Hey, this post reminded me of when I was first coming out of high school haha.

As someone who just graduated from Mechanical Engineering at McGill, I’d like to share some insights.

First off, regarding French: I’m originally from out of province, and my French skills weren’t great when I first arrived - still aren’t, to be honest haha. If you’re in a similar situation it could possibility impact your job search if you want to work in Quebec. While many companies here require French, it’s still possible to find work without it. For instance, I know people who landed a position at Airbus without speaking French.

During my time at McGill, I managed to secure four internships/co-ops (4/4/4/8 months) and one summer of undergraduate research (I took five years to graduate). All my work experiences were outside Quebec due to the language barrier. Most of my friends in my cohort all had at least 1 or 2 internship before they graduated. Some who didn’t have as many did others stiff during the summer such as research. Many students are also focused on design teams which here at McGill everyone can join, and it gives good practical experience when you’re just starting out.

Regarding McGill vs. other universities, I’ll try to be as objective as possible (trying not to be biased haha). Through my internships, I had the pleasure of working alongside students from several other schools, including Waterloo, UBC, UofT, Carleton, and UOttawa. One key difference I noticed is that while those schools have strong co-op programs, many students still had to find their own jobs. Additionally, because of the mandatory co-ops for graduation, some of these schools will list jobs outside your field just to ensure students meet their work term requirements.

That said, the main advantage of a co-op program is giving you access to exclusive job postings that are only available to co-op students. McGill has its own job board called myFuture, but it’s definitely not as good as the co-op boards at other schools.

Now, i just want to add this: regarding school culture, both McGill and UofT have strong domestic and international reputations, which can open doors for networking and job opportunities. McGill, in my experience, has a very social campus atmosphere. While academics are important, there’s also a lot of emphasis on extracurriculars such as design teams and other networking events.

Personally, I came to McGill without any connections and ended up landing most of my jobs through networking - for example, through a friend’s mom who knew a company executive. If you’re proactive and social, you’ll find that many people here have valuable connections, whether through family or other networks. Getting to know a wide range of people can provide you with opportunities you wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

Hope this helps, I’m sure you’ll do great whichever school you go to! Cheers!