A Lesson in Self-Sufficiency and Adulthood Past Review

By Cody S (The College of William and Mary) - abroad from 01/09/2012 to 04/16/2012 with

McGill University: Montreal - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned a lot more about myself and really thought about my future in useful ways. I spent most of my time introspecting and just enjoying not having the chaos that I normally do at W&M.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	Academic rigor was intense but nearly identical to W&M
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Overly bureaucratic but once you learn how to use them they are somewhat efficient
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I had to find off-campus housing which was initially stressful but a valuable life experience
* Food:	I cooked for myself!
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Not very much--McGill is very multicultural/international, so instead I felt much more connection to the on-campus community. Furthermore, it is difficult to connect to the local culture if you are not Quebecois or a fluent French speaker.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	Pretty decent on-campus healthcare, though it takes much longer and a lot more effort to see a doctor than at W&M
* Safety:	Security is everywhere and you definitely feel safe on campus
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget? (1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)	Living downtown was expensive--groceries were expensive, alcohol was exorbitant, and doing anything in the city costs money.
* Was housing included in your program cost?	No
* Was food included in your program cost?	No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	Food was anywhere between $50 and $100 a week depending on what I needed to stock up on; I tried to limit myself to $20 per weekend night I went out, but that was easily surpassed.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Don't live downtown; try and find an apartment within walking distance on Rue Milton, or the Plateau (even though it is kind of a walk). It will end up saving you. However, living downtown did allow me to not have to use much public transportation, which saved me $43/month.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university?	Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?	0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	The forced time spent away from everyone/everything I knew, compelling me to truly examine my priorities and who I am Learning how to live in a city Learning how to live in an apartment
* What could be improved?	Better financial coaching; I can't be the only financial aid student that had monetary struggles Have others that have gone to McGill filled out one of these abroad101 things? If so, I never saw it, and I'm sure it would have helped
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Cities provide all the fun you can buy. You must create hardship in your study abroad experience or else you will have no fun.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Canadian Literature II
Course Department:	English
Instructor:	Robert Lecker
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The literature we read was interesting, though the professor's lectures were useless and his exams were downright idiotic.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Middle English
Course Department:	English
Instructor:	Michael Van Dussen
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This fantastic professor took a typically not-so-invigorating subject matter and made it fascinating and engaging. We examined McGill's extensive collection of manuscripts and incunabula, as well as took a trip to McGill's Osler Library for the History of Medicine. I can't recommend this class as taught by this professor enough!
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Intensive Elementary French
Course Department:	French as a Second Language
Instructor:	Denyse Laniel
Instruction Language:	French
Comments:	Lots of the out-of-class work felt like too much of a chore because it wasn't very engaging. The professor herself was very nice and pushed you to do your very best, but the class itself could be kind of a drag.
Credit Transfer Issues: