I was wondering what current first year students know about the process, and what they want to know?

Second, third and fourth year students, do you have major-picking stories you can share?

I know my major technically changed three times in three years.

right now i'm in first year science. but i don't know what i want to major in in second year. my marks weren't too good last term either. when do we need to decide what we're doing? and i thought once we picked our major you had to stay in it. how did yours change three times?

Well, in first year (I think with the exception of Nursing and RMT), you're in a general program. Although technically you were accepted into a program (say psych or english), it doesn't mean anything to the university what-so-ever.

Then towards the latter part of term 2 (I think late Feb or early March, but could be way off) you can pick your major. It is here that you can pick your specialty; like biochem, life sci, sociology, social work etc.

You pick a few majors (I forget the actual number; I think it's three. But this may depend on faculty too, I'm not sure) you are interested in being accepted into. Then sometime after your term 2 marks are released, you find out which ones you get into, and then have to make a decision.

ok, thanks. but how did yours change? i'm curious and you didnt say.

If you are not happy with your major, you can contact the associate dean of the faculty you want to switch into. So, for instance, if you are a biology major and want to switch to an economics major, you would contact the associate dean of social science in order to find out what steps you need to take in order to successfully transfer... At least, that is my understanding of it.

what is everyone minoring in? and do minors look good on a resume/transcript? i mean... do you think employers would look at them as an asset over someone without a minor?

I'm majoring in biochemistry, and minoring in economics.

Having a minor can't hurt. I know that minors will help if you are applying to professional schools (because it shows that you are wellrounded, and whatnot).

As for employers, I am not really sure. It depends on what your minor is in... If your major and minor are related, I'm sure employers will look at it as a plus. If they aren't related, it probably will not be seen as a negative, so having a minor can't really hurt your chances...

I hope that helps a little bit

I'm actually double majoring; and my majors are Cultural Studies and Anthropology. Because of all the requirements you need to meet as a double makor-er, it is hard to add a minor on top of that (fitting courses in and whatnot). Because I ended up switching majors a few times, I will not have enough units to finish with a minor.

Technically, I don't think we can answer your question all that well dvy88, as all we have to go buy is speculations (none of us are heads of large corporations or in charge of admissions at the post-grad level). Again, as anthyrai mentioned, I think it depends on what your plans are for post-grad. For instance, if I was to try and get into an MBA, I don't think I'd have any chance, as I have no related courses. But someone like anthyrai would have a better possibility.

As for employers...again it really depends. Most employers don't take transcripts into account. Provided you have a university degree, they're content. But this again will depend on what field you wish to go into.

Getting back to what athyrai said in a previous post, (about switching faculties); I am pretty sure she is correct.

However, I think it is a good idea to go to your faculty office first; as they will have the overall say in if you are allowed to take courses outside of your degree (as it is not until summer that your degree or major is chosen, regardless of what year you are in).

athyrai, what is biochem like? how hard was it to get into? i'm sort of interested in applying

Hey Locke,

Biochemistry is intense. Lots of work. It's harder than the other science programs (biopsych is probably the only other program that is as bad as biochem). The specialization programs are harder than the core program because specializations have more required courses, but most students switch into core after second year. I really like biochemistry. The professors are awesome and the labs can be fun. It's a demanding program, but if you like the material, you should definitely go for it.

As for getting in, it wasn't too hard when I applied. But they have changed it so that it's a limited enrollment program. You need to have at least a 6 to get in, but that might guarantee that you get in, so the higher the better!

You can check out the undergraduate calendar for more specific details about getting in: http://registrar.mcmaster.ca /CALEN...07/sec_472.htm. The specializations are harder to get into than the core program, so if you want to do a specialization you need a higher average. Also check out the courses that you have to take, it'll give you a better feel for what you are going to be studying for the rest of your undergrad.

I hope that helps! If you have any other questions feel free to ask me

great! thank you so much for your help!

Originally Posted by Locke

right now i'm in first year science. but i don't know what i want to major in in second year

If you aren't sure what program you want to go into, I would definately ask around. There are many upper year students you could ask. Some first year TAs are undergrads, so you could ask them. You could also look at talking to a counsellor/advisor [http://www.science.mcmaster. ca/%7eassociatedean/index.html] or attending information sessions (I can't recall if there were any in my first year). Also take a look at other resources such as students on LearnLink, or another student run website for McMaster, such as www.mac-central.com.

Science I is really broad, which allows you to have many options. Unfortunately, I believe your year is the last to go through Science I. The students after you will have to be more specific in what they want to get into.

You don't have to decide right now what you want to do, but you should narrow your choices down to about 3 programs. By entering specific programs you can select for co-op programs which are available for 2nd years to apply too! But you shouldn't worry too much about this now. Some things you might consider for your program selection include whether you find the general topics of the program of interest. Also, some programs are more time consuming than others and have different focuses.

As for me, I'm in Honours Biology - Genetics Spec - Co-op and trying to get a minor in Geography.

Cheers.

Thanks Ivan! We appreciate your comments.

But...what about non-science people? When will you come out of the woodwork? *hint hint*

Originally Posted by lorend

Thanks Ivan! We appreciate your comments.

But...what about non-science people? When will you come out of the woodwork? *hint hint*

I'm not sure about non-science to as much depth, but fortunately Locke is in Science I
xD

Doing what I can =)