<p>@Catria: I’m only a sophomore in high school haha, I’m almost certainly going to go into business/economics (a major that makes money and doesn’t involve science :D)</p>
<p>BTW, anyone on this thread know the REAL criterion to get the major scholarship, especially for an American student? I know what it says about test scores and GPA on the site, but what else do they really look for on the application?</p>
<p>in addition to the minimum ACT/SAT and GPA, McGill looks at EC’s, leadership, and teacher recommendations.</p>
<p>What sort of EC’s and leadership? Also, is it hard for Americans to get these scholarships?</p>
<p>For major scholarships, McGill takes a holistic approach in the same way American schools do for admissions.</p>
<p>Is it as random getting into an Ivy League School is (like where you can be the most amazing person ever and still get rejected while someone who’s simply an A student gets in)? Or is it more like, if you meet these standards, lead three official-sounding clubs, write a great essay, and have a decent recommendation you’re good to go?</p>
<p>Major scholarships are holistic but admissions themselves are not. McGill is nothing like an Ivy as far as getting in is concerned. (Quebecer students can get in with R-scores in the 27 range, social work going as low as 24, which makes it the “safety” school for in-province social work hopefuls) </p>
<p>You want to get into Desautels (business school)? 3.8+ GPA (hopefully a 4.0), 700+ on each SAT subscore (or 31+ on the ACT); it is more demanding than economics, which amounts to applying to Arts.</p>
<p>Hey, I just wanted to add my two cents worth. I transferred to McGill after two years at a top public school in the states. Both schools are very similar in some ways. Urban, top ranked public institutions, strong in the medical fields/sciences, etc… There however were some differences that I just wasn’t expecting. Some good, some bad.</p>
<p>Both are large research institutions, McGill the smaller one. I thought that class sizes would be comparable because of this. In some ways I’ve found this to be true, but in other ways I was shocked. At my old school some of my intro classes verged on 500 students, and many were 300 but once I hit upper level classes (and all my english and language classes for that matter), they were all capped at max. 50 students, usually around 20-30. This is true at big research schools in the US. At McGill, not necessarily. From experience and looking through course registrations as I picked through several majors (I started off in math/comp sci and switched to arts) I found that you might only end up taking one seminar style class by the end of your major, meaning you might complete quite a few 300 and 400 level classes with 100 people in them. For example my 300 level math class was 90 people as compared to 30-50 at my old school.</p>
<p>Another difference with large classes I encountered was the way TAs worked. At my first school any lecture over 50 people required you attend a quiz section twice a week in a group of 25, that your assigned TA teaches. At McGill, large lectures are assigned TAs, and while they hold office hours and grade papers, in general they usually do not teach any tutorials. While tutorials can be boring they can help a lot with getting attention and meeting people in a smaller environment. I personally would have been one of the 150/300 who failed out of my intro honors chem class if it hadn’t been for my outstanding TA, a phd student in the chem department. </p>
<p>For some people this is fine. I actually don’t mind lecture classes, because they’re more relaxed, but I think it’s a lot harder to build relationships with professors and other students in that environment. It’s definitely something to keep in mind. Are you very self-motivated? Professors are usually available, but you’ll find anywhere you go that the average student doesn’t take advantage of this. Right now you probably think you’ll be there, but I can tell you most people (many are great students) just don’t show up to office hours. Aside from a few very intensive honors math/chem courses I’ve taken, it’s always been me and 2 other kids on a good day at office hours.</p>
<p>I think the biggest difference though is the environment that Montreal and McGill bring to the table. If it’s you, it might override any misgivings you have about McGill and make it worth it. If it’s not you, you’ll probably end up miserable, because McGill and Montreal are much different from your average American college town. The drinking age is 18, so not only does this enable freshmen to go out, it completely changes the social scene. I think sports in general and school spirit just are not integral to Canadian schools the way there tend to be in America. So if you want the “traditional” college experience, McGill is not it. However, this isn’t to say that it isn’t better for some people. You get to experience a unique culture in Montreal. Although many students never leave the very anglophone bubble of McGill, so you can’t just expect to show up and learn French without an effort. Greek life is practically non-existent, but that’s not to say people don’t party. They’re just headed to the clubs on Friday night, not a frat party.</p>
<p>As far as diversity, McGill probably comes out as good as any other comparable institution. Just don’t expect everyone to be different colors of the rainbow though. For me McGill struck me as much more white than my old school. Here asians aren’t a very visible minority, and neither are blacks or hispanics. People come from all over, and it’s not to say they aren’t diverse, but a lot of them are still technically white, so don’t be surprised when you see a pretty white campus. </p>
<p>The cost of attending McGill as an international student is a bargain compared to many private institutions and many out-of-state institutions. But if you’re lucky enough to have a good public institution within your state, I’d urge you to take a second look at it. I know I sound super down on McGill, and overall it’s a good institution. I just think it gains a slightly inflated reputation. It’s on par with top research universities for sure. At the graduate level I think it would be a wonderful choice. But I think the undergraduate education is emphasized even less so than in comparable US research schools. So if your goal is getting the best undergrad education you can, I would look elsewhere (and probably start looking beyond research schools in general and trying to find a match that could get you a scholarship). I’ve also learned, that it’s not so much the name on your degree as what you make of it. McGill is a good name, but it doesn’t guarantee a good job out the door or grad school. You’re going to have to work very hard anywhere to get that. Here, you can do it, you’ll just have to work that much harder to make connections. </p>
<p>If you want a decent education with all the great opportunities of Montreal, and getting a taste of a different country it just might be your place.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input! I’d definitely visit it to get a feel for what it’s like. I’m keeping my options open- McGill seems like a great school, even if it may not be for everyone.</p>