McGill University - Academics

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

McGill and its students take great pride in the institution’s prestigious reputation. This explains the immense popularity of shirts bearing the Harvard logo and the witty phrase underneath “America’s McGill”. This comparison, however, is extremely flawed. McGill is much bigger than Harvard, so there is a greater feeling of anonymity. Many introductory classes have upwards of 200 students, and lower level science classes tend to be around 600. McGill is one of the top universities in Canada, but this reputation comes mostly from its fantastic research opportunities, and talent is somewhat unevenly distributed amongst the different faculties and departments. Management and arts students often get flack from their peers in engineering and science for the comparative “easiness” of their programs, though these accusations are mostly baseless. Overall, there is a range of intelligence throughout the university, but in general, when comes to grades, everyone puts in serious work.

Another major reason behind McGill’s reputation is its excellent faculty. The faculty at McGill is both knowledgeable and approachable. Many professors know their fields inside and out, but on a whole, they are remarkably unpompous. Despite large class sizes throughout almost all first- and second-year courses, professors still engage the classes in discussion, and many have tried to learn their students’ names. Large courses are broken into weekly conferences or tutorials taught by TAs. TAs are the ones who do all the grading, so respecting them and participating in conferences is vital for success. Whether it’s the great faculty, the omnipresence of the grad students, or the mixed student body, McGill offers a really good education that is unique to itself and more than just an Ivy’s cousin to the North.

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Students Speak Out

McGMK says: McGill University 2014 Psychology

McGill owes its impressive... McGill owes its impressive reputation to the world-renowned professors it attracts, and to its students who, for the most part, are seriously dedicated to their studies. While most of the professors are more than happy to help their students, it can be difficult to get to know them on a personal level due to the enormity of certain classes. McGill's psychology department boasts an impressive roster of Professors, many of whom are at the forefront of their research area. 12345 Academics: March 17, 2009 Report

Anonymous says:

For the most part, my teachers... For the most part, my teachers have been very good. They are very knowledgeable in their area of interest, and they present information in a way that is easy to understand. That being said, I have had some teachers that could have improved their presentation style. In the classes that I did enjoy the most, it was both because of the material and the affinity I had for the teacher. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

Science profs are great, very... Science profs are great, very entertaining. Chemistry and biology lectures are a blast, but calculus is (by default) very boring. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

Like all big universities, there... Like all big universities, there are good teachers and bad teachers. Classes are generally very well organized, and I’ve personally only had one horrible class this year, which to my surprise also ended up being one of my highest grades, so I really shouldn’t complain. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

It really depends on the class and... It really depends on the class and the semester. Some classes were a dread to go to, and some professors put me to sleep. However, there were also many professors that I loved and whose lectures I enjoyed. Overall, I’d say that there were more interesting professors than disappointing ones. 12345 Academics Report

Facts

Did You Know?

In 1813, James McGill, a Scottish immigrant who prospered in Montréal, bequeathed his 46-acre estate, Burnside Place, and £10,000 to what would become McGill University. James McGill, along with part of his accountant, is buried in front of the steps to the Arts Building.

In 1906, the University acquired a second campus when Sir William Macdonald endowed a college in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, 32 kilometres west of Montréal, today the site of McGill’s Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Ernest Rutherford’s groundbreaking work on the nature of radioactivity was conducted in what was then the Macdonald Physics Building. He won the Nobel Prize in 1908 for this research. McGill’s Rutherford Museum houses much of the apparatus the scientist built to conduct his experiments.

In an attempt to appease the French traditionalists of Québec, McGill charges significantly less for its French classes. Students in French classes are charged local Québec tuition fees, about $200 per French course.

McGill’s official motto is "Grandescent Aucta Labore," meaning "By work, all things increase and grow."

Best Places to Study:
Schulich Library
McGill Bookstore Café
Birks Reading Room

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