Facebook is great for sharing photos, connecting with friends, and staying up to date on off and on-campus events. There are many McGill groups and pages on Facebook that offer an array of updates and services for students. Here are the most important ones to follow to ensure a current and useful newsfeed.

McGill Entering Class of 2015: This group is for all newly admitted students to McGill who will be commencing their studies in Fall 2015. This is usually the first group many McGill students join as it is a great space to ask questions and meet others before arriving on campus. Many groups on campus post about their club or event, as well making it a great resource for students who are looking to get involved.

Students' Society of McGill University (SSMU): This is the page for the undergraduate students' union at McGill. You'll find announcements for events occurring in the SSMU building, such as club fairs and workshops, and employment opportunities on campus. The building hours and address can also be found here.

McGill Inter-Residence Council (IRC): This student council organizes events for all students living in residence. Like this page to stay up to date on various events and opportunities offered by the IRC, such as on-campus games of capture the flag and themed parties.

Undergraduate Society Pages: Each undergraduate society has a Facebook page which all students are encouraged to like. This page provides updates on what is happening with regards to that particular faculty, such as the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS), Science Undergraduate Society (SUS), or Management Undergraduate Society (MUS). Similar to the SSMU page, these pages regularly post opportunities for employment, faculty-specific events, and information about faculty councils, elections, and office hours.

Students’ Association Page: Each department usually has its own student association. By liking the page, students get notifications on events and important news related to the department. Examples of students’ association are the History Students' Association (HSA) and McGill Psychology Students' Association (MPSA). This is a great place to ask fellow students for advice on courses, textbooks and professors, as well as stay informed about talks, seminars and job fairs that pertain to that specific department.

Free Food on Campus and in Montreal: One of the most popular Facebook groups for McGill students, this group allows members to post about opportunities to find free food on campus and around Montreal. Living on a student budget is not always easy, but there are always events on campus offering free food, which helps to make life more affordable. A distant cousin of this group is the Samosa Sales group. There is usually one samosa sale a day and students who are selling or who are looking for samosas can post in this group. The typical price is $1 for one or $2 for three, meaning McGill students could live affordably off of only samosas if they really wanted to.

Textbook Exchange: Textbooks are expensive but necessary. Students in this group buy and sell used textbooks off each other for much cheaper prices than the bookstore. Posts in this group peak at the start of each semester, and popular textbooks can be sold within a couple minutes, so it is best to keep refreshing this page until you find the textbook you need.

Free and For Sale: This group is McGill’s version of Craigslist—students can buy and sell various items for reasonable prices.  As the group description says, you can “find fridges, futons, and tons of other stuff.” There is also a group called McGill Clothing Exchange which is specifically for buying and selling clothing.

Housing: This is a space for students to post about housing and other living opportunities. When looking for an apartment or a roommate, this is a great place to start the search. Students also frequently post here for advice about landlords or housing dilemmas that may arise.

Jobs and Internships: This group makes searching for a job much less daunting. Information on jobs and internships on campus, in Montreal, and beyond are posted on this group. Researchers looking for paid participants will also post here, as will event organizers looking for temporary staff.

This article is a part of our McGill 101 issue, which aims to ease your transition and answer questions you have about McGill and Montreal.