As a first year computer science student at the University of Toronto, which path should I take?

I've worked in a number of computer industry companies (25 years experience) and have developed numerous programs for internet and finance. I would say that A and B gives you the most knowledge and skills for success in the business. I am assuming you will start out in software development as oppose to say, IT. Pure math skills are rarely needed unless you are working in research for things like graphics, compression, encryption etc. Most of the time we use established algorithms or incorporate existing libraries and frameworks developed by others. The reasons boils down to time and expense. Why rewrite/reinvent something when adequate reusable code exists. And software usually needs to be shipped yesterday. Regarding problem solving skills: you are either born with them or not. You should know whether you have them by now. It stems from creativity. You will benefit more from taking art or music classes for CS problem solving than Math. Many of the best programmers I know are artistic as well. Your sub questions: "Does a cs specialist better prepare me for work in the industry than a major would?" Depends on the type of CS work you wish to do but generally yes. "What exactly is information security, and what types of jobs can I get with it?" This is probably the biggest growth area in the industry. It is wide ranging from securing systems to securing programs to securing the country. It encompass cryptography, social engineering, locking down infrastructure from intrusion, intrusion analysis (because nothing is as secure as you think) etc. Big, big topic and what you learn will probably be outdated within a year. :-) "Is the variety of the math cs double major with 1 minor worth it if I am set on cs?" Not unless you wish to pursue industries or companies that require it (see above answers). That being said, having a math major as well is generally looked upon favourably in interviews so may get you in the door over someone who doesn't have one. But jobs are plentiful so it basically boils down to whether you want more variety in your courses or not and your personal interest in learning more math.

Focus on what interests you the most. A)  If you are interested in general application development involving many aspects such as UI, data access, application integration, OS functionality etc. then a general CS degree is probably the one for you. B)  If you don't really care about making lots of different applications for variety of purposes but really want to make sure no one ever accesses or modifies anything without permission then security is for you. (Important but overall small field that bores me so I admit my bias here). C)  If you really enjoy tackling complex problems and finding innovative and efficient solutions to them then you should take CS/Math. For example: Want to build an app that uses voice recognition to do something cool?  Choose A. Want to design a better voice recognition engine?  Choose C. What to stop someone from hacking into your smartphone and using those cool voice recognition apps?  Choose B. No matter which you choose there are good jobs available for those with the knowledge, talent, skill and perseverance.  But I really do believe there is so much you can do with A and C, and limited options when it comes to security.

A2A. “Which path should I take” is not enough information. I would need links to the various paths that you are considering to give you any sort of advice. I cannot tell is your path is a Computer Science Specialist major or just plan Computer Science major or some focus within a major. However the website already has a section “Advice on choosing courses toward a Major in Computer Science”, see http://calendar.artsci.utoronto.ca/crs_csc.htm#ASSPE1689, the section before Computer Science Courses.Bottom line: As a freshman, it is way too early to decide which path (major or focus) that really need to be made when you have actual choices. You normally take courses to see what path you should take. There is no right or wrong answer.