Take classes that interest you and spark your interest across different faculties.

My name is Lily and I am a third-year Honours Mathematics and Statistics Co-Op Student specializing in Mathematics, with a minor in Geography and Earth Sciences. I was admitted to the Chemical and Physical Sciences Gateway Program at McMaster, but it only took one calculus class for me to realize I was in the wrong program.

One of the great things about the science gateway programs is that while I was enrolled in Chemical and Physical Sciences Gateway, I was able to take all the mathematics courses necessary to apply to my current program. All four gateway programs at McMaster offer the opportunity and flexibility to specialize very early on while encouraging and supporting you. This is one of the main reasons why I chose McMaster.

I love academia and teaching, so following my undergraduate degree, I’m hoping to pursue a Masters Degree in Mathematics Education followed by a PhD, and then to one day teach Mathematics at the university level.

If I could give one piece of advice to first-year students, it would be to not let your program confine you. Take classes that interest you and spark your interest across different faculties. I ended up taking a geology course in my first year, and I loved it so much I decided to minor in it! Take advantage of this opportunity in first year and see if you discover something you enjoy outside of your major. I wish you luck in at McMaster and look forward to seeing you around campus!

...relax and remember that one mistake or uncertainty is not the be-all and end-all of your life or your aspirations. You can do this. Just breathe.

My name is Rachel and I graduated from the Honours Astrophysics program with a minor in French. Now I am doing my master’s degree in Astrophysics, also at McMaster, where I use computational techniques to study star formation.

I started in the Chemical & Physical Sciences Gateway program because I came into university with the plan of pursuing physics and becoming a teacher. I chose McMaster after visiting campus in my grade 12 year and falling in love. The community, especially the people I talked to from the Faculty of Science, was incredibly supportive and welcoming and the students I interacted with were genuinely happy and excited about their departments.

Pursuing physics at McMaster opened my eyes to the possibilities I had post-graduation, and eventually my goals switched from wanting to be a teacher to wanting to stay in academia and become a professor. I also came into my own in the department, being given a space and the mentors to be able to pursue passions outside of physics, like equity efforts in STEM. Being a graduate student, I of course use my knowledge of physics daily, but my degree also allowed me to learn valuable life lessons, like persistence, that I carry with me.

If I could give any advice to a student interested in the Faculty of Science at McMaster, it would be: relax and remember that one mistake or uncertainty is not the be-all and end-all of your life or your aspirations. You can do this. Just breathe.