Some questions about Montreal (rent, transfer, schools)

[joe143]

Hey everyone. Im a college student who is considering transfering to Montreal. Id love to go to nyc, buts its tooo damn pricy. Colleges and rent seem to be cheaper in Montreal. I got a few questions about the city, ive been to Canada a lot but never there. What is the attitude towards americans like there? How about crime, is it much of a problem?

[Sgoldie]

First question is do you speak French? Montreal is in the French speaking part of Canada.

[joe143]

no french, from what ive heard its a mix of english and french. If i moved there id have the intention of learning the language

[Sgoldie]

Have you checked to see if classes are in English? I'm assuming since the predominate language there is French, that they aren't.

[Ocuri]

Originally Posted by Sgoldie

Have you checked to see if classes are in English? I'm assuming since the predominate language there is French, that they aren't.

I'm assuming he would want to attend McGill university or Concordia which are both english-speaking universities.

[joe143]

the two schools ive been looking at are Mcgills and HEC both of which teach in english. My mothers from canada so i do have some background there and she speaks fluent french so i do have someone to learn from

[Ocuri]

joe143, before going in there blindly, the tuition rates are different for students coming from outside the province. The tuition rates for Quebec are the lowest in the country, but could be considerably higher for an out-of-province or out-of-country student.

Unless of course you were born in Quebec, then that will factor in favorably for you.

[mels]

I have never encountered any hostility towards Americans in Montreal. Like any place you will get a handful of people who use broad stereotypes against you but there is no escaping that anywhere you go in the world. I find it to be a relatively safe city, but like in any urban area you need to use basic street smarts. Not speaking French won't hinder you, especially since you would go to an English speaking university. As long as you go in knowing some basic French phrases you'll be fine. Most people do speak English but it is always nice to learn some basic phrases until you get a better grasp of the language.

[Moth]

Montreal is a great place. Lots of fun. While you can get by without French there, I would attempt to learn it were I to live there as oppossed to visiting. I do not speak much French beyond some basic phrases. But French speakers have told me that Quebecois is hard to understand by other French speakers, although I assume they can circumvent that with some effort.

Anyway, I have been there many, many times and its a real cosmopolitan place.

[barneyg]

Originally Posted by Moth

But French speakers have told me that Quebecois is hard to understand by other French speakers, although I assume they can circumvent that with some effort.

An analogy would be English as spoken in the UK (say London) compared to American English. Some Americans find it "hard to understand". Is it really?