Additional Montreal options for college students

For Francophone students or those wishing to perfect their language skills in the second-largest French-speaking city in the world, Montreal offers two French universities: Université de Montréal and Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Just like McGill sits on a hill and Concordia on a busy street corner, so do U de M and UQAM. Though quite large and spread-out, Université de Montréal’s main campus sits atop a hill overlooking the city. Home to the highly regarded H.E.C. (Hautes Études Commerciales) for those majoring in business, or thePolytechnique for future engineers, it also offers an in-demand school of dentistry and the only criminology program in the city. Accessible by metro line or a hike up from the aforementioned Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood and its restaurants, cafés and outdoor market.

UQAM, with its main campus at the corner of Ste-Catherine and St-Denis Streets, is as urban as they come. More “artsy” than its French counterpart, it is home to an important communications program. Steps from the Latin Quarter, Gay Village, cinemas, shops, bars and restaurants, it is a worthy introduction to all the city has to offer.

Another option for students in Quebec are CEGEPs, which stands for “Collège d’Enseignement Général et Professionnel” (college for general and vocational studies). As Quebec high school students graduate in grade 11, CEGEPs (which are government-funded, public colleges) are meant as a stepping-stone to university. Though many opt for a two-year pre-university program (such as health sciences, languages or visual arts - available in all CEGEPs), three-year professional programs are also available in a number of fields (from nursing to social work, laboratory technician to photography – vary from school to school).

There are over twenty CEGEPs in Montreal and surrounding areas, including five in English, plus the bilingual National Theatre School and private Lasalle College. While the universities are reasonably within the downtown core, the colleges are spread out over the entire island of Montreal. A quick glance at the English options:

• Bordering Westmount and downtown, Dawson College is the largest Montreal college. Occupying an entire city block, it is home to 10,000 day and evening students enrolled in 50 different fields. Residing in the old motherhouse of the Notre-Dame congregation, it became the first English CEGEP when it opened its doors in 1969.
• Up the hill from Dawson, you will find Marianopolis College, known as the school where all the smart kids go. Also once affiliated with the Notre-Dame congregation, it was established as the Notre-Dame Ladies College in 1908. A bilingual college, it was the first institution of higher learning for English Catholic women in Quebec. It admitted its first male students in 1969 and became a CEGEP in 1972. It is home to 1800 students.
• The borough of Ville St-Laurent is home Vanier College, Montreal’s second largest English-language CEGEP with 6000 students. Founded in 1970, its sprawling campus lies in a widely residential area, yet minutes from a busy bus and metro terminal.
• On the westernmost tip of the island of Montreal, in the quaint town of Ste.Anne.de.Bellevue, you will find John-Abbott College. Adjacent to McGill’s MacDonald campus and located on even more sprawling grounds, “Abbott”, as it is called, welcomes 5700 day and 2000 evening students. Also founded in 1970, it is accessible by bus or commuter train though many choose to live in the student-friendly town, with its student-friendly nightlife. Abbott is home to two of the most popular English-language programs in the province: theatre and police technology.
• Finally, on the South Shore of Montreal, is Champlain College. Opened in 1972 and completed in 1976, it currently has 2700 students but is gaining in popularity. Proximity to a metro station and increasingly convenient public transit on the South Shore has made Champlain a desirable alternative for students seeking a more intimate English college.

A final collegial alternative for students in Montreal are private colleges, which offer a multitude of one-to-three-year programs designed to prepare students for the job market. So what is the difference between a public and private college? On the plus side, private colleges offer only career programs, allowing for a greater number of and more varied options (the only exception is Lasalle College, which also offers the two-year social sciences option). On the down side, one word: tuition. While public colleges benefit from government funding which keeps fees relatively low, private colleges are on their own. That being said, these colleges are numerous and, no doubt thanks to financial aid, enrollment is booming. A few options (and some of their programs):

• Lasalle College – Fashion design & marketing, hotel management, computer technology
• O’Sullivan College – International trade, paralegal technology, medical records
• Trebas Institute – Sound design, music business administration, film & television production
• Herzing College – Programmer analyst, marketing & sales, 3D animation
• April-Fortier College – “a travel school” teaching all aspects of the industry

All of these are located within the downtown area.