<p>I am currently a first-year student who is planning on getting a B.A. in Comp. Sci. and Econ. I am living at Solin Hall. I am from the States, and have been here for just over a month. So far McGill has been pretty enjoyable.</p>
<p>Not sure if I can be as informative as the person with the other thread, but I might be useful in providing a different prospective on things. Ask me anything!</p>
<p>How do you like Solin Hall so far?</p>
<p>Thank you for taking the time to volunteer . . .</p>
<p>My daughter is thinking about McGill for next year. We also live in the US. We have a few questions if you would be so kind:</p>
<p>We know McGill isn’t a US university but does it have a college “feel?” In other words, is there a feeling of belonging to a School or is it a bit more like a commuter feeling, where people come and go and you don’t feel much like a college community? Few opportunities where many students will congregate, like for a game or some other event?</p>
<p>Are your intro classes all large lectures or have you seen/heard of some smaller classes? On that score have you noticed if students work together or most go there own way and you then see them again only in class the next day?</p>
<p>How are the facilities? We know budget cuts are a problem everywhere; do you get the impression many things can use updating/renovating?</p>
<p>Do you feel you stick out as a US student at the school? </p>
<p>It looks as if many of the first level choice dorms are comprised of older hotels, redone into dorms. Are there also dorms “on campus” that are more traditional in style?</p>
<p>Do all first levels have to take 5 classes per semester? By and large that seems to be one more class than what is usual at US schools.</p>
<p>We know McGill is a different experience, no hand holding as would be found at many US schools but, do you feel that its all sink or swim, or help/advise is easy to find?</p>
<p>How are the other students in terms of friendliness and openess?
Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>If you don’t mind me asking, what were your SAT scores? The minimum scores McGill puts on their website confuses me; there are different score reports for their Faculty of Arts.</p>
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<p>A: Solin Hall is great. The benefits are numerous: no mandatory meal plan, so you get to explore the cuisine of Montreal and eat as frugally as you want (McGill caf food sucks); 11 month lease; people at other rezes basically live and breathe in a few block radius, but due to their distance and the necesity of a metro card, Solinites are much more familiar with the city and have fun exploring it with our unlimited metro cards ($41 a month for students).</p>
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<p>A: I know exactly the ‘feel’ you are talking about. I’ve been to many Universities in my college search and general life, and I’ve noticed that some metropolitan/urban universities may seem like everyone is a city-dweller first and a college student second (like NYU). I’ve also seen small/liberal arts schools that are reminiscent of my small tight-knit private high school. I’d say McGill lies somewhere in between. The community is definitely there if you want it to be, at least for first-year students living in Rez. On the other hand, McGill is a large university with mostly unfamiliar faces, and the majority of second, third, and fourth year students do not live in residences. As with any college, there are always opportunities to meetup with classmates/rezmates/people with similar interests. The football/soccer games are popular, people often instigate and organize study sessions for material privately via facebook, there are floor get-togethers in rez, etc.</p>
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<p>A: My smallest class is 30 people, and my largest is 250. I know there are quite a few smaller introductory classes available, such as the seminars, foreign language classes, and overall subjects slightly outside of the mainstream of interests. Also, all of my large classes have optional conferences and tutorials for reviewing material, discussing arguing class topics, and asking TAs questions. </p>
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<p>A: The lack of funding isn’t that apparent. Some of the buildings aren’t that aesthetically pleasing (concrete cubes with brown windows), a few sidewalks seem to be eroded, but I think McGill puts money where it counts most–into the academics. Many of the best universities aren’t all that shiny and renovated. And many of the worst universities are often scarily fancy and prettied-up, as they don’t have much else going for them.</p>
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<p>A: Not at all. 25% of the student body is international, and of the Canadian students themselves a HUGE proportion of them have foreign-born parents or were born in a foreign country themselves. Besides, most people assume I’m Canadian until I tell them I’m from the States, to which they reply “oh cool”.</p>
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<p>A: I’m not too familiar with all of the residences, so here are so useful links: [McGillRezLife’s</a> Channel - YouTube](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/user/McGillRezLife]McGillRezLife’s”>http://www.youtube.com/user/McGillRezLife) and <a href=“https://home.mcgill.ca/students/housing/downtown-undergrad/residences/[/url]”>https://home.mcgill.ca/students/housing/downtown-undergrad/residences/</a></p>
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<p>Many don’t, but probably most do. I believe to be considered a ‘full-time student’ you must be taking 4, but 3 and lower are still optional I believe. You’d be considered a ‘part-timer’. I’m not really sure what the implications of being labeled part-time are, though. Cheaper tuition, maybe? With that said, most everyone I have met has found 5 classes manageable.</p>
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<p>A: In terms of academic advising, I’ve heard bad things. As you said, McGill sort of expects you to take responsibility for your own schedule-planning and such. That is not to say they don’t offer those services, but they wouldn’t be as helpful as a smaller school. In terms of asking T.A.s or professors questions about coursework, that is very doable. Each class has its own webpage where students can communicate with other classmates/TAs/professors and everyone is usually pretty quick when answering homework/coursework questions.</p>
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<p>A: I’m not that good around new people, but I’d say the general student body is very open & friendly. That’s the Canadian stereotype, and everyday I find instances where it is validated.</p>
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<p>A: Wasn’t all that satisfied with my scores, but I suppose they did the job. 680 Critical Reading, 650 Math, 690 Writing. I am in Arts, by the way.</p>
<p>Thank you very much. Outstanding and helpful information.</p>
<p>Travlr55: McGill definitely has a variety of residences including traditional dorms on campus. The following are traditional on campus Royal Victoria (formerly exclusively female, now has both males and females) and the four residences up the hill (Molson, McConnell, Gardner, Douglas) as well as others. </p>
<p>The cafeteria food varies since there are several cafeterias to choose from. The food at all is expensive, but usually there is a lot of variety and often it is quite good (much better than most university cafeteria food–I’ve seen it and tasted it).</p>
<p>I would definitely have to disagree with you on the quality of the food, Violindad. I’ve been to a number of cafeterias, and the best things they offer are maybe a spaghetti plate or a chicken wrap–for 8-13 dollars. Everything is expensive and sub-par quality-wise in my opinion. Montreal is a culinary mosaic with so many cheap & delicious restaurants/bakeries/grocery stores to choose from. For the price of a couple of pieces of pepperoni pizza you could go to an authentic cantonese restaurant in chinatown and get a huge plate of seafood chow mein, you could get a huge burrito from a burrito van, you could get half a nice big fillet of salmon from the grocery store, etc. And I’m not just a anti-cafeteria snob. I’d say relative to other universities, the cafeterias at McGill aren’t too impressive.</p>
<p>I think we agree on the expense: I wrote, “The food at all [McGill cafeterias] is expensive.” Certainly no one would disagree that any large city like Montreal will have many cheaper and better food options outside of college cafeterias. </p>
<p>While I have had better food at some college cafeterias than at McGill, McGill’s food is better than most that I have been to (and I’ve been to a lot over the decades!). Complaining about food quality in cafeterias is obligatory at all colleges, even at the colleges with the highest rated food. </p>
<p>Prospective students should take a couple of meals at RVC and New Rez; some will definitely decide that they could not survive a year, and all will feel the food is outrageously overpriced, but many will be pleasantly surprised at what is offered.</p>
<p>Do US students pick schools by their food?</p>
<p>FreedayFF: None that I know of.</p>
<p>What if someone wanted to change their major and had to switch schools/faculties? Is the process fairly easy/difficult/etc.?</p>
<p>Does drinking truly dominate the social culture at the school?
Is it possible to make friends in Rez if you’re not a drinker?
Are there activities in which many students participate that are not dependent on alcohol?
Will I feel totally out of place if I choose not to drink?</p>
<p>@HenryClay
While the drinking culture is quite pronounced at events like Frosh, a lot of people here don’t drink (me, for one). I haven’t been put in any awkward situations because of this, and still hang out with people who are drinking. Most of the time people are “partying hard” will be at a club or at the beginning of the year at Frosh or something of that nature, but it definitely quiets down as the school year starts.</p>
<p>@madtea
intra-faculty transfer isn’t hard at all. at the end of each semester you have the opportunity to do so. I believe you must apply just like any incoming freshman to your new desired faculty (there’s obviously an acceptance rate, so you’re not automatically granted a spot).</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/mcgill-university/1225300-mcgill-admissions.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/mcgill-university/1225300-mcgill-admissions.html</a>
My questions are all there. If you could please take some time to help me out, I’d be really grateful. Thanks a lot.</p>
<p>So I heard a rumor that AP credits should maybe not all be reported unless they apply directly to a class one wishes to get credit for (Intro Chemistry for example) because they count as electives, causing problems later on with credit limits. Does anyone know if this is true, or has anyone else heard of this?
Thanks.</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I was recently accepted into Mcgill’s Faculty of Agriculture however I was unaware that that school was on the McDonald Campus. Is it possible the transfer to the Faculty of Education once I accept my admission and before classes start? Also, if I am unable to do this, would I still able to live on the downtown campus if I am in the Faculty of Agriculture? Please Please help! Also, if I enter the university with 13 credits, does that mean that my tuition will almost be cut in half?</p>