Jade is French and after a Baccalauréat ES (European section) obtained with honors at the Ecole Alsacienne in Paris, she joins the highly prestigious McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Read her testimonial below and find out more about her university experience at McGill!
Profile
FIRST NAME : JadeNATIONALITY : Frenchçaise
COURSE NAME : Bachelor of Arts, Double Major in Economics and International Development – minor in World Islamic and Middle East Studies
UNIVERSITY NAME : McGill
TYPE OF BACCALAUREATE AND RESULT OBTAINED Bac ES European section with distinction
NAME OF YOUR SCHOOL : Ecole Alsacienne à Paris
Why did you choose to study abroad?
Which course did you apply for abroad? Why did you choose this subject/curriculum for your Bachelor’s degree?
I’d always wanted to apply to foreign universities to be able to combine subjects and build up a Bachelor’s degree that would give me expertise in the different areas that interest me.This was particularly possible in Canada, at McGill in particular, which also gave me more time to choose my course (the deadline for choosing courses was in June), time that was invaluable in my reflection.
McGill even allowed me to change my program during the first year, depending on my interest in the courses I had initially chosen. While I was initially enrolled in the “International Development” Major (still with a strong personal interest in Middle Eastern countries) and the “Economics” Minor, I ended up adding economics to my Major because I realized how complementary this subject was to international development, as well as taking a Minor in my field of interest, the Middle Eastern world.
What other universities did you apply to, and why did you end up choosing this one?
I had also applied in England: at Durham, Bath, Warwick, Bristoland Exeter. Although these universities all gave me positive answers and my Bac results met the requirements, going to England would have restricted me to studying only Political Science and International Relations, whereas McGill offered me the chance to incorporate these subjects with development and economics. I had also applied to Concordia University to be on the safe side, in case McGill refused my application.
What was the admissions process like for you?
Did you receive coaching/help with your application (e.g. from your school)?
I was lucky enough to have someone at my high school who was in charge of guiding students through the process of applying abroad. I received instructions on how to write my personal statement, as well as on how to choose a program and how to use the application platforms.
How did you go about writing your UCAS Personal Statement?
I received a general outline of the main points to be covered from my high school. I then worked with a coach who guided me in my writing, while taking a step back so that my UCAS personal statement would reflect my personality, abilities, experience and interests. It took me around 3 weeks to arrive at my final version.
What readings/resources did you find useful to mention in your Statement, and could you recommend to a student interested in applying for the same course?
As I was applying for a job in England in Political Science and International Relations, my first paragraph began with a quotation from George Orwell, which I adapted to the idea I wanted to explain. I also evoked Honoré de Balzac later on to illustrate another idea.
It seems to me that citing a recent article on a subject that the student is studying is always interesting for the university. What’s more, drawing a comparison between two works is a good way of demonstrating one’s ability to synthesize and establish links between different opinions.
Did you have to go to an interview? If so, how did you prepare?
No, I haven’t had any interviews.
Why did you choose this particular university?
Have you been influenced by the rankings? Do you think students should look at rankings to choose?
I was a bit influenced by the rankings, although I don’t think they’re all that important. Indeed, each ranking has different criteria, which can create big differences. The quality of teaching and international recognition of a university’s prestige are just one of many criteria. Rankings should not be a decision criterion for students, as they are not always very reliable.
Did the content of the curriculum at your particular university influence your choice of university?
Yes, being in the Economic and Social Sciences section influenced me to choose a major in Economics, the choice of my other major in International Development comes from the fact that I was in a European class, which gave me a more international perspective on historical events and current affairs.
What do you think of the campus and the city in which it’s located?
The McGill campus is ideally located in downtown Montreal and is relatively large for a city campus. It has a very large library where all students go to work during the day between classes. Everything is relatively centered around the campus, so it’s very easy to move from one course to another; they’re usually held in different buildings. Montreal is a student-heavy city (nearly 350,000 students out of a population of 1.7 million) and very lively: it’s the ideal place for a university experience.
What are the 3 things you like best about your university and the 3 things you’d like to improve?
The 3 things I love most:
Firstly, the mentality: all the students are extremely open and welcoming. It’s very easy to meet lots of people and make friends. The attitude of the teachers is also quite exceptional: it’s very easy to communicate with them, to meet them and ask them questions. They’re always available and willing to listen.
Secondly, having a campus in the city is something very much appreciated and is relatively rare for universities located in the city. It combines the possibility of living in residence on campus for the first year, and of having that real university community experience, but at the same time having a great openness to the city for outings, culture, and all the events that are constantly being organized (concerts, parties, activities…).
Last but not least, there are a host of facilities and opportunities for students, from internships to associations, sports and student groups. Students have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities, and to be as involved as they wish.
It’s hard for me to think of things that could be improved, perhaps having better feedback on the different courses and teachers to enable future students to make the right choices and not end up in courses that are too difficult, or with teachers who are “tough graders”.
Do you have any international friends (French or otherwise) at your university?
Are there many international students at your university?
How easy do you find it to integrate and make friends at your university as a foreigner?
McGill is a very international university, with mainly Canadians and Americans, but also many French and English (Belgians and Swiss, though less common), as well as Chinese and students from other Asian and Middle Eastern countries. It’s relatively easy to integrate, as everyone starts from scratch when they arrive at McGill. However, it’s true that some tend to stay relatively to themselves, which is a choice, but English speakers mix very easily with others.
What’s your student residence like? Are you housed on campus?
How was your student residence in 1st year (comfort, cleanliness, proximity to the campus…)?
There are many residences at McGillMost of them are no more than a 10-minute walk from campus, in other words, right in the heart of the city. All are affiliated with the university, and are therefore staffed exclusively by McGill students. There are also different types of residences: “hotel” residences, which are refurbished hotels where each student shares a room with a “roommate”, the beds are large and so are the rooms, and the bathrooms are private. There are other residences where each student has his or her own room, but with a single bed and a smaller space; bathrooms are shared. In both cases, students have access to several cafeterias for their meals. Finally, there are residences 15 minutes from the campus by metro, which are small apartments where 3 “roommates” live together. They cook their own meals and each apartment has its own bathroom.
How far from the university are the halls of residence? Where do 2nd and 3rd year students live?
The residences are very close to campus, a maximum 10-15 minute walk when it snows (less than 10 minutes in autumn and spring). The 2nd and 3rd years no longer live in residence at McGill, and everyone lives in an apartment. Around January of the first year, roommate groups begin to form, and individual students look for their own accommodation, which they will rent until the end of their studies.
For McGill, the whole area around campus, the “McGill Ghetto”, is made up entirely of student apartments. So everyone lives relatively close to the campus, and close to each other.
What’s the food like in your residence and in others? Is it possible to cook for yourself?
In the first two types of residence I’ve mentioned, there are no kitchens in the rooms, so the students eat in the cafeteria, i.e. all the first-year students, except those who live in the residence 15 minutes away by metro. In this case, students cook for themselves, as their apartment is equipped with a kitchen.
What was the process like to get a place in a residence? Which student residences would you recommend to French or international students at your university?
Since the residences are affiliated with McGill, the process takes place on Minervathe platform on which registrations and all McGill-related procedures are carried out. You have to fill out a list of choices. I would recommend “New Residence Hall” or “Upper residence”, the latter grouping together 3 similar and adjoining residences: Molson, McConnell and Gardner.
Could you describe your experience at your university?
How many hours of lessons do you have each week?
I have 5 lessons a week (a lesson is the equivalent of a subject), i.e. 15 hours in class. After a year with 15h of classes per week, I’ve decided to go to 12h for my next semesters, as the workload linked to a course is such that it’s complicated to have 5 of them. Each course is divided into 3 sessions during the week, each lasting 1 hour. Two of the sessions are teacher-led lectures. The third session is a “conference” where small groups of students are formed, led by teaching assistants. Each lecture has a theme and uses a “reading” to illustrate and complete the course. During these conferences, students debate and share their ideas and questions.
How much work?
The amount of work is quite substantial, and you generally don’t realize it during the first year. For the Faculty of Arts (not for the Desautel Business School, nor for the Faculty of Science), there are “readings” to be done for each course, i.e. 3 times a week. This involves close reading of articles, essays, thesis chapters, as well as note-taking to relate this to the lectures. In addition to the readings, there are the essays and research papers that students have to write, as well as any assignments. But the most important thing is to understand and work as you go, because the mass of knowledge is very large, and sometimes greatly underestimated by students.
Do you have exams once or several times a year?
Each year is divided into 2 semesters (September-December and January-April), during which there are one or two sessions of “midterm exams” (mid-October and/or mid-November), and a final session of “final exams”, in December and April.
Furthermore, as McGill is located in the French-speaking province of Canada, it is possible forFrench-speaking students to submit their exams and all forms of evaluation in French, which is much appreciated by those who feel less at ease in English.
A note about the year’s events:
The academic year runs from September to the end of April. After the exam session in December, students are on vacation until early January. The length of the vacation depends on the exam dates (some students finish on December 6 and have almost a month’s vacation, others may finish on the 23rd and have only ten days or so). These are the only vacations in the entire university period between September and the beginning of May. The four-month break that students have between May and September is in fact an opportunity to do internships (very important for masters eligibility), work, or take “summer courses”.
Are you involved in any student associations at McGill?
Yes, I’m part of the advocacy team at McGill for UNICEF.
Is there anything about the university system in the country where you’re studying that you’d like to improve?
Not necessarily, I find that in general there is a great deal of adaptation required on the part of the student. The system is very different from high school, and it’s important to be independent in your work, to take charge of your research and revision, because nobody tells you what to do, and a student’s success depends solely on their motivation/involvement and autonomy in their work. The trap into which most first-year students fall is to let lectures accumulate without studying them, completing them, and linking them to readings until the first midterm exams, and then find themselves with a considerable workload when the teacher explains his or her expectations for the exam. The concepts taught require constant and regular work to assimilate knowledge as the course progresses.
