<p>I always hear people say that Mcgill is relatively easy to get in (for a reputable school) but hard to stay in (hard to get good grades).</p>
<p>So is it true that Mcgill is really hard? Do you think it’s harder than American colleges?</p>
<p>While McGill is easier to get into than Harvard, Yale, Stanford etc., you have to work just as hard to succeed once you are in. McGill has a 92% first year to second year retention rate. This is comparable to major US universities. Many feel that McGiill has grade deflation, the grading curve dips downward. I am not sure of that but if you want to have a good GPA you cannot be a slacker or allow yourself to be overwhelmed by the “party scene” on campus or off campus.</p>
<p>My kid brother went to Boston University and he seemed to have a much easier course load that I did. We both majored in Management and NO, he is not brighter than me! You sense a bit of sibling rivalry here? LOL</p>
<p>I’d agree, the standards are a bit lower in terms of acceptance but that is becaause the class size is significantly larger than the elite US programs. Don’t kid yourself though, there will be kids there with 4.0’s and perfect SATs… in fact expect most of your class to be just as smart as you if not more so.</p>
<p>In terms of staying in, the school and faculty has a reputation to hold. I have heard reports of grade deflation as well, but its not verified and even so, the kids that put in the time are always ahead of the curve. Contrary to popular belief, McGill’s classes are not designed for anyone to fail. Some first year classes may seem difficult, but that is because they are trying to establish who can work hard without someone holding their hand, and you will have to. Similarly, it is difficult to fail out of McGill. I had a friend who consistently slept through final exams and forgot to turn in papers. He often talked his way out of these sitatuins, but McGill and the profs are there to help you if they see you care.</p>
<p>Coming form science, what I can say is prepare to follow along with the coursework. I had classes that recorded and put online in video format, so students could go home and rewatch them. Neddless to say a lot of kids just don’t go and watch them at their own leisure. While this has some advantages, if you don’t keep up with the readins, etc, you may miss assignments, important dates, or even information if a recording doesnt work one day. Finally, McGill science puts a heavy emphasis on the final exam. I had several classes in whcih the final was 80 - 90 - 100% of my grade, though the majority was around 60-70%. Which means if you don’t keep up you are going to have a mserable final exam session.</p>
<p>I’ve said it and I’ll say it again. At McGill, you have to be independent to succeed. If you’re having trouble keeping up, the profs will not care unless you go and talk to them. It is one of the main difference between US colleges and McGill: help and guidance is not automatically or easily given, you really have to seek it.</p>
<p>My guidance counselor said I have a pretty “good” chance in getting in…even though i only have a B+ average but I don’t feel like I’ll be as hard working as the students there… but I want to go… but I don’t want to feel like I’m the dumbest/laziest one there</p>
<p>Whether or not you have a good chance to get in, this is a poor attitude to begin college with, especially at McGill. I’m not trying to rip you apart, but if you are planning on going to McGill to ‘coast’ and have a good time, it is definitely not worth it because it will be more of a challenge than you expect.</p>
<p>Maybe I misinterpreted your post, and you were just trying to indicate that you are not one of those all-day library types. Thats fine then. As I’ve reiterated on other threads, you get from McGill what you put in. If you are there to party, you will leave with less of an education that when you came. If you are there to learn, you will be more than fulfilled. And if you are there to work hard and have a good time as well, as long as your time management skills are good you will be able to do this too. Don’t go to McGill just because of the city or the atmosphere, because you can quickly get lost in the academics and be left behind. Go to McGill because you want to learn something new everyday and give yourself a chance at a better career. The city and the atmosphere are just icing on the cake that makes all the long nights and rough exams worth it.</p>
<p>You’ll find that at McGill everyone was at the top of their class in high school. They like what they’re learning and they like relating it to their lives. School is definitely intimately related to your social life.</p>
<p>How well will McGill prepare u for American Med Schools and Med Schools in General, if i major in Biology Related Subject - Also, is there biotechnology or biomedical engineering major at McGill? how is it</p>
<p>McGill premed stuff is tough. Its not like schools in the us where you take basic classes and a few specific courses. Though it starts out basic with the prerequisites, the majors require an ungodly number of credits. The 200-level upper science level courses are arguably 300-level in other schools, and you will have the opportunity to take 400 and 500 level classes, which get very specific and prepare you for graduate school. For instance, I had two entire courses on intracellular vesicle movement and the proteins that control this. Then again I took anatomy and cell biology. I am not sure about biology but I know there are difficult classes and especially difficult and long labs. As far as what I took, my physio, anatomy, organic, inorganic, and advanced bio classes helped me for the mcat very much. Moreover, I know a lot more about body and cellular systems than a lot of my friends in similar programs in other schools and have impressed several researchers in my interviews. Coming out of McGill you do feel prepared for graduate school and med school, even though they are tougher than we could imagine.</p>
<p>In terms of reputation, McGill is highly regarded as a school in the eyes of american medical schools. McGill has a strong medical history and thus their ‘premed’ programs reflect the intense, innovative research that continually comes out of the school. Although were I am from many people have not heard of McGill, when I speak to people in the medical or biomedical research fields, they are all aware of its excellent reputation and are impressed.</p>
<p>FYI, i have a friend who is currently in johns hopkins med after majoring in mcgill bio.</p>
<p>And i think there are those majors, look at the ‘calendar’ on the website. it should be free to access. It will have a list of all the majors offered within the faculty of science and all the requirements to graduate.</p>
<p>Does that help?</p>
<p>just a note though, a 3.1 at mcgill does not get you into a med school in spite of how difficult it is, to be a med student you have to keep up with the grades of your classmates at state schools who are cruising to 4.0s. expect at least a 3.5 of yourself in your science courses, though the higher the better obviously</p>
<p>what if i’m kind of undecided? I know I want to do something in the sciences (biology or chem or both) but i don’t know exactly what major i want to do yet…</p>
<p>will mcgill allow me to explore other subjects?</p>
<p>You can’t pick a major until your second year as all the requirements in first year sciences are the same for everyone. So you will have some time to think about it and talk to people. And even after you begin one, you can switch it if you don’t like the direction it is going in (if you do it quickly). The only issue is if you start one major, and do a semester or two, you still have to do the prerequisites for the other major which may take extra time or very full courseloads.</p>
<p>For instance, I initially had 1) Anatomy & Cell Biology, and 2) Physiology… thinking I would pick the one liked more in time. It was nice because they both share several required prerequisite classes. However, once they started branching and getting more specific and distinct I realized I didn’t want physiology so I just dropped it and chose anatomy (it was nice because I didn’t have to make up anything).</p>
<p>Make sense?</p>