Ranked among the top universities in Canada and the world,McGill University offers a wide choice of Bachelors degrees in its ten faculties. Juliette, a French student in her first year of the Bachelor of Arts program in the Faculty of Arts, tells us all about her studies and student life in Montreal.
Profile
FIRST NAME : Juliette
NATIONALITY : French
NAME OF COURSE : Bachelor of Arts
UNIVERSITY NAME : McGill University
HOME HIGH SCHOOL :Private high school in Bordeaux
TYPE OF BACCALAUREAT OBTAINED Baccalauréat mention Très Bien, specializing in HGGSP and Mathematics
Study abroad
Why did you decide to study abroad?
I applied to several universities in Canada, the UK and the Netherlands. The post-bac options on Parcoursup didn’t suit me because there wasn’t the international dimension I was looking for. This was a key criterion for me. I also wanted to be able to speak fluent English and benefit from a very high quality of teaching. I applied for two Bachelors degrees at McGill University. The Bachelor of Commerce and the Bachelor of Arts, which excludes commerce and business subjects. My first choice was the Bachelor of Arts, which allowed me to choose a major in the humanities or social sciences.
What was the admissions and selection process like?
Visit McGill UniversityThe application process is fairly straightforward. The documents required to apply are your Première and Terminale report cards, as well as the results of your baccalauréat pre-tests and the results of an English language test (including IELTS, TOEFL, Duolingo or CAE). McGill does not require an interview or cover letter.
1st year courses
Did you have to choose your courses in the first year?
At McGill, students must choose their courses as early as the first year. Starting in May of the admission year, you must choose a major, a minor and the courses for the first semester. Don’t hesitate to ask for help, to find out about the teachers and the content of the courses on offer. This requires a great deal of comparative work, which can be quite time-consuming. I had always wanted to do political science and sociology. Once we arrived at McGill, we had two weeks after the start of the school year to change the courses we didn’t like. I realized that I’d rather do economics, so I chose a major in Economics and a minor in Political Science. Economics is probably one of the most demanding subjects in the Bachelor of Arts. It requires a lot of hard work and advanced mathematical skills. I don’t regret my choice because I like the major but I wasn’t expecting such a high level of difficulty. For political science, a lot of reading is required before each class. It’s also a subject in which it’s important to assert one’s opinion. Combining the two subjects offers many opportunities for the future, but it’s also a very heavy workload.
Did you find it difficult to adapt to the education system?
It’s true that you need time to adapt, and the courses are difficult and intense. The first semester’s midterms, for example, were complicated. Once you’ve arrived at university, it’s no longer high school. Professors expect a real commitment from students. With time, you manage to adapt and I now feel at ease in my work.
Do you find it difficult to follow courses and work in English?
I’m not bilingual, but I learned English in high school and did a European section. English was the least complicated because we’re directly immersed in English. We have no choice but to write, speak and listen in English. After one or two months, you understand English as well as French. It’s true that writing is more complicated, but you get better with time. What’s more, there’s a rule at McGill that students can hand in their papers and essays in French. They will be evaluated in the same way as English papers. This is a rule that teachers are obliged to respect. However, it’s important to know that students have access to many resources on the online campus, and that teachers are always available to help.
Do you have a lot of work to do?
There’s a lot of work to be done in Economics and Political Science. Of course, this workload varies from subject to subject. Some majors are less intense. This workload is compounded by a certain amount of competition between students in Economics.
How do you organize your work?
At McGill, a lot of the work is done independently. I have five classes a week, so I have about four hours of classes a day. We have free days, but most of our time is spent working independently in the library or at home. This rhythm is not unique to McGill, but is common in many universities in France and abroad. I didn’t have any online courses in the first semester. However, with the current health situation, all courses with more than 200 students are online. We have both lecture and tutorial classes. For the more scientific courses, there isn’t necessarily any support outside class. So I found a tutor to help me.
Student life at McGill
What’s student life like at McGill?
My student life was divided between the health crisis and the lifting of restrictions. The first semester, from September to December, was a “non-covid” period during which I was able to take full advantage of student life in Montreal. It’s an extremely student-oriented city, even more so than Toronto and Vancouver. It’s a great city and an ideal place to study. As far as the cold is concerned, winter runs from January to April. I didn’t suffer from the cold and I don’t think it should be a barrier to studying in Canada.
However, McGill is a huge university, so the student life organized by the university is not necessarily present. It’s important to create your own student experience, your own group of friends and your own associations.
Do you live in a student residence?
Once you’ve been accepted at McGill, you have a choice of approximately 10 different residences in Montreal. It’s important to find out all you can about residences so you can choose the one that’s right for you. Residence registration is part of the application process. I chose a residence where there are not only McGill students, but also students from Concordia and other Montreal universities. Staying in a student residence in 1st year really helps you meet new people. We can also eat in the cafeterias. The food is generally good. Residence life is quite expensive, however.
What’s life like on campus?
There are politically committed associations as well as clubs linked to subjects such as the environment, sport or international groups. To join these associations, students need to be proactive and go out and meet them!
If, like Juliette, you would like to join University of McGill or a university in Canadadon’t hesitate to >contact us atto discuss your plans!
