McGill was an easy choice for an 18-year-old kid coming from Toronto. It offered immense opportunity – a world-class education in a world-class city. I was enrolled in a three-year BA program, but I deliberately stretched it out to four years. You can’t live in Montreal and get out quick! Montreal is a dynamic environment for students, with historic English and French influences informing the experience. We started off many Friday nights deciding which way to turn from the Roddick Gates – should we go east to Saint-Laurent and take in the francophone vibe or west and immerse ourselves in the nightlife of Crescent?
Varsity athletics was how I made my deepest and most enduring relationships. It was incredibly special to have had the opportunity to wear the McGill colours and play rugby down at Harvard or Dartmouth, knowing that I was a part of something bigger that started over a century before me. Being a part of the rich history of McGill athletics is an experience that stands out from my time at the University.
When you are in the midst of a BA, your brain is in full absorb mode. All of this stuff is coming at you and some of it sticks and some of it doesn’t! The beauty of the Faculty of Arts at McGill is that you’re in inspiring environments, like Moyse Hall, and the scope, quality, and history of thought you encounter is remarkable. I believe that the element of critical analytical thinking is what makes an arts degree so important and allows you to be more nimble.
After McGill, I went to the University of Toronto for law. For me, law was an opportunity to use my BA skills and apply the breadth and depth of the education I received at McGill in a new and dynamic way. Law is a shorthand way of saying “I have a problem, how do I fix it?” As we have found out in the last couple of years, a lot of life is about problem solving. A weaving, wobbly approach to solving a problem is often best and an arts degree gives you the ability to think in a non-linear way.
For students today, my advice is to not get ahead of yourself – avoid the temptation to narrow your focus. Walk through as many doors as possible until you find your space. Absorb everything you can and when it’s time, make a decision that feels right in your tummy!