Hot Cities of the World Tour

McGill Desautels Hot Cities 2024

Since its inception in 2009, McGill's annual Hot Cities of the World Tour has taken undergraduates, graduates, alumni, and professors to the frontier of our increasingly globalized world. Each year, thirty McGill undergrads are joined by a dozen inspiring alumni who add real world experience to the conversation on this annual trip to cities and towns with fast-growing economies. This one-of-a-kind trip brings students out of the traditional classroom setting and right into the hotbeds of economics, commerce, culture, finance, and national competitiveness.

The Hot Cities of the World tour allows participants to better understand where the global economy is headed by giving them the opportunity to travel to far-flung parts of the world to meet with CEOs and other senior executives, government agencies, and professionals closer to their own age from leading multinationals and local firms. They also get the opportunity to connect with local alumni, as well as delve into local culture and customs.

#HotCities2024, will take place during 2024 Reading Week. Our destinations will be Morocco and Cairo.


How are students chosen for the trip?

Each applicant will be required to fill out a standardized application form. Applicants must answer questions about their CGPA, extra-curricular experience and work experience, and submit a short essay. The essay questions focus on what the applicant hopes to gain from the trip, what they can contribute, and why it is important to study developing economies.

A judging panel comprising three Hot Cities Tours alumni review the applications. All identifying information is removed during this process to ensure a fair, unbiased selection. Applicants are considered based on four criteria:

  • Their academic achievement (solid but not necessarily outstanding grades)
  • Their involvement in extra-curricular activities
  • Their work experience
  • Their essay response

The program greatly benefits from well-rounded students who are looking to contribute to the success of this program before, during and after they complete it. The judging panel develops a final list of 30 attendees, with a waitlist in case some of the selected students cannot join the trip.

How are student travel bursaries awarded for the trip?

Students apply through McGill’s Student Services website so that confidential data is not revealed to anyone within the Desautels Faculty of Management. Student Services decides, based on financial need, who receives the funding. Last year more than half of the applicants received funding. There is a special fund for Indigenous students, which is also managed by Student Services.


More about the course

MGPO 402 Dynamic Cities 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

Application form

Contact

hotcities [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Hot%20Cities%202023%20) (Email the Hot Cities team)

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Hot Cities of the Past

2023: Accra, Ghana and Abidjan, The Ivory Coast
2019: Tokyo, Japan; Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand
2018: Singapore; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; & Langkawi, Malaysia
2017: Manila, Palawan & Hong Kong
2016: Santiago, Chile & Bogota and Cartagena, Colombia
2015: Doha, Hong Kong, Jakarta & Bali
2014: Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia & Seoul, South Korea

2013: Moscow & St. Petersburg, Russia
2012: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth & Cape Town, South Africa
2011: Bangalore, Delhi & Mumbai, India
2010: Abu Dhabi & Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2009: Tel Aviv & Jerusalem, Israel


Hotcities 2017

Hotcities 2017


Hotcities 2017

Hotcities 2017


Hot Cities of the World Tour 2017

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