am married, so my husband's potential income would offset some costs. My main question: is it a reasonable decision to attend McGill over Pitt for my doctorate? The department at McGill focuses on research topics I find more exciting overall, they have a gender studies option, and they have much more rigorous training in quantitative methods, which would certainly better prepare me for academic and/or non-academic jobs in the long run. Pitt does not have much in the way of quantitative training, and it would take longer to finish. With money I have saved and the stipend, I should have enough money to get through the program at McGill without any extra help, and worst case scenario I have to take out a loan for 8k or less total. Thoughts?