Explore your Pathways: Mark's journey from Mohawk to McMaster and back again

Meet Mark

Mark, a graduate of Mohawk College’s General Arts and Sciences program, spent his time after high school travelling abroad and working odd jobs.

Though he didn’t go straight to college or university after he finished high school, Mark did have a deep passion for learning. Once he had returned from his travels, he made it his goal to go to university. However, Mark would have to put in some extra work to achieve this goal.

Being from Hamilton, it was a “no-brainer” for Mark to come to Mohawk College. Not only was the school local to him, but it was one of the few in the region that offered exactly the type of program he was looking for.

“My high school grades weren’t the best,” Mark recalls. “So, I came to Mohawk because the General Arts and Sciences program offered a matriculation to McMaster, and that was really appealing.”

Mohawk College General Arts and Sciences to McMaster University Humanities

In the Mohawk College General Arts and Sciences to McMaster University Humanities Pathway transfer opportunity, students complete a two-year General Arts and Sciences diploma program at Mohawk College before applying to one of the Humanities programs at McMaster University.

Once students have finished the General Arts and Sciences program at Mohawk and have been accepted into a Humanities program at McMaster. Students using this pathway receive the equivalent of 1.5 years of university credits or more. This means they will be able to skip most, if not all, of their first-year courses and dive straight into studying what they’re interested in.

Learning how to succeed in your studies

While the Pathways transfer opportunity gives students a streamlined way to get into university, the General Arts and Sciences program teaches students what they need to know to succeed once they get there.

“The students in General Arts and Sciences end up being more prepared–by going through General Arts and Sciences and skipping the first year of university once they get in–than the people who went through the first year at McMaster,” Mark says.

A major stumbling block for new university students is getting used to writing in a university style. The General Arts and Sciences program’s curriculum considers this and takes the time to focus on it.

“It (the General Arts and Sciences program) prepares students by giving them the tools that they need to do the writing required in the academic field,” Mark states.

Not only does the curriculum focus on imparting skills and knowledge that will aid students in excelling during their future time in university, the smaller class sizes allow for Mohawk students to receive more individual time working with their professors than in university.

The main goal of professors in the General Arts and Sciences program is to help their students succeed in both current and future educational endeavors.

“The professors in the General Arts and Sciences program, and at Mohawk, are here primarily because they want to teach,” Mark says. “That’s the difference from university, where most of the professors are primarily there because they’re doing research.”

Flexible programs of study

Along with key skills taught by dedicated faculty, another way that the General Arts and Sciences program allows students to later thrive in university is through the wide array of courses offered in the program.

From this varied selection of courses, students can tailor their schedule towards their interests and the required credits that they’ll need to transfer into the specific Humanities program they’re interested in.

Not only is this ideal for students who have a specific area of study in mind for when they go to university, it is also great for students who are still exploring their options.

“It gives them exposure to a broad level of topics and subjects, especially in the humanities, that allows them to have a better idea of what they’re going into and what they want,” Mark says.

For some students, all it takes is a single elective to spark an interest that goes on to drive their future educational and career path.

Passion for philosophy

Long before taking the Mohawk General Arts and Sciences program, Mark had a deep interest in philosophy.

Mark had spent a lot of time reading philosophy books and had taken some philosophy courses in high school, but he got to experience the topic that he loved in a new way through the philosophy elective in the General Arts and Sciences program.

In this class, Mark had many thought-provoking conversations with faculty and fellow students, both of whom he considered to be his friends. It was these experiences that played a huge role in driving him to apply for the Philosophy program in the Humanities department at McMaster University.

“What it did do was give me the confidence to know that I would be able to succeed in pursuing philosophy, in part because of my experience taking philosophy at Mohawk and seeing how stimulating it was,” Mark comments.

Returning to Mohawk

After graduating from Mohawk College, Mark completed his Bachelor of Arts–Philosophy at McMaster University. From there, he went on to earn his Master of Arts–International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa.

Throughout his time away from Mohawk College, the bonds he formed within the school stayed strong. When he had the opportunity to return to Mohawk, this time as a philosophy professor, he jumped at the chance to rejoin the friendly and welcoming community he loved.

“It’s the most fulfilling thing I’ve been paid to do, that’s for sure,” Mark says about his time as a professor. “It's just a great opportunity. It's not something that I would have necessarily realized that I wanted to do, but ending up here, it's something that I'll do for a while for sure.”

Mark recommends Mohawk College and the Mohawk General Arts and Sciences to McMaster Humanities Pathways transfer opportunity to anyone planning to go to university for a humanities program.

He says that not only will you enter university better prepared, but also that “you're going to get more out of your university education.”

Posted 10/4/2024