I Made A Breakdown Of ALL McGill Dorms So You Don’t Have To !
- mai kutsuna
- Jul 25, 2020
- 14 min read
Updated: Jul 25, 2020
Researching about McGill dorms can be a real pain. The McGill official website is too optimistic and real feedback from students are often too biased or outdated. It's also very hard to sort out all the information and ultimately decide which dorm you like. I went through this struggle too. Why am I putting this much time in this?!! I don't want you to waste your time like I did. SO, I put ALL the information you need and summarized it in one place for you!! You can thank me later :)
Contents
Dorms and Location on the Map
Information provided in this breakdown
Hotel Style Dorms
+ La Citadelle
+ Carrefour Sherbrook
+ New Residence
Traditional Style Dorms
+ Royal Victoria College
+ University Hall
+ Douglas Hall
+ Upper Residence
- McConnel
- Gardener
- Molson
Apartment Style Dorm
+ Solin Hall
Dorms and Location on the Map
Hotel style (purple)
1) La Citadelle
2) Carrefour Sherbrook
3) New Residence
Traditional style (yellow)
4) Royal Victoria College
5) University Hall
6) Douglas Hall (Douglas)
7) Upper Residence:
McConnel, Molson and Gardner
Apartment style (blue)
8) Solin hall
Note:
The black square of the map on the right represents the Main Campus Map above. Hopefully this gives you an idea how further Solin is located compared to other dorms.
Information provided in this breakdown
For every dorm, I have provided the information below:
Name of Dorm ("Nickname")
Proximity to campus (setting the Arts building as end point)
Number of students + Number of floors
Room types available
Rent cost (Monthly, min to max) **
On Residence ("on rez") cafeteria available?
How new? (scale 1-5, 5 as newest)
Dorm personality
Notable facilities
My Impression
"quoted and italic" parts are answered provided by first year students who stayed in the dorms (2019-2020). Thank you for those who helped me by providing information!
Not all their answers fit in this blog so I made another blog dedicated to just first year student's "overall impression" of their dorm: COMING SOON!
**For more detailed rent cost for each dorm and each room type visit: https://www.mcgill.ca/students/housing/fees-applying/undergrad-downtown-fees
LETS START!
Hotel Style Dorms
La Citadelle (" La Cit")
•Proximity to Campus
10-15 min
“If I were really in a rush to catch a lecture then I would speed-walk there in less than 10 minutes LOL.”
• Number of Students
Around 288 students, up to 26th floor
• Room Types Available
Single, Double, Large double
• Rent Cost
$1397 - 1599
• On-Rez Cafeteria?
No. Just a small shop.
• How New?
5
“It’s a very new building!”
• Dorm Personality
“If I had to stereotype la cit in one word, I would say "studious" or "introverted".
• Notable Facilities
“Lounge on the 1st floor, Small Café on the 1st floor, Study Room on the 2nd floor, Gym on the 26th floor, Common Room on the 26th floor, BEAUTIFUL KITCHEN on the 26th floor!”
• My Impression
Located right across the street from C4, I had the impression that this dorm was super new and modern. Compared to C4, the building is built in a pretty narrow space. The view from the top floor where there is a big chill room and kitchen was great. It’s sad that they don’t have a proper cafeteria though; it must be a pain to have to leave the building to get a meal.
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Carrefour Sherbrook (" C4")
• Proximity to campus
8-12 min
• Number of Students
around 300, up to 20th floor
• Room Types Available
single, double, large double, super large double (rare)
• Rent Cost
$1325 - $1518
• On-Rez Cafeteria?
YES, small but has a burrito place in cafeteria “Quesada” too
• How New?
2-4
“it feels like an hotel from the 90s”
“the style of the hallways/walls/lighting fixtures were pretty outdated, especially compared to new res or citadelle. there weren't that many big issues that came w it though, so it was alright.”
• Dorm Personality
Studious, next to music building so a couple of music students, didn’t form major community since people generally were independent kept to themselves
“Same as your friend, i felt like there was no rez life at C4”
“dorm personality leaned towards less social. it's ideal for someone like me who values personal space/alone time and quiet evening to study. i do think that sometimes it could get lonely especially for extroverts who thrive in social settings, but its definitely doable to make the experience more social if you want it to be. i tried to get the social/quiet balance that worked for me and i was satisfied w my first year.”
• Notable Facilities
Starbucks by the lobby, front desk, 3 elevators, games room (with electric piano) , small gym, common room (with microwave and laundry facilities) on every 2 floors, study room on the 20th floor
“…prob one of the best rez study room on the top floor”
• My Impression
I stayed in C4 for my first year. I really appreciated the fact that we had a cafeteria on rez as well as a study room. The cafeteria is not the best though. Rooms look pretty shabby with a carpeted floor that everyone disliked but by decorating it is not that bad. I loved how it came with a bathtub. Sadly, not kitchen on rez just a microwave so not much cooking can be done. Location was great; pretty close to campus and Provigo supermarket. Also, there is a music library next door which was great during midterm season.
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New Residence Hall ("New Rez")
• Proximity to campus
10-15min
“2-3 minutes to get out of New Rez and down the elevators, 7-10 minutes to walk to the Arts building (5 minutes if you’re running)”
• Number of Students
744 students (most students among hotel dorms)
"16 floors (fun fact - there is no 13th floor), so really only 15 floors.”
• Room Types Available
Single, double, large double
• Rent Cost
$1397- 1599
• On-Rez Cafeteria?
Yes, pretty small but decent.
• How New?
4
“4, they recently did renovations to the common areas and kitchen.”
“It’s pretty new so maybe a 4. I was on floor 15 so we had a newly renovated kitchen on our floor. That was really nice for baking or cooking.”
• Dorm Personality
“super friendly and lively. Mostly international students, always a pre going on one of the floors. During exams people were respectful and quite though.”
“It was such a melting pot there’s really no way to classify it as one personality. I liked this aspect because it means you have a wider range of people to choose from. However, the floors aren’t super social with one another especially later into the year. People are really outgoing in the first 6 weeks and then after that everyone kind of retreats to their rooms.”
• Notable Facilities
Connected to underground mall which has a supermarket, dollar store, pharmacy and movie theater.
Has a bakery on the 1st floor. Large fancy lobby with a piano, TV lounges, study rooms.
"small gym, games room, laundry on 3 floors, kitchens or kitchen units on multiple floors, ballroom, cafeteria, study rooms”
“This took me an entire semester to figure out but there is in fact a gym on the second floor. You have to go down to the front desk to grab a key. It has two treadmills, two ellipticals, weights and floor space to do you thing. It’s by no means a full gym but it does the job well especially if you don’t want to venture outside to the school gym.”
• My Impression
Their entrance way and lobby screams classy hotel. They even have a front desk which is like a check in counter. New rez has 2 or 3 ballrooms on the bottom floor so many events are prone take place here (for example information workshops on how to find an apartment, job fairs). The best thing about new rez that I envied, was the access to the underground mall. It is not a big mall but has everything you need; many McGill students go grocery shopping there. I did hear from my friend though that since it is really hotel-like and because there is a lot of students in the dorm, it didn’t feel very homey for them. They said it was more like a place they go back to sleep.
Traditional Style Dorms
Royal Victoria College ("RVC")
• Proximity to campus
5-8 min
• Number of Students
266 students total
RVC tower (Mixed gender ) has 12 floors
West Wing (Only female) has 5 floors
• Room Types Available
Single, double, small double, single adjoining room, single with full bathroom
“It’s mostly single. Double is mostly in the West Wing. There is also a triple room in the tower. The biggest double room has a fireplace. Pretty fancy!”
• Rent Cost
$1242 - 1447
• On-Rez Cafeteria?
Yes. Pretty big and has variety.
• How New?
2-3
“Tower is maybe 2.5? The room is small but for west wing I love it it’s bigger and I will say 3.5”
• Dorm Personality
“Play hard, study hard type. I personally feel like RVC is one of the best dorms to make friends”
• Notable Facilities
Study room, group conference room, TV room, aerobics room, shared kitchen, fancy salon room (events take place there) , small exercise room (basement, has running machines.. etc)
Washroom is shared and is centrally located on each floor
A Vietnamese fast food restaurant near the cafeteria “Vihn’s Café”
Connected directly to the Music Building and Music Library
• My Impression
Hands down the best cafeteria in all dorms. Had the most variety and I especially loved the pasta and pizza counter where they actually cook the food right in front of you. Very close to campus and have a classy ballroom. It’s also useful that it had the Vietnamese restaurant (cheap and good pho!) and music library connected! The only thing is that the building seems pretty old and so I assumed that room must reflect that too. It’s also a traditional dorm style so… shared bathrooms!
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University Hall ("Uni Hall")
• Proximity to campus
1- 5 min
“5 if I walked… 2 if I ran. Did i tell you the time i woke up at 8:35 and arrived at my 8:30 lecture in Leacock at 8:38?”
• Number of Students
40 rooms with 45 students, 4 floors: 2 floors as dorms
“the first floor has about 10 rooms, and the second floor has about 20”
“basement is lounge/ gamesroom/ study room, main floor is comprised of offices & the 2nd & third are the actual dorms”
• Room Types Available
Single, Double
• Rent Cost
$1115- 1213
• On-Rez Cafeteria?
No.
• How New?
1-1.5
“it’s a historic building (used to be a theological college so definitely 1 lol). that being said it’s honestly so gorgeous, brick courtyard, stained glass windows, wood floors etc”
“uni hall is probably the oldest mcgill rez (don’t quote me on that one though), but don’t get me wrong, living in a converted church/theological college residence has its own lil charm”
“the fact that the building is so old gives it a lot of character and homey vibe”
• Dorm Personality
“a pretty mixed bag actually! I think uni hall’s “personality” differs from year to year. […] (personality is ) ‘balanced’: on a Friday night, you’d find people studying in their rooms, playing board games together, or getting ready to go out in equal measure”
“big camp vibes- everyone was just very relaxed and warm and it was easy to get to know people. That being said there seemed to be a bit of a divide my year and the other floor seemed a lot more reserved and studious.”
“Studious, calm but also social. Not big partiers but still social, wanting a community from their res experience”
• Notable Facilities
“two common rooms (one with a pool table, a tv, and couches, the other with desks and chairs), a laundry room with two washers and two dryers, a full-sized kitchen on each floor (!!! a rarity in mcgill residences), gender-neutral washrooms”
“[…] and a study room. i wouldnt go to unihall if you want lots of facilities”
• My Impression
Never been inside, but had the impression that the dorm was located very close to campus if not closest. It is right on “university street” which as the name suggests is one of the main streets that students walk to get to class. I imagine that it might be unsettling though to be that close to campus. I also know that it is rare to know someone that is in uni hall, due its small dorm capacity. This way, I believe tight nit communities can be easily formed which is harder in hotel style dorms. Sadly, it is pretty far from shopping areas though.
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Douglas Hall ("Doug")
• Proximity to campus
10-15 min
“About 10 minutes, but I knew some guys who could get there in 7 to make it to class on time.”
• Number of Students
179 students in 3-4 floors
• Room Types Available
Single, large single, double
• Rent Cost
$1302 - 1492
• On-Rez Cafeteria?
Yes. Known to be a “Harry-Potter” interior.
• How New?
2
“2 - it is the oldest rez !”
“My guess is a 2, but this is part of its charm.”
• Dorm Personality
“It was awesome, felt like a small community and there was good vibes overall. You really get to know people there”
“Extremely nice with a desire to form a strong community. Doug kids are dedicated to their studies, yet still make time to balance a healthy social life with extra curricular activities. Doug is like that kid in high school that you look at and think, "how do they do all of this??", which pushes you to do better yourself.”
• Notable Facilities
“there was a tv room, party room, dining hall, ball room, library”
• My Impression
Only been inside once so it’s hard to say, but the building itself gives off a different aura compared to the so called “Upper rez” trio. It’s located a bit lower than the trio and looks older. The interior is also pretty old fashioned with chandeliers, and wooden carpeted stair cases. Sadly I was not able to see the rooms but visiting the ballroom it seems pretty fancy. However, the hill to the dorms with the slippery ice was terrifying; I definitely slipped on the way. Also, I personally never understood how to enter this dorm properly…
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Upper Residence ("Upper Rez")
• My Impression ( since they are all collectively treated as “Upper Rez” I will write one impression for all three)
I visited Gardner and the BMH cafeteria once. I obviously felt that the hill was such a pain and to imagine people have to go through that everyday is unbelievable, especially in the winter. But because it is so far away from the buzz, it seemed like a small residential area on its own. The soccer field nearby and a collective BMH cafeteria really emphasised that. The rooms though was shockingly small to me. Could be because my room in C4 was super big, but there was barely space to move around the room. The small single bed right next to your desk and fridge. It’s basically what you would expect when you imagine “dorm”. The place seemed very social though; people would keep their doors open and were open to socialise. Personally, I like some privacy so it might have been too much for me. The mixed gender bathrooms that are located by the hallway was also pretty…”communal”. Compared to the luxury of having my own bathroom in C4 it is a BIG difference. I feel like you would have to see someone all the time. Which is great but I guess it depends on how outgoing you are. The BMH cafeteria was pretty nice! They had variety and the view was nice. Since upper rez is right near Mont Royal it also seemed more greener than dorms near the city.
The three Upper Residence dorms are pretty similar in terms of the building, but since I wanted to include insights from students who stayed there I made 3 separate breakdowns below.
McConnel
• Proximity to campus
5-15 min
“About 5 min down the hill- close but walking up the hill after class took some getting used to”
• Number of Students
224 students in 7 floors
• Room Types Available
Single, Basement single, Basement double
• Rent Cost
$970 - 1219
• On-Rez Cafeteria?
No, but BMH(Bishop Mountain Hall) cafeteria located nearby shared by all upper dorms.
• How New?
1 – 1.5
“1 - it was old but that made it more homey”
• Dorm Personality
“Mcconnell was very friendly, inclusive and fun. Different floors had different vibes - my floor was quiet but if I went to a different floor it was loud all the time w people going out all the time”
• Notable Facilities
“Ping pong table, common area where people would pre for clubs, a common room w couches where ppl would study together, designated study room”
Gardener
• Proximity to campus
5-15min
“It took about 10-15 min, really depends on how snowy it is, how fast u walk, and if you get the green light to cross the street . Ok sure it's up the hill which can seem hard at first but you really get used to it, it makes a nice workout for strong legs hahaha plus you get an amazing view”
• Number of Students
219 students in 7 floors
• Room Types Available
Single, Double, Basement Single
• Rent Cost
$1054 - 1219
• On-Rez Cafeteria?
No, but BMH(Bishop Mountain Hall) cafeteria located nearby shared by all upper dorms.
“you have to go outside a bit but it's just for like a minute so it's fine, only annoying thing is that if you're in Gardner, there's a back door but it's sometimes closed to get in so you have to go around which is pretty annoying. Nevertheless to go out of the caf to Garnder the side door is always open.”
• How New?
2-3
“Like def older than c4/la cit/ new Rez but a lot more recent than Douglas.”
• Dorm Personality
“definitely party people, mostly Americans or anglophone canadiens (like u see their vibe). Of course there are always people to hang out with if u just want to stay in and chill/study but u can also usually find people going out. When I was choosing I was told it's pretty balanced but I'd really say that mostly people go out unless it's exam period.”
• Notable Facilities
“we had a games room, study room, TV room, chill room (haha has no name just like couch, coffee table, piano...), Laundry room, bedrooms and bathrooms.
Note for those uncomfortable: although there are 6 showers on each floor, only two lock, otherwise it's a curtain which in my opinion is fine, like never heard anyone having a problem with it”
Molson
• Proximity to campus
5-15min
“5 minutes walking quickly”
• Number of Students
219 students in 7 floors
• Room Types Available
Single, Double, Basement Single
• Rent Cost
$1054-1219
• On-Rez Cafeteria?
No, but BMH(Bishop Mountain Hall) cafeteria located nearby shared by all upper dorms.
• How New?
3
• Dorm Personality
“homy vibe, welcoming, family stuff, hellah fun”
• Notable Facilities
TV room, study room, games room
Apartment Style Dorms
Solin Hall ("Solin")
• Proximity to campus
15-20min
“3,5 mins waiting for metro/7 mins on metro/8,10 mins to walk from metro to Arts building”
“15-20 minutes, regardless of whether I biked to school or took the metro.”
• Number of Students
280 students
“there are 2 buildings:
+ main building (bigger but older, smaller rooms, 6 floors)
+ Annex building (newer, rooms tend to be bigger, 3 floors)
+ A cool basement that connect 2 buildings”
• Room Types Available
Petite Single, Small Single, Regular Single, Large Single, Grande Single, Double, Small studio, Large studio
• Rent Cost
$847 - 1234
• On-Rez Cafeteria?
No.
• How New?
2-4
“it’s a fairly old residence, but they’ve done routine renovations/maintenance that embraces a bit of a modern charm.”
“ Main building a 2, Annex building a 4”
• Dorm Personality
“a bit abstract; the first word that comes to mind would be unorthodox, but with an emphasis on being a bit quirky. Regardless, I genuinely believe it could appeal to anyone who goes there (and is willing to get over the metro stigma - a huge advantage in my eyes), as it’s a pretty active and well-knit residence. For further context, I’m not much of a partier and I absolutely loved my time there; the relations and people I met were incredible!”
“People are very friendly and nice. Since we are the only dorm that is further from mcgill we kind of have a bubble community in Solin. Bc we have a kitchen at each apartment, we usually have pot luck party where we cook and bring our food to share with others. There is also a garden between 2 building that you usually see people hanging out there and sometimes having BBQ.”
• Notable Facilities
Kitchen, living room, dining room, computer lab, and study room
“Basement (gameroom, TV, gym) and definitely the backyard”
• My Impression
Sadly I didn’t have the opportunity to visit so my impression would be limited.
I used to label this dorm as the “furthest one that needs a metro” with a negative connotation. In some ways I think it is true that having to take the metro to get to class is a hustle and as a person who can’t wake up in the mornings, I would not have managed it. But one thing I did not imagine regretting was not getting to know the city as much in my first year. I didn’t have to use the Metro or really leave the McGill bubble so it didn’t feel like I was living in Montreal, more like in the campus. So I think students of Solin will be not only more independent (like cooking for themselves, riding the metro) but more equipped to get around the city, which is a great advantage in my opinion. So many of my friends who live near the campus have no clue where to go or perhaps how and it was the same for me too.
If you are an incoming student, hopefully this was useful. Sadly I could only write about dorms in the downtown campus, but know that there are dorms in the McDonald campus as well. A lot of information here was curated from the McGill website so make sure to check HERE for more details. I plan to make a couple of more posts regarding dorms so make sure to check them out:
Feedback of McGill dorms, by students who actually stayed there!!:
COMING SOON
If you are a returning McGill student and reading this, and feel like you can provide your insight of the dorm you stayed, you are more than welcome to contact me! Obviously I tried to make the feedback's as unbiased as possible, but not many people sent negative experiences. This could mean everyone loved McGill dorms, but it might be that I ended up just asking from positive minded people. So really any HONEST feedback is welcome :))
Anyways, thanks for reading <3
Mai
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