Hey guys, I'm starting Engineering I in September.
My future prospects are either Software Engineering or Mechanical Engineering.
I was debating over Nursing at McMaster or Engineering, but I failed biology in the last year so I chose Engineering instead.

I'm not going to be living in residence, and instead a house nearby. Hopefully I'll have a good time while learning in this beautiful campus. If you're an engineer, please give me some advice on as to which pathway may be prosperous in the future or any tips or tricks on surviving the first year.

Thanks

Hey Steve, welcome to macinsiders and the faculty of engineering

To be honest all engineering disciplines are good and will get you a job when you graduate. Engineers are going to be in demand long into the future ! This might seem obvious, but you should go into a discipline that interests you, and not base your judgement on money and job opportunities...becau se regardless of your stream, if you enjoy the program you will succeed and get a job when you graduate
Feel free to check out these videos about "mac eng": http://www.youtube.com/user/goeng1mac/videos

Tips:
First year engineering is for hard working students, non-slackers..it's going to be a challenge but if you keep up with the work and manage your time well, you will succeed. Engineering is about practise , in order to do well in math, physics, programming and design, you need to practise a lot ! You should do your homework on regular basis..and don't skip capa, it's very important! Capa is an online physics assignment that will take up a lot of your time, it's only worth 2.5% of your overall grade in physics, but doing it means success in physics !

I am not sure if you know this, but it's competitive to get into certain programs here at mcmaster, so make sure you don't drop anything in first year engineering...if you drop a course you just have to work extra harder to make up for that missing mark.

Ex:
Student A:
37units * 6.0 = 222 units
Student B:
34 units (due to a dropped course) * 6.0 = 204 units

Assuming that that specific program requires a 6 over 37 units (full course load), student B wouldn't get into it, but student A would. Therefore, Student A will have to get around 6.6 to get in.

So as you can see, if you drop a course, you have to work a bit harder in first year to get into a competitive program.
The competitive programs are usually: civil, mechanical, biomedical and engineering&managemen t.

Good luck in first year !

Thanks for the kind reply. Can I ask about the 5 year program with commerce degree? Is it very competitive? What stream do I have to get into in the second year?

I chose two electives as PHILOS and ECON.

Originally Posted by KimStev

Thanks for the kind reply. Can I ask about the 5 year program with commerce degree? Is it very competitive? What stream do I have to get into in the second year?

I chose two electives as PHILOS and ECON.

The 5 year program is called engineering and management. It's very competitive to get into management, more competitive than civil or mechanical ! You need to take econ 1b03 (micro econ) in first year as an elective and get a minimum of 5 in it (which is not that bad).

Engineering and Management(E&M):
http://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/engandmgt/index.html

E&M Admission Requirements:
http://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/engandmgt/admission.html

Curriculum:
http://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/engandmgt/curriculum.html

Programs for the B.Eng., B.Eng.Biosciences, B.Eng.Mgt., and B.Eng.Society Degrees:
http://registrar.mcmaster.ca /calen...13/pg1202.html

Engineering is a 4 year program, but with management, it becomes 5 years. Basically, they spread the normal engineering courses over 5 years and fill in the gaps with commerce courses.

About the second elective, if philos interests you then go for it, if not then take another elective. Electives are meant to be easier than your regular engineering courses and a way to boost your average. Unfortunately, some people get terrible marks in their electives due to lack of interest in the material.
I forgot to mention something: If you have the free choice you don't need to worry about dropping courses, as long as you get a 4.00 you will get into your stream of choice. If you fail anything you lose the free choice ! Also, I think biomedical, chem eng&bio and engineering management are not included in the free choice. Since you are interested in management, you have to work really hard in first year.

Don't forget to check out the course review section here:
http://www.macinsiders.com/forumdisp...s-98.html?f=98

I found this review for philos 1a03, but I am not sure if it's the course your taking:
http://www.macinsiders.com/showthrea...tr=P&t=18 341