My Exchange at McGill University
I went on exchange to McGill University in Montreal, Canada in their Winter semester!
Although I am studying a Commerce/Global Studies conjoint, I chose to study four Commerce courses at McGill, which meant that I was doing all my classes at the Desautels Faculty of Management! I did two stage 3 finance courses and two stage 3 marketing courses. Organising these courses was a bit difficult at first as it meant liasing with both UOA and McGill. I found the difficulty level quite similar to that of UOA, however McGill had in-person tests and exams which were a bit difficult to get used to at first! Another key difference I found is that McGill placed a lot of emphasis on group projects, ¾ of my classes had semester-long group projects!
I lived at 3653 Rue University which is a McGill university accommodation. I liked it because it was a great location- right in the university, and it was exchange student only, making it very easy to meet people. I also had friends who subletted from McGill University students that had gone away on exchange- both are good options in my opinion.
Montreal’s winter was super different to anything I’d ever experienced before. It would snow regularly in January and February, and one day it even fell to -35 degrees! The cold was easier to manage than I expected it would be- the buildings are much warmer than in New Zealand but a good puffer jacket, layers and boots were definitely needed. As someone who had never really experienced falling snow, I found the experience very exciting and fun! The weather in Montreal meant that we got to do so many wintery activities such as sledding, ice skating and skiing!
I also did some fun trips while I was in Montreal! I went to Quebec City, a cabane sucre, Mount Tremblant, Ottawa and Vermont for day trips. Some of these were organised by the McGill associations while others were not! We ended up hiring a car for some of these trips which worked out to be quite affordable with a full car. Over reading break, I went to Toronto for a few nights and also went skiing at Mt Orford! After my exchange, I travelled to NYC, Philly and DC.
My semester at McGill was an amazing, unforgettable experience. I met so many great friends from all over the world and had so much fun discovering Montreal!
Q&A
What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?
McGill’s classes were very small in comparison to UOA- around 20-30 people in each of my classes. This made the learning experience enjoyable for me as I was able to get to know my classmates and my lecturer. Lectures often were discussion-based based which I liked!
McGill also had many presentations- 3/4 of my classes included at least one presentation. It was fun to be able to get out of my comfort zone and present my findings to my class.
Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?
I would definitely say to take advantage of the cold weather!
There are many ski slopes around Montreal and it was very fun to try skiing for the first time! You can drive, take public transport or go through one of McGill’s clubs!
Ice skating was also super fun- there are so many locations to ice skate outside in Montreal. I liked going to Old Port and Beaver Lake.
My friends and I bought cheap sleds that we used on Mount Royal. This was another cool winter activity that I loved doing!
What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?
1. Bring the right clothing/footwear! Canada is super cold and it is important to be fully prepared to enjoy your experience to the fullest
2. Go to all the orientation events: I met so many of my friends through these events, it’s an easy way to meet people!
3. If possible, wait to book your flight home- plans will come up and you might decide to travel after you exchange!
How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?
I would say rent is quite similar or even lower than Auckland pricing, groceries are relatively similar and eating out/drinking can be a bit more. However, I would recommend budgeting more than you do in Auckland because you end up doing more trips and going out more than you usually would at home!
What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?
I thought it was very interesting to compare the similarities and differences of different cultures; not only between New Zealand and Canada but also with friends I had made on exchange from different parts of the world. There were so many similarities but many differences too.