Put on your Dancing Shoes!

Tomorrow is the big day! It’s the annual ‘Fireball Gala’, an event where McMaster’s engineering students put on their finest dresses and suits to mix and mingle, while dancing the night away.

Showing off the banner I made to promo the event.

We crawl out from under the depths of textbooks, and out of the mazes of equations and into the light of a beautiful banquet hall. We’ll dine with wine; look at beautiful shoes, and get beautiful news! 

Our new McMaster Engineering Society (MES) president for the upcoming school year will be announced, and awards are given out to the actively involved and engaged students for their outstanding contributions to our ‘MacEng’ community.

A professional photographer takes photos of couples, groups of friends, group shots of people in the same stream of engineering (Chem Eng had some really cute photos last year!), or anything the students want, really. 

One of my fav pics from some of our (now 4th year) Chem Eng students :)

Have a look at some of last year’s photos: http://macengsociety.ca/culture/events/fireball-2012/ .  It’s kind of like a prom, but way better. It’s one of those days that brings so many people together (B-tech and Computer Science as well) in the classiest of ways.

Combine loud cheers, excellent food, fantastic company, dancing and incessant laughter and you’ve got an undeniable recipe for a good night. I’m so excited- I’ll let you know how it goes!

~Helen

A Different Resolution than 800px x 600px

Happy New Year! I hope your 2013 will be your best odd-numbered year to date!

Many of you have probably made some type of New Year’s Resolution. Maybe you want to try a new sport, or lay off the chocolate. Maybe even hit the gym once in a while.

As for me, and quite a few fellow students I know, our goal for 2013 is to improve academically. This could mean develop better study habits, get help when you think you need it and make sure you stay on top of your work.

The funny thing is, most resolutions we make are goals that we think we must do individually – that we have to “go it alone”. We tend to forget about the support system that exists for us; whether it’s friends, family, or your institution.

Here at McMaster, the Faculty of Engineering offers many ways to support your academic goals:

• 'Profs':

Your professor is there to teach you. He or she even schedules hours for you to go ask them questions. Many students do not take advantage of office hours – don’t let that be you!

• Study Sessions:

The McMaster Engineering Society has set up study sessions with ‘upper years’ to help ‘first years’ prepare for tests and exams. How sweet is that? You can work with people who have already been through what you have! You can always set up a study group of your own with your friends as well.

Some people prefer to study in groups.
These Eng girls studying in  Thode, the Engineering and Science Library.

•   Eng I SUCCESS:

It is a great time to be a first year at McMaster! New this year is something called the ENG I SUCCESS Initiative, where first years that may have not done so hot in their term one courses have an opportunity to upgrade their marks and improve their study skills!

And if these options don’t get you where you want to be, there are  academic advisors in Engineering Student Services to help you out. University may seem like an intimidating place on the outside, but there is a huge network and support system waiting for you.

Good luck this year! Keep sticking to your resolutions to find your way to success!

Later days,

~ Daniela

Ho-Ho- Holidays!!!!

 Season greetings from all of us in Eng I Outreach office!

Congratulations to engineering students who finished off exams yesterday! Especially the first years who just finished their first semester as a Mac Eng student!

Take a look at the gingerbread house that some of the upper years made to help the first years celebrate! It’s a little in shambles after the students ate it… but it was definitely a tasty celebration of the end of exams J

I think I am speaking for everyone when I say winter breaks are just so much more relaxing when you are in university. Why, you may ask?  Well, the winter break is at the end of the first semester, thus we are done with those courses for good and can stretch our legs and take a nice relaxing break before the new semester comes and pull us back in the library!

If you followed our survival guide like you should have, I assume you had a swell time writing your finals and most likely are sipping eggnog while reading this. I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! In case you do not celebrate Christmas, I wish you the happiest holidays and a pleasant winter break. Go pour yourself some more eggnog or make a ginger bread house or climb the Kilimanjaro, sky is the limit!

Give yourself a pat on the shoulder; you made it through another year! Take moment to remember your happiest memories and maybe some moments which were not exactly happy, but maybe made a positive change in you, made you a stronger person and taught you a valuable lesson.

Life is all those memorable moments, so take a break and prepare yourself for a whole new year! May this year to be the best one yet!

How to survive exams & make it to the holidays!

Exam season is here! It’s tough times for university students, especially engineers. Here are some tips from my friend, Helen, and I on how to survive exams and make it through to Christmas break! 

[Disclaimer: All advice to be taken at your own risk!] J

Mary’s survival tips for exam season:

•  Make a study plan.  Remember, there are two types of lessons, the easy ones which you don’t need to study and the hard ones which you cannot learn so don’t waste time studying them.
•  NO Procrastination! Are you procrastinating right now? If you have an exam to study for stop reading this and go back to studying!

OH, you are still here….sigh. Ok, here are some more tips I guess:

•  Stay away from your phone and computer as much as possible. Those texts and notifications can wait. In fact, throw your phone out of the window this instant!
•  Put that coffee mug away! It makes you hyper and makes it hard to take naps and get your 12 hours of sleep per night.
• Eat a lot of chocolate. It makes you happy and keeps you focused. (You can make exercising one of your New Year’s resolutions in less than a month). 



Just chilling with the associate dean :) (L to R: Mary, Helen) 

•  Eat food, take breaks and stay alive. Make yourself a nice 5-course dinner to reward your hard work during the day. Remember:  Grandma’s food is delicious because she spends a lot of time prepping it, so do not choose a lousy recipe just to save time.

Helen’s survival tips for exam season:

Ok folks, my turn now. Let me tell you the key to doing exams Helen-style.

•  Look ridiculous. For the ladies, throw that hair into an obnoxious, messy bun atop your head. Sweatpants? Yes...  all day, every day. For the men, ‘tis the season of bedhead, and although Movember has come to pass, the university community will see their fair share of unshaven-ness. (Count how many neck-beards you can spot! Decembeard? Yep.)
•   Stay glued to your electronics. How else is your friend going to wake you up in the morning? Or tell you that you wrote down the wrong time for the exam?
• Caffeinate yourself. Coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola are staples to achieving this, but of course there are interesting alternatives. I hear wonderful things about chocolate covered coffee beans.
•  Stick to your vegetables. Chocolate is a no-go. Do you want to fit into your ugly Christmas sweater? YES. OF COURSE YOU DO!  It’s the only true way to make grandmothers happy.
• Stay hydrated. Remember all that caffeine you consumed? It dehydrated you. And with all that liquid consumption, you’re bound for washroom breaks every 15 minutes. In fact, you should be due for one right now.

Best of luck with your exams, and give us feedback on how you survive the holidays!  

Holiday Fun at McMaster!

Hello World!

What a whirlwind the past few months have been! We're currently in the last few weeks of first semester before exams and the profs have really been keeping us busy. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel...Winter Holidays! There is nothing more exciting than knowing you get 3 weeks off to relax and not worry about school. With the season fast approaching, Mac Eng has really taken on the holiday spirit.

This past weekend was the Hamilton Santa Claus Parade and as tradition dictates the engineers were present to ring in the holiday season. Our various car teams were present and the "Redsuits" (engineering spirit leaders) were out handing candy canes to children and singing Christmas carols to our heart's content! This was my 4th year marching in the Parade and it did not disappoint. Below are a few shots of our amazing marchers in the parade.

Our lovely Mac Eng paraders!

Action shot of the two Carpools during the parade

Some amazing Redsuits leading the Eng team

Oh no! Someone was left behind!

Along with the Santa Claus Parade, Mac Eng holds an annual fundraiser event called Santa Hog. At Santa Hog we raise money for Interval House, a women's shelter, by caroling from class to class asking for donations. Now, these are not your average Christmas carols. Like everything we do here at Mac Eng, we take our own spin on traditional carols and make them about Mac Eng. If you're wandering around campus on November 30th you're sure to see us spreading Christmas joy!

Well, that's all for me! Gotta go back and hit the books.

Cheers!

~Genna

The Magic of Midterm Season

No matter what they always seem to sneak up on you. You question your knowledge: have I even learned anything yet? Or, on the flip side, you ask yourself “how am I going to retain all of this information?”

Yes, you know what I’m talking about. Midterms. Now, some of you may have tests labelled as such in high school, but if you’re like me and went to a semestered school, they were a new phenomenon upon entering university. At the end of the day, they’re just another test.

From my experience in first year, there really wasn’t a “start” and “end” date to the midterms. The reality is each of your classes will have 2 or 3 “midterms” so you’ll have them starting around the end of September and going all the way to the end of November. They’ll come in waves, having two in a week and such, but there seems to always be one on the horizon.

The great thing about these magical tests is that since there are two or three per course, the weighting is nicely distributed! If you have a hard time on one, it will not seal your fate on passing or failing the course! There’s always a chance to make up for some mistakes. Plus, there’s always the exam which is a large chunk of your grade in a course.

Second years studying in the Bob Loree Undergraduate Engineering (BLUE) Lounge. It's a great place to ask upper years for help!

So, when you start engineering, and you put those test dates in your calendar, don’t freak. Take a deep breath, and plan ahead:

(1)   Don’t start cramming the night before. Seriously. I know you hear this all the time, but it’s so true.

(2) Do practice problems. Engineering is about application, so don’t just read notes.

(3) Use the resources available – talk the prof or Teaching Assistants if you’re having problems, and also the Internet is a pretty marvelous thing. There are some great videos online.

(4) Figure out how you study best. Some people do the group thing, and some people need to study alone. Some need silence, while others rock out to some classical music in the background.

(5) Don’t cram the night before. (So key it takes up two spaces on this list)

At the end of the day, one of the best feelings a student can have is walking out of a midterm they aced. But sometimes, even when you work REALLY HARD, it’s just not your night. And that’s okay. Just keep swimming. 

Later days,
Daniela

Back to school--Bring on the fun!

Wow, I can't believe September is over! It feels like only yesterday I was donning my redsuit and welcoming first year students into McMaster Engineering. Welcome week is always one of my favourite times of year. Everyone is so excited to be back at school, and the campus is so energetic and enthusiastic! I made so many friends in first year, and I know they're going to have an amazing time during the year. From "Carpool" parties to bus pulling, it was truly a week to remember! On faculty day we formed groups of 20-30 first years and 5 reps for some fun-tastic engineering games. Check out my wicked awesome group below. What a bunch of stunners!

Here we have some of the amazing first year students pulling a Hamilton public bus across the downtown core of Hamilton for Shinerama! It's been a tradition in Mac Eng for years as a fundraising event  to help fight cystic fibrosis.

And finally, just a shot of the most fantastic group of people you will ever meet!

Just because Welcome Week is over, that doesn't mean the campus has been dead. Far from it! Coming up we have the annual Engineering and Science Olympics, an event that is run for high school students to get them interested in science and introduce them to the McMaster campus. On October 11th we will have around 1000 high school students from schools across Ontario exploring campus and participating in various activities throughout the day. If you're school is coming down for the event, I can't wait to meet you! Don't be afraid to say high to some of the awesome volunteers we have helping out with the event. They want to welcome you guys too!

Anyways, I have to get back to my mountain of homework awaiting me.

Cheers!

~Genna