At least the poutine was good! Past Review
By A student (Brandeis University) - abroad from 09/03/2013 to 12/03/2013 with
McGill University: Montreal - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
It was very hard to break into such a large university in one semester. While exchange students were paired with a buddy, visiting students are not. I spent the first week of class just trying to locate buildings -- I pretty much felt like a freshman. Montreal is a terrific city, but McGill (especially in the wintertime) might not be the best avenue to discover it if you're there for a short time. The workload is intense, and it does not yield much time for exploring.
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Required to enroll in 5 courses instead of 4 (even though 4 classes would have been credit hour equivalent to 4 at Brandeis). The fifth course really made a difference come crunch time (yikes). Rampant grade deflation at McGill was not encouraging either… luckily my roomies went to McGill and informed me of the deflation… before that I was feeling pretty insecure. One of my roomies failed the semester, which is not uncommon at this school. No joke! It was a wake-up call from my experience thus far at Brandeis. For what it's worth, my courses at McGill seemed much more theory-based than any of my classes at Brandeis have. Very theoretical readings even for seemingly practical courses. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Insanely bureaucratic -- their help center, called "Service Point" (where you have to go for pretty much every issue) resembles a DMV -- take a number and wait 3 hours, even if that means skipping a day of class. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Had to find off-campus housing. Lived downtown, but it would have been cool to have found a place in the Plateau, a more Francophone neighborhood. |
| * Food: |
|
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The school is very French on its own -- lots of students come over from France because they get a deal on the tuition. French speakers everywhere -- both Quebecois and Parisian. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
The nightlife is intense in this city, so there are always many people walking on the streets at any hour, you will never feel alone. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
|
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) |
Montreal is VERY expensive. There are two taxes on everything, and it seemed like everything was more expensive there in the first place. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | A lot. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Get a student subway (OPUS) card! One-time $15 instead of $3 each time. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
|
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I took Elementary French and it was very intensive! They are serious about their French here. There is a mandatory language lab, a weekly practice with a French student, and they will have you reading books in French by the end of the semester. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | French 30 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Get some French roommates and practice on your own through online programs like Duolingo. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I knew that the week-long orientation for freshmen in the beginning of the year (called "Frosh") is also open to exchange and visiting students. That would have made the transition much easier! |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
