Ask a McGill Alumnus

Colleges and Universities A-Z McGill University
81

<p>@1081736
i majored in ‘anatomy & cell biology’, up until second semester sophomore year i had anatomy & cell biology as well as physiology, but was given the advice that the anatmy major was very similar to the physio major, but a little easier. I’m not sure about that after haiving taken it, but it was a great major. One of the required courses is a cadaver lab, which was really cool, and theres a ton of interesting electives like circutry of the brain, neurobio, endocrinology, etc. There were som challenging courses with lots of information, but you’re gonna get that in any science program. </p>

<p>I know some kids who did bio and they loved it too. I’ve heard its a bit easier but who really knows. I didnt want to do it because theres a lot of boring labs associated with it and i’m more interested in human biology, rather than plants, animals, bacteria, etc.</p>

<p>I also heard chem is very hard. There are different types of chem though so it depends on which you do I think. The classes can be very boring and others can be very interesting, but if you do chem be prepared for long labs and long lab writeups that will take a few days.</p>

<p>@coffeecup2945
i had some friends who couldnt speak a lick of french and it didn’t hurt them one bit. you will quickly learn how to tell a cab where to go in french, but if you dont its more fun cause you have to figure out how to tell him when he doesnt speak english. at some places you can only order food in french, but this is rare as most service positions require one ot be bilingual. in terms of the school, unfortunately although i did meet several montreal/quebec natives, because the majority commute i didn’t get a chance to hang out with them much and become good friends, so that isnt an issue either. the nightlife you will be exposed to is full of montreal natives, francophone collegiates, and the majority being mcgill students, so you will not have a diffcult time. the only issue i would say is landlords and supers often do not speak enlgish well, and for legal reasons this could be trouble. just remember that the laws in quebec storngly favor the tennants so when in doubt, the francophone is pulling a fast one on you. but as tomofboston said, the natives like it when you make an effort to learn it, even if you have no idea what you are saying.</p>

<p>@lorxx099
i think this theory comes from the fact that a) the school isnt well known among hs students in the us, so they use it as a backup when they dont get into the elite, ivy programs and claim its easier, when in fact it is just that (like tomofboston said) they accept more students than those other programs. in addition to this, i think it may seem harder for canadian students because most don’t opt to take the SAT or ACT, and thus don’t have an additional factor to compensate for poor grades, whereas every american student does take one of these and can offset a few grades.</p>

82

<p>i have a question bout cell phones
im a us student with a blackberry and was wondering how canadian sim cards work</p>

<p>is there a way i can have 1 cell phone or do i really need a canadian phone aswell?</p>

83

<p>whats your phone company, some plans work in canada, some carriers have no service of their own in canada… you should contact your carrier and see if they have any deals for service in canada, it varies.</p>

84

<p>I recently visited the Desautels’ website and found out that a great deal of important companies recruit and offer internships at Mcgill, which is really exciting since I plan on being Big4 accountant or MBB Consultant.</p>

<p>My doubt though, is if these companies hire for positions outside Montreal? Since jobs at Montreal require one being bilingual, I’m undoubtedly at an disadvantage there. You mentioned you got an internship in Paris, tombofboston, but did you have English-speaking friends that had internship/job opportunities regardless of low proficiency in French?</p>

<p>If klmnop also has knowledge of this it would be helpful too. Thanks.</p>

85

<p>I didn’t do management, but from what i’ve heard of friends, it is difficult and maybe even impossible to find a position in which you dont have to speak french. are you a canadian or american citizen/resident? because in order to work in canada off campus youd need a work visa, and im not sure how easy that is to get in quebec. i was lucky enough to have dual citizenship so i was able to find a research job, however, i was the only person who only spoke english (i spoke some french but not nearly the level that they all spoke english). you will find this out as many business/marketing etc. job interviews will either be in both languages or completely in french. That is not to say there are no jobs for anglophones in montreal, but they are few and far between. i would either suggest doing what tomofboston did and do some summer intensive programs supplemented with 4 years of french language, or i would look to work in toronto, or even calgary… if you are looking to stay in canada.</p>

<p>this is my knowledge but i have not gone through this, tomofboston will have a better take on this as he was in management</p>

86

<p>Which chem would be easiest, do you think?</p>

<p>Also, I don’t really like biology either. What would be the next easiest major after bio in the science area?</p>

87

<p>i have a Verizon blackberry now and really dont wanna have 2 get a second fone for canada but is that the only option</p>

<p>do i really have to have my us fone for friends and family and canadian fone for goin to mcgill</p>

88

<p>@Andrewheat
I was lucky in that I was able to work two summers for a small company in Montreal owned by the father of a good friend I made at McGill. The job didn’t actually require much French as it was an internal administrative position. (I was paid as a sort of consultant but basically I was an undocumented worker!) I believe that Canada has eased restrictions on international students working in Canada while they are students, especially if the work is a formal internship. But in Montreal, at least a functional knowledge of French is needed. Since 20% of McGill’s students are international and 25% of students are out of province Canadians, there are opportunities to do summer internships in Toronto or elsewhere in Canada.
Desautels just emailed alumni the link to this new program they offer to selected students:
[McGill</a> students’ ‘ecotourism’ has different meaning](<a href=“Home | Montreal Gazette | Montreal Gazette”>Home | Montreal Gazette | Montreal Gazette)
I wish they had this when I was there!!</p>

<p>My first job after graduating was with BNP Paribas, their North American headquarters are literally across the street from McGill. My prof in an International Finance course helped me to arrange a meeting with a BNP exec for research on a term paper. The scheduled half hour meeting started out in English (he knew I was American) and I switched it to French, impressing the exec. The meeting went on for 90 minutes! I later emailed him a copy of my paper and tacked on my resume. I interviewed there first and was granted a second interview in New York, where I was initally based. It was not a finance position but actually public relations, sort of. At the time BNP Paribas was buying up several smaller US banks. BNP executives in the US, all of whom were French nationals, were not relating well with the US executives in these new subsidiaries. Actually, sparks were flying. I was hired to be the “interface” between BNP and the US bank execs. I would attend meetings, make the presentations and field questions with the French execs sitting there mostly silent. Americans were more comfortable dealing with a fellow American! I had no decision making power but the US execs didn’t know that. One of these subsidiaries is Bank of the West and I got to spend a fair amount of time in San Francisco! After two years I saw an internal job posting for a position in Paris dealing with EU/North American banking relations, I applied and spent two years working in Paris. It was unbelievable. After that I returned to New York, still working as a sort of intercultural front man. I was involved in developing and translating some web sites for their US bank subsidiaries. This is the current French version of the Bank of the West site.
<a href=“https://www.bankofthewest.com/francais.html[/url]”>https://www.bankofthewest.com/francais.html&lt;/a&gt;
The above is a rather long winded explanation of how a chance encounter with a BNP exec in Montreal led to a great job in the US and France.</p>

<p>Desautels faculy members and the Career Center have many contacts in Ontario, Alberta and the US, as well as other countries to help with internships there and career positions after graduation.</p>

89

<p>Oh yes, I read about the students visiting Dubai. It’s awesome.</p>

<p>Thank you both for your insight. I guess that if I’m accepted to Mcgill I’ll have to visit the Career Center and talk to students from the business clubs to know where I stand. Since a big % of the students is not francophone I’m sure I’ll find people related to my situation.</p>

<p>By the way, tomofboston, I was reading a thread over at the Parents forum and one parent mentioned his son that went to Mcgill and worked in France. It was deja vu and then I looked at his username: ‘TomSrOfBoston’ haha</p>

90

<p>@Andrewheat
I was referred to this site by a high school student who was applying to colleges. Her father asked me to talk to her about McGill, she ended up not applying though. Anyway, I sort of became hooked on this and mentioned it to my dad. He is a Northeastern University grad and has been commenting on that thread. </p>

<p>I am currently on paternity leave caring for four month old twin boys. My wife recently returned to work when her maternity leave expired. I was able to wrangle two months of leave for myself. A good night’s sleep is a distant memory but I have synched my body clock with that of the boys so I end up making posts here at all times of the day and night.</p>

91

<p>admission to the faculty of education…i read the mcgill site’s page but is it easier than arts (which is my first choice?) what gpa/act do you think i’ll be safe with? percentiles of kids that apply/get in? anything would be great!</p>

<p>i also have an extenuating circumstance that plays into it where i was out of school majority of sophomore year because of head trauma. sooo…can you tell me anything?</p>

92

<p>Here is the link to a webcast sent out to Desautels alumni last night. It is a presentation by Richard Branson of the Virgin Group. The introductory remarks by the Dean summarizes recent activities in the Faculty. (Don’t be put off by the passive bilingualism) The presentation by Branson is quite interesting. , It takes a moment to load. </p>

<p>[The</a> Peter Brojde Leadership Leacture featuring Richard Branson - February 16 - 6:30-7:45 PM (EST)](<a href=“http://desautels-events.mcgill.ca/brojdelecture/]The”>http://desautels-events.mcgill.ca/brojdelecture/)</p>

93

<p>Thank you very much for the link, tomofboston.
Yes, CC has a certain charm.</p>

<p>My best wishes to your family.</p>

94

<p>Someone posted this link on another thread:</p>

<p>[McGill</a> University | Schools in Canda](<a href=“http://www.utours.ca/wiki/wiki/show/McGill%20University#h5_section_Residence]McGill”>http://www.utours.ca/wiki/wiki/show/McGill%20University#h5_section_Residence)</p>

<p>The videos answer many of the questions posed on this site. It is a bit dated and some of the text is inaccurate though. Unlike McGill’s official video on its website, the students mention some common complaints: administrative red tape, large classes etc. Note that the students mention the need to be independent and warn not to expect to be coddled. They seem to think this is a positive thing. </p>

<p>You actually get to see inside the residence rooms and off campus housing for later years is mentioned.</p>

95

<p>Hi Tom,
Thanks for answering questions. I have a couple.

  1. Do you know about the reputation of the programs at MacDonald campus? Plant Science in particular.</p>

<p>2) How hard is it to get a work visa for an American? </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>Edit: Just saw your post on the previous page about working in Montreal. That’s encouraging about the possibly eased restrictions.</p>

96

<p>Sorry, not familiar with Mac programs. The Agriculture faculty is highly regarded and is one of the few in North America that is part of an urban university. </p>

<p>Keep in mind that off campus, all jobs that interact with the public require some knowledge of French, at least in theory.</p>

97

<p>The Ghetto caught my interest in that article. It seems to be an area with apartments where many students live in? Do students usually go from the Residentiall Halls to the Ghetto when they are seniors or is it simply a matter of taste?</p>

<p>In some US universities students live off campus after their first years so I was wondering if it works the same with Mcgill.</p>

98

<p>At McGill, except for RA’s, everyone lives off campus after first year, there is no on campus housing for later years. At many US schools, students can choose to live off campus or stay on campus. </p>

<p>The ghetto is the most popular off campus area because it is so convenient to campus. You will pay a higher rent for this convenience and get generally lower quality housing than in neighborhoods further from campus. I lived in the ghetto second year in an old highrise. It was okay but the stove was original, circa 1960, and there was a recurring problem with mice.</p>

<p>Other popular areas for students are the Plateau (mostly French) and NDG (Notre Dame de Grace), which is an English neighborhood despite its name. If you are within walking distance of a metro station or the #24 Sherbrooke bus, it is an easy commute to campus.</p>

99

<p>heres my take, the ghetto is super convenient as in you are blocks away from campus, downtown, the athletic facilities, grocery and liquor stores, and the majority of students. However, if you want to live in a nice place it can be costly (for montreal standards). Consequently, many people choose to live in the plateau, which is about an extra 10-15+ min walk past the Ghetto, but is close to St. Denis and St. Laurent, which are both lively streets full of excellent restaurants and bars. The housing is cheaper, the spaces are larger, but the commute is longer, especially in the cold winters. Finally, there are a handful of people that decide to live west of campus. In my second year I lived a few streets past Concordia, before Atwater. It is quite a distance but there is also a few great bar streets down there too, including Crescent. Also the apartments are a lot larger. I lived in the ghetto junior year with one roommate, and our entire apartment was smaller than the size of my single room sophomore year (were I lived with five people), despite paying more in the ghetto.</p>

<p>The one piece of advice I would have is start looking early, like March the year before, cause stuff fills up very fast. Also, go look at the apartment and ask a million questions and find out what is covered. Montreal notoriously has ****ty landlords, however the law is structured to favor the tenant. If theres an issue, demand they deal with it immediately. And there are nice places in the ghetto, but they will cost 1.5-2 times their lesser counterparts.</p>

100

<p>Hi, As a McGill hopeful, I was wondering how the sports are in Mcgill. I’m particularly interested in Badminton. I was also wondering what the diversity in Mcgill will be like because I heard that schools like Ubc are populated with Asians in general. Would this also be the case at Mcgill?</p>