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My son was just awarded a scholarship to attend Concordia University for a year. We are all excited for him, however none of us have ever visited Montreal. As a father I was hoping to help him get some information that will help his transition and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Are there apartments near Concordia, or is it a downtown college?
How long can someone have a NY registered car in Canada?
Is the cost of food more expensive there then in upstate NY?
Is it difficult to drive around the city of Montreal (if you've ever visited Boston you would know what I'm talking about)?
Why does beer cost so much in Canada (that's his question, not mine)?
What is the night life like in the city?
Does the city have distinctive neighborhoods (ethnically)?
What parts of the city should be avoided at all costs (drug and criminal activity)?
Lastly, how long does it usually take to clear Canadian customs and immigration if we are driving up the NYS Thruway?
Thanks in advance for any information.
My son was just awarded a scholarship to attend Concordia University for a year. We are all excited for him, however none of us have ever visited Montreal. As a father I was hoping to help him get some information that will help his transition and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Are there apartments near Concordia, or is it a downtown college?
How long can someone have a NY registered car in Canada?
Is the cost of food more expensive there then in upstate NY?
Is it difficult to drive around the city of Montreal (if you've ever visited Boston you would know what I'm talking about)?
Why does beer cost so much in Canada (that's his question, not mine)?
What is the night life like in the city?
Does the city have distinctive neighborhoods (ethnically)?
What parts of the city should be avoided at all costs (drug and criminal activity)?
Lastly, how long does it usually take to clear Canadian customs and immigration if we are driving up the NYS Thruway?
Thanks in advance for any information.
Concordia is about as down as you can get.
Highrise Apartments abound in the area, how much were you thinking of paying for lodging? Craigslist Montreal would give you a good idea of whats out there and how much.
Not sure about the car but it wont be needed as buses and subways go almost anywhere and the car will just become an expensive albatross,rent a car if the need to leave town arises.
Driving around town would be similar to driving around Boston.
Beer runs anywhere from $8-$12 for a 6pac and taxes are what makes it expensive, taxes are high all over Canada.
Yes the city does have diverse neighborhoods all over, but i cant think of any neighborhoods to avoid,perhaps a couple of streets can be suspect.
As the student will be staying in Canada for a while you will be directed inside for further questioning at the border and a check of all relevant papers pertaining to the legality of his stay in Canada will be reviewed, i have no idea what papers will be required for the student but on your return to the USA a passport is Mandatory..
And beer is substantially more expensive due to taxes. But... in Quebec the drinking age is 18..
Customs.. Studying in Canada: Study permits - Arriving. Keep in mind that these are the rules for entering Canada.. To return to the US you will all need US passports or enhanced drivers licenses.
My son was just awarded a scholarship to attend Concordia University for a year. We are all excited for him, however none of us have ever visited Montreal. As a father I was hoping to help him get some information that will help his transition and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Are there apartments near Concordia, or is it a downtown college?
How long can someone have a NY registered car in Canada?
Is the cost of food more expensive there then in upstate NY?
Is it difficult to drive around the city of Montreal (if you've ever visited Boston you would know what I'm talking about)?
Why does beer cost so much in Canada (that's his question, not mine)?
What is the night life like in the city?
Does the city have distinctive neighborhoods (ethnically)?
What parts of the city should be avoided at all costs (drug and criminal activity)?
Lastly, how long does it usually take to clear Canadian customs and immigration if we are driving up the NYS Thruway?
Thanks in advance for any information.
There are apartments right near Concordia which is right in the heart of the city, although there are two campuses. Agreed on the car thing, Montreal's core is compact, populated, and has an extremely good public transportation system, but it might be nice to have. It's fairly tough to drive around the city core, but it's not that bad, certainly doable. I've never been to Boston, but it's not as bad as NYC or anything. Still, it's clearly designed for public transit or walking. There are ethnic neighbourhoods to a degree. The suburbs to the West are predominantly Anglophone Quebecois and the suburbs to the East are predominantly Francophone Quebecois while the city itself, in the middle, has a mixed population. French, of course, is the language of the public sphere outside of Anglo institutions like Concordia, but your son should be able to get by, many Americans come for their studies and get by fine. The population grows more immigrant in nature the farther North one goes. Cote-des-Neiges is an established Jewish majority area and St-Leonard and environs is traditionally Italian in character. Park Extension Neighbourhood has a long been home to new immigrants and at present the area is mostly Indian and Chinese.
The Night Life in Montreal is legendary. Montreal's huge for public festivals, mostly in the summer but the winter has some great ones to. We've got every kind of club, pub, jazz bar, weird out there bar you can imagine. The night life is, I will repeat, most excellent.
Neighbourhoods to be avoided. Montreal isn't as wealthy a city as it once was, but because of the social fabric of the place I can't say there's really any such thing as horrible a ghetto. There's certainly street gangs and poorer, working class neighbourhoods, but i'm not particularly afraid when I go into one of them. Little Burgundy and Montreal North stick out as the high crime neighbourhoods, but we're not talking about Detroit or Compton.
Last, food might be a little pricier but not appreciably. The cost of living, especially where rent is concerned, is not too high in Montreal because the French language deters many who would otherwise move to a similar, English North American city. Their loss, your win. You get big bang for your buck.
There are apartments right near Concordia which is right in the heart of the city, although there are two campuses.
Good info BIMBAM.
the other Concordia campus is Loyola at the western end of NDG and there are shuttle buses running between the two campuses most of the day and evening.
Any Montreal neighborhood where you are close to a Metro/Subway station will have you at the downtown Concordia campus in less than 15 minutes so when looking for lodging proximity to a metro station would be an important factor for the transportation convenience.
Good info BIMBAM.
the other Concordia campus is Loyola at the western end of NDG and there are shuttle buses running between the two campuses most of the day and evening.
Any Montreal neighborhood where you are close to a Metro/Subway station will have you at the downtown Concordia campus in less than 15 minutes so when looking for lodging proximity to a metro station would be an important factor for the transportation convenience.
Good point, I should have mentioned that. In my humble opinion, the Plateau Mont Royal is an excellent neighbourhood for a student and near lots of Metros. It's humming, hip, not too expensive, and has an amazing artistic scene. If I were him I'd live there, although I must admit, it's a little less English than the are near Concordia. I don't really see that as too much of a problem though.
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