Discover Engineering

Preparing for September - A Student's Perspective

Amir Allana// Engineering Science 1T2 // Jun 23, 2010

Exactly two year ago, I was where you are: high school’s over and the narrow straight of summer is all that separates you from the starkly different world that is university. You and all your future classmates will be coming from various backgrounds and very different walks of life; the plethora of unique personalities is amazing; and all of you are going to converge 8 weeks from now (during the best F!rosh Week the University has to offer!) because of one thing you will all have in common: you chose engineering at U of T. And what does that mean? Well the truth is it means that you will have AMAZING opportunities. The truth is not that you will have it easy: engineering is very challenging, and even graduating from a prestigious school like U of T cannot guarantee your future. The truth is you WILL have a mind-blowingly dynamic education, which, WITH THE RIGHT APPROACH on your part, can make you an outstanding professional. May that be engineering, or whatever other field you end up in.

But going to university isn’t just a career move; the day you graduate from high school you leave the world of linear paths and limited possibilities; the day you graduate from high school you get a second chance at life, where you can correct any mistakes you’ve made and be who you want to be; see the day you graduate from high school as the “first day of the rest of your life” (brownie points to whoever guesses where that last phrase was quoted from). Anyway, here are my bits of wisdom:

1. Don’t close your mind to anything or anyone. Actively seek to take something away from every experience, every encounter, every decision (good or bad), because in the end that will strengthen you. Ridicule and marginalization will only close doors and make you narrow-minded.

2. Be spontaneous. If you want to do something, do it! Take a chance; make interesting choices where the outcome may not be clear. Be safe, but don’t always take the easy path. Use your summer to do the things you haven’t had a chance to, redefine yourself if you want to, connect with people you may not know well.

3. Learn to compromise; you may have to give up some marks for a bit of fun; an assignment for an exam; study time for a club or design team; sleep for a sport. But those trade-off’s are ABSOLUTELY worth it (in my opinion). Try and expose yourself to the entire university experience.

4. Lastly, be critical (constructively) and make your own choices. You may not believe in my little blog here, for example, which is completely fine; but don’t let others tell you what to do. There will be so much pressure to do so many things (once again, good or bad) but ultimately, you always have a choice. Question lots, and don’t be afraid of being wrong.

So that said, rest up, buckle down, and brace yourself for a rollercoaster ride of insanity that is university. Have fun, be safe, work hard, play harder, and MAKE YOUR FIRST YEAR ONE TO REMEMBER!