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McGill, University of

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currentwestman
Posts: 3292 - Karma: 330
Hello there,
    Anyone here go/went to mcgill or know some one that goes/went to mcgill?  I'm a junior in HS from the US but i'm kinda considering it.  I'm worried about the skiing situation up there though.   I think its pretty far from any moutains?  like 2 hrs or something?  the catch is that i was considering UVM which is pretty expensive (like 40 g's or so) and my parents said if i go to a cheaper college, such as mcgill (like 20 g's, i dont really know though but a lot cheaper) they could get me a car ("youre sooo spoiled"  not really though).  any other info would be good as well: partying, the people, whatever...

tanks
Jun 25 2009 12:12AM
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steevner
Posts: 4502 - Karma: 47
the bar scene is pretty good from what I've heard.
It's Canada, so going out to drink is easier, and bud laws are more lax
Don't really know about the skiing situation. It's relatively close to Tremblant (~2hrs?) and the eastern townships from what I remember.
Jun 25 2009 12:19AM
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FUUUCK
Posts: 18426 - Karma: 4,888
there are some hills really close to montreal.
Jun 25 2009 12:37AM
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Relish_man
Posts: 5386 - Karma: 551
ha, both my parents went there but i dont think they could get any valuable info on parties and skiing. although i have heard of some sort of ''McGill Freestyle Team'' or sumthing like that... I know a few Montrealers coming to ski at Bromont, really chill hill and lots of the locals are ready to do some shamelless and free self-promotion over internet forum threads... bottom line: go to McGill, get a car and drive out to local hills.
Jun 25 2009 12:42AM
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panojibber
Posts: 3382 - Karma: 216
suggestion: UBC. Whistler an hour and a half away, cypress/grouse/seymour all around half an hour.

Also a very good university, I believe its not too expensive, and skiing wise it would be much better.

Don't know much about McGill though.
Jun 25 2009 12:47AM
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currentwestman
Posts: 3292 - Karma: 330
believe me, i'd LOVE to go out west for school.  i've considered U of U  from the start, but i live in connecticut.  i'd like to be within driving distance.  i'm not sure how i'm going to react being so far from home.  if the first year goes well, i can always transfer.  but as of right now i don't see it being possible to go that far away.
Jun 25 2009 12:54AM
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dbstar
Posts: 2038 - Karma: 20
avila is like 40 minutes from montreal, and has a sick park and then within 2 hrs there is probably around 10-15 different places. Party scene is amazing one of the best in the world.
Jun 25 2009 1:03AM
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summersover
Posts: 5777 - Karma: 233
Ah yes McGill
So you are going to an awesome school, super nice campus that's right downtown so close to everything you could imagine. Quebec means drinking age of 18 (though in reality its like 13-14 aha) and downtown Montreal has tons of great clubs and bars all over and as for weed if that's what you're into chances are if the cops catch you they'll either warn you or confiscate it and go smoke it later.
I'm currently in Cegep (so like Grade 13 sorta) and I'll be going to McGill for sure in 2010-11 its such a solid school and there are tons of English kids from all over so don't be worried if you aren't bilingual
As for skiing there's Tremblant about 1.5-2 hours away which is the "big" resort nearby but I love Avila which has one of the best, if not the best, parks in Quebec and its like an hour drive
Jun 25 2009 1:16AM
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currentwestman
Posts: 3292 - Karma: 330
 i don't smoke, but your making my decisions very difficult.  is there any difference skiing park in canada or US?  like a difference in "scene" (i really hate to put it that way)?
Jun 25 2009 1:31AM
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Download-My-Apps
Posts: 5069 - Karma: 1,017
ha as far as I'm aware all the 'scenes' are the same.

And as  for being in driving distance of of your home state, trust me after first semester you wont care. Even if its a 6 hour drive to home you'll probably only go back on christmas and during the summer.
Jun 25 2009 2:09AM
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Turner.
Posts: 1987 - Karma: 11,892

My brother went to mcGill this year and the time of his life
really good bar scene from what he told me.  great weed. hot chiks super chill people.
campus is right downtown in the heart of every thing. Montreal is definatlely my favourite Canadian city.  as for skiing he had been hoping to hit up tremblant but plans fell through.  obviously that doesn't mean they would do so for you so I would HIGHLY reccomend it.

Jun 25 2009 2:36AM
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blindside
Posts: 5619 - Karma: 1,199
well I'm not quite sure what you mean by scene but...avila is "gangster"/"baller" for the most part, Tremblant is a bit "preppier" aka peoples clothes fit them more...Besides that most people are quite chill and friendly, there are tons of skier too, avila's park is probably 70 or maye even 80 percent skiers now...which might be a good thing or bad thing...I haven't decided yet. Oh and mcgrill is one of the top 3 party schools as was rated by playboy this year!! And if you want some powder/freeride there's jay peak not too far away either...oh and did I mention the ns office is always just a short metro ride away?...
Jun 25 2009 9:29AM
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Dosh
Posts: 1818 - Karma: 14
I would certainly choose McGill over UVM. I am from Burlington and it's alright for a little while, but tends to get boring. Every weekend is the same and it usually seems like masses of bros take over the city on the weekend, which is lame as hell. Tuition at UVM is 2x or even more (depending on what faculty you study in at McGill). For instance I am studying in the Faculty of Arts and my annual tuition is just under 14k CAN making it even less for a US student for now anyway. As for skiing, you have the Quebec resorts and also Jay peak less than 2 hours away. If you choose to live in a large city, you are never going to be that close to the mountains. And if you have a car, you're all set. You will probably meet kids up there who have condos at Tremblant or in VT and you can drive up/down each weekend and crash there if you're so inclined.
Jun 25 2009 9:42AM
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m@tty
Posts: 332 - Karma: 89

Yeah so I don't know who you've been talking to but here is the lowdown if you were to go to McGill. First off its a great school. It is renown and you will get a good education. Second, do you like to party? Cause Montreal likes to party. Quebec likes to party. And we do it well. Third, people are generally friendly. Anywhere you go theres some bad apples in the bunch, but in general we're cool & friendly (accept when driving).

Now for quick moutain briefing. Alright so from downtown, Avila is no further than 45 minutes away. You can most likely get there in 30 minutes if you give 'er. Friendly place, small mountain with a dope park and night skiing. Real easy to get to. I suggest you get a season pass there (student pass: approx $200-300 depending). You could pretty much head up there every day before or after class and every day you don't have class - which in summation is everyday. There is also a bunch of other small mountains in the area on which you could ride groomers - not really sure why you would though.

Mont Tremblant is the big resort in the area and is approx. 1.5 hrs away. Nice mountain. Bigger. Nice park. A bit expensive to ride unless you have a students season pass (approx. $300), but has a greater of variation of terrain (keep in mind its the EC).

Then theres the eastern townships. I'm not as familiar with these mountains but are also around 1.5 hrs away. From the few tims I've been there there seems to be more variable terrain than the parc only environment of Avila.  

Jun 25 2009 9:55AM
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m@tty
Posts: 332 - Karma: 89
Oh yeah, and if you come for the fall semester, you'll be here in time for IF3.
Jun 25 2009 9:57AM
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ataraxia
Posts: 903 - Karma: 117
I have a friend currently attending McGill and he loves it. Great school in a great city.
Jun 25 2009 10:02AM
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neutralzombie
Posts: 8629 - Karma: 606

i work at mcgill! and i hate all the students haha, jks

anyways, well yeah it is kind of far, but youre smack downtown and the party scene is sick. mcgill also organizes a lot of ski trips, and while in good company, theres some nsers in the area! and you get a car out of it? you can drive to the mountain!

Jun 25 2009 10:36AM
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fezz
Posts: 542 - Karma: 28
i have a friend that goes there, he snowboards. anywho he joined a snowboard club and through the school he got to go to a shit ton of different resorts almost everyweekend. There is probably something similar to that but skiing
Jun 25 2009 12:12PM
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Malcolm
Posts: 15951 - Karma: 9,451
yeah there are some pretty close mountains.
Jun 25 2009 1:36PM
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chapz
Posts: 10182 - Karma: 66
nice review steve/

mcgill is a great school, ill be going there in two years hopefully. montreal has an amazing nightlife, you barely get carded. we have a very good public transportation if that worries you, you dont have to be worried if you cant speak french.
others talked about the mountains, so there isnt much. most of quebec had a mad gangster scene with young french thug kids. its not that bad. overall, montreal has some aging areas, but for the most part is very clean and im sure you'll love it. pm me if you have any other questions
Jun 25 2009 1:51PM
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laurence^
Posts: 1575 - Karma: 19

i am an nser going to mcgill

cool story hansel

Aug 25 2009 1:45AM
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mozzy
Posts: 1034 - Karma: 60
McGill is something like the Ivy League of Canada, no? I personally know it for the quality of the medical school, but it pretty much excels in everything.

And the location can't be beat, smack dab in downtown Montreal, which is one of my favorite places in Canada.

Sounds like you can't go wrong, if you can get accepted.
Aug 26 2009 4:16AM
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Lemuel
Posts: 14487 - Karma: 10,635
I am going to UVM as a freshman but my cousin went to Mcgill.  He doesn't ski but it sounds like Avila is close by.  I was looking at Mcgill but I had to take some many extra SAT tests and it was too late to take them when I saw the requirements.  But I don't see what you need a car for.  In Burlington everything is walking distance to downtown.  There are buses that run to the mountains.  You will find people with cars. 
Aug 26 2009 9:29AM
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infedel_one
Posts: 5140 - Karma: 444
YES.FORREST.IS.ON goesn to McGill now as a freshman...kinda wish id gone there
Aug 26 2009 9:34AM
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samwise
Posts: 2592 - Karma: 36
Good luck getting in Chris! Keep those grades up fo sho
Aug 26 2009 10:08AM
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OhMyBosh
Posts: 5056 - Karma: 171
Go to McGill. it is one of the best schools in North America. Youll get a great education, live in a dope city with a drinking age of 18, and have a sick time. Theres hills all around MTL, and Tremblant isnt far.

Dont be an idiot and pass the opportunity up and go to some shitty school out west just so you can ski more.
Aug 26 2009 10:31AM
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VT_FLO
Posts: 3806 - Karma: 147
McGill comes out to around 20k a year IF you're a canadian citizen. Uvm was the same for me, being a vt resident, but If you want any chance of getting into McGill (hardest school in CA to get into) make sure your GPA is above 92, and get involved after school. My friend didn't even get into mcgill with a 92 gpa.

The good thing about McGill is that it's only 40 minutes from Jay Peak, which gets the most snow in the area.


sooo i'm starting at uvm this year haha
Aug 26 2009 12:01PM
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m@tty
Posts: 332 - Karma: 89
McGill most definately does not cost 20K a year if you are a Canadian citizen ...
Aug 26 2009 1:35PM
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Snowgoner
Posts: 5047 - Karma: 964
So you're chosing between UVM and McGill? That's an easy choice: McGill. My dad went there for undergrad and loved it. For reference he went on to go to one of the top Law Schools in the country, and is now a partner in a law firm(claim?). UVM is having huge budget cuts, and is a very overrated and expensive school if you're out of state. McGill is in the top 15 universities in the world, and it's reputation is reffered to as 'The Harvard of Canada'. It's campus is amazing, right on the hill of Montreal. It's right in the city, yet still has a real campus. Montreal is such a cool city, and I will most definitely be applying to go there in a few years. As far as skiing, there's Tremblent, Avila, Bromont, all within 2 1/2 hours away.

McGill is an awesome school, great people, great campus, good skiing, good parties.
Aug 26 2009 2:01PM
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Snowgoner
Posts: 5047 - Karma: 964
There would be no reason to pay out of state to go to UVM, when McGill is cheaper, much better in every aspect, academically being the biggest difference(no hate on UVM at all). McGill also has a great reputation around the world.
Aug 26 2009 2:06PM
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KingofInterwebz
Posts: 152 - Karma: 9
haha im in the same boat im a duel citizen (canada and us) and my parents said they would buy me a car if i went to college in canada
Aug 26 2009 2:49PM
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i.am.a.skier9238
Posts: 65 - Karma: 10
how much americans go to mcgill, good amount or is it mostly foriegn kids
Aug 26 2009 3:35PM
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VT_FLO
Posts: 3806 - Karma: 147
with books and housing it does.
Aug 26 2009 8:05PM
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t_rob
Posts: 6433 - Karma: 11,458
You ski and are from Connecticut? You shall go to UVM.
Aug 26 2009 8:21PM
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chapz
Posts: 10182 - Karma: 66
man, no offense but your information is all wrong.
mcgill is most definitely not the hardest school to get into in all of canada, it costs under 2grand, not 20k....

it all depends on the program youre applying for, 92 gpa? i thought the us based their gpa on 4? so you mean 3.68gpa? im confused.

and jay is not 40 minutes away, unless you drive like a lunatic. itll take you an hour and fifteen minutes on a really good day.

i dont know where your information is coming from, but judging from this post, i can see why youre not going to mcgill.
Aug 26 2009 9:58PM
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summersover
Posts: 5777 - Karma: 233
yes by itself the school is quite cheap but its mostly books, housing and food that will make the price get up around 20 Gs
my sister lives in Montreal and is from Quebec so it costs her about 3-4k a year
Aug 26 2009 10:05PM
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Snowgoner
Posts: 5047 - Karma: 964
I'm not sure of the prices but i think it's a lot more expensive for Americans than Canadians. Also McGill is the best college and Canada, right now slightly better than U of Toronto. But it's a little easier to get into than U of T. But it's getting harder and harder to get into with a reputation on the rise, and way more international students applying.
Aug 26 2009 10:24PM
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currentwestman
Posts: 3292 - Karma: 330
i wouldn't say i'm choosing between UVM and mcgill, these are just two i'm considering.

i've heard more and more good things about mcgill so i'll surely be applying, but its probably a toss up between acceptance and wait listed...ness.

montreal seems awesome plus the NS office is there and IF3 too!  i'd like to get involved in the industry someday i'm hoping this would be a good place to get started and get to know people seeing as its all about knowing people.

btw, i'd probably apply to their engineering school...anyone know if this will help or hurt my chances?
Aug 27 2009 12:18AM
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AMD_5
Posts: 745 - Karma: 15
McGill is an excellent school academically speaking. Its very recognized so if you had the chance to go there, I would.

not sure about the skiing, but Tremblant is like an hour and a half away, or something like that.

but fuck man, you dont go to Uni for the skiing. once you get a nice cushy job, then you can buy a chalet at Whistler and ski all you want :P
Aug 27 2009 12:22AM
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jayo.
Posts: 5015 - Karma: 34
he said in his original post that he is from the US
Aug 27 2009 12:40AM
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TheBigD
Posts: 250 - Karma: 10
McGill is a great school with the best nightlife in canada surrounding it, if someone didn't get in with a 92 the high school they went to probably has a horrible reputation or they were lying about their average. However, Mcgill is the toughest school to get into in canada, with only about 40% of applicants getting in, though it is easier if you are a quebec citizen.

Breakdown of McGill for a canadian citizen.

Tuition: rougly $6000. (2500 for quebec and 14 for international, including americans)
Room+board: From $6000(no food in a more house) - 14000( single in new rez or carrefore)
books: 800

So basically your first year at mcgill will cost between $15500- $22000.
Residence is a one year thing at mcgill(minus like 40 students, generally international who continue to live in residence.)

However... if you downgrade to a part time student and get a job, after 8-12 months (i can't remember) you can apply for quebec residence and your tuition will drop $3500 a year.
Aug 27 2009 12:49AM
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m@tty
Posts: 332 - Karma: 89

Alright, if you include housing, who knows how much the whole "going to school in Montreal" costs. Some of us have to pay housing wether we are in school or not, so I didn`t factor it in. But tuition (just tuition) per year is not 20k for a Canadian citizen. For quebecI residents its cheap, approx $1500 a semester depending on your courseload. I know its more for international students and out of province students but ...

And if your going into engineering I think it might even be easier to get accepted. Word is is that they accept lots of people into that program because so many people drop out; thus they accept lots of students and weed out the ones not willing to put the work in.

Aug 27 2009 7:51AM
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VT_FLO
Posts: 3806 - Karma: 147
mcgill is 2k if you live IN PROVINCE, 10 or 12k base if you don't live in province (too lazy to look it up)

my high school did gpa's by the average numerical score out of 100

yes my friends drive like lunatics.

and my friend that got rejected was going in for premed, but it's ok because he's going to ubc now


Aug 27 2009 11:11AM
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blavallee4
Posts: 360 - Karma: 93

i am from ottawa

the hills are very smal for local hills

parks a bad

but edelweiss park is sick. its the only good one i find.

you could drive uup to tremblant or avila if you want a big ski hill with sick park

althought there is a drive of a little under 2 hours.

its worth it in my opinion

my home hill is tremblant and its really good.

avila is great too but smaller but with more features

Aug 27 2009 11:39AM
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psyduck
Posts: 109 - Karma: 17
i went to mcgill!
true story bro

bronfman high ftw
Aug 27 2009 2:25PM
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J-Evs
Posts: 6387 - Karma: 1,615
bump
thinking about applying there next year
how hard is it to get into.
i maintained a mid 80-low 90 average throughout high school, and do a fair amount of after-school/community work and do three varsity sports(2 of which i am captain)
btw im in the US


Apr 14 2010 10:20PM
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1337
Posts: 31054 - Karma: 29,232
yea i think i am applying next year too, it looks like such a sick school. Will be visiting it thursday of next week and spending the night up in montreal, any NS'ers gonna be around? might hit up the NS office
Apr 14 2010 10:23PM
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OhMyBosh
Posts: 5056 - Karma: 171
If you can get in to McGill you should definitely go for it. Drinking age is 18, its a cool city with good nightlife, and it is one of the best schools in the world.

Although keep in mind youre still going to be skiing in Quebec, which means really fucking cold and icy, and the 'mountains' are more like big hills.
Apr 14 2010 10:29PM
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VCharette
Posts: 4276 - Karma: 1,047
Damn mid 80's- low 90 is fuckin high average. And maybe I'm wrong but I really don't think canadians schools give a fuck if you're a nice kid that does community work and plays in sports. Also Montreal is infested by douchebags/bros other than that it's prett chill.
Apr 14 2010 10:31PM
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chapz
Posts: 10182 - Karma: 66
frig they still haven't got back to me yet. I applied into mechanical and still "ready for review" :(

anyways, to the bump, its a great school. i still dont think it is THE BEST uni in all of canada, but it is most definitely up there. and all of you guys applying, post whether you got in or not. at this point, there could be a shit load of ns'ers attending it.
Apr 14 2010 10:37PM
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Ryan.
Posts: 103 - Karma: 10
thread
Apr 14 2010 10:52PM
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