McGill University - Overall Experience

College Prowler Take

Looking at the school as a whole, most students would say that they are pretty content to call McGill their university. It can be pretty hard to pin down the overall atmosphere here; it’s a large school in a large city, and where there is one trend on campus, it is not hard to find the exact opposite happening somewhere else. This can be a great asset. It’s so easy for students to do their own thing and find someone who does something similar, too. However, it can also be troublesome if you don’t know what your thing is yet. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed with decisions about majors, where to live, when to study, and when to party, that succeeding here can seem unlikely at best. To top it off, McGill’s bureaucracy is obscene, there are a million policies and guidelines buried in the Web site, and administration likes to be as unhelpful as possible enforcing these guidelines.

However, despite the red tape and faceless crowds, McGill is an amazing opportunity for those who want to make it one. It really is a school that you can mold to fit your needs. If you are content to spend four years by just passing classes, never joining anything, and staying with the same five people since frosh, you can do that. However, if you want to get to know your TAs and throw yourself into your subject, start an organization, and literally meet hundreds of new people a day, there is no better school or city to do that in. No other school is as liberal with as much personal freedom, and as ready to give people the responsibility of their actions, as McGill. There are few schools where you can live in your own apartment, cook for yourself, and in general, act like the adult the law says you are. McGill makes kids grow up fast; for some it’s terrifying, but for others, it’s the ideal.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

I have never wished I was... I have never wished I was somewhere else. I love it here; whatever McGill lacks, Montréal makes up for—they are the perfect duo! 12345 Overall Experience Report

Anonymous says:

I love being here because of the... I love being here because of the cultural scene in the city and because, in general, McGill gives you a solid education. I was a bit disappointed in the music program because there are not a whole lot of playing opportunities for performance students. The school seems less goal-driven and less intensive than American music conservatories. The teachers are great, but McGill is low on money. For music students, lack of practice space has been a problem for a long time. 12345 Overall Experience Report

Anonymous says:

I’m very happy with my choice. I... I’m very happy with my choice. I love how there is always something to do around campus. Furthermore, it’s amazing how many people from different countries come to McGill; I have friends from all over the globe. The academic life is challenging, but it’s not impossible to get good grades. The best advice I could think of, in terms of getting a good average, is that from the beginning, learn to organize your time—it’s really hard to cram an entire semester the night before the final. 12345 Overall Experience Report

Anonymous says:

I love Montréal, I love McGill... I love Montréal, I love McGill (even though, according to my report card, it may not love me), and I couldn’t have asked for a better school. 12345 Overall Experience Report

Anonymous says:

I am only disappointed in the... I am only disappointed in the limited interaction with professors. I am glad that McGill leaves students pretty much to fend for themselves and be mature about it. Sometimes, though, this can be daunting. 12345 Overall Experience Report

Most Recent Contributing Author

Name: Kelly Baker
Hometown: Weston, CT
Major: Sociology

Kelly can moonwalk just like Michael Jackson, but she's physically incapable of doing any other dance moves.

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