MILA vs Polytechnique Montreal: reapply or move on? [D]

Hi,

I applied to two professional master’s programs this year, one at MILA and one at Polytechnique Montréal. I got accepted at Poly, but rejected from MILA, and they suggested I complete a minor in computer science instead.

I’m trying to figure out whether it’s actually worth doing the minor and reapplying to MILA, or if I should just go straight to Poly.

I already have a background in software development, a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, and my main goal is to learn ML/DL to boost my career internationally.

That said, I feel like the minor + MILA path could still be a strong option. If I got into Poly once, I could probably get in again later, and with a minor, I’d strengthen my theoretical foundations. But that would take 3–4 years.

On the other hand, with Poly, I can finish in 2 years and start gaining professional experience sooner.

Also, the reason I was rejected from MILA is that I didn’t have enough computer science coursework during my engineering degree. So I’m wondering whether doing one year at Poly and then reapplying to MILA could be enough to bridge that gap.

What would you do in my position?