<p>I'm curious... for all of you who chose McGill, what were the factors in your decision-making process? Why did you pick McGill?</p>
<p>Don't pick McGill :)</p>
<p>Is someone a little bitter about not getting in? ;)</p>
<p>It's all about the lower drinking age. Well not really, but I'm pretty sure it's a factor for some people.</p>
<p>I hear Toronto > Mcgill and that's not saying much.</p>
<p>
nope, i didn't apply to McGill, but McGill isn't that great, it should be considered as a "no way out" school, if all fails, then McGill :)
j/k
McGill is a mediocre school, but it's in Quebec, and the majority there speak French. Even though it's suppose to be a billingual province, if you don't speak French you'll find it difficult to get around. Even at local McDonald's many attendants don't speak Englsih</p>
<p>I have also heard that some people apply to McGill as a 'safety' school - and then they are surprised when they don't get in. It's more competitive than most people think. </p>
<p>I think the French in Montreal is an asset - all the classes at McGill (except language ones, of course) are taught in English and it's really easy to get around in Montreal without French. But, if you've taken French in high school or want to learn, it's a great opportunity. Also, the city is incredibly multicultural - you'll hear a lot more than just French around town.</p>
<p>
[quote]
it's really easy to get around in Montreal without French
[/quote]
When i visited there for 2 weeks, i didn't find it very easy :(, maybe it's just my bad luck, but when i go to McDonald's and i say "Combo five with coke please", i'd expect "your total is $6.58", not "je nais pas englais...." or mumbling in French!</p>
<p>In general, speaking English in downtown Montreal is no problem. There are always tons of US students who show up at McGill every year and don't speak a word of French; they manage just fine. Sometimes it's a little harder the further east you go, or if you are visiting a smaller town in Quebec, though... Also, just in case someone's English is not that strong, it helps to slow down your speech a little bit. And don't forget to smile! A friendly face goes a long way when people are trying to understand one another :)</p>
<p>Getting around Montreal with only English is not that hard. Its like getting around Rocky Point, Puerto Vallarta, or Tijuana without knowing Spanish.</p>
<p>Cheap tuition!
Many of my friends' parents tell them that they will help pay for grad school if they choose a cheaper school like McGill.</p>
<p>And from what I experienced in Montreal, you're fine with English in student and tourist districts. Elsewhere there might be issues.</p>
<p>"When i visited there for 2 weeks, i didn't find it very easy , maybe it's just my bad luck, but when i go to McDonald's and i say "Combo five with coke please", i'd expect "your total is $6.58", not "je nais pas englais...." or mumbling in French!"</p>
<p>Honestly, I find this hard to believe. I live in Montreal. "Combo" is the same in English and French. Ditto with Coke. And "five"...well, everyone in Quebec can count to at least ten in English and French, whether or not they're bilingual.</p>
<p>One thing I hate on this site is people who GROSSLY over-exaggerate the need for French in the province. I barely ever need to use it, and I live here the better part of 365 days a year.</p>
<p>i think the best comparision of mcgill to a school in the states is Michigan in terms of size/acadmics</p>
<p>well in montreal, and a little bit less in quebec, its ok, you can get around without french. but in more provincial parts like gaspesie peninsula or over by hudson bay there can be not a single soul that can speak english for miles.</p>
<p>Yeah, well there's nothing to see in the Gaspe anyways.</p>
<p>There is a lot of stuff to see, even past Quebec. Yes, it gets kinda rural after Rimouski, but the nature is beautiful, there's a lot things to see like the lighthouse trail and the eole windmill park for example. Or you can take the ferry to Tadoussac and go look at the whales. You just have to go down hwy 20, then 132, but look out of the window sometimes ;) bad thing is that cellphones dont work once you get past Matane (i roamed on rogers)</p>
<p>There's plenty to see in the Gasp</p>
<p>I would not agree completely. From montreal to quebec, the other way to ottawa, or anything down south to american border, it's all just kinda urban-suburban farmland, really nothing out there. If you go up saint-laurent past quebec and along gaspesie, up north past mont-tremblant, that's where it gets interesting and pretty. But sure, if you're a party-friendly-city type, dont even stick your nose outside of montreal.
And yeah, to see some beautiful nature, you really gotta go to some holes, well, maybe with exception of niagara falls and california beaches. Here in Arizona, pretty places are holes, like Grand Canyon and Sedona.</p>
<p>A relative of ours (from Massachusetts) graduated from McGill about 5 years ago. She had taken Spanish in hs so didn't know a whole lot of French. She absolutely loved both the school and the city.
She is now working in Europe in the financial industry. The firm that hired her didn't interview in the US but did in Canada.</p>
<p>kyle5000 wrote: i think the best comparision of mcgill to a school in the states is Michigan in terms of size/acadmics</p>
<p>Actually in academics Mcgill is more like an Ivy as are two or three other universities in Canada; But in terms of size and funding its more like Michigan or other public universities in the US (michigan actually has a bigger endowment). And this has been talked about before that Canadian schools weed out mediocre students so don't think not being hard to get into has anything to do with the academics of an overall Canadian school. When you get C's instead of A's you'll understand why they have a reputation for being extremely hard schools.</p>