It was the closest to my top choice that I was accepted to, behind Waterloo and U of T. It was third out of my seven choices because it had a co-op engineering program, which I found to be very important, and that it was rising in the school rankings nationwide.
Course Curriculum
I find that since the first year is a general year, the curriculum gives a sufficient taste of the tools one would need for each specialization, having a materials course specified for materials engineering, a programming course specified for learning how to program, etc. As a result, it is very good at introducing the student to the different aspects of engineering but may at times feel too general and unspecialized for people who know what stream they would like to move into in the following year.
Exams
I did not take any special exams for admission, although I did take six-course exams that came with the curriculum for the first semester.
Internship
McMaster University does provide an optional co-op for engineering students, where students are pushed to either find internships on their own or through the OSCARPLUS website, which hosts numerous job postings that co-op students can apply to. 4,8,12, and 16-month co-op's are all options for co-op students.
Fees
The student fees that are paid can be found on McMaster's student hub "Mosaic", and contain the specifics of the allocation of tuition, which include student society and club fees, various student services fees, course fees, and faculty fees. Some of these services, such as dental, can be opted-out from.
Examination Structure
Exams normally run over three weeks after a semester's classes finish, and are scheduled very far in advance so that students can check the times and locations of the exams before the term ends.
Faculty
The engineering faculty here at McMaster I find is adamant on providing students the necessary opportunities to explore entrepreneurship, conduct research, and participate in on-campus activities related and non-related to the engineering practice. The focus is not too academic heavy and provides a healthy student-life balance.
