<p>Anyone have info on the difficulty of transferring into McGill in Canada from the U.S? Like figures? I checked the website and it's a bit...crazy.</p>
<p>There are few figures that I could find, brand. I can tell you that their app process is easy-peasy: online "fill in the blank", no essays, no recs etc. Also, if you haven't noticed, their initial deadline is quite early - Dec. 15 last year, I believe. So don't miss that.</p>
<p>It's rolling admissions, so decision could theoretically be quick, but it took a long time for S' answer (maybe due to Tulane/Katrina-related difficulties with mailing transcripts, maybe not).</p>
<p>S was accepted into Engineering with a 3.67GPA from Bates College (Katrina visiting student), 710M/610V old SAT, 122w/94uw hs GPA. In case those stats help give you a feel.</p>
<p>thanks jmmom that is helpful info
I guess there's not any reason not to give it a shot if the app is that easy :)</p>
<p>Did your son get on-campus housing? It looks like most people don't live on campus past their first year, which sucks.</p>
<p>He decided to go elsewhere, brand. So he never got that far. The housing situation bothered him, too, and we don't know how it would have worked out. He loved the idea of Montreal and the school has a great reputation - and a great price! But he chose JHU (even if Baltimore isn't Montreal <em>or</em> New Orleans!).</p>
<p>If you're coming from a CC, I believe you need to have an A.A. At least, you do for other Canadian universities...</p>
<p>thanks lasflores I wasn't sure as to whether I would go ahead and finish my AA (b/c of the stupid requirements like PE!) but I decided to do it...thanks for the heads up.</p>
<p>jmmom the housing thing would definitely be annoying...what are some other great canadian universities - i'm interested in housing or mcgill would be good to go.</p>
<p>All they take into consideration is numbers. Basically, if you meet every minimum requirement you get in, but they'll take nothing else into consideration.<br>
I'm kind of annoyed wiht this b/c I got accepted last year (parents wouldn't let me go), then applied to transfer there this year and...REJECTED. All do to one bad Chem grade.</p>
<p>brand - if I were you, I'd give Admissions a call. It's certainly possible that they provide housing for transfers along with first-years. Of course, if you want on-campus all 4 years, then McGill may not make sense. I do think that "off campus" housing is a bit of a different concept there; since so many do it, I think the Housing Office is geared up to show listings of available places/put kids together etc.</p>
<p>Sort of a hybrid between on and off-campus housing, maybe.</p>
<p>I've been playing around with the idea of transferring to McGill for quite a while now. I visited the school and really fell for it. The one thing that puts me (and, as it seems, most of you) off is the housing issue. But I am in love with the city and it's a trade-off I might be willing to make. </p>
<p>Lasflores, where did you get that information? If it's true I might really have to go for the A.A. (which up until now, has seemed pretty pointless to me) It has been so hard to get information on their criteria and requirements for Int'l transfer students.</p>
<p>The other thing that's really daunting is the fact that McGill strictly looks at the numbers. It's just funny to think about how much time and energy I've put into being a "well-rounded" transfer applicant in terms of my extra curricular/vounteer work to be a competitive applicant for the University of California (as many campuses, such as UCLA really bring writing and extra curricular efforts into the decision making process), and it won't even matter a bit for McGill. </p>
<p>sigh...</p>
<p>brand, your scores and stats are terrific, why would you want to go to McGill? it's not too great...
it's probably the equivalent of UMD(U Maryland) or UT Austin</p>
<p>Thx I dunno I don't think I'll apply to McGill b/c of housing...it's really a big deal, but sadly housing is pretty limited at UT also. Guess it's just something I'll have to deal with at some schools. I really like UBC b/c of the housing deal they've got and b/c it's in Vancouver, which is incredible looking. I was thinking of checking out U of T if they have housing...I've heard it's just as good as McGill if not better.</p>
<p>p.s. the canadian school thing has basically been the last thing I looked into b/c I heard Canadian schools only look at grades (which is easier for me than US schools which focus on the "whole applicant") and b/c they're in Canada. Skiing is a big thing for me since I was trying to find a "safety" school that would have skiing nearby. UBC is the only one I've found like that so far, and Colorado College which many ppl have called more of a "match" for me...who knows. </p>
<p>I highly doubt Toronto has mountains/skiing nearby huh...lol. Oh well, Colorado College would be good, or UBC would be rock bottom on my list but still fun.</p>
<p>
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<p>There aren't many skiing places in toronto city, but the school and many churches around organize skiing trips that are very cheap (i.e. $150 for bussing, 2 nights 3 days trip to blue mountain)</p>
<p>Where are you from brand_182? i thought you were from the states :S.
why are you so intereseted in Canadian schools?</p>
<p>I personally love the fact that Canadian schools only focus on grades (I'm Canadian, btw). I don't think I would've been able to enjoy high school at all if I was always worrying about random EC's and crap to make myself 'well-rounded'. </p>
<p>Just my 2 cents.</p>
<p>I'm from Texas! Lived here nearly all my life. I visited Canada and thought it was awesome. The vast majority of schools on my list are in the U.S.; so far UBC is the only Canadian school I will definitely apply to as my "ultimate safety."</p>
<p>thinman, I think there's an upside to both systems. However, the system here (and I'm just speaking from my experience as a college (transfer) student in the U.S.) pushed me to get involved in things I never thought I would be interested in and as a result, I've met loads of great people, made stellar connections and am now considering a career in the field. </p>
<p>I do feel that academics is one of the most important determining factors and that students with low scores cannot compete in a school of high caliber.
But even if you don't consider the aforementioned advantages, it's important to note that the system in Canada (and many unversities in Europe) punishes those that may have one or two imperfect grades which affected their overall average (like a C in a calc or physics course). It's like an admissions officer said, they check the pool for a certain gpa and draw the line, looking solely at the numbers without considering other achievements. While it certainly makes for an easier and more efficient decisions process, it grossly overlooks and disregards highly qualified applicants.</p>
<p>Brand, what year are you in and college are you applying from?</p>
<p>Will be applying for junior status and transferring from a community college in Texas.</p>
<p>veralyn: Just remember that being 'pushed' into EC's doesn't always end well, as it did in your case. In any event, I think we can both agree that a person's preference (between the systems, that is) is largely a matter of how much they enjoy EC's in general (in my case, not at all!).</p>
<p>However, I think you are mistaken by saying that adcoms ignore other achievements when considering a candidate. While EC's arn't as big a deal here as in the US, they still play a role in the admissions process (providing one meets the minimum grade cutoffs, but schools in both countries have these, anyway). I don't know how it works in Europe, but in Canada they do look at individual applications and admit students on a case-by-case basis.</p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that schools in Canada are less competitive than their American counterparts (eg. the University of Toronto, arguably the most prestigious university in Canada, has a cutoff hs GPA of 80%/B average. For most universities in Canada, a stellar GPA is not required to get in; being admitted with a C average is not uncommon), so a couple of bad grades are unlikely to destroy your future.</p>