Hi! I am a US student who was accepted a little over a month ago, and I’m very excited and strongly considering McGill (top choice at the moment). I was wondering about UO or U1. Right now, I don’t have enough credits for U1. My school doesn’t offer many APs before senior year, but they prepare you really well so I got 5’s on mine last year and I am expecting 4’s or 5’s on all the exams this year (fingers crossed!). I added up all the credits I will get if I get those scores on my AP’s this year, and I will have over 30–definitely enough for U1. However, I won’t get these scores until July. Is it too late by then and will I placed in UO anyway? If not, is there any action I should take in advance to plan? Also, if I am not able to be in U1 for some reason, will this even drastically impact my freshman year?
Being in U1 isn’t really a make-or-break because I don’t even really understand too well what it means, but since I have taken upper-level classes in high school, I think it would be nice to skip some of the common requirements and get started on my major // focusing on subjects that are more specialized if I can. By the way, I am in the Arts Faculty, planning to major in Political Science or International Relations, but I also love English Lit & want to continue to study French because, well, Montreal
If anyone familiar with this could clarify, that would really help!! Thanks!
I really wish that someone who knows more fully answered your question as I was also lurking for a response. My DD is leaning toward McGill. Also from USA, also Poly Sci, also >30 AP credits.
My understanding is that your status will be U1 unless you ask for U0 (on this I may be wrong). I think that it will get determined after they get your final grades and AP scores.
However, there is definitely a difference between U0 and U1 in the Faculty of Arts. As a U0 there is a core requirement one needs to fulfill which is something like a breadth requirement. (See, http://www.mcgill.ca/oasis/students/new/freshman-u0)
As a U1, “Students who enter the BA in U1 are exempt from the Arts Freshman Program and can choose their Major/Minor/Honours programs when registering for their first semester.” (See, http://www.mcgill.ca/oasis/students/new/incoming-u1)
So, to answer your inquiry, it seems like at least for a BA, you do get “to skip some of the common requirements”.
@gkalman@lucy2016 This may be McGill parent “rumor”…so take this with a grain of salt (meaning do your research): I was under the impression at McGill when you hit 120 credits you are done…no hanging around. So if you enter with 30 as a U1 then you are on a three year college plan. This may or may not be what you want…but thought I would share the McGill parent gossip.
I know someone whose kids both entered McGill as U1, but still (in her words) stayed for four years and “did whatever,” so I don’t think that rumor is true @SwimmingDad
Great! Thank you!
It seems like it is the best of both worlds. One does not have to do the prescribed “freshman c program”, but one can have a choice on staying three, three and a half, or four years.
