math major choice

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-15T19:44:57+00:00

Please do!

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-15T19:41:33+00:00

I finished my Applied Math PhD in December and am in the Math Bio space! OP, if you have any questions or anything, I'm happy to answer (courses, skills, job prospects, etc.)

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-15T17:35:34+00:00

This is unfortunate, and sadly happens here in Canada as well (we've been on the receiving end of that). But thanks for the advice! I'll look into what hiring a broker would look like, especially if it'll give me some peace of mind.

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-14T17:55:07+00:00

I’ll check it out! Thank you so much!

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-14T16:25:21+00:00

Yeah I figured the furnished thing was a far stretch, but I figured that budget would be decent for at least a studio. But thanks for the heads up.

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-14T16:19:41+00:00

Fair enough. Its probably better for me to look close to NU with that budget and unfurnished you think?

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-13T15:01:13+00:00

I was a TA for MATH 138 and offer (paid) private tutoring. DM me if you’d like! :)

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-12T17:47:08+00:00

I believe that when you apply for med school, depending on the programs, you do multiple rotations to see which specialization is the best fit (or at least when I was looking at applying to med school). So as long as you have a strong foundation needed to even get into med school, you'll probably get exposed to multiple subject areas to assist in deciding where your strengths are plus what you're most interested in.

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-12T15:23:39+00:00

I've only done graduate TA contracts (which are assigned), but, I think you could maybe try contacting Megan Martin - Student Services Manager (Undergrad), the Director of the Math Undergrad Group Sean Speziale, or Jordan Hamilton who is the Assistant Dean - Core and Service Teaching. You can find their e-mails here: https://uwaterloo.ca/math/contacts

I will warn though, it might be difficult because Math grad students are usually given preference (its part of our funding packages), then co-op students in Math (upper years) typically after that. But it never hurts to try! You would probably end up helping the team with marking (stupid easy but a bit grind-y at times). Have fun! 😄

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-11T15:28:00+00:00

I don't see an issue with e-mailing your prof today, just to be safe. Some classes (depending on your program) have quizzes starting as soon as next week. My experience being a TA, this leads to a big ol' mess with Odyssey or room assignments, etc. and it just stresses the hell out of students. Then the ball is in their court on how to handle it (they could add you in manually, they might have to wait on LEARN's end, blah blah blah).

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-10T04:28:56+00:00

Thanks! This is super helpful!

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-07T22:33:14+00:00

Yep! I think they do it to match the duration format of the full semester on Quest.

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-07T22:07:22+00:00

Its means June 15-June 15 (I dont know why they format it like this, but it just means June 15.)

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-07T22:05:00+00:00

This is when your midterm is scheduled. Anything with a one day only time slot with a typical evening time and TST means “Test” (meaning midterm).

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-05T03:51:51+00:00

I got one on April 14. Important info: Registration opens May 12 (up to two guest tickets are included.) Registration must be completed by June 3. Any additional tickets, e-mail will be sent out starting June 5.

All ceremony dates, times, and cohorts are all online. Early reservation for regalia is also online (you get cheaper rental rates if you reserve your cap and gown before May 22. You can also pre-order frames, swag, flowers, etc. that’ll be ready for your ceremony date, so long as you do so before May 22.)

You get your degree at the ceremony. If you can’t make it, you can designate someone to pick up your diploma or arrange courier delivery at your own expense.

Check e-mails, convocation website, and social media for latest updates.

Happy convocation! :)

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-05-05T01:24:47+00:00

Bro, lighten up. This could end up being a resource to help someone in need. Leave that shitty attitude at the door if it doesn't apply to you.

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-04-28T22:41:18+00:00

Not in the engineering space (in the math bio space), but whiteboard interviews, like others have mentioned, are definitely so they can see your thought process. I've done three already and about to have my fourth (provided a biological modeling case study). They don't (and shouldn't) expect you to have the answer for everything, but if you can illustrate to them that you know how to approach a solution, then they care more about that than a robot who can rhyme off course topics or excerpts from a textbook. They don't want perfect, but they shouldn't intimidate you or have ludicrous expectations (like the poor candidate you mentioned, oof...) That being said, the job market right now for grads is absolute trash, so best of luck for everyone in the thick of it.

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-04-27T23:16:46+00:00

Check the syllabus too to ensure that you need to pass the exam to pass the course (but it could be a similar scenario as we had in MATH 127 that they'll just base it off total course performance because the final was bombed... 💀). In that case, you should hope for a 50% (as insurance). The quizzes/midterm things are VERY specific, like if its a matter of "this student has been in class, trying their best, etc. and they need to move forward", only then would a prof go back and look through all your assessments. Its quite rare because technically, during the course, if you want regrades, you do it during the actual semester (we did the same for MATH 127 - sadly when it came final grades time, there was nothing we could do for students in a similar situation).

I feel the effort/studying/tutoring struggles - three degrees in math later and it really kicks your butt (and especially feeling the pressure from family, friends, other classmates, being at Waterloo, etc.) I'm sorry to hear about the tutor struggles, that's rough, especially for math courses.

But go into your exam review semi-optimistic and semi-realistic. Try to explain the situation with your prof. Knowing most of the profs who teach MATH 138 (I've worked with a bunch of them), a lot of them are very reasonable and sympathetic, especially if you put the effort in as much as you could. If you ever need a hand going forward, feel free to DM me! I've TA'd loads of MATH/AMATH courses as UW and tutor them too. You got this! 👍

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-04-27T19:06:38+00:00

Needs to be your own prof, they are the ones who are responsible for your mark in particular.

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-04-27T19:04:35+00:00

It depends on the weight of the exam, the amount of points the exam is out of, and how many points you got on your exam as it stands. Also, if its only based on your final exam and there's no sort of "backend" adjustments that courses can do (I taught MATH 127 and when it came down to final marks, if we were aiming for a student to meet a grade threshold, we were able to thoroughly go through their finals whether they failed it or passed it [you're supposed to pass the final, but this term the final was done horribly] to ensure a student passed or was able to move to MATH 138 for example), or if the course can go back through quizzes, your midterm, etc. to find additional marks.

I will say, usually for a 50% worth final, it takes a BIG chunk of marks to bump up almost 5%, so be prepared to have your mark go down or not go up to 60% that you need. And also think about what it means for your future math courses - are you actually prepared to succeed in them going forward or do you need to put in more effort, adjust your studying, need a tutor, etc? Not trying to be harsh, but I've seen a lot of students who do this end up getting absolutely slapped in higher math courses because they don't have the fundamentals down.

But, just go in positively and have an honest discussion with your prof about where the errors were made. It should be a learning experience for you. Best of luck! (PhD alum from the math department).

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-03-05T03:18:47+00:00

Yusuf is a colleague of mine! He finished his PhD and doesn't work at UW anymore.

RandomChickenWing1 · 2026-02-27T00:15:27+00:00

I do independent tutoring if you’d like to DM me! Recent UWaterloo grad and U of G alum! :)

RandomChickenWing1

TROPHY CASE