I recently toured McGill and I don’t think I had the best tour guide for determining whether the social aspect of the university fits my needs. The only thing he mentioned was basic housing (showed us a single, explained that most students move out after freshman year, and meal plan), that Montreal is the core of the social life, and the exchange program. He seemed to be unaware of different social events that go on. In comparison the tours US colleges discussed with much detail about alumni days, music events, athletic weeks, etc. So if somebody could speak about things such as quirky or monumental annual events, popularity of clubs and sporting events, trips students go on, etc it would be very much appreciated.
If you ae looking for a 24/7 college environment where your life will revolve around campus then McGill, abd most urban universities, is not the place for you. Athletics and Greek life at McGill are minor parts of the experience. First year social life will revolve around your residence. After that virtually all students move off campus, mostly to the Ghetto or Plateau neighborhoods. Most social life will be based in the city. There are many clubs and student associations:
http://www.mcgill.ca/engage/
Here is a student made video about her first year experience:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmBU6YILM8Q
@TomSrOfBoston so you are saying there is a social culture, but it is city heavy and not what most of us US students think of when we think of college life
That is correct. Student life at McGill is more akin to that of Boston University or NYU although unique given the nature of Montréal. .
This is an old article but it gives a glimpse of student life at McGill compared to the “typical” American campus:
http://www.mcgill.ca/reporter/38/01/drinking/
I’m a parent, not a student, but my D just graduated from McGill this year. She found plenty of opportunities for involvement at McGill - intramural sports are big (soccer, ultimate frisbee, etc.). Totally informal and lots of fun. There are also events each year, such as Faculty Olympics and Carnival, that are another opportunity to join a “team” for a fun competition that lasts a week or two.
Frankly, our younger child is at a well regarded public U in California with a strong reputation for a vibrant campus community and it seems that our D found more opportunities for informal social/campus involvement at McGill than our other child has found at his U, where Greek life dominates and the intramural sports scene is very competitive.