Please help me placate my parents...

Colleges and Universities A-Z McGill University
1

<p>PLEASE HELP…</p>

<li><p>How, if at all, is McGill different than comparable U.S. colleges/universities? How is McGill better? How is it worse?</p></li>
<li><p>Do McGill students encounter many miscellaneous fees (e.g., athletic activities, internet hook-up)?</p></li>
<li><p>Do U.S. students transfer out of McGill at a higher rate than other undergraduates? If so, why?</p></li>
<li><p>Are academic year p/t jobs available for U.S. students?</p></li>
<li><p>Is Thanksgiving observed? </p></li>
<li><p>Are professors more interested in/responsive to graduates students? </p></li>
<li><p>How many courses are taught by graduate students? Is this is problem?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>THANK YOU.</p>

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<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/mcgill-university/476907-living-academics-mcgill-questions.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/mcgill-university/476907-living-academics-mcgill-questions.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>--i posted that a day or two ago, haha. my parents are being really obnoxious because the concerns that surround mcgill arent necessarily more of a pain to deal with than those of any american college, just different and unfamiliar.</p>

<p>i still am almost definitely going next year, but i cant answer all of your questions, but:</p>

<ol>
<li>there's an ongoing debate about that one, id recomend look through the forum. personally i believe that mcgill is of high caliber and merit (i think there has to be some special factor due to the fact they were ranked in the top 100 of best colleges/universities). however, canada has a much less cutthroat, do-it-or-die attitude towards college admissions. mcgill may be easier to get into (which may make its repuation seem misleading), but unlike the US the majority of applicants arent sending out apps to 20 different schools. i mean, about 50% who are accepted attend, that's more comparable to the USA Ivies than even the better liberal arts/state schools. </li>
</ol>

<p>i also think because of the more relaxed attitude in canada and the fact that as a result, many US students do not look there, mcgill has not hit its peak popularity level yet. after the 12th in the world ranking (whether deserved or not deserved) i would expect the admissions process to become much more competitive, at least for international students. i mean, if the tv show felicity and the whole mary kate/ashley olsen thing cause an NYU boom, i think a ridiculously good ranking could do the same for mcgill. the good part is that mcgill isnt just sitting and relaxing with their new ranking, theyre trying to match funding with top US schools and more to really deserve it. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>probably, especially if youre an american. i feel like if you try your hardest to get around it you can avoid the worst, but with phone costs, exchange rate, etc. you have to encounter such fees. on the bright side though, mcgill is much cheaper than most out of state schools, so i would assume we're still getting the better deal, 'miscellaneous fees' aside.</p></li>
<li><p>no idea...</p></li>
<li><p>from what i understand, its tough to get jobs as you have to have decent french even in downtown montreal, and the oncampus ones get snapped up very quickly. i could be wrong htough.</p></li>
<li><p>no...but a friend who goes there said most americans will leave anyway, professors are pretty understanding. plus a good number of lectures are recorded and put online.</p></li>
<li><p>no idea..good question though. i think the graduate school is seperate so professors among the undergraduate schools/classes are more geared toward teaching and catering to those students. again, i really dont know. </p></li>
<li><p>i think all are taught by tenure or tenure track professors. however, since these classes are large, there are teachers assistant sessions to go over material. i think most do grade papers and stuff too because mcgill is a large research institution and the professors often do have to put out their own reports/findings, but i wouldnt expect that to work against anyone to a large extent...</p></li>
</ol>

3

<p>thanks---btw..Is the ranking (12th) new? And what do you mean: "theyre trying to match funding with top US schools and more to really deserve it. "</p>

4

<ol>
<li><p>McGill is not all that different from large American State U., such as Wisconsin or Michigan. The first and second year classes are large. The bureaucracy at McGill is probably higher and you will live much more independently. The grading system is also more difficult at McGill, but US grad programs know that.</p></li>
<li><p>There are a zillion miscellaneous fees. And I mean a zillion. This is because the Quebec Government cannot for political reasons raise in-province tuition rates--so the raise fees on everyone. In addition, as a US citizen you do not have Canadian health care--so the student has to take an international health plan at $700 per year regardless of your coverage with your family in the US. The separate fees are all reasonable, but aggregated they are at least $2000 per year. Some US schools are higher.</p></li>
<li><p>?</p></li>
<li><p>If you do not qualify for work study, off-campus jobs can be hard to find, even though new laws make working off-campus legal. The problem is that except for dishwashing or telephone work, you will need to be bilingual.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes, Canadian Thanksgiving is observed in early October. (Your question shows an American bias, by the way.) American Thanksgiving is not observed, but my daughter has always come home anyway. Believe me, with the size of first year classes- no one will notice or care--lectures are all online anyway. Your Christmas break will be much shorter than your US friends get at their colleges.</p></li>
<li><p>Much more so than undergraduates. Tho YMMV based on your willingness to be assertive and demand face time.</p></li>
<li><p>Peanut butter 3's answer is correct.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>The bottom line is that my daughter loves McGill and her freedom--she does not need the college to be another parent. Some students do. She is getting a great education at a reasonable price. She is happy- I am happy.</p>

5

<p>yes, the ranking came about within the past few months, i believe.</p>

<p>oh, that was an example, the funding thing...</p>

<p>i was there this past weekend, me and my mom read A TON of mcgill magazines, brochures, and other literature...in the alumni catalogue they had a great article about top schools' spending per individual student. McGill's is quite high, but since it is government funded (aka not extremely high-priced like. for example, private schools in the US), it has a harder time keeping up with the quality of life and academics that the schools mcgill is often comparted with, such ivy leagues, umichigan, UCLA, etc. can provide. </p>

<p>so basically mcgill is starting a huge fundrasing campaign so that they can spend and provide more for each individual student, so even though it is already an excellent school, they can really look like they earned their high rankings, instead of just sitting on that without working towards being an even better school. but i digress. hope that cleared things up.</p>

<p>ugh my parents are being so annoying about stuff...i think its pretty obvious ive researched mcgill and what it can offer quite a bit, but they dont believe it/are still really skeptical...</p>

6

<p>To the OP: though a few of your questions are legitimate, the majority can be answer with two nifty sites: google.com (or google.ca), and <a href="http://www.mcgill.ca%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.mcgill.ca&lt;/a>. Surprisingly, McGill's website holds a lot of information about McGill, McGill's fee's, etc. Obviously a discussion board will give you less biased information about life at McGill, the site itself should be able to provide you with all the object information you need to know. </p>

<p>Also, collegeconfidential has a decent search function, as well. Hell, they have a "next page" button, for older threads, that probably covered topics you're interested in. </p>

<p>Self-sufficiency (be it digitally, or in the real-world) is an invaluable trait come college. I've found practicing something, helps one improve. Try practicing the art of self-sufficiency.</p>