Showing posts with label Welcome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Welcome. Show all posts
Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Five things I did in first year.
This
is for all of you starting out Engineering at ANU in 2016.
I
wanted to paint a picture of what my first year was like, so that you might be
able to better see yours. It’s hard to imagine exactly what you’re going to get
up to while at university because it’s so different to high school. You’ve got
way more freedom, the teaching methods are weird, and all of the people are
new. So here’s my list of five things I did in first year! I’ve sprinkled some
practical tips in there, because you’re engineers and I totally understand that
you want specific instructions to follow. So here goes.
1. I drank a lot of coffee. I can save you a lot of
café hopping by letting you know that the Coffee Grounds is the best café for engineering
students. Not only is it across the road from us, but Engineering Students
Association (ESA) members get a free upgrade from small to large coffees. Also,
the guys behind the counter are some really awesome dudes. They made me the napkin rose in this pic!
2. I had a lot of late nights
in the labs.
This is where some of my best friendships were made. At CECS we have more
contact hours, assignments, and group work than other Colleges, which is great!
These are things you have to do together, so we’re a stronger community of
students because of it. A pro-tip for you: you can get after-hours access to
the CECS buildings (find the admin team in the Ian Ross Building, up the
spirally stairs).
3. I ate a lot of free food. Finding free food is a
skill, but once you know where to look you get really good at it. You also
learn more about stuff going on at ANU in the process. The ESA hosts BBQs all
the time (pictured below), CECS hosts events too (check your emails regularly to find out about
them), ANUSA has weekly BBQs, and there’s the Brian Kenyon Student Space which
does breakfast. When societies or a College want you to get involved, they
often entice you with free lunch. I say, take it! My friends and I even have a ‘BBQ
Boys’ Facebook group where we send alerts when we find BBQs around campus.
4. I joined the ESA. The ESA has a pretty big name
on campus. Outside of engineering, we’re known for our bar nights, our BBQs,
our merchandise, and our awesome videos (we won best marketing on campus last
year!) The ESA is great because of these things, but we’re also great because
of the academic support we provide students, and the opportunities we can give
them. We host a careers fair in February, and are constantly sending out info
on opportunities outside of ANU for students (like work experience,
competitions going on, or grad jobs). We host information sessions on things
like which major to choose and we have year reps who gather your feedback on
courses. I’m rambling because we do so much! But hopefully you can see it will
be the best $5 you ever spend. Find the ESA on Facebook!
5. I asked for help. There are heaps of places
you can go to get help with just about anything! CECS student services are
awesome for any questions you have. ANUSA is great if you need financial or
legal support. Clubs and societies are great for finding older students who can
help out. Tutors and lecturers often love students who are engaged, and ask
more questions. Finally, your friends are going to be the ones you ask for help
the most. Getting through an engineering degree is a team effort, and you’ll
start to see that in the culture we have.
So
they’re my five! I decided to limit myself to a certain number otherwise I
would have typed forever. A lot of things you’ll learn for yourself, and many
of you will have a completely different learning experience to me!
I’m
definitely someone that you can ask for help, or a coffee, or info on what’s
happening in the College. I’d love to hear about your experiences.
Good
luck!
Emily
Monday, 30 March 2015
E is for....
Emily.That's me! My name's Emily Campbell and welcome to All Things E! Here is me in my natural state: surrounded by males. However, they don't usually treat me like a princess, these ones just have to because we're genetically related.
I'm currently a third year Engineering student at ANU, however I wouldn't really classify myself as a typical engineer. Don't get me wrong, I love maths, taking things apart and breaking down complex problems, but I also do an Arts degree where I major in Philosophy and I enjoy girly activities like straightening my hair, going shopping with friends and painting my nails horrible shades of pink.
Elements.
To be more precise, I study Systems Engineering. For those who aren't familiar with it, it basically means we look at every element in a system. We work on projects over their whole lifecycle and get to learn about a huge variety of engineering disciplines.
Exploration.
This is the place where I want to share cool engineering projects and experiences of my own, from Canberra and around the world. I want to make everyone look at the world from a Systems Engineering approach!
Each Week.
Yep. And more than once! What a special treat! I hope you don't get sick of me.
Everyone!!
While I do hope that younger students will take some valuable insights away from the blog, I really want this to be something that everyone can enjoy and contribute to. We all have something to learn, a cool new project to hear about or a person to be inspired by and I'm going to find all these things for you.
Wish me luck!
Love always,
Emily
P.S. Here's my name on a breadboard in case that helps you remember it :)
