SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
McMaster University is located in Hamilton, and comprises 57 buildings, 122 programs, and over 21 500 students [1]. It was first established in the year 1887 and is split into six different academic facilities: Degroote School of Business, Engineering, Health Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science [2] . They’re known as the McMaster Marauders with their mascot named “Mac the Marauder.” The institution is home to over 300 student organizations and clubs, however, they do not recognize any fraternities or sororities [2]. Their main academic policy is known as the “McMaster Model,” which focuses on a student-centred, problem-based, interdisciplinary approach to learning which has been used since the 1960s [2]. Only 3700 students live in twelve on-campus residences with a range of building sizes and dormitory styles [1]. Finally, McMaster University is a member of a group of research intensive Canadian universities known as the U15 [2].
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SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
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McMaster University is located in Hamilton, and comprises 57 buildings, 122 programs, and over 21 500 students [1]. It was first established in the year 1887 and is split into six different academic facilities: Degroote School of Business, Engineering, Health Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science [2] . They’re known as the McMaster Marauders with their mascot named “Mac the Marauder.” The institution is home to over 300 student organizations and clubs, however, they do not recognize any fraternities or sororities [2]. Their main academic policy is known as the “McMaster Model,” which focuses on a student-centred, problem-based, interdisciplinary approach to learning which has been used since the 1960s [2]. Only 3700 students live in twelve on-campus residences with a range of building sizes and dormitory styles [1]. Finally, McMaster University is a member of a group of research intensive Canadian universities known as the U15 [2].
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Check out McMaster's official socials...
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IN THE WORLD
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According to the 2020 Times Higher Education World University Rankings
Check out McMaster's official socials...
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RA
NK
IN
GS
#
72
72
IN THE WORLD
#
4
4
IN CANADA
According to the 2020 Times Higher Education World University Rankings
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Why did you choose your program? What makes it unique to you?
I chose to study Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo because I was interested in sports and physical activity. Ever since I was a kid I would compete at provincial and national Badminton tournaments and had my fair share of injuries. It was through going to a physiotherapist that sparked my interest in the rehabilitation aspect of sport injuries. And since the University of Waterloo has their renown Co-op program, it was all the more reason to come to UW and was one of my top options as a post-secondary school.
QUESTIONS
For a UW Kinesiology Student...
JUICY
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Do you feel there's a good support/transition program for freshman students?
For sure! I was fortunate enough to have supportive friends and be a part of the Varsity Badminton team both of which gave me valuable advice and helped me when I was struggling. Apart from that, UW does provide many different opportunities to get to know other students, and help students transition. All my professors were always helpful and ready to lend a helping hand if I needed extra help or had extra questions about a certain topic.
How would you describe the workload and work-life balance?
I would say the workload during my first year was a lot higher than I anticipated because of the wide variety of courses I had to take. And since these were all introductory courses, they were very broad as well, leaving a lot of content to cover. Since classes are a lot more fast paced in
university compared to high school, having a strong foundation and base knowledge in areas is very important. With transitioning from high school to university I had to figure out how to manage my workload and develop a schedule that works for me which I didn’t really have to do for high school. That being said being on top of my classes allowed me to find the time to go to social events with friends as well as train on the Varsity Badminton team.
What’s one misconception about UW?
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A lot of people may have the misconception that the course load and demand at Waterloo is very high, leaving students with no time to relax and have fun as a university student. Some programs definitely have a heavy course load but everyone still finds time to socialize, go out, and have fun! There are many different clubs and social activities that happen on campus as well as a wide variety of happenings around the Waterloo/Kitchener area. Some of my favorite activities in the city include the St. Jacobs farmers market, going to cafés to study and hang out with friends, and of course grabbing bubble tea!
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What is some advice you would give high school students when applying to your program?
Here are 2 helpful tips that helped me when entering Kinesiology:
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Create a schedule
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Being organized and on top of my assignments and midterms helped me properly plan out my weeks to make sure I was never lagging behind on courses while being able to have social time with friends.
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Find friends in your program/classes to work with
Going to class alone can seem a little daunting and boring to some, but having a good group of friends to go to class with, and study with can definitely help and lighten up the mood. You can also help one another out if you don’t understand a topic for example!
A very special thank you to our interviewee...
MARTIN LAW
Hey guys! It’s Martin here and I’m a fourth-year student at the University of Waterloo studying Kinesiology Co-op. Getting more info on University life and workload is a great way to familiarize yourself with your program and help with the transition from High-school to University. Hopefully my interview with Project Uni can give you more insight into what my program is like! If you ever have questions you can contact me through my LinkedIn or Instagram and I’ll try my best to answer your questions! Also…stay tuned for more vids!