Originally Posted by Geek

My first impression of Mac was actually terrible. It was a cold, snowy February day, we'd gotten lost so many times on the way to Hamilton, and when we got onto campus I didn't know where anything was and there was no one from my high school going there at all. It doesn't sound like a huge deal now, but to a terrified sixteen year old, every little thing matters.

However, the engineering event at Faculty Club that I was there for was amazing, everyone was so friendly and the campus was so beautiful. I decided to give Mac another chance, since I'd wanted to go there since I'd found out that my favourite teacher from high school graduated from the same program that I'm in now.

I spent the summer falling a little bit more in love with the school, each time I visited. I met some of my best friends at the orientation events and I was so excited for my first year. I can't even begin to describe how glad I am I chose Mac! I can't bear to think of leaving yet...

Hey ya I didn't like the campus because I came in March when it was pretty slushy and cold. I got the impression of a factory when I got off the go bus and saw the huge smoke stack. Now I like the campus, (even though I think underground passageways would be awesome in the winter months). I really wanted to go to Mcgil for most of my highschool years however in the last few months before the final decision, I realized that the distance from home is kind of an issue and I really love seeing my friends and family at home.

Well, I was drawn to McMaster for the HealthSci Program, since up until the end of grade eleven I was dead set on being a doctor of some sort. I remember when I went for my tour, my tour guide was from ArtSci, and I kind of shrugged it off, thinking nothing spectacular of the program at the time.

The plan was to apply to McMaster (Health Sci, Life Sci), and Waterloo (Science something or other...). But after I was done my tour of Mac, we drove to Waterloo to do a tour there, and I hated it. It was grungy, there was construction everywhere, people were so rushed, the architecture was hideous, and I did not like it AT ALL. So, when it came to do my OUAC application, I decided I didn't want to do Waterloo, so I randomly applied for ArtSci instead. During my first semester of Grade 12, I took Politics class, and absolutely loved it. I started to really enjoy non-science subjects a lot more than before, and I thought to myself "There is no way I could give this up". So, I worked like hell on my ArtSci supp app, and now here I am, going into ArtSci, the same program that I kind of disregarded when I first came to make.

In short, I came for the Health Sci, and stayed for the Art Sci!

If you asked me early grade 12 where I wanted to go, I would have told you Guelph with out a second thought. I applied to Guelph, McMaster, and Nippissing as my safety school (the rep from Nip. even said that as long as you have a 70 average you're in, no questions). Well I had it all planned out, I took a campus tour of Guelph during their Fall Preview Day and loved it. It was also close to home which was a plus. However, McMaster was the first school to send me an offer of admission. I then began doing more research into their social sciences program. They had a lot more options and programs I could choose from than Guelph. I then took a campus tour and loved the campus more than Guelph. As soon as we got home from the tour I accepted my offer, and I'm sooo happy I chose Mac!

I knew I wanted to be an engineer, but had no idea what kind. Given Mac's unique generalised first year, it gave me more time to think on what I wanted to do, but not waste my life while doing it. That being said, I chose eng phys, which is only offered at a handful of universities, Mac being one of them. I accepted my offer without even seeing the campus or knowing a whole lot else about the school, but definitely haven't regretted it since.

Well I sort of ended up here randomly. I was an international who had never even been to Hamilton/McMaster, It was actually my last choice. For months I was mainly concentrating on the pretty damn good(Trying not to sound like a douche/mega nerd) USA colleges I had gotten into(Including a couple of Ivy/Semi Ivies), even in Canada I had heard more about Uoft and Mcgill hence they were my first choices. But then the financial aid/scholarship situation eventually never added up to something my parents could afford. Hence somewhere around the middle of August I "found" out for sure that I was going to someplace called McMaster since it was the cheapest on my list! :S

The first few months were tough, since I never applied for rez I had to live off campus which sucked, but eventually things fell into place and If you ask me now I really love the place! The campus is not small not too huge(like my friends at uoft have told me) either, I love the whole Cootes/Lake setting. Situation in Socsci could be better regarding quality of education but its not bad ^meh^. But I really like how the atmosphere here is much more friendly and chilled then the experiences of my highschool friends at other places.
Even the parents at Summer Orientation(where I was a volunteer) told me how McMaster was MUCH more different then other places they had seen!

But I guess alot of it has to do with how involved at the campus I became, alot of commuter people I've met hardly care about McMaster as a place other then for going to classes!

I chose Mac for a couple reasons..

1. my mom wouldn't let me go anywhere else -_-
2. my bestest friends are going to Mac, tooo. <3
3. I live in Hamilton, so Id save tons of money by living at home (though Id like to live on res..)

OH, and it's one of the best universities out there! (Y)

Well... I had to decide between Western, Mac and UofT. Basically, it was the campus tour that did it for me. My campus tour in October was absolutely amazing. The instant I stepped onto campus, it felt like home. My image of my dream university basically was McMaster. Small campus, mix of old and new buildings, stacks of books in the library and beautiful architecture. It was just perfect. Although Western was even more beautiful (the architecture is really rustic and I went during the summer when they had tulips and flowers everywhere in the school colors), I still chose McMaster. Just the combination of that "feeling", the proximity to home (not too far so that I can't come home by myself (i live in Toronto) but not too close that Rez is not an option (UofT)), and its prestige in the Sciences...

Oh and it's kinda weird, I never even considered McMaster until last summer, but I talked to a girl that I worked with last summer and we started talking about university (she being a 3rd year UT student) and the first thing she said was "You look like a McMaster". So then I did some research and coincidentally one of my best friend's older sister went to Mac for Life Sci as well and she basically sealed the deal It's as if all last year, the overall message was "HEY GO TO MAC" LOL

How does one LOOK like a McMaster student?! Lol is that even a stereotype?!

I mean I do get the fake-tanned rich white kids/wannabe chavs with pink polos from Oakville/Burlington go to Western and 80% of the Girls at Western are Blonds with Uggs but I don't recall a stereotypical pattern at Mac :S

LOL I actually have no idea...it was an interesting convo though. I still remember most of it, since it was actually the first time I seriously thought about which university I was going to go to. But if I remember correctly, she characterized McMaster students as "REALLY FRIENDLY AND OUTGOING"... she also told me alot of other university stereotypes which I shall not mention here xD

Originally Posted by huzaifa47

How does one LOOK like a McMaster student?! Lol is that even a stereotype?!

They look happy with both their education and their school

Maroon is a pretty cool colour

Hmm, why I chose Mac. Well for starters, I was dead set on U of T, simply because its reputation is better than York and obviously Ryerson, and at the same time I would be able to stay at home as my parents preferred! And of course, it was huge, downtown, and I've been there before. When applying on OUAC, I applied to so many programs, that when I look back now, most of which I would never even consider! But, I just felt like I had to be safe. To be honest, I had minimal knowledge of each one, maybe I picked it just by the title even.
Closer to December, I was leaning more towards Western. Without seeing a tour and such, I just did my research online, forums and such. Looking at pictures, and listening to other students, I started to lean towards it simply because of its MedSci program. But then again, it was a 2 hour ride from home! Shortly after, Mac's offered followed, so I was left with more confusion. Doing my research once more, I came across facebook groups, and of course MacInsiders! Having actual experiences by current students made a huge difference for me. That, and having a Mac graduate tell me all about it! To be honest, she was beyond convincing, especially since I asked everything there is to know about Mac XD. Having never been to the campus either, I decided that it would be the perfect compromise- i.e. I would have the ability to live on my own in rez as well as be only an hour away from home. Also, the campus would be a lot smaller and have more of a home-feel to it, compared to UofT, York, etc, for example. Not to forget the awesome programs that await in undergrad and grad studies!
To sum it up, along with the helpfulness and welcoming personalities I've met, I don't regret it one bit, and I haven't eevn been to the campus yet!

I just fell in love with it when I visited for the first time.

I applied to Mac, Guelph, UTM and York. I got into all early but I didn't really want to go to York or UTM and my parents didn't really want me to go to Toronto either. Those two were ruled out just like that. I was originally applying with the intentions of majoring in History. So I read a lot about both schools before and after applying and I was leaning toward Guelph.

Then on March break I toured both campuses. I went to Guelph first and I absolutely hated the campus. I hated the residences. The campus was ugly and I just didn't like it. It left me cold, I wasn't excited. The tour guide didn't help either.

Then I toured McMaster. The tour guide was a lovely nursing student. I fell in love with the campus and I was sold. I just loved everything about it. It's small and easy to get around and it's quite beautiful imo. I'm bad with directions and I don't know if Guelph U is actually that big but it just seemed huge and confusing to me.

That's how I ended up at Mac.

Once I took all my first year courses I decide I no longer wanted to major in History and chose the Multimedia program instead. So I guess I was meant to come to Mac. I love the program and it's a passion that I feel I can turn into a practical career whereas with History I didn't feel it would work for me practically despite my love for it. Guelph doesn't have a similiar program and I feel if I had gone there I would have been unhappy and stuck in a program that wouldn't lead me to a career I want. (For the record I'm not saying History is a bad major choice for others, just not for me.)

I came to MAC for the age-old story: far enough from home to stay on rez and close enough to be home on important occasions.

It never mattered that UofT was the "more prestigious" and "popular" school because I knew that what honestly is important is what you do with your degree. There's such a stigma attached to how a "better" school will instantly get you a better job, but it's rarely true.

PLUS: I know for a fact that if I commuted to UofT (UTM to be specific), I would never have been exposed to some of the best extra-curricular activities a person could ask for. Seriously, there are still so many opportunities on campus that I have not discovered.

You've got the best mix of really academic-driven people and those who really want to get the richest experience out of university. It's the best

One word. Mackin.

But seriously, my university counsellor suggested Mac, Laurier or.... Trent... For kinesiology. So you can clearly see why I chose Kin. Nothing against Laurier or Trent, but McMaster REALLY seemed like the best choice.