Hey there, just wondering if there is help available for those in Computer Science. I know some of the Engineers share the same math courses, so I am guessing if there is help for them, there should be help for CS'ers.

Try the math help center in HH .... check the math website for the exact location.

I am not a student at Mac yet, just wondering if there are resources for help for people that need them.

There are resources for alot of the courses you take. For your specific request for math help on campus, there is a math help center in Hamilton Hall which runs pretty late every day. There are also other help centers for other departments/courses like physics. There is also a list of tutors on the mcmaster website i believe if you want 1 to 1 help and are willing to pay.

Ya, the math help for compsci students is the same as the math help for the engineers. The math help centre runs review sessions before the tests in both 1Z04 and 1ZZ5, and you can probably get additional help at other times.

There's also a Drop-In-Centre in ITB-101 for help with compsci courses.

Another question for you guys: what are the first year CS math courses like? Material and difficulty wise?

They're fairly difficult. The class averages for the first two tests in 1Z04 were both in the low 50s. However, they try to keep the overall average around 65%, so the tests have gotten a bit easier since then.

The tests are completely multiple choice, around twenty questions in length normally. The exams are the same thing, but with about 40 questions.

Material wise, 1Z04 is mainly review of high school calculus for the first half, with a few new topics. Then there's a huge chunk on series, and then a couple weeks of vectors stuck on the end.
1ZZ5 is mostly integrals, with some multi-variable calculus and matrix stuff stuck on at the end.

Edit: If you want to see what a test looks like, you can get the ones from 1Z04 here: http://www.math.mcmaster.ca/childsa/1z04/1z04test.html

And these two tests, with everyone getting a low 50...were these strong math students?

They're in engineering! Mostly, yes.

Then this stuff can't be that difficult can it?

Really, all engineers are good at math. You had to get atleast low 80s in Functions or Calculus in highschool just to get here, so we're definitely strong in math. Myself and most others were walking out of highschool with 90s.

In 1Z04, the first calc course you take, the averages on the test were practically 50-60%. I got 60s on the first two tests and I was pretty surprised because I figured math was one of my strongest traits and of course in highschool, I was used to getting 90+. However after trying harder and most importantly, managing my time better, I got a 90 on the next test and must've got practically perfect on the exam (they don't release exam marks) because I got a 10 in the course (low 80ish). The exam and tests encompass most of your marks, but theres also math labs which are almost freebies.

1ZZ5 was the next calc course and the averages were better, around 65-75%. The marks were higher probably because people were more prepared, the content was a bit easier, and the majority of people who failed 1Z04 didnt get into 1ZZ5. I felt 1ZZ5 had easier content, just a lot more and in more variety. Of course, this variety made the exam pretty terrifying but if you study hard enough you'll be fine. I might get myself a 12 in the course (90ish) which is ironic considering I was getting such low marks in the previous term.


The content in 1Z04 was pretty easy now that I think about it, except the very final chapters. The reason people did so bad, myself included, was because they simply werent ready for such tests. Your going to be balancing 6 courses, with tests in each one all falling in the same time period. Youre going to get caught off guard on how much you need to study in such a short span of time. I remember the first month i kept up in homework but had to fall behind to study and then there was no catching up. I also felt since I was so good at math initially i might be able to "wing it" or figure out questions by myself, which is slightly true, but that only goes so far and wont save your ass by any means.

The bottom line is once you learn to manage your time, you'll be doing fine. I remember one week in 2nd term, we had atleast one assignment per class ( so 6-8 assignments) all due the same day,along with 2 or 3 tests, depending if you had macroeconomics as an elective, that same week. That was probably the most difficult week ever and if you dont manage your time your gonna fail across the board.

Looking back on it, it's not so bad, but when you have 6 or 7 courses at a time, there is very little time to look at any one course in great deal. Many(most!) have a hard time with math as there are a lot of new concepts and not a lot of time to practice!