What Students Say
Likes
- Because of its overall reputation and global ranking. McGill is well situated in the heart of Montreal.
- The competitive atmosphere, the diverse crowd, the teaching faculty, the well-equipped labs. Moreover, it is well connected with metro and bus routes.
Dislikes
- I dislike the examination system and the variability in how each course is structured. There is no uniformity in the exam pattern and each professor has the right to design the course according to their needs which might be difficult for some students to follow.
The overall experience is pretty good. The campus has a lot of racial diversity and you meet people from different cultures and ethnicities. We have esteemed faculty and research professionals too. The campus has decent infrastructure with good wifi. The food options are limited on campus but we have good restaurants and fast food outlets nearby.
Course Curriculum
The course curriculum is well designed and the diverse courses are offered across different domains.
Faculty
The faculty to student ratio is much better than India. The professors are quite helpful too. The administration staff is well equipped to handle most queries.
Campus Life
The campus infrastructre is pretty decent even though its a very old university. However, there are limited extracurricular activities and events on campus.
Placement
There is no on-campus placements like India. However, there are career fairs but they offer limited help. A student would have to build their network through events to secure a job. Also, in Montreal, the knowledge of French is must to find a job. Because of this requirement, a lot of students move to a different city to find a job.
Accommodation
Even though there is option to live on campus, it is somewhat expensive and hard to get. Its better to live off campus. If you are able to live far from campus, you can find a room for as low as $400. Closer to downtown, rent can be as high as $900 for a private room. The average rent would be close to $600.
Exams
Only IELTS is required. I had an overall band score of 8.5. Each department has specific requirements regarding GPA in the undergraduate programs. Had to submit an SoP, LoR, and CV, and also had an interview with my supervisor Interview round: Applicants to thesis-based programs might have an interview with their respective supervisors
Fees
For thesis based programs, the total fees can be somewhere around 35000 CAD. For non-thesis-based programs, the total fees can be around 42000 CAD.
Scholarship
I received funding from my supervisor and the department. I also received the MITACS Globalink Graduate Fellowship valued at $15000. Only MITACS Globalink Research Internship alumni are eligible to apply for the scholarship.
