it is very close knit, the campus has a gothic grandeur to it that is aesthetically pleasing, making it ideal for lounging, studying, or physical activity. Also, it is relatively small in area such that you can go form end to end in five minutes, meaning everyone is in a close space and there is a lot of interaction. furthermore, since nobody has a car in montreal and everyone lives generally in the same direction, you will pass dozens of people you know throughout the day walking to and from and between classes. although, because people live so close to campus, they often go home between, but this is merely a two minute walk and cannot be considered a commute.</p>
<p>2) You do not have to stay on campus first year (though none of the dorms are truly on campus), its up to you if you want to find an apartment, i know people that did. Though rez is a great way to meet friends and explore the city with other people… there is tons of partying in the dorms and there are few guidelines and rules. its up to you, i can giev you more info if you want.</p>
<p>3) speaking french is a bonus and is not necessary. every restaurant or store you go to will be able to communicate with you in english, but it is often fun to know french. if you know none you will undoubtedly pick up a few phrases. I took 3 years of HS french and i knew enough to get around and have short conversations, but it was by no means necessary to live there. if you want to learn some it can come in hand for exploring the city and eating out, and its fun so you should try.</p>
<p>4) its not too hard, many people do, but i would wait until at least the second semester or second year so you know what kind of study habits you have and how much work to expect. Time management is something you will need to learn, anything is possible with good time management.</p>
Look back a page or two on this thread for comments made by me and klmnop re: school spirit. McGill has 27,000 students and arguably the most diverse student body in North America. Even local Montreal students are a mix of anglophone ethnics and francophones. There is no one overriding student culture, not the football culture you get at Penn State nor the Greek culture you get at Indiana. There are many different student cultrures to choose from</p>
<p>2) It is not required to live on camous first year but I would recommend it. Rez is a good way to make friends and perhaps to find a roommate for an apartment in later years. </p>
<p>3) A knowledge of French is not necessary at McGill or in the city (except to work). Knowing or learning French will magnify your enjoyment of the city though. </p>
<p>4) A hard one to generalize about. The courseload can be pretty heavy. Unlike some US schools where you take four 4 credit courses per semester, at McGill you take five 3 credit courses per semester. Theoretically, a 4 credit course is more work than a 3 credit course. My brother went to Boston University with the 4/4 pattern. We were both in management. We literally compared notes once for similar courses we had taken. His 4 credit courses seemed to cover the same material as my 3 credit courses at McGill. In one course, Marketing, we even used the same textbook and his syllabus was week for week, chapter for chapter the same as my course, yet he earned an extra credit for it at BU. </p>
<p>I would avoid working part time first year certainly until you get acclimated. Also, for an American, working off campus can be an issue and limited French would be an issue too. </p>
<p>Again, take a look back on this thread for more information.</p>
<p>Edit: Thanks klmnop! powerbomb, you got two answers to compare!</p>
<p>As a management student, I took intro economics and comparative economics. The intro courses were first year and the only large classes I had at McGill. The professor was an entertainer and held the attention of the class. At midterm exam, the class discovered that an entertainer can give a demanding exam LOL. Comparative economics was a small seminar with less than 20 students, it would be called global economics today. Management students who minored in econ said it was very quantitative at the advanced level.</p>
<p>I am not familiar with the geography department but I know that the graduate urban planning program is quite good. Montreal pioneered some amazing urban planning in the sixties and seventies: the metro and the underground city being the most prominent.</p>
<p>xs0itg0esx,
this is a life lesson that i cannot tell you. the obvious answer is no. it is a massive school and a massive city with millions of people and thousands upon thousands of students. it is very easy to start relationships. not to make light of the question but its silly. just have fun at the clubs, if you are looking to find a gf or bf at the club, youre gonna attract the kind of person you would expect. meet people the old fashioned way, through friends and class, then go with them to the bars and clubs, it makes it a lot more fun. rule of thumb, don’t go to a bar or club to meet someone, go to have fun and make fun of the people that go looking for something more.</p>
<p>again, this is a lesson you will figure out on your own. just enjoy the atmosphere.</p>
<p>yeah, I kind of figured it was a silly question; however, the website I got that quote from made it seem like there were no relationships whatsoever… Thanks for the insight tho =]</p>
<p>Solin Hall was converted from an industrial building to a residence in the 90’s. McGill’s campus is in the middle of downtown which is great for students. However the campus is hemmed in by the city on three sides and the mountain on the fourth side. McGill was considering building a separate residence campus on the edge of downtown at a metro station. Solin was an experiment. While it is always filled and appeals to some students, the university decided that a separate residential campus was not the best way to proceed. McGill started buying up hotels instead! Eventually, the Royal Victoria Hospital will be reused for student housing once the new English superhospital is built </p>
<p>The area around Solin is a funky but safe area (There are really no unsafe areas in Montreal, at least by American standards.) It is on the edge of downtown. While not as popular as the Plateau or the ghetto, it is a good area. The commute on the metro is short and quick. If you have never ridden the Montreal metro, it is excellent, on a par with the Washington DC metro only with each station being unique. It is probably an easier commute than climbing to the Upper Rez on campus.</p>
<p>So it said on the admission website that u needed a “B+” average on pre calculus…
What if i received a B and a C in pre calculus but scored 750 on SAT II math and 770 on SAT I Math - would they reject me because i dont meet the requirement of B+ average??? Do I have to have a B+ average to be accepted???</p>
<p>Good grief. I had forgotten that McGill’s calendars read like a legal document with the numbered subsections!</p>
<p>I’d advise admitted students to familiarize themselves with the relevant sections of the calendar. It may seem intimidating at first but you will get used to it.</p>
<p>So it said on the admission website that u needed a “B+” average on pre calculus…
What if i received a B and a C in pre calculus but scored 750 on SAT II math and 770 on SAT I Math - would they reject me because i dont meet the requirement of B+ average??? Do I have to have a B+ average to be accepted???</p>
<p>jayjay, did you already apply? if so then stop worrying. i don’t know how strict they are regarding these rules, but there is nothing you can do about it now. just hope for the best and keep checking your status.</p>
<p>if you didn’t apply yet (though i think you had to of already) i’d call and ask that specifically, how strict they are. who knows, rules always have exceptions.</p>
<p>jayjay, my sons school only uses letter grades with no plus or minus. ie a B is anything between 80-89. I was worried about that B+ requirement also as he had B’s in some science classes and applied for chemistry… he got accepted so maybe it wont be a problem for you</p>