What is Mac Campus?

The Macdonald Campus is one of the two McGill University campuses. It's located at the West end of the island of Montreal and is known for its green open spaces and outdoor research environments. Don’t worry about the distance from downtown, because the campuses are connected by a shuttle bus that runs year round. As a Mac Froshie you will get to primarily experience the Mac Campus while also spending plenty of time with students from different faculties downtown.

What is MCSS?

​The Macdonald Campus Student Society (MCSS) is the student government for Mac Campus, and is proud to present Frosh, Halloween, and plenty of other events on campus throughout the year to Mac students! In addition to events, MCSS provides resources, space, and more to clubs and students!

What is the difference between Macdonald Campus Orientation and Macdonald Campus Frosh? Do I have to pick between them?

Macdonald Campus Orientation is run by the Faculty and the Macdonald Campus administration whereas Frosh is part of Orientation week that is run by the Macdonald Campus Student Society (MCSS). In terms of events, orientation is about making sure you have the right tools to succeed in your studies and are familiar with the resources available to you as a McGill student (i.e. very important things). Frosh events are about meeting other new students and integrating yourself into the Mac community. Think of Orientation as work and Frosh as play! But most importantly, you don't have to pick between them because Orientation events and Frosh events don't overlap (expert insider tip : do both).
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What does my ticket include? Do you offer reduced-price tickets?

Buying a ticket for Mac Frosh secures your spot in your faculty frosh at McGill! Mac Frosh is proud to offer a variety of experiences guaranteed to kickstart your McGill career the right way: with new friends and incredible memories. However, we understand the financial limitations of some students, which is why we offer a limited number of bursaries for incoming students. More information will soon be available on how to apply for a bursary, and our team of Coordinators will evaluate all applicant requests carefully in order to assign them.

Je ne suis pas parfaitement bilingue et j'ai parfois de la difficulté à parler l'anglais, ou à comprendre l'anglais lu, écrit ou parlé. Y a-t-il des mesures en place pour m'aider pendant Frosh?

Plusieurs de nos coordonatrices/eurs et Leaders de groupes sont francophones ou bilingues, et peuvent aisément répondre à toutes tes questions ou adresser tes inquiétudes en français. De plus, à ta demande, nous pouvons traduire toute communication faite en anglais, au français. Une grande proportion de participants et d'élèves se retrouvent dans la même situation que toi, alors tu pourras facilement devenir amis/ies avec d'autre personnes qui parlent le français. Et bien sûr, Frosh pourrait être une excellente opportunité pour toi afin de pratiquer l'anglais avant de débuter les classes!

I have friends doing a bigger faculty Frosh downtown. Why should I do Mac Frosh?

The temptation to follow your high school or CEGEP friends in Frosh— regardless of faculty— can be powerful, but we strongly encourage you to participate in Mac Frosh if you will be studying at the Mac Campus during the year. Participating in Mac Frosh is the best way to meet the people you’ll be sharing classes with all year. A smaller faculty Frosh does not mean less fun, and we don’t gear our events towards only Mac-related activities! We offer plenty of opportunities to hang out with other faculties, and our Mac events are also pretty rad!

Who can/cannot participate in Frosh?

Frosh is intended to get incoming undergraduate McGill students accustomed to life on campus. That being said, you are able to participate in Frosh if you are entering into your first year of undergraduate studies at McGill University, are a new student who entered in the winter term of the previous academic year, are a new McGill transfer student, or are a new exchange student. Unfortunately, returning students, family members, and non-McGill students are not permitted to attend Frosh. If you are a new Macdonald graduate student, be sure to check out Macdonald Campus Graduate Orientation events!

I won't be able to make it to all of the events. Can I pay only for those that I plan to attend?

Unfortunately, Frosh pricing is offered as a full package that includes the entire week of events. Although we encourage students to attend as many events as possible, it is totally possible to skip certain events while still having a rewarding experience. You can always message us for advice and more information!

I will be under 18 during Frosh, can I still participate?

Of course! A majority of our events are inclusive to all ages, and for any 18+ events, an underage alternative is proposed!

​Will there be alcohol during Frosh? What if I don’t drink?

We do offer light alcoholic beverages to Froshies of age in Québec at certain events, but no event during frosh is a “drinking” event! This means that froshies 18 years or older are welcome to responsibly enjoy alcoholic beverages during these events, but by no means is anyone required to. We strictly adhere to an opt-in, rather than an opt-out, drinking policy; this means events won't revolve around drinking so that everyone can enjoy them, no matter their consumption choices. Our goal is to make Frosh as inclusive to everyone as possible, regardless of whether they choose to drink or not!

Is Frosh some kind of initiation?

Absolutely not! Frosh is for meeting new people and getting to know your surroundings. It's all about welcoming you to the Mac community, never "hazing" you or making you prove something; you're already all Mac-McGillians in our eyes!

I experience psychological/physical barriers in certain situations. How will this affect my participation in Frosh?

Our main goal throughout Frosh is to make this week as fun, inclusive, and accessible as possible to every Froshie, regardless of their ability. We have a designated Inclusivity Coordinator that you are welcome to contact if you have any extenuating circumstances you would like us to be aware of. We will do our best to reduce the barriers you may experience at events. All of our leaders and coordinators are trained in Active Listening, and certain leaders have undergone extensive additional training in accessibility and resources available at McGill.
 
Please reach out to our Inclusivity and Sustainability Coordinator, Natasha Lyons ([email protected]) for any additional help, resources, or concerns!

What qualifications do frosh leaders and coordinators have?

Frosh Coordinators, Leaders and Orientation staff are extensively trained by the University on topics such as consent and responding to disclosures, safety, equity and diversity, accessibility, community-building, communications and conflict management, harm reduction and self-care. Additionally, individuals selected to be part of the Frosh team offer fantastic insight into student life at McGill and are extremely well equipped to help you navigate your first year with us, and beyond!

Do you have more questions about Frosh?

Visit Campus Life & Engagement's website and FAQ for more!