Concordia University, Montreal

Location

Concordia University is divided in two campuses- Sir George Williams Campus (SGW) and Loyola Campus. Sir George Williams Campus is located in Quartier Concordia in the Montreal downtown, whereas, the Loyola Campus is in the Notre-Dame-de-Grace district. Both the campuses are only 7kms away from each other and there is a free shuttle-bus service between the two for students and faculty.
Both the campuses of the university are easily accessible by public transport system. Metro and shuttle-buses, managed by Societe de transport de Montreal will get you anywhere in the Montreal city. Full-time students of the university who are between the age of 18 and 25 can also take monthly passes of the metro at a reduced rate. The city is also bike-friendly and has more than 660km of bike paths. So, if you live close to the university, daily bike ride can be a healthy option.
Montreal is one of the cities in Canada with the most number of parties and festivals. Moreover, there are also tons of pubs, cafes, and restaurants around the campuses. Basilique Notre-Dam, Parc du Mont-Royal, Parc Olympique, Musee Pointe-e-Calliere, and Musee des Beaux-Arts de Montreal are some of the places commonly visited by the students on weekends.

Campus

The SGW campus of the university is under expansion since 2007. The university also acquired the Grey Nuns Motherhouse, which is a National Historic Site in Canada. It is reported that the university will occupy this building completely by the year 2022. The property is large enough to almost double the size of the SGW campus by 2022.
The university’s Computer Science, Engineering, and Visual Arts Complex, located on the Guy Street and Saint Catherine Street, is connected with the Guy-Concordia Metro Station. Le Gym, the recreational and athletic facility of the university is also located in this complex. The John Molson School of Business which is located on the corner of the De-Maisonneuve is attended by 6,000 students and the departments of theater, music and contemporary dance are also located here.
The university has a number of libraries, but two of main ones are the R. Howard Webster Library which is located in the McConnell Building of SWG campus and Georges P. Vanier Library of the Loyola Campus. Moreover, there is also a tunnel that connects the Hall Building and McConnell Library Building of the university with the Guy-Concordia Metro station.

Residing Options

Concordia University has three on-campus residences- Grey Nuns in the SGW campus and Hingston Hall and Jesuit Residence in the Loyola Campus. These residences are managed by Resident Life Assistants and Managers to help the students cope up with challenges of living in a new environment. For students who want to live off-campus, there are multiple affordable options available around the SGW and Loyola campus. The university’s student union website has a detailed listing of the off-campus accommodations available around the university. The average monthly rent of off-campus accommodations is around $600.

Faculty

Concordia University has more than 120 full-time professors and around 220 part-time professors. While most of them are excellent and have a great reputation in their field, some of them are not so good. Many students suggest that there are a few professors who are difficult to approach and there are some who are more focused on their research rather than teaching. Some student reviews also suggest that the TA’s are highly incompetent and many of them cannot even speak fluent English. Moreover, a lot of students also found it difficult to meet with an advisor of the university. So, while there are some great professors, overall, the academics of the university are not very impressive.