Miscellaneous

Understanding the Journey : What is University?

Note: This article is hosted here for archival purposes only. It does not necessarily represent the values of the Iron Warrior or Waterloo Engineering Society in the present day.

Congratulations and welcome to the University of Waterloo Class of 2019. The great odyssey of becoming an engineer has begun. As with any journey, the first steps are often the hardest, this is especially true for first year engineering. This series of articles is aimed at understanding what it means to be in university, how to survive your first year, and how to seize the numerous opportunities that university has in store.

First of all, what does it mean to be in university? The answer is self-development achieved through dedication and hard work. At university, you are given the tools and opportunities to redefine yourself and pursue your life goals through academic work and a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Every moment you are here, think about how you can create the best version of yourself.

More specifically, what does it mean to be in engineering at the University of Waterloo? The engineering program offered here focuses on academic excellence as well as exposing young engineers to the challenges of job hunting and working in the industry through the co-op program. Every academic term you will be faced with the challenge of getting good grades while navigating the subtle art of finding a job placement. These two activities are largely interconnected and are very important on your journey to completing your engineering studies. (I will discuss this more in my next article; focusing on getting a job for your co-op term.)

Juggling academics and job-hunting for the first time is probably the most difficult thing that a first year student in this program will have to do. However, don’t get too stressed or worked up thinking about it. It has been done before and can be done very successfully if you keep a few tips and tricks in mind. First of all, there are tons of excellent resources available to help you survive any course. Second, the most important and effective resources you have as an engineering frosh are your WEEF TAs. The best advice I received while I was in first year was “get to know your WEEF TAs; they will help you out the most during your first year.” Your WEEF TAs are there to help guide you academically whatever other issues you are facing – provided that they are reasonable. They are very friendly, open and supportive people, so get to know them.

If you’re looking for advice on how to plan and organize yourself for university, you can see the First Year Engineering Office in Carl Pollock Hall (CPH) 1320. Prof Ajoy Opal, Prof Bill Owen and many other professors at the First Year Engineering Office are more than ready to help. Another highly effective resource are your professors and TAs. Be sure to learn their office hours so that you can go to them for help. Going to office hours is a really amazing way to learn class material, get tips on what material to study for exams, find ideas on how to solve assignments and projects, and generally get to know your professor and teaching assistants.  They always have great advice and support for those students who are willing to ask for it.

Another pro-tip to help reduce the stress of studying during midterms and finals is to always study class material, practice assignments, and old past questions ahead of time during the weekends or whenever you’re free during the academic term. Trust me, you’ll be happy you put in the effort ahead of time. The engineering society (ENGSOC) also has an online exam bank where there are loads of past midterms and finals. All you need to do to access the exam bank is to go to the EngSoc website and log in with your Quest credentials. Studying for final exams is hard, even for the best engineering students. Be prepared.

Finally, keep calm and always stay positive in any situation you find yourself. This is the real challenge of your first year in engineering. There is so much work and such little time that the stress is bound to get the better of you once in a while. Remember that complaining or feeling stressed will not solve your problems; moving forward with courage and perseverance will.

And now, some survival tips for co-op. First tip: when applying on JobMine, always use as many applications as you can during the first round. You won’t get any jobs you don’t apply for… Duh…  Second tip: when applying for jobs, try your best to have a working cover letter. Believe me when I say a strong cover letter can drastically increase your chances of getting an interview. Writing a good cover letter is just as challenging as crafting a strong résumé. It’s not easy, but if you can pull it off, you will see amazing results. Go to résumé critiques. The EngSoc critiques are very good. You get insight into what employers are looking for and how to showcase what makes you unique. The Centre for Career Action (CECA), located in the Tatham Centre, is another great place to get co-op advice and résumé critiques. If you don’t have a lot of time, you can go for the 10-15 minute drop-in resume and cover letter critique sessions. Ultimately, a résumé is an extension of who you are. There are different employers, each of whom are looking for different things. So don’t get too stressed out on trying to make the “perfect résumé”. And, if you’re still unsure, ask a fellow engineering student or engineer. Engineers train engineers; they know what qualities and skills they are looking for when hiring.

Apart from studying hard to get awesome grades, networking, and updating your résumé to find a job, it is very important to get a chance to relax and find a fun extra-curricular activity to be engaged in. The university has a wide range of activities including entrepreneurial, science, arts, and engineering clubs, sports teams, hackathons, and engineering design teams. Extra-curricular activities and clubs are an amazing way to socialize, network and develop valuable skills that you may not be able to nurture elsewhere. It is very easy to believe, especially as an engineering student, that having good grades and a strong co-op experience will get you the job of your dreams after graduation. However, this mentality can be limiting. You can only learn so much at school and from your co-op placements. What are you passionate about? What excites you? Extra-curricular activities help a lot in giving you that extra edge or unique skill-set that will set you apart in the eyes of an employer (and they’re a lot of fun). Furthermore, employers and hiring managers are people just like you who like to play in bands, read and write, make computer programs for fun, and play sports. Having a common interest with an interviewer breaks down the formality of the hiring process and gives you an opportunity to have a real conversation. Find at least one extra-curricular activity that you can be passionate about.

Finally, your first year of university is the first step in a very challenging, but truly rewarding journey. It can be difficult adapting to a new environment, dealing with challenges and trying to achieve goals.  It can be a lot to balance but like my aunt would often say, “he who wants a lot must work a lot”. I have one final tip. Enjoy the journey; you didn’t come to university to just survive. You came to thrive.

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