<p>Definitely worth it. I am at McGill right now, and its final exam season, and its ****ing hard. Isnt that what college is supposed to be about? At the end of the day, its hard to fail an arts course, but its even harder to get an A. Education is up to your son. You can pass classes without making a very hard effort, but McGill gives you all the resourced you need, its up to you whether to take an advantage of them. as a History students I have had the pleasure to meet brilliant professors who in many cases are also brilliant communicators. Economics, on the other side, is not as math based as in other places, mostly theoretical. You can complete your program taking the most interesting courses, though history is very eurocentric (where it isnt?)
As for the life, you get a bigger international experience than anywhere else in the United States. With my roommates, we have Asian, Africa, South American and European representation. And you will fit in if you give it a try. At the end of the day education is up to you, but you also learn how to ride the tides of bureaucracy, something with which everyone will eventually have to face. The city is gorgeous, the music scene as varied as possible, the food… meh.
At the end, I think McGill is a prove of character. The reputation is of party hard, study hard, but I’ve seen people taken this to extremes. The freedom is so much (or the control so little) that self-motivation is a must. I have had my hard semesters and some in which I have slacked, but I’ve learned so much in and out of classes.
I really recommend living the first year in residnce. You will get a chance to meet stoners and talk about philosophy with them, or the party animals, or the studious guys, artists and musicians, chess masters and amazing writers or people having a bit of it all, but at the end of the day, brushing the shyness away, you will meet stimulating people with who you will definitely want to live with next year.
I know this is pretty diosrganized but I hope it gives a holistic idea of what McGill is about, and the decision of whether to come here SHOULD be based on character, its not for everyone if you are not ready to “face the world” but the learning experience is invaluable and it pushes you to do things you never thought you could do–quick parenthesis, I am writing for a journal right now, when high school was all about sports for me. So, as a life experience, and life we have only one, it is definitely a yes.</p>