Originally Posted by PTGregD

Make sure you actually enjoy the material your minor discusses though, otherwise you're setting yourself up to really destroy your GPA.

I think it would be wise to differentiate enjoying from being good at. In highschool I very much enjoyed drama, however I never did that well it the class, the mark I got always dropped my average. On the opposite view, I don't really "enjoy" math, although I don't hate it, but it has always boosted my average, even in university.

Originally Posted by jhan523

I think it would be wise to differentiate enjoying from being good at. In highschool I very much enjoyed drama, however I never did that well it the class, the mark I got always dropped my average. On the opposite view, I don't really "enjoy" math, although I don't hate it, but it has always boosted my average, even in university.

Fair point; I mainly meant that if you really hate what you're taking, you will struggle to put forth a good effort towards the class. Contrast that with something you enjoy, and you will hopefully put a stronger effort towards it because you don't view it as much of a chore.

Whether effort correlates towards performance is another matter entirely and is different from person to person.

You can also look at taking a minor because you can't complete a double major. At this point, I do not think I am able to complete a double major in English/Indigenous Studies because I need 6 units of language for ISP.

I took the first three units of Ojibwe, but found out the second half is most-likely not being taught until 2010-2011. Soo in order for me to complete the requirements I'd either need to wait a year, or hope that both the first and second year Mohawk courses are being offered next year.

Sooo I may be minoring in ISP because I can't complete the major.

Originally Posted by PTGregD

However, if you plan on continuing your education, i.e., grad school; Minors are a good way to differentiate yourselves from others and give you a certain edge in the application process.

I know this to be false...when doing post-graduate studies (in an academic setting), you specialize in one area...math, chemistry, physics, etc.

Your knowledge in a second unrelated area is, for the purposes of learning this one area, useless...so it does little to sway a person's decision in your favour, except for perhaps giving you a little "I work hard!" notation in the back of their mind (and this can be achieved in numerous other ways).


The way it gives you an edge is when you are applying to a professional school...chiropractic , medicine, occupational therapy, etc. Then they will say "Hmm...this candidate has a degree in (let's say) biology, but they have a minor in chemistry, which is very good to know for this field...so they get a little +1 next to their name." Or, since people are a big unsolved mystery, sometimes the people selecting applicants like to see opposite minors. "Wow, this candidate's interests are so broad! They did a major in Geography, and a minor in Physics!"

Either angle works...but for a grad school, not so much. I suppose in principle, if you're applying to physics and you have a math minor it may help...but anyone doing physics cannot be awarded a math minor, since their core program involves so many math courses they'd get a minor by completing like 1 or 2 extra courses.


Keep in mind that a minor is only the first two years of a program (and one or two third year courses). As such, this is not nearly the same as completing a major in the said subject, the depth of the material is not the same, and your knowledge of the area isn't as strong...particularly in some areas where you require a certain level of expertise/knowledge. (Math, for instance, is my area...you would not get into grad school for Math with a minor in Math, at any university. I know that for a fact)

Originally Posted by Mowicz

I know this to be false...when doing post-graduate studies (in an academic setting), you specialize in one area...math, chemistry, physics, etc.

Your knowledge in a second unrelated area is, for the purposes of learning this one area, useless...so it does little to sway a person's decision in your favour, except for perhaps giving you a little "I work hard!" notation in the back of their mind (and this can be achieved in numerous other ways).

It's all in perspective; If you apply to York, then all you need is a pulse to get accepted; if you apply to a more prestigious school (i.e., Harvard, Yale, Princeton), then that minor will help drastically. At those schools, where the atmosphere is HIGHLY competitive, ANYTHING that you achieved in academics helps, such as a minor.

Originally Posted by PTGregD

It's all in perspective; If you apply to York, then all you need is a pulse to get accepted; if you apply to a more prestigious school (i.e., Harvard, Yale, Princeton), then that minor will help drastically. At those schools, where the atmosphere is HIGHLY competitive, ANYTHING that you achieved in academics helps, such as a minor.

You're both...something.

Just because you major in a certain subject doesn't mean you have to go that route doing post-grad work. One of my favourite profs at Mac has their undergraduate in Engineering, and has their PhD in English.

I don't see how that makes me incorrect. I never said you had to pursue your major post-grad. Plenty of people go into law/business without having major'd in it.

@PTGredD:

I suppose that's true, but you practically need to be born into an Ivy League school like Harvard, haha. I know a guy who got 97th percentile on the MCAT and didn't get in, while I also know a guy who got something like 72nd percentile and got in because his father knew a professor or something like that. C'est la vie.

But even a school like Harvard would prefer stellar grades in your major of study than having average to good grades in your major and completion of a minor...so I don't know if it's advisable to minor unless it's something you planned to take anyway, if you're going for the whole Ivy League thing.

It all comes back to weighing the pros and cons.

@lorend: That's all fine and good, but it doesn't make what I said wrong...English is just something that you don't necessarily need the most technical training...you need to learn the style of thinking, how to analyze, etc. which you can learn in some cases, without a university education at all...so the selection process is more lax in terms of required courses, for English. (Don't get me wrong, it's still competitive)

Humanities is great, I'm not trying to say it's pointless or anything, but if you don't take one specific course, you're not destined to failure...didn't take that comp lit course and read {such and such book} by {such and such author}? No problem! You can just pick it up and read it. Infact, in two different years, the course material may differ drastically, even within one course, at one specific institution.

In a trade such as Electrical Engineering however, if you have not been fully trained in Electricity and Magnetism, you can't possibly find work as an electrical engineer...so you'll never find the converse...namely, you'll never find someone with an undergraduate in English, and a PhD in Engineering.

Where can I find out what courses to take to complete a POli Sci Minor?

http://registrar.mcmaster.ca /CALEN...nt/pg1718.html

Requirements
24 units total

6 units Level I Political Science
18 units Levels II, III, IV Political Science of which up to 12 units may be Level II

I just found out with the rest of my friends that our minors don't show up on our degree certificates and we are all very disappointed. Although it's on my final transcripts and it's somewhat helpful, it was mostly for show and I would have liked it to be on somewhere where I could hang it up prouldy. In the end, I'm not sure if it was really worth the extra difficult biology courses.

I suppose it depends on what you're using the minor for: is it to set yourself apart in post-grad applications, or is it because you are kinda interested in that area?

I guess a good conclusion to draw is that minors are good if they don't nuke your GPA.

Same with a second major...haha

I would just like to point out that McMaster is _not_ the only university which does not put minors on the diploma...so don't feel betrayed by "McMaster making a dumb decision." Infact, I've tried to find a university that does, and I could not find a single one... _maybe_ Harvard does...but I couldn't even get a straight answer, and have never seen a Harvard diploma.