<p>My overall experience at McGill was largely positive and I wouldn’t trade it.</p>
<p>I enjoyed the academic rigor of my classes, though I did bemoan the lack of/ disorganization of resources (lab/classroom space; research/funding opportunities) and the ensuing competition for them (but hey, that’s life!). A major improvement from my time is the streamlining of the internship application and funding process for students in the Faculty of Arts. The Faculty of Science, has also gotten their act together in helping students obtain research positions; the CAPS website has some good research postings. CAPS was particularly ineffectual during my time.</p>
<p>It’s a very good thing that the administration is investing in infrastructure whether it be sprucing up existing buildings or constructing new ones, the downtown campus felt a bit snug at times!</p>
<p>Academic advising, given the size of the university, is shabby. Heaven forbid you are in a bind and need immediate assistance from an adviser. The experience of meeting with an adviser is comparable to accessing Canadian health care: very long wait times with often no result. Unfortunately, I don’t think , academic advising has improved all that much over the years.</p>
<p>While, the physical library holdings aren’t shabby, McGill’s access to online journals has always been impressive. It seems that they’ve gotten better with time as have the physical spaces in the libraries themselves. </p>
<p>Similarly, I have always been impressed by the other IT offerings: from the great wi-fi all over campus even back in the day (it may seem like a given, but wait till you visit some fancy private US universities which still have spotty/no wi-fi access in parts of their campus), to the online lecture recordings (at least in the Faculty of Science), and the ability to access email/Minerva/WebCT/print stuff in libraries using one username and password.</p>
<p>Another big plus: being smack in the middle of the downtown core of a vibrant, safe, walking friendly city like Montreal! Like they say in real estate: location, location, location! Living in a city like Montreal is a very educative and enhancing experience in itself.While I appreciated the city during my time, I now rue the fact that I didn’t explore it as much or take advantage of its Francophone sensibilities.</p>
<p>The drinking and the lack of hand holding (though it’s very unfortunate that many students end up free-falling through the cracks) didn’t perturb me. I expected both these traits of a large public university in a liberal city like Montreal. </p>
<p>One size doesn’t fit all, and that’s especially true of McGill. Prospective students should do their research very well before deciding to come here. You’re doing yourself a big disservice if you think you’ll be able to somehow parlay McGill’s stellar reputation into big life gains, without being affected by the somewhat gritty spirit of the university or the manner in which the university functions. </p>
<p>McGill is a prestigious university, without many of the warm, cuddly amenities that students expect of institutions of equivalent caliber.If you are able to adjust and do well at McGill your chances of succeeding in life are pretty good.</p>