Surviving First Year In Engineering…

So, I recently finished my first year of undergraduate studies in Chemical Engineering and damn, oh damn, what a roller coaster ride. I have had ups and downs, times of confusion and split moments where I might have actually felt like letting go utterly.

University is a vast jump from higher education and these are two different entities, thus it’s difficult for some people to find their balance during the first year. We all want to achieve a higher GPA, to take part in co-curricular activities, to get internships in the future, to have time for your friends and time to yourself and time to have fun. So you ought to buckle up. 

Here’s a compilation of tips and tricks on how I think you could scale through successfully, I’ve managed to implement some of them as well as asked people on what they did or think they could have done differently:

1. Interact with your fellow classmates, join engineering student groups and interact with your seniors, get feedback as they may have tips and past papers for you. Approach your lecturers. Don’t be shy to talk to them, ask about the course and how to best excel in their course.
2. Get involved in different competitions, scholarship programs, associations within the university, these doesn’t have to be engineering related, different groups mean you will meet more people to build networking outside of your program. This is the best thing you can do for yourself because you’ll learn how to juggle things early as it’ll keep you on your feet and tighten your schedule so you properly plan out your schedule.
3. Time management, this is very important in excelling in engineering. I’ve come to realise that the courses I took weren’t rocket science, just that I didn’t know how to manage my time. So you need to know how to manage your time to review your work before and after class as well as keeping up with assignments. The more you’re able to manage your time you’ll be able to excel. So please ensure that you aren’t slacking behind.
4. Don’t slack on any chance to secure your internal marks, such as assignments, midterms and tests. These usually weigh about 50% of your final grade. So try maximise in any way possible, because it can be quite a hustle but it’ll definitely add up.
5. Don’t spend too much on textbooks, from my first tip, interaction with your seniors will help you on where to get cheaper books, eBooks or any other alternatives as well as any helpful equipment. Also try and keep your health game up so you don’t spend much on food if you’re able to cook or plan you meal schedule the better.
6. Look for alternative learning sources. At times you’ll attend lectures and find that you didn’t gain as much knowledge about the course as you want to. Surf YouTube or other helpful sites and get a breakdown of everything. Take advantage of the Peer Assisted Learning (P.A.L) sessions led by trained P.A.L student mentors. The mentors are past students of the course who have been successful.

Lastly, when everything starts to feel like it is falling apart, think about why you chose to study engineering in the first place. Not only it
is a growing career with numerous opportunities, but you can make a difference. In each field, engineers work to make technological advancements that can improve our world. Declaring engineering as your major means you get to learn how to influence the world.