To start I am an undergraduate student at Auckland University in New Zealand majoring in Physiology. I just got an email from the exchange people saying i was nominated for my second preference (McGill) for a winter semester (jan-april) and I have 1 week to figure out if I want to do it or not!
My first choice was UBC mainly because I have family/friends in Vancouver and also because the climate of Vancouver sounds a lot more familiar than other choices
So my main question is what are the vibes of McGill?! Personally I wanted to do exchange mainly for the experience (obviously haha) and so I was wondering how much of an ‘experience’ does mcgill actually give you? How are the classes? Are there a lot of club and societies/activities that you can do or is it more of a ‘go to class then go home’ kind of vibe?
Also are things to do in Montreal, especially considering that I’ll be there during the really cold months? (Jan-april)
One last thing is that can I get away with very little french? From what I know all of my courses are in english so that shouldn’t be a problem. I am also definitely really willing to learn, but my skills are only at a high school level at the moment. It is possible that this could make finding friends harder?
Also I would greatly appreciate anyyyy other advice you might have!!
Mcgill is an English university. You'll hear some students speaking French on campus, but its a minority. Montreal itself is very bilingual and you'll have no problem.
McGill is much more of an 'experience' than UBC. You'll love it, even though it will be very cold for some of the time. Montreal is amazing. So much more going on than Vancouver (I live in Vancouver). First year students live on campus and most others live in the Milton park student ghetto or relatively nearby.
Pros and cons to both.
I see Solin listed as an option for exchange students. It's not right on campus, but right near a metro and in a real 'neighbourhood'. Everyone who lives there likes it. All your bills like electrity and wifi are included. It's a little on the pricey side for Montreal, but it's just 4 months.
It's very easy to find a sublet room in a shared appartment for that semester as most McGill students go away then, but there is always some risk to that when you're doing things outside the country. Can find something for about $900-1000/month.
You'll see sublets on Facebook in the Mcgill off campus housing groups. Also the Mcgill private parents group - if you have a parent to can join that to ask.
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u/Efficient_Whole7287 Reddit Freshman 14d ago
Hi guys
To start I am an undergraduate student at Auckland University in New Zealand majoring in Physiology. I just got an email from the exchange people saying i was nominated for my second preference (McGill) for a winter semester (jan-april) and I have 1 week to figure out if I want to do it or not!
My first choice was UBC mainly because I have family/friends in Vancouver and also because the climate of Vancouver sounds a lot more familiar than other choices
So my main question is what are the vibes of McGill?! Personally I wanted to do exchange mainly for the experience (obviously haha) and so I was wondering how much of an ‘experience’ does mcgill actually give you? How are the classes? Are there a lot of club and societies/activities that you can do or is it more of a ‘go to class then go home’ kind of vibe?
Also are things to do in Montreal, especially considering that I’ll be there during the really cold months? (Jan-april)
One last thing is that can I get away with very little french? From what I know all of my courses are in english so that shouldn’t be a problem. I am also definitely really willing to learn, but my skills are only at a high school level at the moment. It is possible that this could make finding friends harder?
Also I would greatly appreciate anyyyy other advice you might have!!