Jobs and Concentrations

Hi,

I was wondering two things.

Firstly, do any of the iScis carry part-time jobs during the school year? Do you find you still had enough time for homework and were you able to find something that you could schedule around your classes?

Secondly, I know that you can take a concentration, but is it possible to do a minor on top of that? For example, could I concentrate in biochem and minor in physics?

Thanks!

I think it is possible in certain cases to do a minor on top of that but it would require all your elective spaces to be taken up by your minor courses (this may not always work out in your schedule either). i think you need 18 units to qualify for a minor.

Hello Josi,

Yes, part time or volunteering is definitely possible. If you can manage time, you won`t have any problem with it. Some of us in our year had part time job or volunteered at labs. So I don`t think its much of a problem.

Yes, it is possible to do a minor. Nicholas have mentioned that you need 18 units. For some minors (like biology), you only need 4 additional electives to complete a minor. I know that some iScis are going for biology minor, math minor, and so on.

Cheers

Hi Josi,

As for part-time jobs, I am pretty sure that it might be difficult to hold a part-time job and handle to workload of iSci. I know one girl in my year had a lifegaurding shift once a week at the pool, but other than that, I don't know of anyone having a part-time job.


Just to follow up on what Nick and James said above;
You actually need 24 units for a minor. And to get a minor in bio like James said, you would actually need 5 electives (15 units) as iSci substitutes for 3 electives (9 units).

You can find all of the information about minors in each subject in the course calendar by clicking on the department or school you are interested in getting a minor from. Here is the link for this section of the undergraduate course calendar for 2011-2012:

http://registrar.mcmaster.ca/CALENDAR/2011-12/pg1466.html

Hope this helps! You will also be able to find out a lot more about concentrations and minor options once you start into first year iSci. Don't worry about that too much right now, just focus on getting through first year!

Hey Josi,

Thanks for your question! Minors has always been a confusing topic in iSci (partially because the qualifications for each individual minor is so different at McMaster). Definitely check out the link Emily provided.

Though I know many students are planning minors. Cody and myself are both concentrating (him in physics, and myself in Earth Science, but are on track for a minor in Origins Research). I know Julianne is planning an Anthropology minor with her concentration in Earth Sciences. I also know Yohan is planning a math minor in addition to his concentration in Physics. These are just a few of the examples of students pursuing both a concentration and a minor. As for the specific case of Biochem and Physics, I am unsure if that is possible (see below)

To say what the value of a minor is, I'm not sure. Many people claim minors are useless, and I don't know if I can really contest that (a minor does not even show up on your degree!!). My greatest recommendation is to only do a minor if you feel it will be useful for yourself in the long run. I would also recommend pursuing a minor outside of Science, as you will be covering more than enough science in iSci. Also, depending on the Concentration you take, it will dictate the possibility of a minor (for example, I believe if you were in a concentration in chemistry or biochemistry, you would definitely need to invest in summer school courses to complete an additional minor).

All this being said, as a student of iSci, you can A) remain unconcentrated (which is totally acceptable), B) complete a concentration, C) complete a minor, (or completing two minors) or D) complete a Concentration and a minor (possible in some cases -- depending on the nature of the concentration and minor you choose)

I know for a fact that completing a concentration AND two minors is impossible. The Faculty of Science is very strict on "double dipping" in iSci, so though it may appear easy to complete minors from the calendar, there are some hidden rules that apply only to iSci students due to the nature of our degree being of an interdisciplinary nature.

Good to know! Is it difficult to find good electives that will work with the iSci schedule?

Once you hit university -- I don't know how difficult scheduling was in high school, but it's exponentially more difficult here (for any program). You have to be very strategic with times, and how you pick your electives. Closer to the date, we will give you all the feedback as possible to create the best possible schedule!

Otherwise, in iSci first year you only really have 2 electives, and although some of your top choices may not fit, there is a very good selection of those available (I believe they make linear algebra available for sure -- which is needed if you want to pursue math or physics concentrations).

In future years, I will say electives may become a bit of a problem. (To fit ALL those you want). And this has been a factor for those leaving the program to pursue pure majors in subjects -- because some people desire the electives in a certain discipline more than the Integrated Science courses.

Hey Josi,

I did not have a part time job, during school, so far, but i will try to get one this coming year.
With that said, I have been a regular volunteer. On average, it does not really effect my performance in ISci. What I mean is most of the time there is no problem, but during critical periods, such as exams and project deadlines, balancing academics and volunteering is a juggling act. This is not just true for ISci but for university in general.

Yes you can do a concentration and a minor. You may have to do summer courses for this though, of course it depends totally on the concentration and minor. To getting a minor in bio, for example, requires only four additional courses with an iSci degree. But getting minor in math will require summer courses.