Sally_Rubenstone

Question: I’m very interested in going to McGill University in Canada. I was born in Quebec but I actually live in the States… My question is do I need to do CEGEP to get into McGill after graduating from high school if I wanna go to McGill? And what are the requirements to get in?? [...]

View the complete Q&A at CC's Ask The Dean...

mathmomvt

Hi Sally, I wonder if you can expand on your statement that Canadian schools spoon-feed students less than American schools do. My kids have dual citizenship and can thus attend Canadian schools for the lower Canadian citizen price. We have been looking into some of the stronger engineering schools for my 2nd son, but I definitely wouldn't currently describe him as independent and able to advocate for himself. So I'd like to hear more about how you perceive the differences between Canadian and American schools. From an admissions perspective, it seems to me that Canadian schools are less concerned about leadership, well-roundedness, etc. and are happy to accept a student "merely" on the basis of excellent grades and test results (which makes them a good fit for my son whose best assets are his grades and test results).

mathmomvt

Bump -- Sally or anyone want to comment on this?

tomofboston

I am an American alumnus of McGill (1999). I have posted extensively on the McGill thread in the past.

By "not spoon feeding" its students they mean the following: There is an excellent array of academic and personal support services at McGill. If a student is having academic or personal problems these services are readily available. However, it would be up to the student to seek out and take advantage of what McGill offers. If a student falters, there may not be someone who will proactively reach out to him.

I have read that at some elite US schools, professors are required to meet one on one with students who do poorly on the midterm. If poor performance continues, the student will be summoned to the dean's office for a scolding/strong offer of assistance. That will NOT happen at McGill or any large Canadian university.

While McGill only looks at the numbers for admission, most students are well rounded and many take leadership positions in student organizations. I look at the posts on CC and students have these incredibly long list of EC's. I wonder how much of that is puffery if not downright fabrication?

Accredited engineering programs in Canada are fully recognized as equivalent to ABET accredited programs in the US due to a bilateral agreement between Engineers Canada and ABET. McGill Engineering is fully accredited.

I read on one webste that "McGill requires its student to grow up quickly. For some it is terrifying, for others it is just their cup of tea."

PM me for more info.

mathmomvt

Gosh, I would have expected that the McGill model was true in large US schools as well. That doesn't sound worrisome to me, it sounds appropriate!

tomofboston

One difference is that at McGill, and most urban Canadian universities, on campus housing is only provided for freshman year. The student is on their own in later years to lease an off campus apartment, thus integrating them more with the community and lessening the "traditional college experience" that seems so popular at many American schools. That will likely change as the Royal Victoria Hospital complex in restored and converted to residential and academic space in the next few years.

mathmomvt

Interesting about the off-campus housing. Do you know if that's true for UofT as well? I think Waterloo, being less urban, offers more on-campus housing to upperclassmen.

Sally_Rubenstone

Sorry, mathmomvt, I was away and just saw your questions. So many thanks to tomofboston for jumping in. He said what I would have ... including the part about the housing. Sure, many students at US colleges also live off campus. Even some who lived in the dorms as freshmen and may have expected to stay there longer might instead end up moving off-campus by sophomore year. But at least the dorm option is still there for them if they want it, while at McGill it is not.

mathmomvt

I would definitely consider the unavailability of on-campus housing a significant negative for any school. Even if you think your student will want to move off-campus after freshman year, not having options is never ideal. Thanks for the feedback.

tomofboston

Having to move off campus was a bit intimidating for me at first, but I adapted. McGill's off campus housing office provided lists of rentals and leases are under strict provincial control: first month's rent and a $200 security deposit. No last month's rent or "finder's fees" paid to agents. Housing costs in Montreal are low, at least compared to Boston. Part of the McGill experience is living in Montreal and discovering that there is a lot more to life than the dorm room, classroom and bars.

Also, I knew of no students at McGill who wanted to move back home after graduation. Having been independent for those years made that idea unfathomable, even if they were unemployed. If I'd lived four years in a dorm, on campus apartment or frat house, I wouldn't have developed the life skills I needed when I got my first job in New York City.

mathmomvt

I was in a co-op program so I did the apartment thing on work terms (also generally moving independently etc.), but was happy to live in a dorm for most of my years of school -- even though the dorm food was pretty awful in those days, it was easier not having to cook for myself ;-) I did live in a school-owned apartment (near, but not on, campus) senior year. It's definitely good to have that independence experience one way or another -- I know a lot of kids now do it with summer internships.

ETA: my kid is not a city mouse (cf my rural engineering schools thread) so having to live "in" the city of Montreal would not be a good fit for him. But Montreal is an incredible city, so I can see it being a great experience for many.