10 things you should know to survive your first year in McGill (Online Edition)

1. Get used to using “MyCourses”

MyCourses is a web page/ interface that I believe all students use most frequently in McGill. It is where professors post announcements, assignments, course syllabus, course material, lecture recordings as well as your grades. If you used Google Classroom before or anything similar, you might be familiar with this concept. Since it’s a hub for all important info, getting used to it will get you one-step ahead for a smooth start to your first year.

Therefore, I advise you to keep it bookmarked on your search engine. You also have to sign in every time using your McGill email and password, so either always have it ready, or make your search engine remember it for you. It will prompt you to sign in again after some time of inactivity so keep that in mind too.

Another word of advice is to check MyCourses frequently. The big problem with MyCourses is that you do not get any notification when new material is posted. You can only know through the bell icon on the web page, which means if you are not on the page, you will have no idea. I personally had times when I missed an important announcement because of this so BE CAREFUL! Sadly, there is no phone app for MyCourses either. However, if you desperately need to access MyCourses on your phone, you can do so through the McGill app, under the “Courses and Study Room” tab.

** UPDATE!! (Sept 4)**

MyCourses has recently improved it's notification settings! Check out my new post here:

https://maikutsuna.wixsite.com/maimontrealblogs/post/mycourses-notification-settings-finally-improved

2. Keep up with lectures with lecture recordings

With lectures being run remotely this term and students in different time zones, I assume lecture recordings will become the primary learning source for many of you. Lecture recordings can be found on MyCourses in your course page, under the tab “Lecture Recordings”. On the video itself, you can adjust the speed, size as well as for some lectures switch to 2-camera mode where you can see both the presentation and the professor in person. However, this depends on the lecture hall and their set up so not all courses will have this mode.

Another useful feature is that lecture recordings can be downloaded on your computer. Not everyone has stable internet all the time and so it could be a good idea to download the lectures when you can. (I personally have limited Wi-Fi right now so I would often go to a café to download all the lectures so that I can watch it at home anytime.) It can also be useful if you plan to take the plane and want to use your time wisely to catch up with lectures!

Moreover, for those who can watch the lectures live, I believe most lectures will be live streamed through zoom (which you can also access from MyCourses).Please make sure to check in with your professor though, as every professor might have different methods.

3. Fully utilize Minerva

I am sure everyone is used to using Minerva by now, but I added this to the list just to make sure you haven’t missed anything. Minerva not only can be used to register for courses but will also come in handy when you want to drop courses during the “add/drop period”. In the “add/drop courses” section of Minerva, you can easily drop courses with a drop down menu shown next to each of your entered courses. In the same menu, you can also set a course to the S/U option (an option for only your electives in which you can set the grading system to only pass or fail instead of a letter grade. This will also not affect your GPA).

Speaking of courses, it might be a good idea to either print out or screenshot your weekly schedule to keep up with your courses. Many first years even set their schedules as their home screen for their phone! With remote learning, it is much easier to be mixed up with class times so this might be useful.

You can also pay your tuition with Minerva. An “e-bill” is issued every month through the “student accounts menu”. Though you can pay through the bank, many of the main banks are registered to be able to pay through Minerva.

Other useful features:

• For international students you can obtain your International Health Insurance (IHI) card, through the “International Student Health Insurance Coverage Form” menu

• You can order your annual reduced-fare public transit (metro, bus) OPUS card through the “Reduced-fare OPUS card order form” menu. Keep in mind you must be a full-time student!

4. Know about Crowdmark

Some courses might utilize a different platform called “Crowdmark”. This is used only for exams and it is completely separate from MyCourses. Through this platform, students upload their scans or photos of their handwritten answers to the exam, which is checked later by the professor/TAs. Markings are done digitally and are returned to the students through here as well. Last semester, Crowdmark was utilized by exams that require worked out problems like math or science, but with remote learning it might be used more frequently this year. Your grades as well as class averages and the grade curve can be found here too, and in this case, your grades will appear on Crowdmark first, then on MyCourses. (Some professors might just post on Crowdmark)

5. Visual Schedule Builder (VSB)

This could be old news, but McGill’s Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) is handy when it comes to planning your courses. VSB is an online tool, which allows you to select your courses on interest and visually show you how the lectures fit in your weekly schedule. What is great is that it gives you schedule options, which you can easily compare by clicking the arrow under “generated results”, making it easy to create your preferred schedule.

It also contains other neat functions such as:

• whether the course is run in the particular semester

• showing you any course clashes

• how many seats are left ( if full, how many people are in the wait-list)

• where the lecture is held and by who

• letting you highlight the time of the day when you don’t want classes (this way, VSB will prioritize showing results that are best suited to that filter.).

After you have finished creating your schedule, copy the Course Reference Number (CRN) that is shown on the very bottom and paste that into the CRN boxes under the “Add/Drop course section” of Minerva. Take note that you cannot copy paste the whole list of numbers; you must copy paste them one at a time. Also keep in mind even though VSB is reliable, some updated information might not be available there, so always double check with the McGill website and Minerva. Make sure you have ticked the right term before starting your course planning as well (i.e. fall term).

Check it out here: https://vsb.mcgill.ca/vsb/welcome.jsp

6. Be careful with the E-calendar

E-calendar is probably the most confusing yet useful information hub in the McGill website. Firstly, because of its name you might be surprised that it is not a calendar at all but is actually, where McGill “lists programs, courses, and other important information for the […] academic year.” In other words, if you want to look up courses available in your program and all its details, this is the place to go.

Secondly, the other confusion might be caused by the fact that the McGill website keep archives of e-calendars from past academic years. The problem is that when you search for “McGill e-calendar” on Google, you might accidentally be taken to an outdated e-calendar. Course options change every year so it is crucial that you are on the correct year on the e-calendar. A good way to check this is by looking at the description under the title “E-Calendar” saying “Programs, Courses & University Regulations _____”, and verifying it is for the correct year. (i.e. 2020-2021 for this year)

Find the most up-to-date one here: https://www.mcgill.ca/study/2020-2021/

7. Stay on top of events online: Facebook, Listserv and MyInvolvement

Since many students might not be Montreal this year, it is important (especially for first years) to try to engage socially through events. Even if you are in Montreal, these tips will definitely be useful to you too.

The first and most easy way to know what events are going on in McGill as well as Montreal is through Facebook “Events”. A lot of McGill clubs post their events on Facebook and therefore it is one of the fastest ways to find out what is going on.

Secondly is through emails or “listservs”. I assume that McGill will hold an “activities night” (an event in which extracurricular club members hold info booths and explain about their activities in hopes to get people to join) online, so make sure if you are interested in a certain club to sign up to their “listserv” (email newsletters that are sent to all subscribers simultaneously). This way, the club will send you emails notifying you of an event coming soon, or an opportunity of joining a project perhaps.

EDIT: activities night will be held online. Check their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/605774610129854/

Lastly, it is through the “MyInvolvement” website (shown above). This is an online portal provided by McGill, which “showcases workshops, events, volunteer, and other meaningful learning opportunities”. Therefore, this might be more academic, in the sense that it is less like a social event. However, what is great is that some workshops/webinars are recognised as part of your “Co-Curricular record”, which can be a great addition to your CV/resume!

Check it out here: https://involvement.mcgill.ca/

8. Get extra help through Office hours(OH) and Tutorials

credit: FE week

Getting extra help is key to academically surviving your first year of McGill. Different from high school, university lectures are less interactive and so it is hard to keep up with the lecture speed, let alone stop and ask the professor for clarification. This is why it is important to utilize the Office hours (OH) provided by professors and Teaching Assistants (TA). Office hours is a time when the professor is available to answer questions from students outside of lecture time. Since one professor cannot handle all students, teaching assistants (upper year students who are qualified to assist in the teaching/support) also have their own office hours. On campus, these are held at their offices, but this year, I presume it will be held remotely on Zoom. Make sure to keep an eye out for the OH days and time. Another extra help is through tutorials. Tutorials are review sessions lead by a TA, usually held in smaller class allowing for more interaction and slower speed. Especially before exams, TAs may hold exam review sessions, which can be helpful. (I am not sure whether it will be held or how, but hopefully they think of some way!)

For Science students, you might be interested in another study help session provided by the Freshman Rez Cafeteria Tutorials (known as "FRezCa"). Their name comes from the fact that they offer study help in cafeterias for first year students (100 level courses) in maths, physics, biology and chemistry subjects. Since they are many helpers, it less competition than talking to your prof or TA and since they hold their sessions in the cafeteria it is easier to stop by. This year, due to remote learning, they have announced to hold virtual sessions through Microsoft Teams. Highly recommend to check it out!!

Check their Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/mcgillfrezca

9. Make/ enter Facebook groups of your course

credit: single grain

A lot of the time, it’s rare to find a studying pal or group during lectures, and especially with the remote learning in place, it will be harder than ever. This is why joining a Facebook group for your course is important! It might be intimidating at first to randomly join a group chat with strangers, but it actually creates a great environment for everyone to help each other and even collaborate. For example, people can ask questions on a specific problem or clarify what the professor said, or even remind each other of an important exam date. It’s even better if a TA is in the chat, as you can get reliable answers. And yes, you might get a lot of messages especially if has many participants, so I usually keep them muted and use the search tool to find related questions.

If you search on Facebook with your course code (e.g. CHEM204), there is usually an existing group chat, but if you can’t find it, then you can be the one who starts the group! Chances are that other students want to join the community too, so make sure to let others know in the McGill Entering Class page!

(Though I only touched on Facebook, I am sure there are group chats existing on other platforms such as WeChat as well)

10. Understand the new Two-Factor Authentication for signing in

From this year, McGill has implemented a new login system called “Two-Factor Authentication” (2FA). According to the McGill Website, it seems to be a way to “add an additional layer of security to your McGill account” by making the sign-in process two-step. This is a very new system for everyone, as before, we only needed our McGill email and password. But not to worry, this new system is super simple and “It will only be triggered when you are working off campus”. However, since many of us will be off-campus for a while, it is important to know how it works.

What happens after you opt in this system, (follow the steps here https://www.mcgill.ca/2fa/opt-2fa), is that when you sign in, you will need your McGill email and password just as before, but you also need to follow one of two of these 2FA options. (As the name suggests, you cannot sign in by one-step. This means that even if someone got hold of your password, they will be unable to sign in.) You can either do it through an authentication app on your phone, or receive a text message. If you are using the app, all you need to do is click “Approve” to the “Approve sign-in” pop up that will appear on your screen. If you want to use the text option, you will just need to enter the six digit number code that is sent to you on the sign-in page.

A little hustle, but this makes sure that our account is secure! This was a very simple explanation, so check here https://www.mcgill.ca/2fa/ for more information.

---

Only 12 days left before McGill classes restart! Good luck everyone :)

-Mai