A Guide to Joining Clubs and Teams as a Double Degree Student

University is not just about studying. In order to thrive at McMaster, it is essential that you find a good balance between academics, extracurricular activities, and your personal life. As a double degree student, clubs and teams offer a unique opportunity for you to integrate your knowledge of two or more disciplines in real-world scenarios, but it also presents the additional challenge of managing a heavy schedule. In my previous posts, I discussed how to excel in the academic side of pursuing a double degree. …

My Thoughts on McMaster’s Introduction to Machine Learning

I recently completed McMaster’s inaugural offering of COMPSCI 4ML3: Introduction to Machine Learning taught by Dr. Hassan Ashtiani. Motivated by my enthusiasm for machine learning as well as lack of reviews of this course, I wanted to write a quick blog post to describe my experience in this course for students who are looking to take this course in the future.

Note that I am simply a recent grad who is creating a blog so that those who come after me can have a resource that I wish I had going through the Software Engineering and Management (Co-op) program. I…

Advice from a Recent McMaster Software Engineering and Management Co-op Graduate

The Engineering Co-op and Internship program at McMaster University provides an amazing opportunity for students to test drive potential careers, apply skills learned in class to real-world problems, and to build their professional network. Having recently completed McMaster’s Engineering Co-op program, I would like to share 3 pieces of advice I have to help you land your dream co-op placement.

Note that I am not an academic advisor, nor do I hold/have held any positions at McMaster that would qualify me to provide professional academic advice on behalf of the university. I am simply a recent grad who is creating…

An Introduction to Manually Creating Your Perfect Timetable

Sometimes, it is difficult if not impossible to create your perfect timetable using McMaster’s My Timetable tool. Perhaps you need to overload to graduate with your double degree on time. Or maybe you need to take a course that you are missing prerequisites for. Regardless of the reason, if you find McMaster’s My Timetable tool unsatisfactory, then you can manually create your own timetable using the 5 steps I will describe in this blog post.

Note that I am not an academic advisor, nor do I hold/have held any positions at McMaster that would qualify me to provide professional academic…

An Introduction to McMaster’s My Timetable Tool

Now that you know what courses you need to graduate with a double degree, it is time to start planning out your next semester. Over the next 2 blog posts, I will introduce 2 different ways for you to plan your timetable so that it fits your needs. In this first short blog post, I will introduce the McMaster My Timetable tool that will automatically generate timetables for you to choose from given a list of courses. Let’s begin by watching a brief overview video of the My Timetable tool created by McMaster University:

Advice from a Recent McMaster Graduate

A couple of days ago, McMaster released degree program placements to incoming second-year students, which will determine the course of study for many students for the remainder of their degree (unless the student decides to transfer or pursue a double degree). This is a time filled with excitement, worry, anticipation, and perhaps disappointment, but seeing as there are very few reviews of the Software Engineering and Management (Co-op) program that I recently graduated from, I have decided to start a blog series documenting my own personal thoughts on the program.

In this blog post, I will provide 3 honest thoughts…

7 Steps to Simplify the Degree Planning Process

Once you’ve received the go-ahead from your academic advisor, it is time to start planning out your McMaster double degree. When planning your degrees, start with the end goal in mind. Ask yourself what you would like to have achieved by graduation. Starting with the end goal in mind ensures that you will take the most appropriate courses for your degrees (and have the proper prerequisite courses to enroll in upper-year classes), so you can get the most out of your double degree journey. …

3 Thoughts to Keep in Mind when Speaking to Your Academic Advisors

Navigating university bureaucracy can be a daunting task given all the different levels of authority that are responsible for administering a degree program. Luckily, the academic advisors at McMaster are more than happy to provide you with advice to help you complete your double degree. It is important to speak with an academic advisor once you have chosen majors for your double degree in order to find out more about the permissibility of your major combination (not all combinations of majors are allowed) as well as clarify any misconceptions you may have about the relevant policies surrounding your majors.

In…