SFU or McMaster? What should I pick?
Hi, I am currently torn between which school to pick for university. I am mainly between McMaster and SFU, both for business.
My current dilemmas are:
Reputation: I know Mac has a better reputation than all, but how much does that matter?
I liked the feel of Mac (I've done campus tours of all, fortunately), it gave a better feel that was more comforting, whereas SFU felt colder and from what I've heard, is more depressing.
Location: I like the location of SFU better, as it's in Burnaby and closer to Vancouver and such. I also like the weather in Burnaby better in comparison to Hamilton. I prefer rain over snow and cold, and the views and environment of Burnaby felt like it fit me better.
Social life: I want to have a good social life where I can hang out with friends and do activities. Not so much as going out every night, but I want to have a good student/social life. I’ve heard that there is no social life at SFU, and it's hard to make friends unless you already know ppl from hs, whereas I've heard Mac has a pretty good social life and student events. I know Burnaby offers more stuff with restaurants, activities, malls and such, whereas I’ve heard Mac is a smaller city and doesn't have a lot to offer (is this true?)
Housing after first year: I know SFU has better housing options that are on campus, so it makes the commute very minimal and efficient, whereas Mac doesn't really have housing on campus, and you have to commute (I don't know how far)
Program: I’m not too picky with what program I do because, at the end of the day, I know I'm getting roughly the same education, but I know SFU Beedie is rising and is a slightly better business school than DeGroote whereras Mac has a better reputation and ranking overall. (true?)
Academic pressure: How bad is the academic pressure at both? I’ve heard Mac is a very academic school, but I don’t want to be under immense pressure. And what's it like at SFU?
Sorry for the long summary, but these are just my thoughts. What are your opinions/advice on each university, and kinda around those topics I brought up? I don’t know where I’ll fit better tbh. Again, SORRY for the long summary and thank you!