I was chatting with a colleague last week about our own university experiences, and she mentioned some regrets (pulling one too many all-nighters, for one). Her biggest regrets all centered around finances. She’d assumed she wouldn’t qualify for scholarships, bursaries, or awards—and graduated with 50K in debt. Only later did she realize that funding wasn’t just available for those students pulling in 4.0s. Applying for funding could have saved her a lot. Don’t be like my friend. There are SO many opportunities to apply for funding at McGill, so inform yourself about what your faculty or academic department might offer. For example, the Scholarships & Student Aid Office (SSAO) connects Canadian/American students with government financial assistance programs, and has a generous Bursary & Loan program for students who have exhausted their maximum available resources. This includes special funding, like for Indigenous students and for out-of-classroom opportunities and exchanges. There are also a whole host of external opportunities to take advantage of, and even some offered by student associations, like SSMU’s Awards of Distinction. My friend also mentioned that learning how to budget effectively might have stopped her from going so deep into debt—so take advantage of SSAO’s money management advice and tools. Study hard, stay well, and find financial support if you need it.
