<p>American applicants:</p>
<p>If you have questions/concerns about McGill, Montreal, Quebec or Canada, I will try to give you some answers. I may not be that good at "chancing" you, but I am an American alumnus who feels that my decision to attend McGill was one of the best decisions I ever made.</p>
<p>I am a parent of an applicant. I am mostly concerned about class size. I hear Mcgill funding is not that good leading to large class sizes. Can you address this concern. Also, which faculty were you in? Is it difficult to find off-campus housing after the first year? Is off-campus housing affordable?</p>
<p>First year classes at McGill tend to be large, and a few are huge: several hundred students. From what friends have told me, this is the norm at most large research universities in the US and is not really related to funding. At some US schools, a freshman class may be smaller but it is likely taught completely by a graduate student who has little or no experience in teaching. At McGill, all classes are taught by full faculty members although labs and discussion sections are led by grad assistants. </p>
<p>I graduated from the Desautels Faculty of Management, where even first year classes were in the 50 to 75 student range.</p>
<p>Off campus housing is not hard to find, your student should start looking at the end of his/her first year. By US standards, near campus housing is very affordable, certainly compared to Boston, for example. The quality of off campus housing varies greatly. Quality and affordabilty improves the further away from campus you go: the Plateau Mont Royal (French) and Notre Dame de Grace/NDG (English) neighborhoods house many students and are a short public transit ride from campus.</p>
<p>I’m a freshman at community college who is thinking of applying to Mcgill to attend my junior and senior years. My main concern is transfer requirements. Right now I’m taking classes to get an associate of applied science (I’m thinking I’d like to get a degree in biology). Are there any classes that I must take before I transfer to get into Mcgill, and will my classes be transferable? Also, if I transfer in as a junior will they look at my high school GPA? My grades from 9th-11th grade in high school weren’t that great because of an illness I was dealing with that caused me to miss a lot of school. However my GPA for 12th grade was a 4.2, and so far I have a 4.0 in community college which I am confident I can maintain. Thanks :)</p>
<p>Transferring from a US community college to a four year university anywhere can be problematic, especially in a professional field like engineering. I would suggest contacting the McGill admissions office directly to see what courses would transfer and what the requirements are for your field.</p>
<p>Thanks for doing this, Tom – what a wonderful idea. I am also the parent of a prospective applicant (currently a HS sophomore), and my first question is why do you view your decision to attend McGill as one of the best decisions you ever made? Also, I understand that there are many US students at McGill, but I have the impression that the majority of them are from the Northeast. Is that correct? We are Californians, and though we have family ties in New England and Toronto and vacation there frequently, I am a bit concerned about my thin-blooded child’s ability to withstand the Montreal winters! She doesn’t even own a coat ;-)</p>
<p>I was born and raised in Boston, arguably the higher education center of America. While many high school students dream of coming to Boston for college, I was looking to get away, to live some place different. Despite Boston’s claim to be a world class city, it can be very provincial, especially if you are born there. Private college and out of state public college tuition added to room and board was exorbitant. I had visited Montreal a few times with my parents and I really liked the city. Tuition at McGill was relatively low and I liked the “multicultural” atmosphere of the city. I also got a partial scholarship from McGill which surprised me. </p>
<p>Armed with four years of high school French, I applied and was accepted. Academically, it was an excellent choice for me. I also took an interest in the Quebecois culture. I took several French courses as electives and two intensive French summer programs at McGill. By senior year I was bilingual and comfortable living in a French neighborhood (the Plateau), where I had an apartment that would have cost a thousand dollars more per month in a comparable area of Boston. I also had both French and English speaking friends and friends from several other countries. </p>
<p>It could be argued that I would have had similar experiences in New York, Chicago or even Ann Arbor, but the environment of Montreal is not matched by any American city. (Okay, New York is New York but it can be overwhelming and unaffordable for a student.)</p>
<p>My senior year (that’s an American term) I was offered a job at BNP Paribas in New York. They were looking for bilingual Americans who could interact with their Paris based headquarters. A few years later I actually got to live and work at their headquarters in Paris for two years! Not bad for a kid from suburban Boston. </p>
<p>As for Montreal winters, I figured they would be a bit colder and a bit snowier than Boston. They were a LOT colder and a LOT snowier. I learned how to layer clothing and cope. Montreal does not shut down just because of a little (or a lot of) snow. I was a student there during the “Ice Storm of 1998” and it was three of the darkest (no power in the city for 72 hours), coldest and most fun filled days of my life. You get used to the cold and winter sports are great. While most American students at McGill do come from the Northeast and Midwest, I knew one student from the SF Bay area who really enjoyed the change of climate. </p>
<p>I hope this helped.</p>
<p>Well, I can certainly see why you view your choice to attend McGill as positively as you do! I envy your two years in Paris – what an experience. One of the main reasons my daughter is attracted to McGill is for the multicultural nature of the school and the city – not that she doesn’t already attend an incredibly culturally and racially diverse high school, but she is very drawn to the European cultural/atmosphere of Montreal. She also has dual American/Canadian citizenship, so the tuition is incredibly attractive compared to US schools of similar caliber – with the savings, I’m sure Mom & Dad could spring for a few coats and maybe a pair of warm boots!</p>
<p>Thanks again – your post was very helpful!</p>
<p>I have another question. Is it easy to make new friends at McGill and where does one commonly find friends? - residence? in class? organizations? I know it’s probably no different than at other schools other than the fact that an American student is essentially a foreign student.</p>
<p>First senester students tend to cluster among “their own”: Anerican students hang with other Americans, Ontario students with other Ontario students, francophone students with other francophones. After you gain confidence in your new environment, it is easier to branch out. I made friends in residence and in classes for the most part. My first winter there, there was a group of students in my class who invited me to go cross country skiing on Mount Royal. (I had never been on skis before.) After someone has helped you up off the mountain a few dozen times, a bond develops LOL. </p>
<p>Interestingly, I found that some Canadian students from outside Quebec seemed more ill at ease in Montreal at first than I did as an American. Also, francophones were more willing to help me with my French once they realized I was American.</p>
<p>Useful thread Tom</p>
<p>I would also add that like most universities there are a huge number of clubs at McGill and all will be eager to sign up new members.</p>
<p>You can find the full list here:</p>
<p>[SSMU</a> - Students Society of McGill University - Celebrating 100 Years](<a href=“http://ssmu.mcgill.ca/activities/clubs/]SSMU”>http://ssmu.mcgill.ca/activities/clubs/)</p>
<p>My two children who attended McGill as international students both became execs in a club and thats how they found most of their new friends.</p>
<p>One weakness of McGill is in their administrative support. Students there arent going to get their hands held all the time as is sometimes the case elsewhere. Students need to be organised and proactive in solving their own issues.</p>
<p>On the other hand children have to grow up and learn to stand on their own feet sometime and university is surely a good place to start.</p>
<p>Overall though, my children both regard their time at McGill as very positive experience. The McGill name travels well internationally, Montreal is a great place to spend three years and importantly for me it didnt totally break the bank, just dented it somewhat!</p>
<p>^ Aboslutely!</p>
<p>I remember in a Freshman Oriientation session, we were all given a thick booklet with the names and numbers of all sorts of offices offering academic and personal support. We were also told by the orientation leader that while academic and personal help is available, we could not depend on someone noticing that we were floundering and offering support. The help is there but we may have to seek it out. </p>
<p>We were also told that McGill requires its students to grow up quickly and that for some it would be terrifying, while for others it would be just what they are looking for. </p>
<p>By the time I graduated, I had signed three apartment leases (the first with the help of the McGill Off Campus Housing Office), dealt with a rodent infestation, survived the worst ice storm in Montreal history in a community shelter, and learned how to do my own laundry!</p>
<p>Hey tomofboston! </p>
<p>Again, thanks for doing this. </p>
<p>I have a few questions regarding the social scene @ McGill. </p>
<ul>
<li>I’ve heard that McGill has a pretty hardcore party scene, and I wouldn’t mind new ventures such as club hopping and such - but is there still stuff to do apart from partying assuming I try it and don’t like the whole get drunk thing on a weekly basis?</li>
</ul>
<p>-Do you ahve any tips for making friends/being productive in residence in first year? Are joining clubs a must?</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>I also here there is a culture of drinking and partying at McGill - I even know of someone who transferred because of it. What about the student who does not drink - will they feel left out?</p>
<p>I would also like an answer to thekakistocracy and web2094’s questions.</p>
<p>I was wondering when someone would ask about the party scene at McGill. As you may know, the drinking age in Quebec is 18. Also, some years ago McGill made a Top 10 List that was embarrassing to the administration: Playboy Magazine’s Top Ten Party Schools in North America.</p>
<p>Here is a link to an article about this issue:</p>
<p>[Drinking</a> outside the box](<a href=“http://www.mcgill.ca/reporter/38/01/drinking/]Drinking”>http://www.mcgill.ca/reporter/38/01/drinking/)</p>
<p>If you are a parent, you may want to read the book referenced in the article.</p>
<p>Yes, there is partying at McGill but unless you go to Brigham Young University, you will find that on most any campus. Also, McGill freshman, like freshman anywhere, tend to overindulge at times. The fact that it is legal for an 18 year old to drink in Quebec is important. A student can get a drink or go clubbing anywhere in the city, including at an on campus pub. The fact that drinking is legal, takes it out of the “forbidden fruit” category. Most freshman learn to drink responsibly, or at least to avoid binge drinking pretty early on. </p>
<p>At freshman orientation, it was odd to be served beer! On Fridays after class, I would meet friends at Gert’s Pub in the University Centre for a couple of beers. While I would leave the Pub with a buzz on, by the time I had climbed the mountain to my dorm room in minus 15 degree Farenheit, my head would be clear. </p>
<p>If you want to see what a real party school is like, look at Penn State or even Queen’s University in Ontario: riots after football games or at homecoming, drunk kids falling off apartment balconies etc. </p>
<p>With 4500 or so freshmen, there are people with all sorts of interests. Many students do not drink and many others may take a drink or two but never get drunk. Join a club or clubs because it interests you, not for the sake of joining. There is no “typical” McGill student. You do not have to be a jock, greek, partier, preppy or anything. As for rez, get to know the RA’s and dons (live in faculty). They are there to help you out. </p>
<p>Also, as a previous poster stated, student government is a big deal at McGill and other Canadian schools, much more so than at American schools. In addition to the SSMU, each faculty has an Undergraduate Society. Run for office! A great way to get to know people and become known, even if you lose the election!</p>
<p>Thank you very much for the advice! After telling them I had applied to McGill a couple people asked me, ‘but isn’t that a big party school?’ After reading your post and that article, I will know how to respond to that question in the future! Thanks again.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot tomofboston! </p>
<p>The Student Council idea sounds terrific and is definitely something in my ballpark. </p>
<p>What program are you in though? </p>
<p>I was wondering if you could enlighten me on the weight of the engineering courseload @ Gill…?</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>^^^ I am actually an alumnus. I graduated in 1999, way back in the last century! That is why I can’t “chance” anyone or give detailed, specific info on courses etc. today. I am active in the Alumni Association though and visit Montreal yearly. </p>
<p>I received a B.Com from Desautels Management. I found that program challenging but rarely a pressure cooker. Friends in Engineering said those programs were very demanding and all nighters were not unusual, and not only at exam time. If I remember correctly, the pressure seemed to vary by field but I do not remember which were more demanding.</p>
<p>Did you study abroad anywhere? </p>
<p>Great thread btw.</p>