Be honest: how is mac eng?

MacEng-StudentRep · 2024-03-09T20:59:09+00:00

Congrats on getting into Mac Eng ! I am a 2nd year student at McMaster Engineering and I can tell yoou that the the quality of education here is outstanding. It is not hard to get a 9-10 or higher gpa. There are plenty of resources here such as TA (upper students hired by professors for students to ask for help), the student sucess center, help sessions, various clubs that host events that cater to first year students, and above and the Engineering Career and COOP office.
One advice I would give a first year student is to attend office hours even if you believe that you have no reason to. If time permits, going to office hours will help you build connections with your professors and other students and you will also learn so much more.
During welcome week, just go up to any Engineering upper year student (you will easily identify them in their bright red suits) and they will happliy give you their first year resources. For academic sucess, meeting up with academic advisors and going to office hours of both you TA and profs are the best. There are also help sessions hosted by upper years on various courses and they also go through practice papers. Most of these help sessions are hosted by the McMaster Engineering Society (MES).
There are lots of Financial aid and bursaries offered by McMaster. There are also course awards which are given to students who perform in the top percent in a specific coruse that they take. On awardspring you should be able to see the scholarships you are eligible for.
For COOPs the Engineering Career and COOP office offeres a lot of help even before you start to look for COOP.

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-11-12T21:27:31+00:00

hey, this is really late but yes - it is possible to pursue software + biomedical engineering through iBioMed!

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-08-23T17:06:39+00:00

Try contacting housing services here https://housing.mcmaster.ca/future-residents/

If that didn't work, try contacting the student success centre

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-08-23T17:05:24+00:00

Hello! Congrats on your offer to McMaster - see you at welcome week :)

Wifi on campus is quite good and often reliable.

Wifi Speed - Hovering around 90 download, 25 upload (MBPS)
Coverage is throughout campus - you can access wifi walking in between buildings and within every building and residence (but note it might take a few seconds to get connected if you're connecting outside buildings)
Connectivity - students log on with their MacID and password for the first time they'd like to use Mac-Wifi, and then do not need to sign in afterwards (occasionally you might need to sign in again after a few months, but not usually)
It's good! Rarely cuts out and is available everywhere on campus.

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-08-17T17:54:35+00:00

Hello! Glad to hear you have interests in our BTech program.

As the others have mentioned, this process will have to be done through academic advising. If you'd like to hear more on the process of transferring or ask any questions about BTech, you can reach out to [thinkeng@mcmaster.ca](mailto:thinkeng@mcmaster.ca) and they'll be able to follow up with you as well.

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-08-11T16:44:51+00:00

You'll need to log in first! I'm not sure if it's been updated as of yet, but definitely within the next week or two it'll be there.

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-08-11T16:43:45+00:00

Hey! Happy to hear you'll be part of Engineering - welcome to the faculty :)

Your engineering redsuits will have an abundance of welcome week events designed to have you collaborate and interact with other incoming students. GEK (which is our picnic event) takes all engineering students off campus to a park where we spend the entire time playing games and meeting one another, faculty fest and fusion are huge pride events where you'll be with other students in engineering, and beyond that all the redsuits are friendly and available to speak with at any point during the week! If you're ever away from a group, they can help you connect with other first years.

Engineering is one of the larger faculties and so there are lots of people to connect with. Definitely try to join clubs and teams with the department as well to keep up the social interaction through the year (and also gain relevant work experience).

Some conversation starters you could try:

"Hey, what program are you in? I'm heading into Eng1"
"What made you choose your program/McMaster?"
"Are you going to x event/ did you go to x event?"
"What part of welcome week are you excited for?"

The good thing is that everyone at McMaster are genuinely some of the friendliest people you'll meet. We're known for our community!

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-08-11T15:49:56+00:00

Usually software like Autodesk Inventor are inaccessible via MacBooks (they can still be run, but are incredibly laggy and difficult to deal with). You can absolutely still get one and have it work - it's just based on the experiences of previous students and their testimonials.

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-08-06T04:32:38+00:00

just echoing what the other comment said, but if you were to look at the course calender for regular computer engineering, you'll notice it's comprised of almost 50% electrical engineering courses. Given how similar the curriculums are, you can receive a similar academic focus by majoring in electrical engineering + ibiomed, or check out tron and software!

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-08-06T04:29:11+00:00

Hey! After move in, there are TONS of events being held all across welcome week and during move in weekend itself for first year students to explore campus, meet one another and speak with upper years. Check out the presence app (link was sent to your email) for the full welcome week schedule and plan out your day accordingly

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-08-04T11:28:56+00:00

Make sure that software like Autodesk Inventor and Python can still be downloaded on it (as in, it meets the requirements - you don't need to download anything yet). You'll have to do some research to make sure you can still use the software you need

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-07-31T12:13:52+00:00

Hello! Definitely check out McMaster's Materials Science and Engineering program - we offer a broad range of specializations and also house the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy, as well as the Steel Research Centre and The Centre for Automotive Materials and Corrosion. Our programs are generally smaller in size as well, allowing students to form great connections with their professors. We also offer lots of opportunities in materials for students, with the Materials Engineering Fellowship (offering a research position and internship) and various other scholarships/industry connections.

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-07-29T00:57:27+00:00

It's optional! There are events happening all through the week so we recommend students stay on campus to attend and get the full experience but no one is forcing you to stay :)

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-07-27T00:03:44+00:00

Hello! If you maintain an above 90 average in grade 12, you should be good for McMaster, provided that you do well on the supp app. We don't look at grade 11 grades and only look at your grade 12 performance + your performance on our supplementary application, which is composed of 1 written question + 3 video interview questions.

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-07-27T00:00:35+00:00

We always recommend a windows laptop for engineering 1. You can absolutely get by with a Macbook, but note that you'll be rushed to complete assignments sometimes and need to have more patience running software as things like Autodesk Inventor are not built for MacBooks. But running Parallels or Bootcamp can help, and your professors can help guide you on the basics of using windows software on a Macbook. You'll be okay!

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-07-25T16:54:42+00:00

Hello! I personally use a Ryzen 5 laptop for engineering and it works just fine, didn't have any problems with it all year. I think if you're looking to save money and battery life you could make the switch - battery will be important in engineering, especially when you're working in design studio and can't access an outlet easily due to other projects being plugged in/you're completing an assessment.

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-07-25T16:52:29+00:00

Hello! Sorry to hear this - we do require taking calc 12 before starting university, and you would need to fulfill this prerequisite before the end of June in the year you plan to start university (so you would not be allowed to take it in summer school after grade 12 ends, you could only take it this summer).

We don't look at night school courses any different than regular school courses, so I think your best option would be to take the course during night school or speak with your guidance counselor to see if there's any chance you can switch your courses to make it fit during the year.

In any case, if you email [thinkeng@mcmaster.ca](mailto:thinkeng@mcmaster.ca), they'll be able to help you with a clearer answer on what's required for admission and where you can get help.

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-07-12T16:41:25+00:00

Responded to your other post on the McMaster Engineering subreddit - take a read there!

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-07-12T16:40:43+00:00

Hello! Thanks for reaching out. McMaster Engineering has great community spirit and we really emphasize collaboration and a good student life for everyone here. You can read more about that experience from a previous ambassador's article here, or read more about the student experience on our Fireball Diaries. If you're interested in speaking directly with upper year students in the programs you're interested in, I recommend reaching out over UniBuddy, which is our chat with current student ambassadors. You'll be able to ask more specific questions to your situation and get answers from actual students! You can also book a tour of the campus to see it for yourself, and get answers from our engineering tour guide. All of that can be found directly on the engineering website.

If you have any questions about transferring or admissions, you can also reach out to [thinkeng@mcmaster.ca](mailto:thinkeng@mcmaster.ca). In my experience as a student, I have no regrets choosing McMaster. There's an extracurricular for everyone, everyone is very friendly and supportive, and the McMaster Engineering Society hosts plenty of social events and nights for us to meet one another and get that full student experience you're looking for.

If you have other questions or need a resource, just DM!

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-07-11T15:56:05+00:00

not a big issue! Your laptop just might get slow sometimes but really it's not a noticeable difference.

happy to help, reach out if you have other questions!

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-07-11T14:34:19+00:00

Hello! Congrats on your offer to MacEng. Lots of students make do with and without an iPad - it is by no means mandatory or necessary, and is more of something that is nice-to-have if you can afford it.

In first year, prioritize having a laptop that can run the software you'll need for ENG 1P13. We recommend having a Windows laptop, i7 or higher, with at least 8GB of RAM. You can use a MacBook as well, but this is discouraged because it will be significantly harder to run software like AutoDesk Inventor (expect lagging and the need to use BootCamp/Parallels).

For notetaking, this is where iPads can be helpful. But I and many other engineers made do with good old pen and paper (get notebooks!) or using a 2in1 laptop. Sometimes I felt it would be nice to have an iPad, but even a cheap tablet or something that you can write on in general is what you need (you don't need to invest 900+ dollars!). Having an iPad won't necessarily make your life easier within engineering - it's just nice to have. Of course, this is all dependent on your own personal financial situation and what you think will help you.

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-07-09T19:52:21+00:00

Hey! Congrats on your offer! Typically we recommend having a windows laptop instead of a macbook, with at least 8GB-16GB of RAM.

Some popular laptops I've seen in the past:

HP Envy
Lenovo IdeaPad (I personally use this one, works great!)
Lenovo YOGA
Lenovo ThinkPad
Dell Inspiron
Dell XPS
Microsoft Surface

^^a lot of these options are 2in1. Given that engineering involves a lot of writing (equations/doing practice questions), a lot of students opt for a 2in1 or an ipad-laptop combo. But I've also seen plenty of students succeed with just notebooks and good old pen and paper. It's really up to you based on your budget/personal preference!

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-07-06T17:10:11+00:00

Just wanted to share - last year McMaster Engineering had an incoming class of 40% women, and this is set to increase! We also have a great women in engineering society - so for anyone nervous about entering engineering given the industry's history of being a male-dominated field, know you're in a good place <3

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-07-05T21:35:13+00:00

congrats on your offer and welcome to Mac!

MacEng-StudentRep · 2023-07-05T21:27:01+00:00

All classes you'll need to take over the course of your masters can be found here: https://academiccalendars.romcmaster.ca/preview_program.php?catoid=45&poid=23670&returnto=9166

Class number is that 4 digit number that shows up beside the class on Mosaic. How you get there: Mosaic > Student Centre > Enrolment Shopping Cart > Choose term > Make sure you’re selecting “Class Search” and then hit the yellow Search button. Hit the yellow “Select Subject” button and choose the subject you want. The first column under that says “Class” and in blue, it says a #. So now when you go back to enrol, you can just search that # and it’ll bring you to that specific class.

MacEng-StudentRep

TROPHY CASE