Québec School System

Actually Lost and Delirious was filmed on location in Montreal and at Bishop's University in Québec, Canada. Nevertheless, Mouse, Paulie and Tori are not going to a university, they are studying in their last year of school at the Perkins Girls College. Still the story acts exactly at these places, because Mouse has left behind her small town called "Rainy River" and Paulie and Tori attend to go to McGill University in Montreal, Québec, Canada.

Point of fact is, the Bishop's University in Lennoxville is situated in the Eastern Townships together with the Champlain College, which was opened in 1972. Bishop's University and Champlain College are located in a scenic rural setting, which has proven to be very attractive to many students who seek an alternative to having to continue their post-secondary education in an urban environment. As a CÉGEP ("Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel" or "College of General and Vocational Education") located on a university campus, Champlain College Lennoxville offers complete access to university facilities. Classrooms, library, laboratories, residences, athletics, and dining facilities are shared by university and college students together.

To understand Mouse's, Paulie's and Tori's background a bit better, we would like to offer you a short introduction into their school system, the Québec school system. After that, we give you a short overview about McGill University, Tori wanted to be together with Paulie again (Tori: "Besides, we're going to be together in the fall at McGill, we'll be so together").

In Canada's province of Québec, the school system is organized as follows.

Six-year primary school system (1 to 6);
Five-year secondary school system (1 to 5);
Two-year college system CÉGEP (1 and 2) which leads to university or
Three-year college system CÉGEP (1 to 3) which leads to the job market;
Four-year university system.

In Québec, it is compulsory to attend school between the ages of 6 and 16. Preschool education is optional and available to children of 4 and 5 years of age through kindergarten classes.

After six years at the elementary level, students begin their secondary studies. The duration of these studies is five years for general education and varies for students enrolled in vocational training programs.

The Secondary School Diploma (SSD) marks the successful completion of five years of general studies. It also provides access to higher education. In Québec, higher education includes collegial- and university-level education.

Collegial education College is the first stage of higher education. Offered mainly in the public network through general and vocational colleges (known as CÉGEPs for the French designation "collège d'enseignement général et professionnel"), academic instruction is also available at other institutions such as private colleges.

CÉGEPs and colleges deliver two-year pre-university programs leading to university studies and three-year technical programs that prepare students for the job market while, in some cases, leaving them the option of continuing their studies at the university level.

University education is divided into three levels of study. The first level of university study (undergraduate level) generally leads to a bachelor's degree. This degree is made up of at least 90 credits (a credit - or unit - corresponds to 45 hours of course time devoted to practical work), usually completed over three years on a full-time basis. Some programs, most notably education, engineering and medicine, require more credits and take from four to five years. After completing bachelor-level studies, students may enter the job market or continue their studies at the second or third level.

The third level of university study introduces students to scientific research and prepares them for a career in research. Students can obtain a doctorate (Ph.D.) after earning at least 90 credits over a minimum of three years of full-time study. They must write and defend a thesis as part of their doctoral studies.


McGill University

McGill is an international university whose main language of instruction is English. Located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, McGill comprises 21 faculties and professional schools, including Arts, Science, Education, Law, Medicine, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and Engineering. McGill offers over 300 programs at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. It is Canada's leading research-intensive university. Students can complete diploma certificates as well as undergraduate, master's or doctoral degrees.

One of McGill's strengths is its emphasis on research, which has an impact on technology, health care, education, culture and policy development. McGill professors and students are investigating questions like how to treat and beat cancer and how to build better aircraft.

In 1813, James McGill, a Scottish immigrant who prospered in Montreal, bequeathed his 46-acre estate and 10,000 pounds to "the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning." McGill College (now McGill University) was established in 1829 in Burnside Place, James McGill's country home. In 1843, the University constructed its first buildings, the central and east wings of the Arts Building. The first female students were admitted in 1884.

McGill's main campus is set in the heart of downtown Montreal, a city with three million residents and four universities. Its mix of cultures and languages makes it a dynamic place: museums, restaurants, skyscrapers, nightclubs and beautiful public parks make Montreal a great place to live in.

The campus is a mosaic of historic and modern buildings. Thanks to bequests over the years from generous donors, the downtown campus is a nice place of green and beauty in the centre of a sophisticated and uniquely bilingual city.

McGill's libraries have rare and unusual books, such as Greek manuscripts that date back to 158 A.D. and a volume known as "the feather book" from 1618 Milan, an illustrated volume that used real bird feathers on its pages. Paulie would have loved to see it as she spent so much time with the raptor.