Class of 2021 Sharing – Jessica TAYLOR

Hello, I’m Jessica Taylor and I am a Psychology major at McGill University. I think the transition from high school to university was a difficult one, particularly when moving to a different country. The lived experience of moving away from friends and family, as well as experiencing somewhere very different than where I grew up was more challenging than I thought it would be, and I had to become a lot more independent in this process. Therefore, I would say that the hardest part of studying at McGill wasn’t to do with the university itself but missing people back home and missing Hong Kong itself. Making new friends has helped with this process a lot, and I think it’s important to try to stay in contact with those you are close to as much as possible. Also, I think the challenges that come with Covid cannot be understated. When I wasn’t sure when I could travel again, the feeling of missing home was made more difficult.

I would advise students planning and applying to universities to put a lot of weight on the location of the university and the people living there as a deciding factor to which university they choose, as this affects your university experience almost more than the reputation of the university. I have enjoyed my time at McGill even more because I have been able to explore Montreal and experience seasons change.