Hello friends,
Before I begin my editorial I’d like to address the tragedy that touched our engineering family in the short time since I last talked to you. To lose someone so early in their life, just when they were embarking on a great new adventure is never an easy thing. Whether you knew the student in person or simply have been touched by the improbability of it all, it has affected all of us. I would like to remind all of you of the support that can be found in the form of friends, classmates, and counselling services (see the contact information listed at the end of this Letter).
However, the support goes beyond grief counselling. Engineering is a challenging program, unlike other programs you can’t simply drop courses (except in specific cases) and you have to participate in co-op. Juggling labs, job applications, 5-6 classes, assignments and possibly extracurriculars are probably going to cause you to have some very stressful days or even weeks. Although it might seem like something you have to do alone, that is not the case. Studying with friends and asking each other questions can do a world of good. Interspersing studies with breaks can be even better. Of course it goes without saying that plagiarism is bad, so don’t do it. No one wins from plagiarism.
It is easy to become overwhelmed by university life. There is a lot going on and not nearly enough time to do it all. You might tell yourself that you should be able to do something when you are plainly struggling, yet refuse to seek help out of pride. It is time to stamp that out. The longer you wait to get help the worse it will be to resolve. That goes for everything – from linear algebra (which let’s be honest doesn’t fully make sense until after the final exam) to just being sad. Look after yourself! Eat regularly and as healthily as possible. Sleep lots, exercise occasionally. These are the recipe for success. Keep at it and some day it will all be worth it. When that day comes, when you read an equation just as easily as these words you are reading now and apply it to some design or project of yours you will feel gratified. However, that is not today. In the short run sometimes you just need to take a break, recollect yourself, and start over. You won’t always need to go out to that party or buy those tickets to be accepted. You will get there.
It is easy at school to lose focus on the reason you are here in the first place. Yes, in part it is to find rewarding employment afterwards. If that is your sole reason for coming here then I can’t really fault you. Yet some part of me likes to remember how in older times an education was as much about culture as it was about mastering the art of mathematics or analyzing pressure build up in a system. Since television and smart phones, there may not be the same propensity towards lengthy debates but that doesn’t mean we should all stop wondering about things. Certainly we shouldn’t limit ourselves by the program we are studying. Expand past your classes and take the time to try bouldering in PAC, or fencing, or maybe a new language, or go to a different event.
There are more resources here at your finger tips than ever before, more people with similar interests and more opportunities. The university is always happy to tell potential students how if you have an interest there’s a club for it. I think more than that, it’s the things you didn’t mean to do that can be the most valuable. These things include things a friend drags you to at the last minute or something you stumble upon by accident. It is an atmosphere of learning and chance discoveries.
When I was in first year I took lots of walks. In the winter it was cold so I tended to go on indoor adventures. Over time I think I have found most of the connecting passages. I checked out the taxidermy displays (well mostly skeletons) on the third floor of Bio 1, the dinosaur fossils and cool rocks in EIT, and got lost attempting to take the overhead walkway from E3 to E5. For most of my adventures I didn’t have a phone- I didn’t get one until reading week- so when I got turned around trying to find the math comfy lounge in MC, I had to wander around until I found somewhere I recognized then go from there.
Now this is probably a good spot to bring up co-op. For engineering students co-op is an unavoidable fact of life. This past weekend, many of us sifted through the jobs on Jobmine and decided what types of adventures we were willing to sign up for. Which places we’d be willing to move to for four months, what jobs we’d be willing to do, where we’d draw the line employment wise. I wish I could give some sort of sage advice on co-op, but really it’s up to each person to learn where they are willing to go. However, I can say that I hope to soon be seeing halls filled with spiffy people ready to charm potential employers. Get ready, because soon it will be time for everyone to re-evaluate just how it is that our greatest weakness can also be one of our strengths.
Co-op can be frustrating, especially because you have to take time out of your weekend to apply to jobs. Then, if that went well you might have to skip class or even midterms to attend interviews. Personally I haven’t gotten too many interviews, but for the most part the interviews were for jobs I really wanted and they led to employment. I really lucked out on my first co-op, although initially I had all but given up on finding a job. In first year, I didn’t even get any interviews until well into continuous round. By that point I had already prepared myself for a summer spent at home working at Tim Hortons. Instead I got a civil engineering job in Whitehorse, Yukon working on water treatment systems for First Nations communities. It was a really great experience. Work trips involved six hour drives through wilderness barely touched by humans. In a six hour drive you might only encounter a town or two. In the Yukon you always gas up when you pass through a town because it will probably be the last one for another three hours.
The Yukon was a really exciting place to live and work. You will probably find that in talking to anyone who has visited there it will come up quite often. Since there was nearly 24 hour sunlight I would come home from work, eat, nap and then go out for late night bike rides or runs. One day as I was biking to work there was actually a horse just munching grass on the side of the main road (This was in Whitehorse, the capital of the territory.). I bought bear spray because the paths I biked on had frequent bear sightings despite being ‘in town’.
I know my first co-op is a little out there, but it was a fantastic experience. Co-op is what you make it, so think of it a little like a paid sightseeing adventure and enjoy the ride! Stay safe and good luck with Jobmine!
Engineering Counselling Office CPH 1320, (519) 888-4761 (extension 84761 on-campus) to book an appointment.
UW Counselling services: (Needles Hall room 2080, 519-888-4567 x 32655 )
Good2talk 1-866-925-5454 or 211
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