Originally Posted by arathbon

I think that's almost a more cultural thing. I've heard so many adults put down arts degrees while not realizing the job prospects with a BSc. aren't really any better than with a BA. A big part of the problem in my opinion is that most people have no clue what the jobs available in their field are let alone those in others.

Good point. I hear a lot of comments about Arts degrees, but people don't seem to realize what programs are included in that. My housemate's brother asked me for help in Math, and I had no idea why he came to someone with minimal skill until he told me he "thought Economics was a program in the math department." After meeting people from that program, and reading most of Mahratta's posts (the parts I can understand), I can say I have no skills that could be associated with a Mathematics major. Geniuses.

Additionally, a lot of programs within Arts have bizarre cross-overs that make them pretty far from the general perception of an Arts program. The Physical stream of Anthropology, a lot of courses Geography or Psychology students take, etc.

Since starting social work when people bash Soc Sci I get even angrier than I used to. We have to take 138 units, as opposed to the standard 120 and you need at least C+ in certain courses to continue. If I also get ragged on I can also just drop "okay, let's see you perform crisis intervention on a suicidal schizophrenic, then tell me it's easy"

/end rant.

Originally Posted by arathbon

Welcome week is fun and I think developing a sense of pride, community and identity in your program (including rivalries) is important. In the end though people are people, whatever university or program they attend.

I think all the rivalry happening between McMaster faculties is a major cause of why all of us can't come together as one school--McMaster!

I think too many people care what others think, the most important person in all this is you, and how happy you will be in the career of your choice, if your living for someone else you've already lost. I know my parents wouldn't be initially happy that I was in humanities, but I would tell them to get over it and it's my LIFE. the point is don't let anyone tell you you can't do something.

It seems the only faculties at Mac that don't have any "stereotypes" are Science and Math. But maybe they do and I've just never heard them.

EDIT: Now that I think about it, I have heard a stereotype about Science. So I guess Math is the only safe program?

The Math department is a part of the Faculty of Science. lulz

Originally Posted by Kathy2

It seems the only faculties at Mac that don't have any "stereotypes" are Science and Math. But maybe they do and I've just never heard them.

EDIT: Now that I think about it, I have heard a stereotype about Science. So I guess Math is the only safe program?

Math is a department of the Science faculty, unfortunately. Personally, I think we should be in Humanities - not only would our placement make more sense, you'd never hear engineers saying "Humanities is easy" again.

Typically when I find out that someone thinks Economics is in Mathematics, it's by a conversation like this:

Person: What program are you in?
Adelle: Economics.
Person: I thought everyone in Math was Asian.

Originally Posted by alh24

Typically when I find out that someone thinks Economics is in Mathematics, it's by a conversation like this:

Person: What program are you in?
Adelle: Economics.
Person: I thought everyone in Math was Asian.

You meet the weirdest people.


[kidding]

Originally Posted by sexytuna

I think all the rivalry happening between McMaster faculties is a major cause of why all of us can't come together as one school--McMaster!

I don't think that is necessarily so. Problems with McMaster unity as I see it:

1) McMaster has about 20x the undergrad enrollment of a normal high school. My program alone is only slightly smaller than the size of my high school. I'd be surprised if more than a few people know more than about 5% of the undergrads here.

2) A lack of overall school identity. What defines McMaster? What sets us apart from other schools? Furthermore a lack of pushing what school identity we have. Although I'm glad they've really stepped things up this past year, McMaster seems to have done a poor job in the past.

3) The lack of any decent outside rivalries... I mean even with Western which is supposed to be our main rival we may not even play them at home for football in a given season.

I don't think at all that having internal rivalries is obstructive to having pride in the McMaster community as a whole. Look at Canada. There's a tonne of regional rivalries and even some regional hatred, but yet outside of Quebec look at how proud your average Canadian is of the country.

Originally Posted by justinsftw

You meet the weirdest people.


[kidding]

Yeah, I should probably be less friendly so that these people stop talking to me, haha.

Originally Posted by justinsftw

The Math department is a part of the Faculty of Science. lulz

Oh! I didn't know that. Well, I guess nobody is safe then.

Originally Posted by Mahratta

Math is a department of the Science faculty, unfortunately. Personally, I think we should be in Humanities - not only would our placement make more sense, but you'd never hear engineers saying "Humanities is easy" again.

Really? I'd still consider it a science, and it's definitely not a social science.

I dated a guy that was in Life Sciences at UofT when I was still in high school, and he genuinely thought that I was less-inferior to him -intelligence wise- because I didn't know a lot of "science" stuff (I knew I never wanted to go into sciences, so stopped after grade 11 Bio and was extremely uninterested). He'd chirp at me about how smart he was and yatta yatta, but he barely passed first year economics and got a few 50's and 60's in higher up philosophy courses (and other humanities/social sciences). He just didn't know how to effectively argue or write a course-specific essay because he was used to memorization and mathematical equations. Now that I've gone through two years of uni -where my philosophy essays have always garnered above 88 and similar marks for economics and sociology, I feel stupid for listening to him.

Whenever I talk to people in business/science I always express how difficult their course load must be - but it's not because their courses are technically more difficult or anything, it's because they usually do have less freedom when choosing courses and they generally face more readings and competition. If more people in life sciences are determined to get 90's, even though most courses have to average around 75, it's going to be a lot harder for them to get those marks - but it could happen with any program at any school. In one tutorial I had this year my TA told me that people that got C's were worthy of a B or A- paper, but he couldn't submit too many high marks or they'd be turned away - he had to have a general average in the B range.

To me, a course is easy when it's entirely made up of essays. To my sister, it's easy when it's made up entirely of tests. Everyone's different, but we've all made it to university, and a reputable university at that, people just like to differentiate themselves, I wouldn't let it get to you, it happens with almost everything - which university you go to, which program you're in, which job you end up at, how much money you make, how attractive you are.. the list goes on and on.. people love to hate, it makes them feel better.

Originally Posted by justinsftw

You meet the weirdest people.


[kidding]

actuarial science at York falls under arts and social science I believe. does that seem strange to you ?

Originally Posted by KN1991

Really? I'd still consider it a science, and it's definitely not a social science.

Actually, I think that math can be split up into two main components, neither of which are scientific. One component would probably work best in engineering, and the other would work best in humanities. Math doesn't employ the inductive method (we have induction, but it's really a form of deduction) or anything that's characteristically scientific.

The stuff that would go into engineering would be the sort of math that mathematicians actually don't do, but most non-math majors think that they do (basically, applying known techniques cleverly to solve equations and so on). The majority of math that research mathematicians do is actually quite philosophical. It either involves thinking (non-rigorously, metaphysically) about what model would fit a particular scientific system or in finding novel means of approaching mathematical problems that can be considered 'legitimate' (i.e. philosophically acceptable) to the community.

Now, scientists also do this sort of metaphysics, but it deals with observation. That's what distinguishes science from mathematics (of course, math, like every other subject, can be traced way, way back to observation, but that's besides the point).

Originally Posted by alh24

Typically when I find out that someone thinks Economics is in Mathematics, it's by a conversation like this:

Person: What program are you in?
Adelle: Economics.
Person: I thought everyone in Math was Asian.

Woah, you're not Asian?

Kidding, and there aren't really very many Asians in the program (in my year at least).