Does McGill University accept Physics HL?

💡Expert's Take

“McGill grants 6 credits for Physics HL (5+), exempting you from PHYS 101/102. The Trap: While you get the credits, Physics Majors and Engineers normally take PHYS 131/142, which are calculus-based. By using IB transfer credits, you are skipping the rigorous foundation and jumping straight into PHYS 230.

Reality Check: IB Physics HL is algebra-based. You have likely never used an integral to solve a mechanics problem. PHYS 230 assumes you are fluent in deriving differential equations and using complex exponentials for waves.

The Danger Zone: You will be sitting next to students who spent the last year applying Calculus 2 to physics problems. You haven't.

Pro Tip: Your gap isn't 'Physics concepts'—it's Mathematical Physics. Before September, you must master: • ODEs: Separation of variables (used immediately in PHYS 230). • Complex Numbers: Euler's formula (e^iθ) for wave mechanics. • Vector Calculus: If you can't do a line integral, you will drown.”