New Student Checklist: June 25 to September 4
By DANIELLE LORENZ, MACINSIDERS
**UPDATED FOR 2013/14**
There are a few things you can do to facilitate the new student process, and things to remember to do a little bit later in the summer. Trust me, by getting as much out of the way now as possible the easier life will be for you.
REGISTRATION AND IMPORTANT DATES:
First follow the steps here:
http://www.macinsiders.com/showthrea...5.html?t=78075
OSAP
Will you need some sort of financial assistance in first year? If so, consult with the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). Find out your eligibility, and begin the application process. There are some scholarships and grants that you must apply for before a certain date. To have OSAP as a payment agreement when picking courses you must have applied by a certain date as well. MacInsiders user Danny Vacar wrote a great article about OSAP last May, and even though it is “dated” I suggest you read it. You can find it
here. If you want more information, you can also consult with the OSAP
website.
SOAR - Summer Orientation Program
Summer Orientation for Academic Readiness (SOAR) will help prepare you for university by introducing you to life at McMaster and the skills you will need to be successful. The program includes videos, interviews and live chats, as well as blog posts written by faculty members, campus leaders and McMaster students. SOAR is an online program and will start Monday, July 8.
Week 1 - July 8 – 14
Welcome and Introduction
Week 2 - July 15 – 21
Success in Residence and Off Campus
Week 3 - July 22 – 28
Health and Wellness
Week 4 - July 29 – Aug 4
Becoming a Marauder
Week 5 - Aug 5 – 11
Support in Your Neighbourhood
Week 6 - Aug 12 – 18
How to Succeed in the Social Sciences, Humanities and Business
Goal Setting and Life Mapping
Week 7 - Aug 19 – 25
How to Succeed in the Sciences and Engineering
Note Taking and Memory
Week 8 - Aug 26 – 30
Making the Most of First Year
More at:
http://studentsuccess.mcmast er.ca/...-programs.html
None of the sessions mentioned above are mandatory, but it is a good way for you to interact with other first year students, and have some of your (and your parents’ concerns) answered by McMaster staff and upper-year volunteers.
Use Our Forums!
If you are having issues, or have questions about courses, please post on the forums! Trust us when we say TONS of other first years have the same questions as you! Those going into second year had the same questions last year that you do now! MacInsiders is a great resource and no question is ever stupid here. And you may even meet some of your future classmates along the way! We just ask if your question is different than ones previously asked to post a new thread, rather than making existing ones super long.
Monies
High school is over for you now, so get off your butt and get a job if you haven’t already! University can be expensive so start squirreling away money now! You think I'm kidding. I'm not! If you aren't getting a job this summer, spend as much time as you can finding information about scholarships. Any money you get from scholarships or bursaries is free money that you don't need to pay back.
University Communications
In July, you will receive more information from McMaster in either a combination of postal mail and email or just email. This obviously will have occurred once the McMaster has gotten all of your final grades. If you are getting things in the mail, you will be getting a mixture of publications, info sheets and other tree-killing things. If you are getting things via email it will be in a mixture of attached documents and pdf files. Make sure you read every single item you get, as they are included for a reason! Also, login to MUGSI and make sure your contact e-mail is UP TO DATE so you receive all emails from McMaster.
MacPass
In aforementioned package you should get literature on your MacPass, your all-access pass to Welcome Week at McMaster. There are some items during Welcome Week you can only get into with your MacPass wrist band. Details:
http://studentsuccess.mcmast er.ca/...ation-kit.html
Residence
Between the end of June and mid-July your residence confirmation will become available. You may not get the residence you want…but your residence experience is
WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT, and the building you live in truly doesn’t matter. I got my last choice of res in my first year but still love the building to this day. Introduce yourself in the MacInsiders Residence Forums here:
http://www.macinsiders.com/forumdisp...g-84.html?f=84
Once you find out what residence you are living in, please check out our
res-specific forums and start chatting with your new res mates! You may also wish to consult with our
The Pros and Cons of Each Residence article, and our Residence Survival Guides, parts
One,
One-and-a-half,
Two,
Three,
Four, and
Five as well as
Getting Involved at McMaster Part Six: Residence. These articles should give you some idea of what you should be thinking of in terms of residence, and a little bit of what to expect too.
Living Off-Campus
We know that not all first year students live on-campus in their first year, and so we've got you covered too! Check out our articles on the
Society of Off-Campus Students (SOCS), and
many different articles about living off-campus.
Photo ID for OSAP
If you are getting OSAP you will need some sort of photo identification to pick it up. Make sure you have a driver’s license or some other form of photo ID in the mail long before mid-August or you may not be able to pick it up as early as you would like.
Welcome Day
August 9th 2013 is Welcome Day! You should attend if at all possible. There are many different programs and sessions happening on that day, and they cover all avenues about student life. If you are living in residence, you will also be allowed to see a few examples of residence rooms in your res (but not your specific room). For details visit
http://studentsuccess.mcmast er.ca/...lcome-day.html
Horizons
If you aren’t doing anything in mid-August, come to the Horizons leadership conference! It is a way for you to meet your incoming classmates, stay in a McMaster residence building, get familiar with the McMaster campus, and experience the fun of Welcome Week two weeks before it starts. For more information on the applications and application process, check out the Horizons website.
https://www.msumcmaster.ca/services-...hip-conference Lots of people who post on MacInsiders will be leaders at the conference, so you can get to know them outside of the forums!
The Horizons Leadership Conference is a 3-day, 2-night leadership-oriented campus experience exclusively for first years coming to McMaster in September. The conference is scheduled for August 2nd-4th, 2013.
The focus of the conference is to provide new students with an introduction to campus and university life. The conference also creates opportunities to network within the university by showcasing involvement prospects in McMaster and by building valuable leadership skills through sessions, events and speakers.
Each year, approximately 150 incoming McMaster students have the chance to develop these lifelong leadership skills, explore their new home and gain valuable insight into themselves and their future. It is an opportunity to lay a foundation for academic excellence, meaningful student involvement, and instil the sense of community, high level of volunteerism and culture of inspiration and leadership McMaster is known.
Last But Not Least...
Spend the latter part of August packing, posting on our forums (what? I’m allowed to self-promote!), and sleeping. You don’t get a lot of sleep during Welcome Week, so I suggest you start banking as much as possible beforehand. Welcome Week officially starts first week of September, so enjoy your last little bit of fun before university starts! All of your Welcome Week Reps are going to have a blast and are already PUMPED about Welcome Week!
