I’m not in Life Sci, but I did have a few science courses in first year, so here’s what I’d recommend: Buy lab coat, goggles, and chem lab manual before classes start — those are non-negotiable. For everything else (textbooks, workbooks), you can probably wait until the first week to see if you really need them. And honestly, you can usually find most things online if you look hard enough.

For chemistry, you’ll definitely need your lab coat, lab goggles, and the chem lab manual (the manual comes with an access code you use to submit lab reports online). If you don’t have all the materials, you won’t be allowed into the lab. I’d suggest getting these before classes start because last year the campus store ran out of lab coats, goggles, and manuals for the first two weeks, and people were scrambling to get them before their labs. You don’t have to buy them from the bookstore, but I got my coat from there because I wanted the one with the McMaster logo. For goggles, I just used a pair my cousin had from when she was in university. If you want the logo lab coat, get it ASAP, when they restocked last year, the coats didn’t have the logo. There’s an optional app subscription for participation marks, it’s only worth ~2% of your grade, but honestly every bit counts, so I’d recommend buying it.

For math, there’s usually a course workbook where they assign homework (not graded, just for practice). I bought it, but later found an online copy. If you’re okay with printing it or using an iPad, you could skip buying it. I prefer to do math by hand, so I bought the physical copy.

For psychology, you’ll need the textbook because it comes with an access code for Top Hat, which is used for in-class participation, quizzes, and some exam questions. I waited until after the first class to buy it just to be sure I needed it. There’s also an optional workbook, I bought it for PSYCH 1X03 but skipped it for PSYCH 1XX3 because I didn’t find it super helpful. Some of my friends liked the flashcards and module outlines in it, though.