August 08, 2023 to August 25, 2023
Congratulations on becoming a Marauder! We’re excited to welcome you to our McMaster community
MacStart is a free summer program designed to help you transition to university learning. Our goal is to support the needs and interests of incoming students with disabilities.
This orientation program is offered in a choose-your-own-journey style. This means that you register once for the whole program and attend only the workshops that interest you. Through this program, you will have a chance to make connections and become acquainted with like-minded peers before you even start classes.
MacStart is run through Student Accessibility Services (SAS). If you are seeking academic accommodations for the school year, you must register with SAS.
You don’t need to register with SAS to participate in MacStart. For questions about MacStart or accommodations, contact sastransition@mcmaster.ca.
Note: This content may also be relevant for upper-year undergraduate students, graduate students and transfer students — all are welcome.
MacStart is a partnership between Student Accessibility Services (SAS) and the Student Success Centre (SSC).
A full schedule of live workshops is coming soon
Introductions, Icebreakers and Socials
August 8Our first event of the series, made specifically for you to come hang out with us and meet your fellow peers. You can look forward to games, introductions, and icebreakers as the first week of MacStart begins and as we enter into this exciting last month before Fall.
Embracing Neurodiversity Group
August 9 to August 30, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET (weekly)An inclusive drop-in group co-facilitated by SAS transition coordinator, Julia Millington (she/her), and Student Wellness health promoter, Zeinab Khawaja (she/they), who focuses mainly on mental wellness and equity-deserving groups. Through these weekly sessions, they hope to facilitate a safe space for sharing experiences, socializing, and reflecting on what it means to think and feel in ways that differ from societal norms. Open to all MacStart students, including those who identify as neurodivergent as well as those who are otherwise curious about what neurodiversity is.
Campus Tour and Study Spaces
August 22, 5:00 p.m. ETFollow our Instagram @sasmacu to see special footage of Mac’s best study spaces, including the Campus Accessible Tech Space (CATS) found with Mills Library! The video will be released at 5pm Eastern time.
Academic Skills
August 14, 2:00 p.m. ETJoin Colleen Deklerk (she/her) for a session on academic skills development including studying, note-taking, time-management, and communicating with professors and teaching assistants (TAs). Colleen has studied and worked at Universities all over Ontario and is now an Academic Skills program coordinator here at Mac. She has experience in accessibility case management and is able to provide individualized academic coaching to students.
Assistive Tech Workshop
August 11, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ETJoin Angela Harrison, Mac’s one-and-only assistive technologist consultant, for an introductory tutorial on Google Read&Write (text-to-speech software) and Microsoft OneNote (note-taking software). Ask questions about other assistive tech and services!
- Read&Write tutorial (1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET)
- OneNote tutorial (2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET)
Guest Lecture
August 17, 1:00 p.m. ETJoin our live virtual guest lecture with Dr. Joe Kim, a McMaster professor of Psychology. See what it’s like to listen and take notes—and learn a little about something new!
SAS Drop-In Office Hours
August 31 and September 1, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ETDuring the last two days of Welcome Week, we’ll be in the SAS Office to connect and hand out MacStart prizes. If you have time, come stop by!
MacStart Avenue to Learn course
In addition to our workshops, we’ve designed an online course for you to learn about academics, campus life, resources, services and more. In this course, you’ll meet your transition team, get tips on talking to professors and making friends, study advice, self-advocacy tips and a chance to become well acquainted with Avenue to Learn (A2L).
Avenue to Learn is the primary learning, course delivery and assessment platform at McMaster. Check out the MacStart course on Avenue to Learn for general tips and resources on life as a McMaster student. Use your MacID and password to log in and access the course.
This course will be delivered asynchronously, meaning that there are no live events and it is up to you to review the weekly content at your own pace and on your own time. Use your MacID and password to login and access the course.
One-on-one Consultations (Transition Program Coordinator)
By signing up for MacStart, you will be given access to one-on-one support from MacStart’s program coordinator, Julia Millington. Julia can answer questions about SAS and academic accommodations, financial aid and OSAP, McMaster services and much more. Appointment bookings require 24 hours notice.
Contact sastransition@mcmaster.ca to ask a question or learn more.
Peer Support
Through MacStart, you will also have a chance to meet with upper-year students who have used SAS and other McMaster services. These students can answer many of your questions about university life, and can offer you their own personal tips for getting connected on campus and staying healthy. Student ambassadors can help advocate for you and refer you to other services and supports when needed.
Contact sastransition@mcmaster.ca to get connected with a peer mentor.
